Reading 1001 discussion

The Myth

After Hercules foiled their plans and killed the Nemean Lion and Lernean Hydra, Eurystheus and Hera were furious and sought to issue an even bigger task for our hero to tackle. They thought they would kill two birds with one stone by ordering Hercules to capture the Ceryneian Hind and upset Artemis in the process.

Oh deer, oh dear… The Ceryneian Hind was a huge deer decked with golden antlers, bronze hooves, a turbo engine (apparently, it could outrun an arrow in flight) and maybe some fluffy dice. This flashy creature was sacred to Artemis, goddess of the hunt, animals and women affairs (you probably better know her bro Apollo or her Roman cousin, Diana).

So, Hercules set out to find the Hind, but decided to take a little nap first. When we woke up, he immediately saw the gleaming beast from afar and undertook to chase it. Just like Forrest Gump, he chased the Hind for more than a year before he finally managed to capture it. There is a bit of debate on the method of capture he used, but he still did the deed. On the way back to Eurystheus, he came across Artemis and her bro Apollo and had to explain why he was bringing along the dear deer. He apologised to Artemis, promising to bring the Hind back once he was done with his task.

Eurystheus was hoping to get the Hind and add it to the his ever-growing collection of weird animals. However, remembering his promise, Hercules told him to come and get the Hind himself if he wanted it so much. So, when Eurystheus came out of his palace to pick up the Hind, Hercules just let it go and it bolted as fast as Usain of the same name after another world record. Hercules, with a discreet smirk on his face, told Eurystheus: “Sorry, mate, you weren’t quick enough!”

The Books

For your third Labour, which of these auriferous creatures will you chase and capture, racing through the pages of their escapades?

The Man with the Golden Arm (Nelson Algren) 2 points
The Golden Ass (Apuleius) 2 points

To earn the points associated with either book, you can only read and review the chosen book between 2017-03-01, midnight EST (New York) and 2017-03-31, midnight EST (New York). You should post your reviews below, clearly identifying which book you are reviewing.

You can now start the third Labour.

Links to books for reference:
The Man With the Golden Arm
The Golden Ass

I'll try to chase the golden ass, but I'm not sure I'm fast enough to catch it :)

Paula wrote: "Links to books for reference:
The Man With the Golden Arm
The Golden Ass

I'll try to chase the golden ass, but I'm not sure I'm fast enough to catch it :)"

:-)

The Golden Ass Apuleius
3 Stars

When I started this book I found I could not keep my eyes open long enough to read more than a few pages at a time, and I wasn't even reading in bed, it was that boring however it did begin to pick up although the ending once again dragged things out.

What did amuse me was this quote "which is as it were one of the twelve labors of Hercules"

The Man with the Golden Arm (Nelson Algren) ***

Chicago, after WWII. In the underbelly of the city, we follow the struggles of 2nd and 3rd generation Polish migrants, some who fought in the war, some with drug addiction, many frequent visitors of the local jails; Frank Majcinek aka Frankie Machine aka The Man with the Golden Arm fits all three categories. Expert card dealer, dice roller and pool player, he also tries to shake off addictions to alcohol and morphine, but did not succeed in the end. This could read pretty much like the sequel of The Jungle from Upton Sinclair, both in plot continuation and in readability; it is pretty slow going, full of criminal lingo, it took me more than 50 pages to get my bearings and to start appreciate the story. But at least it was better than The Jungle...

Patrick wrote: "The Man with the Golden Arm (Nelson Algren) ***

Chicago, after WWII. In the underbelly of the city, we follow the struggles of 2nd and 3rd generation Polish migrants, some who fought in the war, s..."

Totally agree with you Patrick. I was thinking of The Jungle too. Slow going for me also.

Patrick wrote: "The Man with the Golden Arm (Nelson Algren) ***

Chicago, after WWII. In the underbelly of the city, we follow the struggles of 2nd and 3rd generation Polish migrants, some who fought in the war, s..."

I am reading it now and having trouble getting into it. I hope that changes soon since my copy has close to 500 pages.

Book wrote: "The Golden Ass Apuleius
3 Stars

When I started this book I found I could not keep my eyes open long enough to read more than a few pages at a time, and I wasn't even reading in bed, it was that bo..."

Maybe it's the translation. Mine is almost too modern, which I am assuming is an intent to translate the feel of the Latin, but it isn't boring. More than a bit campy.

The Man with the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren
3/5 stars

Frankie Machine (Majcinek) is the man with golden arm, a card dealer. “They didn't call him Machine just because he was fast. They called him Machine because he was regular.” His side kick Sparrow (Solly Saltskin) is the steerer. They run card games in the local joints in a poor neighborhood of Chicago. The two have a very complicated relationship. Everyone in town has a nickname or a label more like it; Nifty Louie, Blind Pig and Drunkie John. The characters in this story are barely scraping by, living day to day and hand to mouth. It is not a happy story from start to finish. “God has forgotten us all,” Sophie told herself quietly. Many of the characters held a monkey on their back. Frankie's monkey held baggage from World War II, his complicated marriage to Sophie and his drug addiction. “My name is Private Nowhere now,” he told himself with his wry half grin. “Private Nowhere from every place but home. And I won't be here long.”

Winner of the first national book award, I believe this book deserves its place on the list. It was probably very progressive for the time period.

I also watched the movie staring Frank Sinatra and I thought it was decent. Some changes were made to the plot. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048347/?...

The Golden Ass
2.5 stars

This reminded me a lot of Arabian Nights; nested stories; endless violence that really just got boring; gods (djinns), goddesses (djinnis), witches, etc; and above all a sophomoric view of sex. It wasn't bad, but it did get tedious.

The Man With the Golden Arm
2.5 stars

Finally finished The Man With the Golden Arm. This was much longer than other noir books I have read. The writing was good, yet I really struggled to stay interested. I didn't find the characters or the story line very engaging. The nicknames and lingo grew old on me, too. Just not my cup of tea, I guess.

The Golden Ass by Apuleius
4 stars

Believe it or not, I actually kind of enjoyed this. I had to overlook some of the raunchier parts (and from what I read, this version was nothing like some of the translations) but I just kept thinking this was like an early fantasy novel. A man is accidentally changed into a donkey by his lover and he has to eat roses to reverse the spell. The story relates the adventures he has as the luckless donkey. My favorite parts were the stories that were interspersed without and told as moral tales.

Beverly wrote: "
The Golden Ass by Apuleius
4 stars

Believe it or not, I actually kind of enjoyed this. I had to overlook some of the raunchier parts..."

I suppose it would be much shorter if you skipped over the raunchier parts. For me it reminded me so much of Arabian Nights that I kept thinking, 1,001 was more than enough, I don't need another 100.

John wrote: "Beverly wrote: "
The Golden Ass by Apuleius
4 stars

Believe it or not, I actually kind of enjoyed this. I had to overlook some of the..."

LOL

I agree with Beverley, I really rather enjoyed this romp through the Roman Empire. I realised too late that the version I had on my Kindle was the 1566 translation by William Adlington, which explained the erratic spelling and use of odd words. I consoled myself by reminders that I love the King James version of the Bible and should read this with the cadences of that document in mind. The chapters were short and it lent itself to being picked up for a few minutes at a time, because one story did not necessarily move on to the next and each could be read independently. So it has taken me almost the whole month to read. Magical elements are not really my thing, but I found I could suspend my disbelief long enough to entertain the idea that the hero, having been turned into an ass, could still think, eat and drink like a man. It mentioned many myths of the ancient world and its stories did resemble many of them. It turned out to be an apt choice because the travails of Lucius the ass, were not dissimilar to the labours of Hercules. There were certainly the same fanciful animals and licentious women! I had finished it before I realised that it is the only Roman novel still extant. I had imagined it being told orally, like the Thousand and One Nights. I agree with John that there were similarities. Perhaps I rate this higher because it was shorter!

The time period to complete the third Labour is over. Any reviews posted after this comment will not count for the purpose of this challenge.