“The Glass Menagerie” and the Other Classics I Read This Year
My scope of what is deemed a “classic” has shifted over the years, and it has made diving into the back catalog of literature a lot more fun.
My long-held view — likely influenced by the stories assigned while in school — was that a book needed to be centuries old, usually full of stodgy language (by today’s standards, ayway) and plots about social hierarchy to be classified as such. There’s nothing wrong with these novels, but they were never to my taste.
Today, I view a classic as any novel published three decades ago that has developed a legacy. The classics I read this year — about 10 percent of my total reading — spanned the genres of science fiction, young adult and literary fiction by some authors well-known and lesser so.
Only one didn’t work for me, which is another reminder of how art impacts everyone differently.
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
Dates read: October 16 – October 22, 2022
First published: 1945
Selected as a buddy read with my friend, Gail, after it popped up on Goodread’s list of 100 Years of Popular Books, this was my first foray into the writings of Tennessee Williams, and it didn’t disappoint.
The reader is treated to the script and production notes for this “memory play,” which helps ground the reader in the not-to-be-overlooked details Williams infused into the story to bring our characters - Amanda, Tom, Laura and Jim - to life.
I’ve read other plays but none felt as rich as “Menagerie.” Williams’ outline of must-haves for the score, lighting and production design, helped bring the action to vivid detail in my mind.
There isn’t much action, so to speak. Contained to the St. Louis apartment of the Wingfield family, it’s about Amanda, Tom and Laura barely holding it together as years of long-simmering resentment threatens to boil over. The core action revolves around Tom bringing his coworker and former classmate, Jim, to the house for dinner.
Tom is our narrator and a proxy for Williams. An aspiring writer, he works a dead end job in a warehouse but dreams of joining the Merchant Marines and fleeing his responsibility as breadwinner for the family after his father abandoned them years before.
Amanda, the matriarch, wants her daughter to come out of her shell and find a career — and husband — all the while she lives in her own prison of remembrance and failed opportunities. She pushes Tom to be practical, which creates friction since he’s a dreamer.
Then, there’s Laura, the older sister whose mild disability due to childhood illness has led her to self-isolation. She is anxious and her psyche is as fragile as the glass animals she uses as a talisman.
The genius in reading the story versus seeing it acted is that every reader will have a different take on the characters. I found them all to be frustrating but sympathetic. There’s no villain or hero here, although you could view Tom’s and Amanda’s actions as slightly dastardly.
At the core, it’s about people who love each other deeply but who have also allowed family mythology to destroy them. Tom is the only one ready to move into the future, while Amanda and Laura are content in the past.
The edition I read included an introduction by Robert Bray, which provides historical context into the significance and legacy of “Menagerie.” It also concluded with an essay by Williams, “The Catastrophe of Success,” which showed how he struggled with instant stardom in the years following its debut.
At less than 100-pages, this is entirely worth the read. The final scene was a rollercoaster of emotions that I will think about for years. Williams is a master wordsmith, and I was in awe of how he leveraged a deep bench of vocabulary. I had to look up dozens of words to fully grasp the meaning, but it wasn’t a barrier, more like an Easter Egg hunt.
Rating: 4/5 stars Narration: N/A Format: eBook (library loan)
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Dates read: February 3 – February 9, 2022
First published: 1982
Ultimately, Alice Walker took a complex and layered story and told it simply to great effect. At first, I was surprised by the letter format, but it helped propel the narrative through time and events in a way that dense exposition cannot. Celie is a character that everyone should spend time with. I was fully invested in every heartbreak and triumph, her love and attraction for Shug, her success and the reclamation of her narrative from the men that had exploited and mistreated her. Read the full review.
Rating: 5/5 stars Narration: N/A Format: eBook (personal library)
Another Country by James Baldwin
Dates read: February 22 – March 4, 2022
First published: 1963
Unabashedly bold, emotionally raw and frequently crass, James Baldwin doesn’t pull any punches in how he presents an America on the cusp of revolution, both racially and sexually. He exposed situations and conversations that were largely taboo at the time of publication — multiracial relationships, homosexuality, adultery, feminism, racism and police brutality. There are few writers that can so expertly use words as weapons of love and hate as well as Baldwin and reading how he observed the world is always worth the time. Read the full review.
Rating: 4/5 stars Narration: N/A Format: eBook (library loan)
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Dates read: March 9 – March 12, 2022
First published: 1988
I can see why people enjoy this novel. There are many, many affirming passages about the benefits of risk-taking, having an open mind and allowing yourself to experience love, but I found it to be repetitive, schmaltzy and over-stuffed with ideas and concepts. Read the full review.
Rating: 2/5 stars Narration: N/A Format: eBook (library loan)
Maurice by E.M. Forster
Dates read: May 28 – June 1, 2022
First published: 1971
Told in four parts, each captures a different moment in Maurice’s understanding and acceptance of himself, specifically his homosexuality. While it won’t be to everyone’s taste, those with an affinity for “Downton Abbey” and Robert James-Collier’s closeted butler Thomas Barrow will enjoy the clash of classism, religion and sexuality presented. While not out publicly, E.M. Forster worked on “Maurice” several times throughout his life, but it wasn’t published until a year after his death. The themes of tolerance, acceptance and living openly paint a picture of queer life that hasn’t changed much in 110 years. Read the full review.
Rating: 4/5 stars Narration: 3/5 stars Format: Audiobook (library loan)
Replay by Ken Grimwood
Dates read: July 11 – July 16, 2022
First published: 1987
Ken Grimwood’s “Replay,” is one of the most influential science fiction novels of the past 40 years that you’ve probably never heard of. Many times, throughout the novel, I thought, “I’ve heard this before” or “this is ripping off ‘11/22/63’” and that’s when I researched “Replay” and realized it was, in fact, the source material (at least to my knowledge) of so many pop culture phenoms. For as much as the story felt unoriginal for someone that's enjoyed its successors, it also felt incredibly fresh. Read the full review.
Rating: 4/5 stars Narration: 3/5 stars Format: Audiobook (library loan)
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Dates read: September 14 – September 18, 2022
First published: 1979
For all the books I’ve read over my lifetime, this one is wholly unique. Its blend of science fiction, historical fiction and social commentary feels ageless. In other words, it is the very definition of a classic and one that even non-genre fans can appreciate. The idea of a person from modern times (in this case 1976) traveling to the past is often viewed as quaint or humorous. There’s none of that in “Kindred.” The fact a Black woman is dropped in 1815 Maryland on a slave plantation to save her white ancestor has so many layers. This structure allowed Butler to explore power dynamics, racial injustice and sexism in meaningful and thought-provoking ways. Read the full review.
Rating: 5/5 stars Narration: 4/5 stars Format: Audiobook (library loan)
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Dates read: September 17 – September 20, 2022
First published: 1962
While well-written with an intriguing premise, this moody, gothic character-driven mystery left far too many loose ends for me to feel satisfied. Shirley Jackson slowly reveals details that help to keep the reader engaged, but once you reach the last third where the “action” happens, I was scratching my head more than holding my breath. Learning about what the story meant to Jackson helped re-frame my thoughts, but I can’t tell if knowing how personal it was to her going into my reading would’ve changed my perception that much. Read the full review.
Rating: 3/5 stars Narration: N/A Format: eBook (personal library)
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
Dates read: September 26 – September 27, 2022
First published: 1972
Ray Bradbury’s young adult story centers on a group of eight boys who must save the soul of their friend, Pip, from the sly and sinister Mr. Moundshroud by traveling through time to learn the origin of their Halloween costumes. I don’t know how historically accurate it is, but readers visit ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, The Druids in Britain, witches throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, the gargoyles of Notre Dame and, finally, Día de Muertos in Mexico. It is mystical and magical and charming, but definitely something that doesn’t quite hold up as well as I remembered as a child watching the film. Read the full review.
Rating: 3/5 stars Narration: 4/5 stars Format: Audiobook (library loan)
