Saturday, January 12, 2013

In Desert And Wilderness


In Desert and Wilderness
Henryk Sienkiewicz
Pages: 263
Rating: 5/5
Genre: Classic

"This happened because also because he was continually praying. He thought of the slaying of Gebhr, Chamis and the Bedoins, and lifting his eyes upwards he said with a voice choking with tears: "I did this for Nell, oh Lord for Nell! For I could not free her otherwise; but if it is a sin, punish me, but let her regain her health."

This quote shows how the main character Stanislas Tarkowski, loved his little friend so much, he would have done anything for her, even if it led him to his death. Stas and Nell Rawlinson were abducted by a group of Arabians, who were trying to be faithful to the Sudanese government the Madhi. But even though Stas and Nell were far from home and in the middle of the desert, it didn't stop Stas from trying to gain freedom for his dear Nell. Stas was 14 while Nell was only 8. Stas at his age was already quite mature. He was very smart and knew the name of every single desert and river in Egypt. Nell and Stas both only had a father, and one day, their fathers decided to take them on a trip to the desert. And that's where their adventure started. The Madhi, who was the Sudanese government, had a relative called Fatma, who with her children wasn't allowed to leave Port Sued, until the Madhi surrendered all the English prisoners. But the Madhi's loyal servants decided to abduct the two children, and exchange them for the Madhi's relatives. But Stas realized that if he let this happen, he and Nell would be put under slavery and mistreated. An eight year old child like Nell would not survive that. And Stas did everything, even if it involved killing to save his maid. But once he was free, it was all his duty to bring Nell safely back home, despite the fact that he could have died. 
Stas' bravery and kindness was praised when he and Nell finally returned home. Since Nell's father couldn't see anyone who would love more Nell than Stas, he wanted them to marry. 
I liked this story because it talks about survival but also love. There was a difference between someone who wanted to love so as to be awarded, and the one that loved for real. I'm really glad that unlike some storied the two main characters live happily ever after.
Blogpost n#1: My interview was pretty successful. My father took his time to give me nice detailed answers and I am really glad about that. Despite the fact that he was busy all the time he still managed to answer the questions I had for him. My dad works in Congo, so I sent him the question over email. I chose my dad because he's really fond of literature.
We selected the book, Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. My dad found it a fascinating adventure story at his time, so he thought i need to read it too. My father always found it an entertainment to read books, whenever he felt like it he would snatch a book and read it. He especially enjoyed encyclopedias which had important and non-important facts as well. 
What was interesting is to see how reading had changed my dad's life. I know that reading makes one relax, but I didn't know how important it was to my dad, to get free of his thoughts. He says that he helps people in Africa, and reading books could help him relax. 


4 comments:

  1. your book sounds so exciting and interesting. i should read it in my free time.

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  2. First this book seems like a cool book to read. Second it has an elephant of the front and I love elephants so that really has me interested.

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  3. Your book sounds very interesting and cool, I think I should read it. I like how you put a lot of detail in your blog post.

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  4. Thank you! It is an exciting book, and LOL Hannah, the elephant is really important in the story :-D. Stas almost killed it just to let you know... if it weren't for little Nell, who loved elephants too, the elephant wouldn't have been even in the story. But the elephant's size is an advantage!

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