The Pulitizer Project: A Year Later

It's been a year since I've started my "Pulitzer Project"  (http://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2015/01/pulitizer-project.html) give or take a day or so.  I'm currently in the midst of my 26th book (The Stories of John Cheever) and when I finish it I will be into the 1980s.  For as many books as I've read, there are plenty that I have not.  For such a task, I asked my husband to find me electronic versions of the prize winning novels and there were plenty that he was unable to get.  So I'm making due with what he did manage to obtain and I've read each one (ok, in some cases I've skimmed, but more on that later) in chronological order.

My impressions thus far?  Just because a book has won a major award doesn't mean it's good or memorable!   I have been surprised by what I have loved and what I have hated.  Much of what I've read thus far I have found to be "meh."  (It's no wonder that many of the winning authors I had never heard of.  How many of you knew about Ernest Poole who won the very first Pulitzer?  Or Shirley Ann Grau's Keepers of The House which won in 1965 and is one of the gems that I stumbled on reading all these books.)

Here's what I made my way through since January of 2015:

  • His Family by Ernest Poole:  Surprisingly good; maybe I just didn't have any expectations for this one.  As I said in a previous blog, http://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-pulitzer-project-10-books-in.html   this story published nearly 100 years ago (1918) has relevancy today. 
  • The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington:  HATED the main character.  REALLY hated him.  Total spoiled brat and I was happy when he finally died. 
  • The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton:  A beautiful book, but I formed no emotional attachment to it.
  • Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington:  A story I understood all too well.  How I felt for Alice as the "unpopular" girl longing to be part of the crowd and thinking she could get there.
  • One of Ours by Willa Cather:  Ennui thy name is Claude Wheeler.
  • So Big by Edna Ferber:  Selina proves that attitude is everything.  If only her son had learned that.  A strong woman that I could take some lessons from.
  • The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thorton Wilder:  Interesting concept of how life is intertwined and a quick and relatively easy read. Still, I prefer Wilder plays (especially The Matchmaker)
  • The Good Earth by Pearl S Buck: Another book with a strong woman; although the strength of O-Lan is quiet and gentle.  I came away appreciating my own a life a bit more.
  • The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings:  Growing up in wilds of Florida obviously wasn't fun and games.  Still I wished Jody would just grow up already!
  • The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck:  A painful, painful tale and with themes that are still all too current.  It hurt to read, but needed to be read.
  • A Bell For Adano by John Hersey:  Set in Italy during WWII, it shows that we need more than food to nourish us.  Our spirits need refreshing too and Major Joppolo revives this town in so many ways.  My spirit was refreshed too after reading this.
  • Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener:  I knew "South Pacific" but I didn't know its source.  As powerful and beautiful as the Rogers and Hammerstein musical is, Michener's book is even more so.
  • The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk:  I'm still not sure if Queeg was the good guy or bad.  But in war is anything ever clear?  This along with the previous two novels on my list gave me a real insight into life during WWII, and not just "war" life, but life before and after.
  • A Fable by William Faulkner:  I swear I read it.  I have no idea what it was about.  I think I'm relatively intelligent, but I just did not understand it.  It was like reading a foreign language.  I kept reading faster and faster and started skimming, hoping that I'd get something.  But I never did.  I needed the web version of Cliff Notes (how’s that for dating myself) to get it.  
  • A Death In The Family by James Agee:  A sad but beautiful tale showing how a father's unexpected death affects different members of the family.  (And a relief after trying to make my way through Faulkner.)
  • To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee:  Although I had pledged NOT to re-read books I had previously read (hence my omissions of Gone With The Wind, All The King's Men, and  The Old Man And The Sea thus far), I broke that pledge with Harper Lee.  I adore this book and it had been many years since I had read it.  (I am forever in the debt of my high school English teacher for having us read this.)  It did not disappoint.  It is as powerful now as it was when I first read it.  Harper Lee's tale embraces me and doesn't let go.  Immediately following my re-read I sat down with Go Set A Watchman.  While I liked the novel, what I loved about it was that it gave me a "history" of To Kill a Mockingbird.  It showed me what a good editor can go and how a story that was only so-so could be pushed in a direction that would make it one of the most beloved stories of all times.
  • The Reivers by William Faulkner:  To go from my favorite author to one of my least favorites was a difficult transition!  At least I understood this one!  I didn't particularly like The Reivers, but I could follow the story line.
  • The Keeper of the House by Shirley Ann Grau:  The greatest compliment I can give to this novel is that it reminded me of To Kill A Mockingbird; it takes place in the deep south and the theme of racism runs through it.  A story of many generations and the land that I know I will read again.
  • The Collected Stories of Katharine Anne Porter by Katherine Ann Porter:  I'd read Ship of Fools and I think I prefer it to these stories if only because I found some fascinating ("The Jilting of Granny Weatherall") and some dull ("The Leaning Tower").  I would probably read some of the stories again, but skip a hunk. 
  • The Fixer by Bernard Malamud:  While incredibly depressing (a man kept in prison for year for committing a crime that he is clearly not guilty of), it gave me great insight into what it must have been like to live as a Jew in Russia.  (The fixer's true crime in living and working where Jews were not allowed.)  Not unlike The Grapes of Wrath, as it is painful to read, but also necessary.
  • The Confession of Nat Turner by William Styron.  I'm not sure how much of this was meant to shock rather than to tell a tale of slavery and the uprising against it.  I found myself skimming parts of this; I wanted to be pulled in more, but was not.
  • House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday:  Once again a stream of consciousness novel leads me wondering if I know what the heck is going on.  Beautiful prose, and there were parts that I wished were longer and more detailed and others that I would have liked to have skipped over entirely.  Gave me some insight into Native American culture and lifestyle, but not enough.
  • The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty:  As an only child who will have to deal with my parents' aging and issues that will come with it, I could easily relate to this story.  And I am glad that I don't have a step mother (or father) who was so egocentric to deal with.  Reading this somehow will prepare you for what life will probably have to offer most of us (aging/ill parents and death).
  • The Killer Angels by  Michael Shaara:  This has been called one of the best books about the Civil War/Gettysburg and the praise is true.  Even if you don't care about the battle at Gettysburg, this story offers great insight into how war was "done" and how fight "evolved."  It's strange as I am not a fan of war stories (or movies), but some of the best books that I have read on this Pulitzer journey are about war.  I highly recommend this one.
  • Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow:  Sections of this book I loved and other sections just went on  and on.  I thought I'd come to the end (once we finally find out what Humboldt's gift is), and then there was more.  Maybe I'm not enough of an "intellectual" to fully enjoy it. It was worth the read, but not a re-read.
  • The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever:  I'm savoring my way through this one.  I'm currently only 1/4 through the collection and am in no hurry.  His stories transport me back to the 1960s and I feel like I need a cocktail in hand while reading (either by a roaring fire or by my in ground pool; neither of which I have).  I've heard Cheever described as the American Ibsen and that may be true.  (I like Ibsen.)  I've never read Cheever before, but now that I have I know I will read more (once I've finally finished this "Project.")

As I am about halfway through all the electronic books, I expect that this "project" will take me through 2016 and into 2017.  At times I've been frustrated, but think that the rewards of reading some truly wonderful novels negates the frustration.  (And it's clear that I'll never read Faulkner again!)  With every novel, I gain a new appreciation of the blood, sweat and tears that must go into each author's work (even the ones I don't like).  It's an interesting path I've been on and I'm looking forward to the next half of my "adventure."

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