Blog 3, Amsterdam

Dear Mr McEwan, I loved your novel Amsterdam, everything  from the suspenseful and thrilling to the sad parts. It had great sections where the characters would contrast each other which made each new piece of information all the more unexpected. Also, because of the contrasting, it created some suspense which kept the reader focused and eager to read more. I felt the character's emotions, details and traits were excellent as well their actions and the environment around them. I especially loved the unexpected and somewhat sad ending.

" 'My idea is to publish next. What do you think?' Clive tilted back on his chair and clasped his hands behind his head.  'I think,' he said carefully, 'I think your staff is right. Its a really terrible idea.' 'Meaning?' 'It'll ruin him.' 'Dead right it will'  'I mean, personally' "(Pg.72) .  I think this passage is a great example of the excellent contrasting of characters. On one side you have Vernon, quick to act on his impulses and distain and on the other, you have Clive, controlled even when faced with an opportunity to dispose of a common "enemy". This passage created tension between the friends which is the basis of the ending. The argument started off a chain of events that eventually got these two friends to poison each other.

Because of the heaviness of the plot, there were some places in the story where the tension was relieved such as when Clive goes to relax and get inspiration at the Lake District "Outside the hotel, set against a rough stone wall, was a long wooden bench. In the morning, after breakfast, Clive sat here to lace his boots. Although he was missing the key element of his finale, he had two important advantages in his search.  The first was general: he felt optimistic..." (Pg.76)  Passages such as the one above were subtle enough that they did not take away from the seriousness or distract the reader but offered a break from the constant drama. Also, the characters themselves are often at peace.

I found the end of the book to be the best part because the entire book builds up pressure from the beginning and then finally blows at the end.  First, we learned that Clive and Vernon were best friends who always looked out for each other. Then, trouble brews and the former best friends are split apart by conflicting views. Tensions continue to rise until the two decide to poison each other. Although the two main characters died, it seemed like they are actually going free from whatever pain life plagued them. The descriptions of them at the suicide assistance centre was great because you didn't know exactly what was going on until they had died and because they seemed at peace. " 'My arm's so hot,' Clive whispered. 'Poor Clive. That's why I'm rolling your sleeve up, silly... From the perspective of the Dutch doctor and nurse, the composer lifted his head and, before closing his eyes, seemed to attempt, from his pillow, the most modest of bows. " (Pg.168-169) Once again, great story, I loved every bit of it.

Yours Truly,

Peter Ng

Last Stop Sunnyside-Pat Capponi

1.)

The main character in the story is Dana Leoni, a middle-aged women with a lot of baggage. As a graduate student at University of Toronto, she was assaulted going home one day a few feet from her home. After that traumatic experience, she was admitted to various recovery centres, both physical and mental. However, she never fully recovered mentally; always feeling alone, scared, and vulnerable. To make matters worse, the police were never able to find the criminal.

To cope with this, Dana moved out of her stable, "safe" life in the Annex and into an uncertain, somewhat dangerous life in Parkdale. She moved around from various rooming houses until she found comfort at Delta Court. Dana and her neighbourhood  friends: Miss Semple (an elderly lady), Gerry (a de-institutionalized mental patient, also very obese), Diamond (a former medical student at University of Toronto),  Michael (a former street kid) and Maryanne (murdered at the beginning of the story) all make the best of life, forming a tight relationship, a family so to speak.

However, when police reports indicate that Maryanne had been killed, its up to Dana and her friends to find the person who murdered her. Dana, takes on the responsibility of gathering the crew and carrying out most of the dangerous, undercover work.

2.)

For most of the novel, the reader is kept in suspense, wondering what is going on. The author does a great job of providing just enough clues to let the reader know what is unfolding. Dana and the crew are trying to figure out how their friend Maryanne was killed so they can let her go knowing what happened. They  find out later that women from the neighbourhood had also gone missing under mysterious circumstances.

Ed, a detective working on the case informs Dana that they have to close the case as a suicide because of insufficient evidence. Dana and her friends know that Maryanne would never hurt herself and that someone must have murdered her. The only lead they get is a name and an address of the landlord of the last house she stayed in. Stephan Mallick.  Now that they have a name and address, they begin to spy on the house, trying to figure out what goes on in there.

After a few days of spying on the house, they know for certain something is up. Only three men go in, and they take shifts, coming in at routine times throughout the day and night. After this piece of evidence, we know that Mallick is the one behind Maryanne's death. The rest of the story is about Dana getting into the house, freeing the women and getting enough evidence to send Mallick to jail.

3.)

"I'm very aware how much better off I am than most people here. I make a living, of sorts, with words portraits of the neighbourhood and its inhabitants that the local alternative weekly publishes when advertising permits. Between that, and the occasional shift at the drop in for the "socially isolated" where I'm headed, I manage to feed and clothe myself." (pg.11)

- Because the story is based in Toronto, I can really relate to the poverty experienced by Dana. Also, coincidently, relating to the theme of gratitude, this piece of writing reminds me how important it is to be grateful for what we have, even if it is only enough to feed and clothe ourselves.

"Parents. Both doctors. Expected me to be one too. There's no excuse for failure. I heard that all my life" - Diamond

"High expectations can be as bad as no expectations." - Dana (pg.53)

- Especially with high school being increasingly difficult, I can relate to the dangers of high expectations. This passage is a very good example of pressure pushing someone over the edge. I especially like it when Dana says "High expectations can be as bas as no expectations." This makes a very good point of where to draw the line between having no pressure, or overwhelming pressure.

"The walls of my room are a garnish yellowy orange, the landlord probably bought the paint at a serious discount, and they bulge in places where plaster repairs were never sanded flat, but I like the odd shape of the room. It has the feel of an attic space, with a sloped ceiling and two windows, each with four tiny, cracked and milky squares of glass, staring out into King Street West. " (pg.5)

- This quote is from the beginning of the story when Dana is introducing us to her room. I found that I was really able to get good description of the room, but also the emotion. The odd shape and bulges in the room reflect Dana's colourful life.

The Umbrella Man And Other Stories-Roald Dahl

The Great Automatic Grammatizator:

- The main character Adolph Knipe is an engineer, employed to build a great automatic computing engine by Mr. Bohlen. After the success of the computing machine, Knipe is told to take a vacation. However, Knipe dreams of building a machine to create stories and novels. He spends his "vacation" designing the machine and after much reluctance, Mr. Bohlen agrees to finance the project. The machine is a success and Knipe "buys" out all the competition. At the end of the story, it becomes clear that a t least one half of the books published this were produced by the machine.

- An interesting element in the story is the perspective from which it is written. It is narrated from another writer, one who is now in poverty, being forced to choose whether to accept the "golden" contract across his desk or let his children starve.

-  "... Today, as the secret spreads, many more are hurrying to tie with Mr. Knipe. And al the time the screw turns tighter for those who hesitate t sign their names. This very moment, as I sit here listening to the howling of my nine starving children in the other room, I can feel my own hand creeping closer and closer to that golden contract that lies over on the other side of the desk. Give us strength, Oh Lord to let our children starve."

  -  This quote not only relates to the story but life today. Everyone is being forced to conform and amalgamate into monster corporations/cliques and it seems like we don't have a choice.

The Butler:

-  The story is about a butler named Tibbs. His employer, George Cleaver is a nasty man who wishes to climb the social ladder. However, his dinner parties never have any spark. One day, Tibbs suggests serving superb wine. Cleaver sends Tibbs to find the greatest wines in the world. Tibbs, manages to get ahold of some great wines but the parties are still lifeless. One day, Tibbs suggests that he instruct the chef (Monsieur Estragon) to stop putting vinegar in the salad dressing because vinegar is the enemy of wine. Cleaver than mocks the butler at the next dinner party saying that Tibbs said he can't taste his wine if he has a little vinegar with the salad dressing. However, the tables turn when Tibbs reveals that he has served him the same cheap wine he always had and that he and Monsieur Estragon had the expensive wine themselves. With that, they promptly quit and drive away in a small car they own together.

- Although George Cleaver is the millionaire and powerful one, his vocabulary is quite low class and rude. He uses words like "Hogwash, Flippin" and bad grammar in general. This creates a stronger bond with the butler whose manners and language make him seem like the more "upperclass" and better man.

-  "The wine you are drinking sir... happens to be that cheap and rather odious Spanish red..."

  -  At this point, Cleaver had just mocked the butler. After hearing Mr. Cleaver brag about how much he knows about wine, it felt like he really  got is comeuppance.

The Landlady:

-  This is perhaps the creepiest short story in the book. It is about a young man named Billy Weaver who travels to another town on a business meeting. His train arrives late at night and he passes by sign that said "Bed and Breakfast". He is immediately drawn  to the building and peers through the windows and sees that it is a lovely charming place. He is about to look at another hotel when he has a strange and sudden urge to knock on the door. At once, a lady comes to the door and welcomes him in. She tells him that his room is ready and he can't seem to refuse. The only thing she asks is he should sign the guest book. After washing up, he goes downstairs to sign it. There are only two entries before him, the first being three years old. The name seems to ring a bell and when he asks her if he was in the news, he denies it. In fact, she tells Billy that both guests have never left and that they are still here.

- Right from the beginning, you know there is something wrong. As the story continues, things becomes more and more suspenseful which keeps the reader glued to the page. A very good technique that Roald Dahl uses in when Billy starts to recall the first guest's name in the paper. " Wait just a minute. Mulholland... Christopher Mullholland... wasn't that the name of the Eton school boy who was on a walking tour through the West Country, and then all of a sudden..."  "Milk?" As you can see, Billy is just a few words away from revealing what happened to the other guests but is interrupted. He almost has it but is deterred by the creepy lady.

- "Excuse my asking, but haven't there been any other guests here except them in the last two or three years?... No, my dear, she said. Only you."

  -  At this point, its clear that something fishy is going on, something almost magical. The last sentence almost sends a chill down your spine because the reader feels like the young man is finished, already under some strange spell.