What is Beyond the Letters?

-

    Welcome! My name is Ilona and I've been planning this blog for a long time so if you are visiting it I'd like to THANK YOU, it really means much for me. 

     Beyond the Letters started as an idea more than five years ago when I was studying for my degree in English literature. I have been a keen reader for all my life so starting a literary project seemed like the most natural thing. I wanted to tell people about the books I loved and inspire other readers to share my appreciation. A lot has changed since this time, including myself, but the idea survived.

     Unfortunately currently I don't have much opportunity of developing literary science as I work as an ESL (English as a second language) teacher, but I am still keen on analysing and reviewing the books I read. Now I want to share with you my reviews which observe literary works both from emotional and professional points of view. 

     I hope my reviews will be enjoyable and useful for you and perhaps will lead you to another favourite novel.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts

"Cakes and Ale" by W. Somerset Maugham

-
Image
Like any of Maugham's novels Cakes and Ale is a combination of many different stories. It is the story of the youth of Willie Ashenden, the story of a writer (Edward Driffield) and his family and literary life, the story of another writer (Alroy Kear) who is trying to compose the biography of Mr. Driffield and finally this is a story of Rosie, one of the best female characters of this Somerset Maugham (to my opinion). All this stories are closely connected together, the lines of these lives meet, cross each other and are tangled an knotted together building a curious web called life. What I like about Maugham's books is the characters. The plot may be not very exiting or intriguing and a little bit slow-flowing too, but the characters are always bright, well-drawn and very memorable, the author never draws them as absolutely positive or negative, they are all people, only people with their virtues and vices. It is very debatable whom to call the protagonist of this book...
Read more

“The Italian Girl” by Iris Murdoch

-
Image
However far away the life brings us from our native place, there is always a moment when we need to return to the roots. In this very moment we meet the narrator of “The Italian Girl” written by Iris Murdoch, a prominent representative of postmodern British literature. Having escaped from the oppressive influence of his mother, Lydia, in his youth, Edmund couldn’t find enough strength to get back to his family up to her sudden death. Now, many years later, Edmund comes to the funeral, where he will meet his relatives, about the life of which he has only a vague knowledge based on a few brief letters. He doesn’t notice any changes at first glance – the same old house, the same family of his brother and the unchangeable Italian servant. But one occasional confession of Edmund’s niece makes him see that the relations between his relatives are more confused than they seemed to be and Lydia’s house keeps m any more secrets… The Gothic atmosphere One of the most interesting features...
Read more

"The Painted Veil" by W. Somerset Maugham

-
Image
Many people have come to reading this novel after they saw the film based on it which, in my opinion, is a huge mistake. The film depicts a love story, which is very beautiful and deep and meaningful but still it is just a love story.  And reading Maugham's novel people still see this love story which is only one side of it. Now let me explain you what I saw in "The Painted Veil" and why I enjoyed it immensely. There is one peculiarity about all Maugham's novels which I truly like alongside with his marvellous style and deep insight into the souls of his characters, and that peculiarity is the title.  The title which is always a clue to the understanding of the whole novel.   And this is he case with "The Painted Veil" too. "Lift not the painted veil which those who live Call Life" - these beautiful words are the first lines of a sonnet of P.B. Shelley. The sonnet says that often the picture of life we see is but a painted veil ...
Read more