The book takes place in two different times: the story is told in present, as the real story takes place in the past. Arundhati Roy tells us about two already grown up twins, a boy and a girl that after years of being apart go back to India to see each other. She also tells us about their childhood as normal kids in India and about the event that changed their lives forever. The books combines the two levels (past and present) almost perfectly, and slowly manages to explain why two twins, that considered themselves as only one person, end up growing up apart and almost not recognizing each other.

This is not the normal vision of India that we would expect. This is a rich family (the grandmother runs a little business), completely torn apart. The father of the kids runs away from India a long, long time ago, and the mother, who never accepted this, blames the kids for it. They also live with the grandmother, who is the real boss of the family, and who doesn't treat the mother well. Also in the house lives the uncle, a rich pro-comunist hindu, and several servants. Everything is told through the kids' eyes, which gives us a very special vision of the world and the family.

One of the important backround of the story is the economic situation in India: the problem of the castes, the conflict between the emergent comunism in India and the pro-English families (like this family is), that don't want to be Hindus and speak in English all the time. Their childhood could be considered normal, but when the story goes back to the present and we see how much things have changed for them (they hardly ever speak to each other now, both of them have left India) we understand that something tragic happened in their lifes. This is the point of the book. Both levels converge to the day when everything crumbled and split forever.

I am not going to reveal what that is, if you want to know it... remember.... Arundhati Roy..."The God of Small Things".

The supernatural has a large part of this story. At one point, the entire town of Macondo is attacked by a spell of insomnia. The insomnia leads to everyone forgetting things because their brain is so tired. They forget things so badly that the Buendias label everything in their house (for example, a chair would be labelled "Chair"). A ghost of an old gypsy whom Jose Arcadio Buendia (the original) knew well appears thoughout the story to inspire family members to study his parchments. Malcaedes, the gypsy, left behind parchments in his study room and most of the Arelianos become obsessed at some time during their lives to study the parchments. Remedios, a woman who lives with the family, is so incredibly beautiful that she eventually drives a suitor (who was a rich, handsome prince) to craziness because he cannot convince her to marry. Remedios stays in the Buendia house most of her life only leaving to go to church. Her story eventually ends when she is out on the porch with the women of the household and floats away to be with god (I'm not kidding!). Finally, two twins are born in the family and named at birth. There names are eventually changed in the story (I forget how), but everything is corrected when they die and are accidently placed in the graves which are thought to be incorrect (but really are correct). Just reading about the craziness of the town made me slowly get crazier.

The problem I had with this book is that most of the names are the same (Areliano, Jose Arcadio, etc.) and it is hard to keep track of who is who even when you make a family tree. The naming has a purpose as many of the Arelianos act the same and also the Jose Arcadios, but it is still a pain. It is also difficult to come to really enjoy a character because the book is about the family, not any particular character. I enjoy reading about a smaller time frame and getting to know a smaller number of characters. There are many stories that happen at the same time to keep track of every character; I found that some stories were really enjoyable and others, not so much.

What I liked about the novel? I liked the craziness and uniqueness of the events that take place in Macondo. Nearly everything seemed believeable while I was reading, but when I went to discuss the book, I realized how crazy the story really was (like the events I described above). The author makes it nearly impossible to predict what is to come. The ending of the book is spectacular as the parchments are finally translated and understood by an Areliano and Macondo's fate is decided. If you're interested in highly regarded literature and a wild ride of a story, I'd suggest this book.

Novalee spends the next two months living in the Walmart. She makes national headlines when she gives birth to her daughter there. Sister Husband brings Novalee to her house and gives her a home. Novalee works at Walmart to support herself and her child. Moses Whitecotton teaches her another love-photography, which also becomes an income for her. Novalee struggles; her daughter is kidnapped, she has to make a new home, and she makes peace with her ex-boyfriend that deserted her. Her best friends, librarian Forney Hull and nurse Lexie Cooper are by her side. In the end, Novalee triumphs.

Novalee finds all she ever wanted, needed, and dreamed for in Sequoyah. Seems to me, it's really good luck that comes in sevens for her.

This is another Oprah Winfrey recommended book, and has now been made into a movie. Read this book. It will remind you of what is truly important in this world.

As I watched Ellen's life disintegrate with each passing day, I was tuned into Ellen's choices as if they were my own. A. Manette Ansay is a powerful writer who envokes feeling and precaution in her writing, causing the reader to yearn for more. "Vinegar Hill" is full of twists and surprises, which leads the reader thinking that there is a depth in people that only they themselves will ever know about.

I highly recommend "Vinegar Hill". It is page-turner that you won't be able to put down.

So what makes the Dark Knight Returns a piece of literature as well as a standard comic book? For one thing, it helped revolutionize and mainstream the media of comics. Ever wonder why the first Batman movie was so dark compared to the campy TV show? Ever wonder why you can now find comic graphic novels in bookstores like Barnes & Nobles? The Dark Knight Returns is part of the reason. The story bucked the trend in comic storytelling, adding a dark, realistic (as realistic as a guy with a cape and pointy mask can be, that is) element to a well-known property. The story is also filled with 80’s American pop culture; you can find references to David Letterman, Cold War images (the possibility of nuclear holocaust is a key element to the book), and appearances by Ronald Reagan. Such elements helped attract the interest of non-comic readers.

Secondly, the Dark Knight Returns is a lot more complex than your standard comic book. Frank Miller strips the Batman and other individuals down to their basic elements, using the characters to represent basic ideas or principles. For example, Batman often takes extreme methods in defending the city---for him, the ends justify the means. Superman, on the other hand, embodies the American Dream---life, liberty, and doing what we have been told is right. When the two meet, their battle is as much one of political philosophies as it is of fisticuffs. The Dark Knight Returns is filled with allegories to politics, government, and society, both in its prose and in its wonderful visuals. It is little wonder that some college professors have the story on their reading lists.

The Dark Knight Returns has a little something for almost everyone. For "comic geeks", there is all the excitement of a well written comic tale, complete with heroes and villains (to say nothing of the endless hours of trivia that the story can produce---hey, did you know that Frank Miller is a native of Montpelier, Vermont?) For fans of Arnold-like fights, Blade Runner post apocalyptic future science fiction, or retro 80’s pop culture, there is something in the mix that you’re sure to enjoy. And for those who care for a more literary venue, there is a complexity in the story’s visuals and prose that is bound to make you do a double-take.
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Want to learn more about Batman or The Dark Knight Returns? Check out the following websites:
The Dark Knight Companion
Batman: the Dark Knight Returns
DC Comics