It's no secret that I love to read. You may have noticed on this blog all of my book reviews (165 of them at present.) One of my mantras or goals in life is to
always be reading a book- or two (my dad liked to read two books at once. He would go back and forth.) I actually write onto my "to do" lists the chapters or pages I need to read each day. I try to read at least two books a month. So I calculate how many chapters or pages I need to read each day to accomplish that goal. Writing it on the to do list is really just to give me an excuse to read. It's on there. I have to get it done. But when it's presence on that list becomes a task master- When it becomes as hard to read as scrub the shower or clean off my vanity (my least favorite job!), then I know I don't like that book. It has taken the joy out of reading. It is simply another chore.
Another of my goals is to finish a book that I start unless the content is objectional. So I usually plow my way through a book, even if I'm not enjoying it.
My most recent "plow" book is Mansfield Park by Jane Austen.
Jane Austen is a great writer who I think is making social commentary as much as she is telling a story. I appreciate her gift and that commentary on the superficiality of her characters and the society which they are from. But in other of her books, I've still kind of liked the characters, or at least some of them. And there is always a nice love story in her books. I like that.
I'm about seventeen chapters into Mansfield Park. I hardly like any of the characters. I kind of like two of them- the two I suspect will one day marry. But the rest are just selfish, snobbish, and calculating. The story is just frivolous and irritating. I threw the book down when they spent two chapters trying to decide what play they wanted to put on and schemed to snag the best parts. Ahhh! I came in here to my computer to articulate my frustrations. Sorry.
But the book is a classic. And there is a reason for that.
Should I keep plowing or move onto greener pastures? The desire to keep my goal of finishing all books I start as opposed to life is short and you have lots of good books to read- move on. What do you think? What would you do? What shall I do? (Oh dear. I am sounding like an Austen character!)
2 comments:
I read this book, too, and found the characters very frustrating. But, she intended them to be frustrating/annoying, so she succeeded.
Mansfield Park is very well written; Jane Austen is a master, but I think this may be the "least happy" of all her books.
I have read Pride and Prejudice and Emma and enjoyed both of those. I think I tried to read Mansfield Park but gave up because it didn't hold my interest. You have my permission not to finish it (for whatever that is worth!) I recently saw on Netflicks Emma and Becoming Jane (a movie about Jane Austen's life and romances. I enjoyed both movies!
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