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Snow Falling on Cedars, David Guterson
I think I saw the movie when it was released to VHS, but reading the book didn't jog many memories. Anyway, I found this book waiting on our donated books cart and thought I'd give it a try. Free book, right? I cannot fully convey how undisappointed I was in this book. It was majestic, breath-taking, and everything that the reviews said it would be.
Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer
Having seen the movie and become familiar with McCandless's story, reading Krakauer's account proved to be underwhelming. Certainly, there were some details that the film didn't touch on, but that's the nature of the medium, I feel. But for the most part, the book matched up to the film without fail. Where the film, however, lacked definite closure, the book delivered. Krakauer spoke with many of the people whose lives were touched by McCandless and in doing so, the loose ends were wrapped up. The old widower who meets McCandless near Oh My God Hot Springs gets in a final word or so; the rubber tramps do likewise. McCandless's parents visit the Magic Bus, seeing for the first time how their son lived and died so far away from home, and yet so close.
Krakauer's writing style borders on the lackluster, though, and I found it narcissistic that while writing this biography, of sorts, Krakauer still felt compelled to devote an entire chapter to the trials and tribulations he faced as a young man out on a foolish climb.
The movie portrayed a version of McCandless that, while true, didn't exactly capture his true spirit. A lot of the reactions I've heard (and even had) to the film have been similar: he was a foolish kid, he was a rich boy that thought he could do anything, he was stubborn, he was stupid, and so on. But Krakauer's account, while far from exhaustive, does give a more focused perspective. And while McCandless may indeed have been one or more of the things that the movie makes him out to be, he was also everything that he thought he was. Save for a few mistakes, McCandless would have likely lived in obscurity, accomplished at whatever he set his mind to. The fact that he died doesn't mean he failed, though. He died doing what he wanted to and knew all along that the risks he took throughout his 2 year sojourn might well lead to death. McCandless was genuine: he lived the life of which he dreamt. It wasn't about class or money or any one material thing, and yet, for him, it was. I'm not suggesting we all go live in the wild (it wouldn't be wild then), but I do think we can each take from this the reassurance that we don't have to sacrifice life to dream.
(I'm amused that the underwhelming book got more than the brilliant novel...)
I think I saw the movie when it was released to VHS, but reading the book didn't jog many memories. Anyway, I found this book waiting on our donated books cart and thought I'd give it a try. Free book, right? I cannot fully convey how undisappointed I was in this book. It was majestic, breath-taking, and everything that the reviews said it would be.
Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer
Having seen the movie and become familiar with McCandless's story, reading Krakauer's account proved to be underwhelming. Certainly, there were some details that the film didn't touch on, but that's the nature of the medium, I feel. But for the most part, the book matched up to the film without fail. Where the film, however, lacked definite closure, the book delivered. Krakauer spoke with many of the people whose lives were touched by McCandless and in doing so, the loose ends were wrapped up. The old widower who meets McCandless near Oh My God Hot Springs gets in a final word or so; the rubber tramps do likewise. McCandless's parents visit the Magic Bus, seeing for the first time how their son lived and died so far away from home, and yet so close.
Krakauer's writing style borders on the lackluster, though, and I found it narcissistic that while writing this biography, of sorts, Krakauer still felt compelled to devote an entire chapter to the trials and tribulations he faced as a young man out on a foolish climb.
The movie portrayed a version of McCandless that, while true, didn't exactly capture his true spirit. A lot of the reactions I've heard (and even had) to the film have been similar: he was a foolish kid, he was a rich boy that thought he could do anything, he was stubborn, he was stupid, and so on. But Krakauer's account, while far from exhaustive, does give a more focused perspective. And while McCandless may indeed have been one or more of the things that the movie makes him out to be, he was also everything that he thought he was. Save for a few mistakes, McCandless would have likely lived in obscurity, accomplished at whatever he set his mind to. The fact that he died doesn't mean he failed, though. He died doing what he wanted to and knew all along that the risks he took throughout his 2 year sojourn might well lead to death. McCandless was genuine: he lived the life of which he dreamt. It wasn't about class or money or any one material thing, and yet, for him, it was. I'm not suggesting we all go live in the wild (it wouldn't be wild then), but I do think we can each take from this the reassurance that we don't have to sacrifice life to dream.
(I'm amused that the underwhelming book got more than the brilliant novel...)
