mercoledì 29 gennaio 2014

The USA

The USA by Alison Baxter


NARRATOR: third person.
THEMES: The United States Of America
PLOT: "How was the USA  born? How did it grow is what kind of country is it now?
the answers to these questions are found in this book that talks about  the United States, their history and their future. The crowed America that we know 16 000 years ago was a empty land with mountains and forest, lakes, animals and fish, but no people. In fact, the coming of man was gradual.  It happened after the various discoveries of Europeans as Amerigo Vespucci or  Christopher Columbus. Now  more than 300 million people live in America. It is one of the largest and richest countries in the world, home of music, sport and films. It based its wealth on tourism and on big cities that were born on the Atlantic coast such as New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and others; but there are also some beautiful and natural places such as Niagara Falls or The Grand Canyon. America is one of the most popular destinations in the world and I really hope to go there.
PERSONAL COMMENT: I really enjoy this book because I love America and everything about it.  I liked to know and discover its history and its evolution.





                                                                   Monica Labbattaglia

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO

THE CONT OF MONTE CRISTO

TITLE: The Count Of Monte Cristo
WRITER: Alexander Dumas
SETTING: France, Italy, Islands of the Mediterranean, Levant-----> 1815-1838
SUBGENRE: Adventure Novel 
PLOT:
PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS: Edmond Dantes, Fernand Mondego, Gerard De Villefort, Danglars,
NARRATOR: 3rd person
THEMS: History, Love, Adventures
PERSONAL COMMENT: I really liked this book in each of its aspects: every character is very fascinating, in my opinion the writer is unbelievably good and he gives you the chance to live in first person. The plot is Interesting and makes you to know an amazing part of the French history. I advice this book to all of you guys, i hope you're gonna like it... It's especially adviced for history and adventure books lovers.

PIETRO LA CALAMITA 

This Rough Magic

This Rough Magic       MARY STEWART

This Rough Magic
Subgenre: novel
Situation: The Greek islan is a wonderful places, green and gold, where the quiet reigns. Lucy an out-of-work actress and she decides to go away to from the stress she has. So she arrives there, in Corfù, and initially everything is peaceful. In this island there are some dolphins that swim in the wonderful sea and Lucy have make friend with an enchanting dolphin when she is sunning on the rocks. But on the island some strange and mysterious events begin. Also she meets a rude man, who seems to have something to hide. Then there is a death by a drowning, another by Janny Zouolas, young Greek man, and so on that will keep Inspector Papadopoulos busy until the end of the novel.Characters: Lucy, Max Gale, The Inspector Papadopoulos. Themes:
Mistey and AdventurePoint of view: narrator/protagonist's point of viewStyle: not complicated Narrator: 1^personPersonal comment: I think This Rough Magic very interesting and exciting. Mary Stewart describes the beautiful nature of the Greek island of Corfu with much detail. I like it because it's full of mistey and surprise and expecially because I like the mistery and ''thriller'' stories very much.  
 
 
LACETERA JESSICA

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

AUCTHOR: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

NOVEL: Crime and Mystery

PLOT:  Dartmoor.A wild,wet place in the south-west of England.. A place where it is easy to get lost,and to fall into the soft green earth which can pull the strongest man down to his death.A man is running for his life.Behind him comes an enormous dog,a dog from his worst dreams,a dog from hell.Between him and a terrible death stands only ione person,the greatest detective of all time,Sherlock Holmes

NARRATOR: first person


PERSONAL COMMENTS: I like this book this book because I like Conan Doyle and specially Sherlock Holmes.The most beautiful thing of this book is the suspance there is in all the book and the way in which

othello


TITLE: Othello
WRITER: William Shakespeare 
SETTING: 1, November, 1604
SUBGENRE: Tragedy in five acts
PLOT: Othello is a Moor general in the service of the Venetian republic, which has been entrusted with the task of controlling the Venetian army against the Turks on the island of Cyprus. At the beginning of the play, Othello starts in Venice in the company of lieutenant Cassio , Desdemona, who Othello married in secret,  Iago and Emilia. Upon arrival, they discover that the Turkish fleet was destroyed by the storm. Iago try in various ways to dismiss Cassio, finally succeeding with a trick with the help of Rodrigo. With the complicity unaware of his wife Emilia, Iago ago to get a precious handkerchief of Desdemona in the hands of Cassio, convincing Othello of the betrayal of Desdemona . Othello kills Desdemona in the nuptial bed, overwhelmed by jealousy. 
In the epilogue, Emilia reveals that the intrigue of Desdemona was an invention of her husband Iago, who kills her. Otello, taken by remorse, kills himself. Iago is finally taken away, condemned to suffer torture.
Cassio, however, takes the place of Othello.
CHARACTERS:
The duke of Venice
Brabantio, a senator and Desdemona's father
Ludovico, Brabantio's cousin
Othello, a Moor and a Venetian general
Cassio, Othello's chief lieutenant
Iago, one of Othello's ensign and Emilia's husband.
Roderigo, a Venetian gentleman
Montano, governor of Cyprus
Desdemona, Othello's wife
Emilia, Iago's wife
Bianca, Cassio's mistress
NARRATOR: third person
THEMES: There are actually themes such as love, jealousy and betrayal.
PERSONAL COMMENT: In my opinion, this book gives us an example of what man is able to do in order to achieve some objective. I like very much the tragic genre, one of the genres that is closer to reality, since there isn't an happy end.


Tamborrino Pietro 

Death in the freezer

Death in the freezer by Tim Vicary

SUBGENRE: crime and mystery.
NARRATOR: first person.
THEMES: jealousy, affection.
PLOT: Ellen Share is the first child in the Share's family but when her brother Al was born, all the attention from her parents went to Al. Ellen doesn't like Al, she hates him, she's jealous. Then Ellen's mother and father die and Al become famous  and rich thanks to a band, while Ellen is a nurse with a boyfriend and 3 children. Al has to go on tour but when he comes back he is sick and addicted to drugs. He also meets new friends, Linda and Alan Future, who are businessman specialized in the science of freezing people. They do an experiment with Al so they want to freeze him and to take away his money and his house. When Ellen discovers that she kills Al that actually is already dead. The story ends with Ellen which has to go to a prison.
PERSONAL COMMENT: I'm really upset from the several of the story. I like very much Ellen's character because at the end she leaves her hat and jealousy against her brother to save him.

-Stefania Visceglia 

martedì 28 gennaio 2014

"HUCKLEBERRY FINN" By Mark Twain



HUCKLEBERRY  FINN
By Mark Twain
 
SETTING: 40’ of XIX century.
SUBGENRE: Classics.
STORY: Huckleberry Finn is a young boy who always lived in the street. One day a rich family adopte him in order to teach him religion and proper manners, but Huck is frustrated to wear clean dresses and go to school. So he runs away and meets Jim, a black slave who is running away to not be sold. They decide to start to float down the Mississippi River on a raft to escape from the people who are looking for them. During their trip they face risks and difficulties and they meet a lot of people. At the end of the novel the aunt of one of Huckle’s best friends wants him to live in her house but he escape again from civilization and finally Jim is set free.
NARRATOR: First person narrator and dialogues.
POINT OF VIEW: Huckle’s.
PERSONAL COMMENT: This book teaches the importance of the freedom. I think everyone would have prefer to live in a big and warm house, wear clean dresses and go to school to civilize himself but not the one who tried the thrill to be free. Is also face the slavery’s problem, a very sad feature of American history that would be beautiful to forget. 

                                                                                               Mariateresa Lisanti

Treasure Island

Treasure Island by Rober Louis Stevenson



SUBGENRE: novel 
SETTING: 1700 / England
PLOT: Billy Bones is a guest of the inn of the parents of young Jim Hawkins. One day he receives a mysterious message and the next day Billy dies. So Jim looking with his mother in his trunk, he finds a map of an island where he is buried pirate Flint treasure. With the help of Dr. Livesey and the cavalier Trelawney, he decides to hire a ship, the Hispaniola, and with them begins the journey to the island.The crew is composed by Captain Smollett, by Trelawney, sailors and Jim, who discovers while browsing the plan of the crew captained by Silver: he wanted to rebel and take possession of the treasure.Once on the island of the Skeleton, Jim manages to take the ship was at anchor in the inlet and was guarded by a pirate. Back at the fort he found Silver Flint, who took him hostage and began the search for the treasure.
CHARACTERS: Jim Hawkins, Billy Bones, Livesey, Long John Silver, captains Smollet and Nathaniel Flint, and Trelawney
NARRATOR: third person
POINT OF VIEW: narrator's 
THEMES: pirates, mysterious places
PERSONAL COMMENT: I liked this book a lot, because the adventures between pirates or adventures on the sea is something of amazing.

                                                                        Pasquale Iuliano








THE ELEPHANT MAN by Tim Vicary

POINT OF VIEW: Federick Treves;
NARRATOR: first person;
CHARACTERS: Joseph Merrick, Federick Traves, the Queen Alexandra,
Carr Gomm ,the shopkeeper:Simon Silcock;
SUBGENRE:novel;
SETTING:London, in 1884;
PLOT: One day doctor Federick Treves saw a picture of a horrible man in a shop: it was the elephant man. The doctor knew the ugly man and he wanted to study him. Joseph had a very big head with several deformities.He went to the hospital with the doctor. He wrote a letter to the Time’s editor, where he explained the need of some money because Joseph couldn’t work . From now on a lot of people went to the hospital to meet him including Queen Alexandra. She gave him a Chistmas card. A day he went to the theatre to see a children’s Christmas play. Joseph liked it and he thought the characters lived in the country.He wonted to go to the country, where he found happiness. At the end of the summer he came back to London and in April doctor Treves found him dead in his bed. The doctor understood that he wonted to sleep on his back but he couldn’t because of his heavy head.
PERSONAL COMMEN: I like this book very much because the author underlines that the inner beauty is more important than phisical one and only feu people can understand the value.

                                                                           Maria Emanuella Lorusso

Antony and Cleopatra

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA (by Wlliam Shakespeare)

GENRE: Tragedy
STRUCTURE: It's divided in five acts
NARRATOR: Third person narrator and dialogues
THEMES: Love, revenge, ambition
PLOT: Antony is in Alexandria because he fell in love with Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt. Antony is the triumvir in Rome with Octavius Caesar and Lepidus and he had to govern the Egypt. When he returned to Rome he discovered that Fulvia, his wife, was dead, so he married Octavia; but when Cleopatra discovered this marriage, she got angry and when Antony came back to Egypt, crowned Cleopatra and himself as rulers of Egypt. So started a war between Rome and Antony, wich finished with the battle of Actium . Antony and Cleopatra were defeated and during the siege of Alexandria, Antony knew the false notice that Cleopatra was dead, so he killed himself. When Cleopatra discovered this, she killed herself whit venomous asps.
PERSONAL COMMENT: i very loked reading this book. It is one of the most famous Shakespeare's tragediesand it talks about a story full of love, a relationship between two of the most important people of  the world during those years. I also like a lot historical novels and I think we can consider this tragedy an historical written with dialogues.

                                                                                       Pasquale Lo Nigro

"The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe

Genre : horror story
Setting : prison in Toledo
Characters : a prisoner and French Army
Narrator: first person
PlotThe story takes place during the Spanish Inquisition.
 The story is about the torments endured by a prisoner ,though Poe skews historical facts.
The prisoner thinks that horrible things move towards him in the dark and that he is in a tomb.
After losing consciousness again the narrator discovers that the prison is slightly illuminated and that he is bound to a wooden board by ropes.
In the end ,he walls rush back and an arm catches him. The French Army has taken Toledo and the Inquisition is in the hands of its enemies.

 Personal comment:what makes the story particularly effective at evoking terror is in its lack of supernatural elements. For this reason,about me, this book is full of terror.
- Marta Manicone

AS THE INSPECTOR SAID (by John Escott)

GENRE: Thriller
STRUCTURE: Five stories with different characters and plots
NARRATOR: Third person narrator and dialogues
STYLE: The language in every story is very engaging and dark
PLOT: In this book there are five stories. the story I liked most was the last. Elliston, the protagonist, asked Listner, a killer, to kill his wife; so Listner go inside the girl's room and meet Elliston, who says him that he will give him money only when his wife'll be dead. So Listner waits into a cupboard but a French servant enters in the room and Listner kills her. So he takes the money and go out but Elliston doesn't know that his wife is still alive.
PERSONAL COMMENT: I quite liked reading this book; especially some stories like the first and the last are pretty cool, the other are a bit predictable. Finally, the stories are full are full of twists and when you begin to read one you don't want to stop.  

                                                                                                 Pasquale Lo Nigro

"The Canterville Ghost" by OSCAR WILDE

GENRE- humor novel
SETTING- a house called "Canterville Chase"
CHARACTERS- Lord Canterville, the Otis family, the duke of Cheshire, the ghost
NARRATION- 3rd person narrator
PLOT- Lord Canterville lived in Canterville Chase with his family. In their house there was a noisy ghost who made them frightened and they couldn't sleep at all. For this reason Lord Canterville sold the house to an American family composed by the parents, two twins and a beautiful girl, Virginia. They were not worried at all about ghosts and during the night the children created many tricks to disturb the ghost. the Canterville ghost became very sad because he knew that he couldn't scare anymore. one day Virginia, talking with him, understood that he was regretful about his past cruel life. So she praied for him and the ghost could finally die.
PERSONAL COMMENT- I really liked this book because it is a parody of thriller tales and its plot is very unusual. I love Oscar Wilde's writing style, so it was very easy to read it.

Alessandra Porcari

As The Inspector Said and Other Stories by John Escott

 AUTHORS: G.K. Chesterton, Edmund Crispin, Freeman Wills Crofts, Cyril Hare, Richard Marsh, John Escott
SUBGENRE : Thriller
SETTING : England in XX Century
CHARACTERS: (As the Inspector Said ... ) Sonia and Robert French,Charles Darrel,(The Man Who Cut Off My Hair ) Judith Lee,Mr Colgate,Mrs Dickson,Burglars,(The Railway Crossing) Dunstan Thwaite,Hilda Lorraine,John Dunn,Jane,(The Blue Cross) Valentin,Flambeau,Father Brown, (Cash on Delivery) Max Linster,Jacob Elliston,Mrs Elliston,Josephine Demessieux.
NARRATOR: 3rd person
POINT OF VIEW: Narrator's
PLOT: As the Inspector Said (Cyril Hare) Sonia felt in love with Charles and she wanted to kill her husband Robert helped by Charles dressed as a theif,but they failed because Robert knew their affair and he murdered Charles before he did it to him.
The Man Who Cut Off My Hair (Richard Marsh) Judith Lee was deaf but she was an excellent Lip Reader. Once she was almost killed by a criminal, but he cut his long hair. One day she read two man's lips and saw that they were going to rob her neighbor. One day she went for a walk and saw that two men were at their neighbor's house. They were stealing her neighbor's silver, and the criminals saw Lee. They catch her and cut her long hair. It was very valuable to her, and she was very angry. She decided to catch the theives with the police and the detective, and with her lip reading skills, she caught the criminals.
The Railway Crossing ( Freeman Wills Crofts) Thwaite decided to kill John Dunn. Some years ago Thwaite fell in love with a woman, and she liked expensive things. But Thwaite had not much money and he took thousand pounds from the company. His friend John Dunn noticed that and began to offer him money. So he returned money to the company more than  a thousand pounds and John took money every year. And the money John offered got much more expensive. So Thwaite decided to kill John Dunn. He prepared a sleeping powder and went to the railway station and decided to kill him when nobody was looking at the railway station. But he forgot his keys and came back leaving John at the Railway station. So he decided to tell the police about him. But John Dunn was dead, and the police inspected Thwaite.
 The Blue Cross (G.K. Chesterton) Father Brown receives a mysterious letter suggesting that the church's priceless holy relic, the Blue Cross, will be stolen. In the church itself, he finds a piece of paper with the letter F, left there by the famous thief Flambeau, gone across Europe for the theft of priceless artifacts. Bishop Talbot is soon on the scene and makes arrangements to have the cross transported by the police to a safe location. Father Brown decides it would be safer in his possession. He is out not only out to identify the thief but also to save his soul
 Cash on Delivery (Edmund Crispin) Max Linster is a professional killer and thief that had been called from Jacob Ellison to kill his wife in change of money and jewels. So Max meets Jacob in his wife and  he makes the killer sure of his reward while his wife is downstairs with her brother and her servants Johsephine. Then Joshephine go upstairs in Mrs Ellison bedroom for doing her work,but when she goes in, Linster kill the pretty servants by her back and put her dead body under the bed. After getting paid Max Linster speaks to Mr Ellison and make him doubtful abut who he killed,but it's to late for knowing the truth because Linster just went out the window.