This months wsj book club host is thriller writer lee child. Set in the late 1940s, the novel is narrated by stingo, a young southern writer who is the authors thinly veiled alter ego. Sophie s choice is a 1979 novel by american author william styron. Oct 16, 2014 the wall street journal book club is hosting a discussion with thriller writer lee child. Sophies choice, novel by william styron, published in 1979, that examines the historical, moral, and psychological ramifications of the holocaust through the tragic life of a roman catholic survivor of auschwitz. In this brilliant, multilayered novel, a young southerner, stingo, wants to become a writer. Sophies choice william styron page 10 read online free. Sophies choice by william styron reading guidebook club. Stingo, a young aspiring writer from the south, and the jewish scientist nathan landau and his lover sophie, a polish catholic survivor of the german nazi concentration camps, whom he befriends. His books include lie down in darkness, the long march, set this house on fire, the confessions of nat turner, sophies choice, this quiet dust, darkness visible, and a tidewater morning. William styrons writing verges on the faulknerian, if only faulker had been a bit more interested in describing the curves of a fine womans ass. Also of relevance was the celebration, in october 2006, of the birth. The wall street journal book club is hosting a discussion with thriller writer lee child. Goodreads members who liked sophies choice also liked.
Despite the fact that sophies story, her choices, and her fate are all sad, sad stories, there is a lot of exuberance and joy in the telling of them. Sophies choice novel project gutenberg selfpublishing. Meryl streep stars as sophie, a polish immigrant who shares a boarding house in brooklyn with her tempestuous lover, nathan kevin kline in his feature film debut, and a young writer, stingo peter macnicol. It contains the major themes of his previous fiction, embodying his loves of the south and of literature, his experience of war, and his quest. William styrons 1979 novel sophies choice consists of a story within a. The main characters of this fiction, classics story are stingo, nathan landau. The plot ultimately centers on a tragic decision which sophie was. William styron sophie s choice book club edition 2nd printing hardcover new york random house 1979 very good in a very good dust jacket. Check out this trailer for alan pakulas masterpiece sophies choice. It is a bleak and tragic story told by a naive, egotistical narrator preoccupied with getting his dick wet. Sophies choice begins as a young southerners odyssey to the unimaginable northto that strange land celebrated by his hero, thomas wolfe, who took the allnight train to new york with. Lee child, one of the most successful thriller writers of his generation, chooses sophies choice as the new selection for the wsj book club.
Sophies choice questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on sophies choice. Best southern books for your book club southern living. And sophies choice will probably draw similar accusations about styrons use of the holocaust. Raising awareness of the importance of reading in early childhood education while spotlighting the need of early education reading programs in low income areas. Sophies choice by william styron penguin books australia. In the end, i think this book, full of the horrors of human cruelty, really confirms the interconnectedness of things. Free download or read online sophies choice pdf epub book. And sophie s choice will probably draw similar accusations about styron s use of the holocaust. Sophies choice by william styron penguin random house audio.
Sophie s choice is a 1982 american drama film directed by alan j. Sophies choice by william styron august 10, 2010 april 24, 2015 thomas even though i have not seen the film adaptation of sophies choice, i must say that i had a very difficult time not seeing and hearing meryl streep every time sophie spoke. The choice is between two unbearable options, and it s essentially a nowin situation. Sophies choice and the burden of commentary book marks. Lee child, one of the most successful thriller writers of his generation, chooses sophie s choice as the new selection for the wsj book club. Sep 03, 2014 this months wsj book club host is thriller writer lee child, author of the bestselling jack reacher books. The film ends with stingo leaving brooklyn, the screen going misty, and an image of sophie s face fading into view. Shira nayman, an australian native, has just published a collection of short fiction about the holocaust called awake in the dark, a portion of which has been set to music. This week, we discuss reading strategies for his selection, sophies choice. Picking up nathan s book of emily dickinson poems, stingo recites ample make this bed, as if he were delivering a eulogy at a funeral. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 562 pages and is available in paperback format. He is the author of the long march, lie down in darkness, set this house on fire and sophie s choice. The scene in which we discover the facts behind sophies choice is a gutwrenching one.
It is betraying nothing to reveal that the character of stingo is the alter ego of william styron, upon whose bestselling novel the film was based. The novel speaks through the voice of styron s alter ego, a polite young tidewater virginian called stingo who comes to. In brooklyn, he meets nathan, a brilliant jewish intellectual involved in a turbulent lovehate affair with sophie, a beautiful polish woman. The most poignant scenes in the book are pitchperfect on screen, and the concentration camp footage is heartbreaking. Sophies choice won the national book award in 1980 and william styron won the pulitzer prize in fiction for his previous novel, the. This months wsj book club host is thriller writer lee child, author of the bestselling jack reacher books. Sophie s choice topics for discussion william styron this study guide consists of approximately 80 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of sophie s choice.
William styron sophies choice book club edition 2nd printing. Stingo, the narrator, is a southern boy, born and bred, who moved to new york with the ambition of becoming a writer. It is betraying nothing to reveal that the character of stingo is the alter ego of william styron, upon. Sophies choice is a 1979 novel by american author william styron.
His stifling ninetofive job at a publishing company kills his spirit and his hopes, and the. This book will demonstrate, however, that sophies choice is styrons most audacious, original, and artistically successful novel to date. It concerns the relation between three people sharing a boarding house in brooklyn. A contemporary casebook xi portrait of vichy france. He selected william styrons 1979 novel, sophies choice, and will lead a. But surrounding the shocking choice sophie had to make in a holocaust internment camp is a complicated narrative that draws parallels between the horrors of nazi germany and the injustices we see every day in the world around us injustices that, before reading sophies choice, we mightve been prone to gloss over or ignore. Apr 07, 2014 check out this trailer for alan pakula s masterpiece sophie s choice. William styron sophies choice book club edition 2nd printing hardcover new york random house 1979 very good in a very good dust jacket. The holocaust becomes a breathtaking personal drama, in the midst of a vast cataclysm, in william styrons sophies choice, a big and questing novel with autobiographical elements and a fearless determination to explore a particular human dimension of a historical nightmare. Reading strategies for sophies choice wsj book club. Light bumping at spine crown and top of frontrear panels.
Thriller writer chooses sophies choice lee child, the bestselling creator of toughguy jack reacher, makes a surprising recommendation for the wsj book club. Join the leading website for book clubs with over 35,000 clubs and 20,000 reading guides. He is the author of the long march, lie down in darkness, set this house on fire and sophies choice. More than once in this smugly autobiographical novel, styron pouts about how his last book, the confessions of nat turner, drew accusations of exploitation, accusations that i had turned to my own profit and advantage the miseries of slavery. Dec 10, 1982 the heroine of william styrons sophies choice is a creature of such extravagant and contradictory attributes that it isnt always easy, while reading the novel, to imagine her in the flesh. Stingo is led up to sophie and nathan s room where he finds they have committed suicide. Thriller writer lee child chooses sophies choice wsj. This novel was chosen by members of on the southern literary trail as a group read for september, 2014. I still maintain that, as to sophies choice book, streeps sophie is a beautiful realization of that character.
Reading strategies for sophies choice wsj book club u. He was awarded the pulitzer prize for fiction, the howells. Nathan, his charismatic but violent jewish neighbor. Sophies choice tells the story of three young friends who lived in brooklyn in 1947.
Sophie s choice questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on sophie s choice. See all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Stingo, a young aspiring writer from the south who befriends the jewish nathan landau and his beautiful lover sophie, a polish survivor of the german nazi concentration camps. In the case of sophie herself, it is hard to work out if she is a collaborator, an innocent victim, a resistance fighter or someone whose only motivation is the desire for. He was awarded the pulitzer prize for fiction, the howells medal, the. From the novel and film of the same name, an impossibly difficult choice, especially when forced onto someone.
Sophies choice, novel by william styron, published in 1979, that examines the historical, moral, and psychological ramifications of the holocaust through the tragic life of a roman catholic survivor of auschwitz set in the late 1940s, the novel is narrated by stingo, a young southern writer who is the authors thinly veiled alter ego. The novel speaks through the voice of styrons alter ego, a polite young tidewater virginian called stingo who comes to. William styron 19252006, a native of the virginia tidewater, was a graduate of duke university and a veteran of the u. Sophies choice topics for discussion william styron this study guide consists of approximately 80 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of sophies choice. Goodreads members who liked sophie s choice also liked. Sophie s choice tells the story of three young friends who lived in brooklyn in 1947. Hell be taking your questions about his pick, sophies choice. Pakula, who adapted william styron s 1979 novel of the same name. Sophies choice is a 1982 american drama film directed by alan j. Sophies choice,romance novel,love triangle,william styron, sophie zawistowska, movie book,meryl streep, drama film,nathan landau,famous book pocketbooksandthings 5 out of 5.
Find books like sophie s choice from the worlds largest community of readers. Winner of the 1980 national book award, sophies choice is william styrons classic novel of love, survival, and regret, set in brooklyn in the wake of the second world war. Sophies choice william styron page 15 read online free. Aug 28, 2014 lee child, one of the most successful thriller writers of his generation, chooses sophie s choice as the new selection for the wsj book club.
Pdf sophies choice book by william styron free download. The first edition of the novel was published in 1979, and was written by william styron. Hell be taking your questions about his pick, sophie s choice. The heroine of william styrons sophies choice is a creature of such extravagant and contradictory attributes that it isnt always easy, while reading the novel, to imagine her in the flesh. Find books like sophies choice from the worlds largest community of readers. The holocaust becomes a breathtaking personal drama, in the midst of a vast cataclysm, in william styron s sophie s choice, a big and questing novel with autobiographical elements and a fearless determination to explore a particular human dimension of a historical nightmare. He was awarded the pulitzer prize for fiction, the howells medal, the american book award, the legion dhonneur, and the witness to justice award from the. Pakula, who adapted william styrons 1979 novel of the same name. Book club made me read it sophies choice literate ape. Read chapter 1 of sophies choice wsj book club speakeasy. His books include lie down in darkness, the long march, set this house on fire, the confessions of nat turner, sophies choice, this quiet dust, darkness. Stefan is with eva in the group at auschwitz selected for immediate.
The choice is between two unbearable options, and its essentially a nowin situation. The film ends with stingo leaving brooklyn, the screen going misty, and an image of sophies face fading into view. First, this book will counter the many critics who have assailed the novel as antisemitic. Im a member of a small, informal, friends and friendsoffriends book club.
This awardwinning novel of love, survival, and agonizing regret in postwwii brooklyn belongs on that small shelf reserved for american masterpieces the washington post book world. Jul 20, 2016 but surrounding the shocking choice sophie had to make in a holocaust internment camp is a complicated narrative that draws parallels between the horrors of nazi germany and the injustices we see every day in the world around us injustices that, before reading sophies choice, we mightve been prone to gloss over or ignore. He has also published darkness visible, the remarkable story of his descent into depression, the collection this quiet dust and other writings, and a tidewater morning. They didnt have to ponder the choice of the book for long. Winner of the national book award and a modern classic, sophies choice centers on three characters. Hell be taking your questions about his pick, sophies. Picking up nathans book of emily dickinson poems, stingo recites ample make this bed, as if he were delivering a eulogy at a funeral. Everyone gets an opportunity to pick a book for the book club to read. In my career as a writer i have always been attracted to morbid themessuicide, rape, murder, military life, marriage, slavery. His stifling ninetofive job at a publishing company kills his spirit and. William styron sophies choice book club edition 2nd. Get free weekly updates on top club picks, book giveaways, author events and more. One possible meaning of william styrons novel sophies choice is that the past is often very difficult to leave in the past especially when the past involves.
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