Book Review: A Tale of Two Cities

I've always heard of A Tale of Two Cities, and many know the famous line, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...". So I finally decided to read it, and was very gratified to learn that I liked it. For someone who, on first reading, did not enjoy Oliver Twist (though I do now), it was a nice surprise to like it at first sight. Here is my review.

Synopsis:

Dr. Manette, a doctor who has been a prisoner in the Bastille for eighteen years, is finally released. Broken and fragile from his long captivity, he is taken in by a wine shop keeper, Jacques Defarge, and his wife, who live in France. His banker from England, Jarvis Lorry, comes to meet Dr. Manette, telling him his daughter Lucie is still living. They are reunited and begin a new life together in England.

Charles Darnay, a self-exiled French aristocrat, is on trial for being a spy against England. He is acquitted with the help of a barrister, Sydney Carton, a man who resembles him very closely. Dr. Manette and Lucie are present at the trial, and they make the acquaintance of Mr. Darnay and Mr. Carton, who are both attracted to Lucie’s beauty and sweetness.

While this is going on, the French people, sick of oppression, prepare for revolution, led by the Defarges. As the years pass and the time for revolution is nigh, the Manettes and their friends are swept up into the cruelty and the bloodshed of the French Revolution.  

 Discussion:

Dickens is absolutely an amazing writer. I’ve read and enjoyed a few of his books and I love how he connects all the characters so expertly, not to mention his brilliant descriptions and little ironic comments.

The characterization in this book is lovely. You feel that you can get to know the characters personally. Dr. Manette’s dependence upon Lucie, Mr. Lorry’s helpfulness, the shiftless yet tortured Sydney Carton, the cold vengefulness of Mrs. Defarge—all are so real and motivated. E.M. Forster, a British novelist and essayist, says this about his characters:

“Part of the genius of Dickens is that he does use types and caricatures, people whom we recognize the instant they re-enter, and yet achieves effects that are not mechanical and a vision of humanity that is not shallow.” (Aspects of the Novel)

Yes, while Lucie may be always good and sweet, and Sydney always afflicted, and Charles Darnay always noble, they are not, to my mind anyway, boring. And there are some surprising aspects of characters as well, such as Jerry Cruncher, a porter for the bank, who is a grave robber by night.

Also, the twists of the story are very intriguing, like who Madame Defarge turns out to be, an explanation for her hatred of aristocrats. Or what happens to Sydney at the end (I won’t spoil it, but I saw it coming and I loved it and hated it at the same time!). It is such a long, long book, but I felt that every page was interesting. Since I have never studied the French Revolution, I don’t know how accurate the history is, but I did feel it gave me a picture of the futility and the instability of the times. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I don’t recall any language in it, but I’m sure that there is a little swearing, as there sometimes is in Dickens. Obviously there is bloodshed in it as well. 

If you like Dickens, old and long novels, the French Revolution, or books in general, you’ll like this book!

Book Review: The Brothers Karamasov

I've always liked reading classics. There is something nice about reading something that so many people have related to. I remember reading Crime and Punishment when I was in high school and enjoying it. I had heard that The Brothers Karamazov was even better. So when I started Tim Challies' 2017 reading challenge, I decided to pick this book as one of them. My review is below.

Synopsis:

Our story is set in Russia, and the spotlight falls upon a man name Fyodor Karamazov. A promiscuous, greedy, and self-indulgent man, he is married twice, one son resulting from his first marriage and two from the second. He ignores his sons, who are brought up by his servant and various relatives. His eldest son Dmitri is just as depraved as his father, spending his money lavishly in trivial pursuits. He borrows money from his father, much of which was Dmitri’s mother’s money and his inheritance. His second son Ivan is educated and works hard, becoming a clever writer and an atheist, while his youngest son Alyosha is a novice at a local monastery. There is an argument between Dmitri and his father about Dmitri’s inheritance, the son holding out that there is still money in his father’s possession that rightfully belongs to him. At the same time, both of them are in love with the same woman, a local woman who has a dubious reputation. Dmitri publicly declares that he is going to kill his father. When Fyodor is found dead and Dmitri was seen running from the crime scene, everyone assumes that Dmitri has killed him. But what really happened?

Discussion:

In some ways, I agree with the claim that this is one of the world’s best novels. It was a very emotional book. The characters were very life-like. None of them were without flaws, and it was easy to relate with them. Dmitri, though his words were penitent, refused to truly repent of his lifestyle. The influence of the father upon the sons, the pride and grudge-holding, madness and greed and lust, all were shown by the characters in this book, and I think everyone could see something of themselves in it. There were also good qualities in some of the characters. The elder Father Zosima was a good influence upon the community and upon Alyosha. He emphasized the importance of loving your neighbor. Also a sweet theme in the book was the loyalty of a son who lived in the village to his father, especially contrasted with the other father-son relationships in this book.

 As I read this book, I found myself wishing that humans had never fallen from a sinless state. I related with the struggles of Dmitri trying to wrench himself from the sinful path. Did he realize that salvation does not come from man? In some ways I could see that his brother Alyosha was resting peacefully in the salvation of God: doing good in the village with the love of Christ. He took to heart the words of his mentor to love his neighbor. It was easy to slip into a pessimistic outlook while reading this book, because of the evil shown in it. But we must remember that though mankind did fall into sin, as all the people in this book can attest, there is a promise of grace from God that is our strength in keeping upon the right path.

While I'm sure I didn't get the full meaning and purpose of the book in this one reading, I did enjoy reading this. There are adult themes, so I don't recommend this for someone younger than maybe fifteen (though I don't think I'd be interested in it if I was younger than fifteen). Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

My Etsy Shop!

I started an Etsy shop back in June, and I thought I would share it on here, just in case anyone still looks at my blog or stumbles across it and is interested. It's called Bead and Butter (that's bead, not bread), and I make jewelry. Here is the link:

My shop!

Here are some orange earrings that are in my shop.

I hope you'll check it out, and enjoy!

Grace be with you,

Abby ♥

Growing Up

Thankfully, my car didn't look like this when I got home. :) (from wikipedia)

I drove home from Dollar Tree today.
It was the first time I've been on the road, ever-- aside from jaunts about the neighborhood
It was just me and my mom, checking to see if they had balloons for my grandma's party on Saturday. "Why don't you drive home?" My mom said to me. "I don't know about that. I might get arrested or something," I said apprehensively. "No!" my mother said with a chuckle,"The worst you could get is a ticket." So I drove home. At about 40 miles an hour. And it wasn't scary, actually, I enjoyed it. I only got honked at once. :)

This beginning of this year, I turned eighteen and graduated from high school.

A few weeks ago, I registered to vote.

My sisters and I took a road trip to Bob Jone University for a competition-- first time out of state without our parents.

I got a debit card with actual money on it.

My sister and I are looking into starting a business-- not sure yet what it will be.

Said sister drives my other sister and me into town for my other sister's art class every week, and said sister and I go grocery shopping, all by ourselves (goodness, that was confusing!) and we drive every week to a choir we joined this year.

Not too long ago, I bought a new Bible online, all by myself. Oh, and did I mention I'm learning Hebrew all by myself, just because I want to?

These are growing-up milestones for me. I look back at all the things I thought only grownups did, and now I'm doing them myself! Including, actually, going to babysit at someone's house and unlocking their door by myself with a key they gave me. That seemed super grown up to me when I was young.
Though I am beginning to grow up, and doing grown up things, I still feel childish at times, and in no way what I felt like I would feel in my imagination. I imagined myself prettier, more confident and poised, being able to have a conversation without feeling awkward. But this is the way God is sanctifying me, and I trust His judgement. I remember a quote in Anne of the Island about by the time you were twenty your character was formed... I only have 2 more years, in that case, and much more work to do. But I'm doing my best to be diligent to be found by God without spot or blemish (2 Peter 3:14) and to work out my salvation with fear and trembling (with God's help of course). He has been so good to me so far! And I want to trust Him with the rest of my grown up life. I think it's a resolution that will last far beyond the New Year.

I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.
               Psalm 13:6

 

duties

du·ty

noun

1.

something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation.

I finished scrubbing the pot and lifted it out of the water to rinse it. I looked around. Nobody else was there. I sighed and rolled my eyes. "I'm the only one doing the dishes... again. Where is everyone? Now I'm going to have to wash the dishes and dry them." I picked up the towel with a snap and started drying the pot. "And of course no one will even thank me for it," I continued to myself, as I placed the pot impatiently in its place. Suddenly a thought came to me. Ahem... Abby? Isn't washing dishes what you are supposed to do? Your duty?

Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, "Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’
Luke 17:7-10

What are your duties? They may be washing dishes, or feeding the dog, or doing school, or babysitting. It's interesting how Jesus reminds us that a master doesn't thank a servant. After all, that's what the servant is there for, right? So we should be with our duties. Since it is what we are supposed to be doing, why do we expect praise and thanks when we do some simple thing? I must constantly remind myself of this when I am doing my duties. God gives us duties for good reasons... to sanctify us, to get things done that must be done, etc. We all have things that must be done. Jesus tells us that we should do our duties not expecting thanks or praise or rewards. 


Grace be with you,

Abby :D

ps. this is a post I wrote back in 2013. it was languishing in the draft folder and I thought, hey, why let it languish any longer? I might (maybe maybe) post some more soon, but I've been pretty busy (including getting my wisdom teeth out), so maybe not. how have you been lately? have any summer plans?

Studying {Nehemiah 7-13}

Nehemiah 7-13

All the exiles from Judah are named. Ezra reads the law to the people. They weep, because they realize their sins. Nehemiah tells them to be happy and to feast, because it's a sacred day. The people tell God of their sin and repent of. The people sign an agreement to obey God's law. They cast lots to decide who will live in Jerusalem. It lists the names of everyone chosen. The wall is dedicated. All the people of foreign descendants are excluded from God's assembly. Tobiah's son-in-law, a priest, gives Tobiah a storeroom. Nehemiah, who has gone back to serve the king, returns and takes all Tobiah's possessions. Then he purifies the room and puts back what belong in it. He also rebukes the priests and Levites for neglecting the house of God, rebukes the people for selling and buying on the Sabbath, and rebukes some of the men for taking foreign wives. He also throws out Sanballat's son-in-law. He asks God to remember his deeds.

What I learned:
-God cares about each and every one of his people, as shown by the list of captives freed. The list also shows God's mercy in setting sinners free.
- The Israelites wept, grieved, and were repentant when told of their sins. This is the attitude we should have when faced with our sins.
-Nehemiah was an extremely faithful servant of God. We need to do our duties the way Nehemiah did his: faithfully and diligently.
-When Nehemiah was serving the king again, the people began to disobey and do wicked deeds. Without a leader, they went astray. The same with us. When we do not follow our Leader, Jesus Christ, we constantly steer crookedly and step off the path, but only when we keep our eyes on Jesus do we stay on the straight and narrow path.

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

Studying {Nehemiah 4-6}

Here is another installment of... the book of Nehemiah. Here is the link to this passage: Nehemiah 4-6.

Summary:
The Jews' enemies insult them. Nehemiah asks that God remember their insults. They continue rebuilding. News of their enemies plotting an attack reaches the Jews. This is discouraging, as well, as their fellow Jews telling them to stop building. They begin to carry weapons with them as they build. Nehemiah encourages them. The poor people begin to complain about their taxes and interest . Nehemiah rebukes the richer people for taking interest from and selling the poor as slaves. They listen and do what he tells them. Nehemiah explains that he became governor, and that the former leaders took advantage of the people. He does not. There are letters from their enemies distracting from the wall building. A man tries to get Nehemiah to hide from the enemies and ruin his reputation. The wall is completed, and there are people in Judah telling Nehemiah of Tobiah's (the enemy) good deeds and reporting back to Tobiah what his replies were.

What I learned:
-When the enemies were plotting against the Jews, and the other Jews were discouraging them, it reminded me of a situation where perhaps God calls you to do something that sounds crazy, and your family and friends start to discourage you. If this happened, you would need to keep working diligently. This happened in Bruce Olson's life (Bruchko).

-The situation of the poor sounds like our own economic situation in the US. The only way to get out of it is to follow God's way.

-When Nehemiah refused to hide, he proved that he trusted God in even dangerous situations. May God grant us this sort of trust!

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

Studying {Nehemiah 1-3}

How about a Bible study? I went through the book of Nehemiah and summarized it to get it in my head, and then wrote what I learned. Enjoy! (And here is a link to the Bible passage: Nehemiah 1-3)

Summary:
Nehemiah is sad about the returning captives and the broken down wall. He fasts and prays. The king asks what is wrong. When Nehemiah tells him, he lets Nehemiah go to help rebuild the wall, also giving him supplies and men. Nehemiah inspects the gate, which is in bad shape, and then when the enemies hear about it, they protest and Nehemiah rebukes them. The book then describes all the repairs done and by whom they were done.

What I learned:
-Nehemiah was a captive living in Susa. Even in captivity, God put his people in positions of honor, like the king's cup bearer.
-God pays attention to details and hard work, even small jobs well done. This reminds me of something Jim Elliot said in Shadow of the Almighty,
"A well-made piece of furniture and a healed blind man represented the same thing to the Father-- a job well done, mission accomplished. So with us here. Nothing great, but what is that to Him with whom there is no great and small?"

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

Examples...

Amy Carmichael ~~~ Saved children in India from Hindu temples.

Jim Elliot ~~~ Died by the hands of the Auca Indians, trying to share the Gospel.

Gladys Aylward ~~~ Helped and took in orphans from China, risking her life many times.

Apostle Paul ~~~ Traveled all over the world sharing the Gospel, often coming close to death.

David Livingstone ~~~ Was a missionary and explorer in Africa for many years.

Hudson Taylor ~~~ Went to China as a missionary and spread the Gospel there.



I'm sure these men and women are familiar to you. You've probably read their stories many times. What do all of these people have in common?

Of course you know. They are all great missionaries. Men and women of God, doing things for God's glory. Have you every said to yourself, "Why can't I be like Paul?" or "I'll never be able to be like Amy Carmichael. She was amazing." I know I have. But here's the thing. God made those men and women like that. He gave them their talents, passions, and ideas so that He could be glorified. Sure, they used them in amazing ways, but they listened to God when He told them how. They were ordinary people, just like you, who followed God's voice when they heard Him talking. Grace was abundant in their lives.

Also, when we get caught up in thinking about how they used their gifts, and wishing we were more like them, we miss the whole point. Those people were imitating Jesus.

Hebrews 4:15
  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

All the most wonderful missionaries in the world, the ones with the best missions or the most converts, were all sinners. All of them had weaknesses, and struggles, and sins. They were tempted every day, just like you.
And just like Jesus. Except Jesus-- didn't sin. He was perfect. Even though He went through everything, all the sins and temptations, that we go through, He didn't sin. Jesus is our High Priest, our role model.

Hebrews 5:1-3
 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.

Even the high priests of the temples in Jesus' day had sins, and they were the ones you went to for offering sacrifices so that your sins could be removed. They had to offer sacrifices for their own sins. And the great missionaries of our day aren't any better. Jesus is God's high priest, because He went through temptations as a human, and didn't sin. He was perfect. 

So don't you think, that when we look at missionary's lives, instead of looking at what they did as their own work and strengths, we should look in the background at God's grace to them? And look at Jesus Christ, our perfect High Priest, as our example in all of life?
 

Summer

Summer is here. Sort of.

Heat. Check.
Sweat. Check.
Mosquitoes. Check.
Swimsuits. Check.
Summer break. Oops.

That's right. I don't know about all of you, but I'm doing school over summer break. We've still got at least 50 more school days to go. What are you doing for summer break? Today my sisters and I went to writing class, for the last time! We did some informal impromptu speeches, ate snacks, and said goodbye to class and classmates in a fun way. Honey, who is our puppy in case you didn't know, is getting extremely big. Everyone who sees her comments on her big paws and says, "She is going to be a moose!" or something like that. "I'm sure she'll be big, sir, but it is not anatomically possible for a dog to become a moose as she gets older."  
"I was just using a figure of... well... never mind." :)
Summer is not my favorite season, but I do enjoy the heat and the swimming and popsicles. And of course the hot summer just makes the cool autumn that much nicer... ;)

I am sorry I haven't been blogging much. It's just that, there's these things I have called priorities, and blogging doesn't belong with that group. Maybe when summer break comes (if ever), then I can post more. Till then, don't expect much. Not that you have anyway, of course. See you guys later!

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

ps. i tried to put a picture on here, but for some reason it wouldn't load. maybe i'm out of photo space?
 

I'm doing lots of things...

 Here another list of the things I've been doing lately. Hope you enjoy! I'm still trying to get into a regular posting schedule, so sorry if the posts I post are boring with no pictures.

 1. We went to my cousin's high school play, Bye Bye Birdie. They were really good, especially the two main character, Albert and Rosie. Albert's mother was hilarious, too. I don't know if I would recommend it, because there is a definite feminist theme, but it was entertaining. My cousin had a smaller part where he didn't talk too much, but what he had he did really well.

2. Easter! We dyed eggs with beet juice and onion skins (all of our are eggs are pink and yellow) and went to an Easter breakfast at church to celebrate Christ's Resurrection. The pastor preached about what the world would have been like without the Resurrection. Then we had some family over with yummy food like corn and rolls. It was a lovely day.

3. My birthday. I'm now seventeen! When I thought of seventeen when I was young, I thought it would be an age when I had everything figured out. I would be beautiful, popular, and always know what to say. Well, that didn't happen... But God has blessed me with so much, that I can't really feel bad about the things I thought I would have. Sixteen was a great year.

4. We're doing a book study with some friends. It's called Passion and Purity, by Elizabeth Elliot. It's good so far, and I'm learning more about what relationships are supposed to look like. We're studying it with some really sweet friends, so the fellowship is fun, too.



What have you done in the past few weeks?

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

The tickle feather **

Spring is here! Ah, a time of warm winds, daffodils, blossoms, and... snowflakes? It sure has been an interesting season. Winter was so warm, I could practically wear short sleeves, and now that spring is here, I have to bundle up before going outside. Strange weather, for sure.... but maybe no mosquitoes in summer? Maybe they'll all be killed by the cold. *evil laugh* That would be worth braving the cold for.

Here are some of my highlights of March so far.

~Highlights of March~ a list

1. I'm entering an altered book contest at our local library, which means I get to cut up books and turn them into art. Mine's turning out well so far. I like how it looks. Maybe I'll post some pictures when I'm done.

2. Speaking of the library, I got my own library card! Hooray! I know there are lots of people that have library cards, but I'm really excited to check books out with it.
(again speaking of the library, I saw my old tennis teacher there when I was getting my card. I thought that was interesting.)

3. I'm working on a research paper for writing class. We picked a career to research and now we're writing about it. I chose a book editor, because I love finding other people's mistakes. :) just kidding.

4.  Our puppy Honey has a serious biting problem. Ugh. You can't even pet her without feeling little sharp teeth on your hand. Can anyone relate? Have any tips?


Well, that's just about it. Of course Easter is coming up (in March this year!) so I might post then. See ya later!

Grace be with you,

Abby :D 


ps. oh, i nearly forgot! my birthday is in a week! i'll be turning seventeen. :)

** the title of this post is from my little brothers who are playing with a feather. :) 
 

Poetry

I felt like sharin' something personal with y'all today. I ain't one of them fancy bloggers who can type up their thoughts real pretty-like, so I decided to share some of my poems! Yep, these are genuwine certified Abby material right here. Enjoy!


This is one I wrote when-- of course-- I wanted some snow. Writing about it's the next best thing, right?

Snow

Tiny ice sculptures blow down from the sky

So dainty and fragile, they melt with a sigh

Delicate, lacy, exquisite and light

Each one is different, but all are pure white.

 Please don't judge this one! It was a science assignment for school. :)

The Pituitary Gland

God’s creation is amazing

For so many things we should be praising

There are wonders in this world galore

The butterfly’s wing and the lion’s roar

But even the sunset can’t begin

To wow me if I look within

Every bacterium and cell

Has its special job and place to dwell

There’s a tiny thing called the pituitary gland

Under the brain is where it stands

It sends our hormones to and fro

Tells them what to do and where to go

It keeps our bodies free of strife

And helps us have a better life

Next time you bow and fold your hand

Thank God above for this awesome gland

Did I already share this one? I'm not sure, but anyway...

Panther

Black and sleek

Bold not meek

Dusky fur

Growl not purr

Leopard black

Hidden spots

Color dim

Courage lots

This one is about one of my favorite types of cats! I know lots of people think hairless cats are creepy, but I like 'em. :)

Sphinx

Naked but regal, they sit straight and tall.

For the fur lover, their skin will appall.

Wrinkled and darling, their gaze says to you,

“Laugh, but please love me, I will love you, too.”

Grace be with you,

Abby :D