Throwback Thursday #4: The Origin by Irving Stone

Throwback Thursday is a monthly bookish meme hosted by Davida @ The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog every first Thursday of the month, where we are highlighting one of our previously published book reviews.

I see this as an opportunity to re-post (or translate posts originally published in Bahasa Indonesia) my old book reviews, previously posted in my old (now inactive) blogs.

For #ThrowbackThursday this week I picked a book I have read and review in October 2018

The Origin by Irving Stone

🌱 Charles. Darwin. A name so familiar in modern world, yet so little had we known about the person. I have read his magnum opus last year: On the Origin of Species, yet then I have only focused on his views on evolution and struggle for existence theory. I have never imagined, for example, that Darwin had made that famous voyage on board The Beagle in a so young of age of 22—in fact it was even his first voyage ever! Or, that he was NOT a Naturalist before the voyage; but was originally intended to pursue medical career—following the lead of his father and grandfather. He had failed; and finally made up his mind to take theological study at Christ College to become a curate, which was approved and encouraged by Robert Darwin, his father. Then, when Charles Darwin has finally settled his future career, came a letter from the Naval Office, inviting him to join HMS Beagle as its Naturalist—something beyond even Darwin's wildest dream. 

🌱 While studying at Christ College, Darwin often accompanied Professors John Henslow and Adam Sedgwick, from whom he learned much about botany and geology. That, and his passion on nature (he liked to catch butterflies and even toads), that made him eligible to join the survey expedition conducted by Royal Navy. The appointment itself was almost like an act of Providence. Darwin was the third person picked, after two others (more prominent Naturalists) rejected for some reasons.

🌱 His father didn't approved Darwin going for two year voyage, while he was supposed to start looking for a parish to settle in. Only after Darwin's uncle intervene, that his father softened, and finally gave Darwin his blessing—without which Darwin would have given up the voyage altogether, since he respected his father's decision very much. This was an aspect that I loved from the Darwins: love and respect from father and son.

🌱 Later on after Darwin returned from the voyage, and was happy in doing researches and writing his books, his father totally accepted and never blamed Darwin for ever giving up his religious career. Darwin was also blessed with an amiable wife and supports from his friends, which later proved to be valuable to Darwin's career as Naturalist. Maybe it's because Darwin was himself an amiable person: humble, docile, and peaceful.

🌱 Darwin was neither a healthy nor strong young man when taking the five years voyage, and after settling with his large family while writing his numerous books, he was often tortured by his illness. But I think it was caused mostly by his moral conflict. Remember what happened to Galileo after publishing his heliocentric theory? He was accused of committing heresy.

🌱 Now, Darwin always hated controversy. He would have stayed home and become priest, had his father rejected his voyage. He was perfectly aware that his theory of evolution would be strongly opposed by the Church and by the society. In 19th century the Church doctrine was that every creature was created as it was by God; and that they were all good. Darwin found out from studying tons of specimens he had collected during the voyage, that these creatures, which God has first created, has been evolving through years of struggle of existence, then formed various new sub-species. That would shock the world, and especially his wife Emma, whom Darwin loved and adored, and who happened to be a very religious person.

🌱 These thoughts tortured Darwin so much in the form of many curious uncured physical symptoms. But—and this is what I most adored from him—Charles Darwin never flinched from his belief; and though he has promised Emma to never pursue the theory, he never stopped developing it in his mind, and secretly writing it. Darwin, who was a docile and peaceful person, dared to do it against all odds, because his conscience told him to speak the truth!

🌱 As all other new ideas, On the Origin of the Species did cause huge turbulence on scientific and Church history when published. These were the most insufferable time for Darwin, yet he never stopped researching and writing a lot of books, each of which opened fresh debates among scientists, as well as public readers. However, after the first blow from On the Origin, people began to accept his theory, and Charles Darwin became one of the most prominent scientists in the world.

🌱 Thanks to Irving Stone, the life, works, and the scientific world around Charles Darwin was finally revealed to us. Like Darwin, Stone have done meticulous researches around his subject. The project took him five years to finish; the same time for Darwin to collect his specimens and notes aboard The Beagle. The book caught perfectly and beautifully the emotional struggle of Darwin and his peers during the rising period of science. The Origin is a monumental work. I was so grateful to have read it. Not only to know more of the Naturalist, but also to understand more of his works, especially On the Origin of Species. What a read!

Rating: 5 / 5


Have you read this book? Or any other historical fiction of Irving Stone's?

 

Throwback Thursday #3: Anna and the King of Siam (Margaret Landon)

Throwback Thursday is a monthly bookish meme hosted by Davida @ The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog every first Thursday of the month, where we are highlighting one of our previously published book reviews.

I see this as an opportunity to re-post (or translate posts originally published in Bahasa Indonesia) my old book reviews, previously posted in my old (now inactive) blogs.

For #ThrowbackThursday this week I picked a historical fiction I have read and reviewed in April 2018

Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon

🟢 I am never a movie person. But among the short list of movies I have ever watched (most of them are book-turns-to-movies or movies starred by Matt Damon--yes I'm his fan!), there are even shorter list of movies which I often re-watch. One of them are Anna and the King, starring Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat.

🟢 I loved its cultural background of 19th century Siam. I also loved the silent and respectable romance of an English woman and the King of Siam, as well as the perfect chemistry of Jodi and Yun-Fat. I learned later that it was based on the diary of a real Anna Leonowens--an English Governess hired by King Mongkut of Siam to teach his children (later on, his harem too). When searching for this diary, I stumbled upon this historical novel by Margaret Landon. She re-wrote Leonowens' diary into a more flowing story (cutting a lot of tedious geographical and anthropological entries of the original diary).

🟢  If you have watched the movie, imagine the much savage, violent, selfish, and distrustful King, in oppose to Yun-Fat's charismatic and charming version; then increase by ten folds the wretched condition of the slave of a rich lady, of whom Anna has helped to buy the freedom. Imagine also how the revengeful King would react when his favorite concubine, Tuptim, was running away with her lover; that instead of regretting his impotence in intervening the court verdict and heartbrokenly but secretly crying for Tuptim's unfair death penalty like Yun-Fat's version, the real King was ten times crueler and more revengeful in his terrible rage. And lastly, the real King, while quite often granting Anna's request, he was also harsh, unfair, and deceitful towards Anna--and certainly very far away from having any sparks of romance! There... if you combine those aspects, you'll get the rough idea of the book.

🟢 When starting this book, I have prepared myself to not expecting any romanticism of the movie. Nevertheless, I was a bit surprised to learn the terrors Anna and her household must have endured during her stay at Siam. And my admiration grew for her. If this was truly Anna Leonowens' account of her real life in Siam, then she must have probably been one of the bravest women ever lived in 19th century. How terrible and dangerous her life and work were, and all for a vague hope that the crown prince Chulalongkorn might bring justice and brighter future to Siam when he succeeded his father!

🟢 The only time I did not hate King Mongkut, was near the end, in his thank you letter to Anna, where he said: "...All that [Chulalongkorn] ever learned of good in his life, you taught him." I think that was one thing teachers would always like to hear.

🟢 Finally, while the movie ends with emotional separation (the dance always makes me cry!), the historical novel ends with a slightly hopeful future, though not as emotional as when Yun-Fat embracing Jodie in their last dance: "It was through the principles laid down in her teaching that he had formed the plans by which he had transformed his kingdom."

🟢 4/5 stars for this tremendous story of an English woman.

*********

Have you read this book? Or watched the movie?

 

Throwback Thursday #2: The Siege by Helen Dunmore

Throwback Thursday is a monthly bookish meme hosted by Davida @ The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog every first Thursday of the month, where we are highlighting one of our previously published book reviews.

I see this as an opportunity to re-post (or translate posts originally published in Bahasa Indonesia) my old book reviews, previously posted in my old (now inactive) blogs.

For #ThrowbackThursday this week I picked a book I have read and review in July, 2018 - a compelling story of war and humanity.

The Siege by Helen Dunmore

💙 You could never really know what the word "starving" means if you have never been deprived of the food SOURCE. This novel by Helen Dumnore teaches you to always be grateful for every single day of your life.

💙 The Siege depicted the historical siege of Leningrad by German (Nazy) Army in World War II; the biggest prolonged siege in the history. The novel particularly focused on the most extreme part of the siege, i.e. the winter of September 1941 to February 1942. Food ration was down to only 125 grams bread per person per DAY. Can you imagine that? 125 grams for 24 hours! And when the temperature was down to -30 degree (Celsius); many people died from combination of starvation, malnutrition, and freeze. Food and fuel suddenly valued like gold, while money became worthless (you couldn't eat money no matter how rich you were!). The siege was prolonged until January 1944 (900 days in total), but at least a new access was available after the severe winter had passed, that food supply was gradually back to normal--food ration was still on, but at least they didn't have to starve.

💙 The central characters of this historical novel are the working class family: Anna Mikhailovna, a young woman who lives with her father and her little brother Kolya. Then Marina Petrovna, a former actress and a friend of Anna's father, came to stay with them just before the city was besieged. Another important character was Andrei, a medical student who helped Mikhail (Anna's father) in war, and so he and Anna met and soon lived each other. These four adults and a little boy was a portrayal of how the city heroically held on and refused to surrender to the Nazi (Hitler's plan was to raze the city to the ground--another method of genocide?).

💙 And so, amidst the famine, struggle of life, bombardment, and cannibalism (yes, there were some cases of starving people ate human flesh!), there grew love and hope, which I believe were two important keys of survival. From their heroic acts, I see humanity at its highest and strongest state, which no one could dream to destroy.

💙 Two thumbs up for Dunmore for writing so vivid and compelling story of war and humanity.

********

Have you read this book? Or any other of Dunmore's?
By the way, I have just found out that there is a sequel to this book, which was published in 2010 titled 'The Betrayal', though I don't know if I ever want to read it - it sounds too depressing (from the Goodreads review)

Throwback Thursday #1: Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin

Throwback Thursday is a monthly bookish meme hosted by Davida @ The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog every first Thursday of the month, where we are highlighting one of our previously published book reviews.

I see this as an opportunity to re-post (or translate posts originally published in Bahasa Indonesia) my old book reviews, previously posted in my old (now inactive) blogs.

For my first #ThrowbackThursday, I picked a book I've read and reviewed in June 2014. It's a heartwarming, mouthwatering book about baking cakes and humanity.

Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin

🧁 In 1994 Rwanda was torn by ethnic genocide. Now in 2000, six years after the tragedy, the survivors are still in traumatic condition. Distrust and fear are still thickly clouding their daily lives. In this condition, the Turangaza family move in from Tanzania, and live in an apartment.

🧁 Angel Tungaraza is a professional cake baker, and through this business Angel spread to the neighborhood the spirit of reconciliation. Reconciliation of the two ethnics that were fighting in the genocide: the Tutsis and the Hutus, as well as personal reconciliation with each of their pasts.

🧁 In Kigali, seems that everyone has experienced the losing (at least) a family member. Although coming from Tanzania (and did not experience the genocide), Angel and her husband, Pius, are also victims of traumatic experience of losing their children by death. AIDS, as we all know, is another deathly terror in Africa at that time besides Rwandan genocide. The Tungarazas’ children have died of AIDS, and now Angel and Pius must raise their grandchildren (five of them!) by themselves. Fortunately, in the time of resurgent after the tragedy, there are plenty of things to be celebrated. And, what is a celebration without a cake?

🧁 Since the best cake in Kigali is Angel’s, her business springs, and people from all background come to her apartment to order cakes. Gaile Parkin described the cakes to tiny details in every chapter, and that—apart from the people struggles—gives the book its unique attraction. Each chapter portrays each cake, each event of celebration, each individual, with each problem.

🧁 Angel’s cakes are not only delicious in taste, but they are also impressive in decoration. The cakes are rich in colors (as the African like it) and they are tailor-made to the celebration itself (or the person who is celebrating it). But Angel does not run the business only for money, more than that, she helps her customers to regain happiness in her own simple way.

🧁 When customers come, Angel would let them sit down, and gives them her portfolio for their reference, while she is preparing her Tanzanian spiced tea, accompanied with cupcakes. She never runs out of these cupcakes because she used to make them from what’s left of the cakes she makes for customers.

🧁 Over the tea and cupcakes—and most of all, her friendly but professional manner—Angel would drive her customers to tell their success—or bitter—stories of life. Being a good listener with tender heart, Angel often brings hope—if not solution—to them. And, as a bonus, she gets the order, plus the happiness of baking and decorating beautiful cakes, which is her passion.

🧁 For a debut, Gaile Parkin has written a tremendous work. ‘Baking Cakes in Kigali’ is a sweet and pleasant reading which bears a serious theme. It flows naturally and conveniently, offers sweetness (from the cakes things), a bit of mystery (from Angel’s traumatic past), and a lot of humanity aspects (love, racialism, freedom, etc.). I love it from the beginning, and the book certainly made me craving for cupcakes! :)


Have you read this book?
I just realized that it has a sequel - I would love to go back to Kigali and 'taste' Angel's cupcakes again!