Category: Uncategorized
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Treasure Island: Part V
PART V MY SEA ADVENTURE XXII HOW MY SEA ADVENTURE BEGAN Of the three wounded (a mutineer, Hunter, and Smollett) only Smollet survived his wounds, but he is pretty much out for the count with a broken collarbone, pierced lung, and torn calf muscle from two separate musket shots. Doc Livesey says he is not… Read more
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Treasure Island Part IV.2
XIX NARRATIVE RESUMED BY JIM HAWKINS: THE GARRISON IN THE STOCKADE Jim and his new buddy Ben Gunn arrive at the stockade and debate the merits of making their presence known. It could be Jim’s friends, but on the other hand, it could be pirates. Ben assures Jim that the place is not full of… Read more
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Treasure Island Part IV.1
PART IV THE STOCKADE XVI NARRATIVE CONTINUED BY THE DOCTOR: HOW THE SHIP WAS ABANDONED The pirates skedaddled ashore and left six men aboard to foil any attempt by our heroes to run away. The doctor, squire, and captain are all chillin, breathing in the fresh smell of rot and fever (mmmmm mmm good) and… Read more
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Treasure Island: Part III
PART III MY SHORE ADVENTURE XIII HOW MY SHORE ADVENTURE BEGAN In the daylight, Skeleton Island looks about as friendly as it sounds. The scenery consists of gloomy grey-green woods interrupted by the bare rock cliffs of the mountains. There is no wind, so they have to get out and row. Now that their goal… Read more
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Treasure Island: Part II
PART II THE SEA COOK CHAPTER VII I GO TO BRISTOL Jim is stuck at Livesay’s house while the doctor goes off to London to find a substitute doctor to tend to the village while he is away, and the Squire goes off to procure a ship. Young Master Hawkins gets to hang out with… Read more
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Treasure Island: Part I
This book is separated into parts, though the chapter numbers in each part do not reset. This blog composes the entirety of Part I. PART I THE OLD BUCCANEER I The Old Sea-Dog at the “Admiral Benbow” Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesay, and the rest of these gentleman having asked me to write down the whole… Read more
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The Life of Robert Louis Stevenson
Expectation Versus Reality The last two books I summarized were fairly depresso espresso. A Tale of Two Cities and The Scarlet Letter both involved stories where everyone started out miserable, stayed miserable, and in the end, were still miserable. Or dead. Fascinating, but not exactly comforting. I have still been on a French Revolution kick… Read more
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Reflections on The Scarlet Letter
The edition of the Scarlet Letter that I read (Barnes & Noble Classics) included a forward by Nancy Stade that was more of an analysis of the book than a foreword, so I saved it for last. In many ways it solidified the thoughts I already had on the book, and added a few additional… Read more
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The Scarlet Letter: Part 4
XIX The Child at the Brook-Side Fairies: myth or reality? I’m David Attenborough and in today’s chapter I’ll be your guide as we observe the strange greeting ritual of the emotionally stunted Puritans. Our scene opens with a juvenile Puritan playing in the woods. Although she is a member of a species traditionally feared by… Read more
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The Scarlet Letter: Part 3
XIII Another View of Hester Hester muses about how Dimmsdale looks way worse than the last time she saw him. She feels partly to blame and knows that Chillingworth has played a part in making him extra pathetic. Since Dimmsdale has an instinctual fear of him, but is unable to do anything about it, she… Read more