Lord of the Flies by William Golding Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Lord of the Flies
Book Review: "The fire is the most important thing."
Summary: 5 Stars
A planeload of British schoolboys crashes on a desert island in the Pacific during the early part of World War II. No adults survive the crash and the boys settle in to "have some fun" and await rescue once their parents realize what's happened. Ralph, one of the older boys at around 13, is voted the leader of the group (which includes young children as well - "littluns" and "biguns"). Ralph is aided by a nearsighted and overweight boy callously nicknamed Piggy, who suggests he blow a conch shell to gather everyone together. Initially they all agree on some rules, and most help out, but there soon becomes a division in the group as another boy, Jack Merridew, challenges Ralph's rules.
I was never assigned to read this in school and didn't really have much interest in it. All I'd heard was that it was a dark and disturbing tale, and something about the boys eating each other (they don't, though). But when my son was assigned it in school I thought I might read it, too, since he usually likes to discuss such things with me. And I'm glad I did - it was a fascinating story. (My son also loved it).
My two favorite books are Robinson Crusoe and Jules Verne's The Mysterious Island - both stories of castaways - and the thought of being on an island and the way they overcome the challenges always fascinated me. In both those stories the castaways build up a society of sorts (even though it's only one person in Crusoe's case) that prospers and flourishes. Lord of the Flies is quite the opposite, where the group degenerates into tribes with disastrous results.
But the characters add depth to the story, as well. Ralph, the natural leader, is so happy at the beginning that he stands on his head and sees it as a chance for fun, but recognizes the importance of building shelters and maintaining a signal fire. Piggy is the most intelligent boy, but is picked on by the others for his weight, glasses, and asthma. But he's the voice of reason and supports Ralph's leadership, and his glasses become essential for starting fires. Jack, on the other hand, while also a natural leader, soon grows to resent Ralph's authority and seeks a more blood-thirsty role for his group (of choirboys, ironically) as hunters. It's Jack's acceptance of violence that undermines the democratic order. But it's this idea of law and order that forms the basis for the book - without laws and rules society falls apart. When members fail to fill their role (such as keeping the fire going, or helping to build the shelters, etc.) it affects everyone - especially the most vulnerable (littluns). And without that order maintained by the rules, chaos results.
I listened to the audio book read by the author, William Golding, and he offers a few interesting observations at the beginning and the end. I found it to be a very well-written book and full of meaning on multiple levels. It might be a bit dark and disturbing, but it was also compelling and I couldn't stop till I was done. I highly recommend it for those who appreciate a book with some depth.
Book Review: A Must Read
Summary: 4 Stars
Lord of The Fies is a must read story that i would reccomend to anyone. It makes you think about our culture, society, and government. It gives a great insight into the inner savegrey of man. I like books that make you think. Golding's use of imagery and symbolism help make this book one you can't put down.Book Review: Bailey's Review
Summary: 2 Stars
In the novel Lord of the Flies, there is a direct correlation to the way the boys attempt to set up a form of organized government, and todays world. Ralph and Jack, the main characters, both seek to accomplish complete power of the island. Although they have a different opinion on how to run the island, each boy wants to be the leader and in complete domination.
Ralph is set up to portray the "good guy" or the protagonist of the story. He is voted the first to be in charge of everyone on the island and through the beginning of the novel tries to run the island through a democracy. But as the book continues, he begins to lose control and a more anamalistic behavior takes over. At the same time, Jack is competing against Ralph to turn all of the little children against Ralph to feed his hunger for power.
Jack is the obvious symbol of evil and wrong doing in the novel. As the book continues, Jack begins to feed more and more off of the power he recieves. Jack tries to turn the island into an anarchy. Ultimately Jack gains all of the power, out of pure fear from the little ones. The chronological order of the book also covers the necessary toics needed to show the rise and decline of the different leaders.
Book Review: Classic Story, But Rather Drab Reading By the Author
Summary: 3 Stars
I used this set of CDs with some of my high school sophomore students as we were reading through LORD OF THE FLIES. The book is one of my favorite books of all time and I was very excited that Golding himself was the one who was reading the story. After listening to the cds myself, however, I was a bit reluctant to have my students listen to any of them. Golding was a brilliant writer, but he was also a terrible reader. He reads in a very dull and rather monotone voice with hardly any inflection. Surprisingly, my students really enjoyed listening to the chapters we listened to in class (I think that's because it cut down on the reading they actually were supposed to do themselves). Also, at the end of the book Golding has about a four minute piece where he explains how the idea for LORD OF THE FLIES came about and where he talks about the major themes of the novel. I don't recommend this audio book for anyone who wants to listen to the book themselves; you're better off trying to find a reading done by someone else. However, since my students did enjoy it, I do suggest it is a good item to use for anyone who teaches the novel.Book Review: Excellent story - not sure about the narrator...
Summary: 2 Stars
If I were scoring the story, it would have 5 stars. Unfortunately this reading my the author isn't all that great. For one, it's dated and the audio quality suffers from that. There is no consistency in the sound so one minute he sounds okay and the next as though he's stepped away from the microphone. Another annoying factor is the breathing and sighing while he's reading making the whole thing sound like a chore. It's a pity because this is an excellent story but the narration could use improvement.