Books I've Been Reading 6
I am reading all three of these four of these books at the same time and I have only finished The Causal Angel.
Caro expertly and meticulously describes the life of Bob Moses. It is more than that thought. It is a book on power. An Ivy League graduate from a wealthy family, Moses has goals of being a civil servant and on helping the underprivileged. The book is a deep dive into both the personal and professional life of Moses, revealing his ruthless ambition, political maneuvering, and the vast scope of his influence over several decades. Caro critiques Moses' methods, describing how is intentions to help the underprivileged actually contributed to the city's social and economic inequalities. This will take me a while to finish. I may write more about it later.
The third book in The Quantum Thief triology by Rajaniemi. Interesting but the novelty of the first book had worn off on me and it got incredibly confusing. I would recommend the Quantum Thief only.
I’ve always found takes on the Cain and Abel story interesting. Steinbeck has a way with words I have always appreciated. A classic that I don’t feel needs description.
I have enjoyed Joseph Conrad’s books so I thought I would try another one. Lord Jim is the story of a young seaman. He is first mate in a ship (Patna) sailing with Muslim Pilgrims for Mecca. The ship hits something and begins to take on water. The captain and crew abandon the ship leaving the passengers to expected drowning. The crew convinces Jim to join them. Later they are picked up by a British ship and the Patna was also rescued later. The reprehensible actions of the crew are exposed and for some reason Jim is the only member of the crew held accountable and he stands in court alone. The narrator is a sea captain named Marlow and much of the book is dialogue, and this can become a bit confusing. There seems to be another mysterious narrator and stories develop within stories and dialogues within dialogues.Marlow is also in Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness Marlow takes Jim under his wing and help him find positions as he can no longer serve as an officer. At every turn is past seems to haunt him. He has intense guilt. I won’t say more of what becomes of him, as I am still reading this one as well. So far I am enjoying it but not as mush as Heart of Darkness.