Today, I am reviewing the list : Best Books of the Decade 1910. That means all the books on this list were first published between the years 1910 through 1919.
They picked : The Secret Garden
My reaction --- What? This seems like another one of those nostalgia picks. I've read this one and although thoroughly entertaining and a great youth book to be sure, does it define a whole decade? - does it beat out everything that stands against it? No, it certainly doesn't. I don't see anything particularly deep or meaningful about this story; I mean, apart from, 'you should be nice to your sick cousin even though he's a dick' .... I could be jaded after seeing the 1993 Secret Garden a bajillion or more times because my sister liked it so much. If you have some deep, meaningful insight into the symbolism or imagery or allegory or anything literary having to do with this book, feel free to contact me. It has baffled me for years why people revere this book.
I pick... Dubliners
Why this one? --- You know what's awesome about this book? James Joyce. You know what makes this book beat up all of the other books in this decades? This book has balls. This book has balls because it dares to write about something that nobody else would at the time. The entire playful anthology is a giant allegory for the infamous Great Famine of Ireland (< there's a wikipedia link if you know nothing about it) That's right, folks. Dubliners is a book of short stories with symbolism, allegory, imagery, that very very vaguely veils the happenings of this time period. The worst part is that most of the short stories are hilarious. Dubliners wins the Swick Award for Best Book of the Decade : 1910s
Dickish sick cousins got nothing on James Joyce.
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