Niko itibaren Hobayriat Nawthir Suudi Arabistan
I just can't bring myself to love this play, although I believe I understand what Shakespeare is doing here. He takes a fairy tale plot, adds a fiercely realistic setting (complete with a pointless war and friendly fire), adds a desperately mismatched romantic couple (Helena, a commoner and a control-freak, a woman of great passion and intelligence, obsessively smitten with the noble Bertram, a proud, shallow boy), tops it off by giving the comedy a mindlessly optimistic title and then spending most of his effort not just making the title come true, but making it come true in such a formulaic, makeshift fashion that the reader must mentally modify that jaunty title by the addition of a dozen cautionary interrogation points. The comic fop and braggart Parolles--sort of a cross between Pistol and Malvolio--helps out some, both thematically and as comic relief, but the whole thing still leaves me feeling a little creepy, with a bad taste in my mouth. But then . . . maybe that's the way Shakespeare wanted me to feel? I don't think so, though. I believe his intention is a little more ambitious than that. He is certainly criticizing the forms and conventions of comedy, but I believe he also wishes to transcend them by producing a kind of meta-comedy--the sort of thing he would soon accomplish in Measure for Measure. In Measure for Measure, he succeeds by 1) distancing the reader by making the entire universe of the play slightly surreal, and 2) using the Duke as a God-like figure, thus inviting the reader to adopt an Olympian perspective for him or herself. Shakespeare tries something similar in All's Well That Ends Well, using 1) the radical disconnect between fairy tale and harsh realism in the plot, and 2)providing us with three ancient characters of good will--the King of France, the Countess and Lord Lafeu--who speak much about the nature of Time, suggesting the widened perspective and wisdom which may accompany Time's contemplation. As I said, he "tries" something similar, but I don't think he quite brings it off.
I think this is the kind of book that people will either hate or love. I am not ashamed to say I belong to the latter. Honestly, I think those who enjoyed novels like Harry Potter and Twilight will immediately be drawn in to the story of Clary Fray. And don't let the fact that this book is in the "Young Adult" section throw you. This is a great urban fantasy read. The characters are well developed, the story moves along at a fast clip and it's full of surprises that you never saw coming! Clare does a superb job of drawing you in. Maybe the plot isn't completely unique but the world she created certainly is. I really found it all quite interesting. The whole concept of the shadowhunters ooze with coolness. I mean half angel, half kick butt people! It doesn't get much cooler than that. The story is full of action and yes sometimes there are things added for additional dramatic effect. I'm a real sucker for action sequences and Clare certainly delivers on that front! The author's take on werewolves was original, and I gotta say they give the vampires a run for their money which I appreciated. I figured out some of the twists but, honestly, that's some of the fun....finding the hints and feeling the satisfaction of saying YES! Score for me I got it right! Let's do a little victory dance. (insert some break dancing moves I personally cannnot do here). I really liked the character of Jace. The whole feeling about belonging has such depth, however I thought Clary would be more shocked about finding out her personal history especially with how much her mother pounded in to her that there was not such thing as magic she would resist the whole idea more. That said, I was truly enchanted by City Of Bones. I found myself completely immersed in a world where demons roam the night, where weres run a bar, vamps occupy abandoned hotels, warlocks cast spells while rockin glitter in their hip hugging jeans, fey wait tables at the best mom and pop restaurant in NYC, and the law is upheld by Shadowhunters, a race of humans blessed by the angel Raziel. Even the setting, NYC, was so palpable; it became another character in this vibrant story. I thought the Shadowhunter world was funny, sleek, dark, sexy and hopeful. More importantly, the characters came so alive for me that they jumped off the pages. I felt as though I were in the story with them as opposed to merely following along in their journey. Regardless of the types of books you prefer to read, or the characters that endear themselves to your heart, I think we all read to become inspired. That inspiration can take shape in various forms, from writing, to making a playlist, picking up a sketchpad so that the images in your mind can take shape, or simply reading a new book in hopes of falling in love with yet another story.