"A fascinating dive into the practicalities of 17th century baptist church life and particularly their methods of church governance.

Probably not the intended purpose of the book but one thing that really stood out to me is that these churches were not perfect; and whilst it is good to learn from them some of their practises would be best left behind."

"A masterfully written mystery, taking place on the campus of a woman’s college. In this story, Sayers explores among other things subjects related to love, gender and gender roles, the pursuit of truth, and the academic life. Well worth reading."

"favs:
- love song of j alfred prufrock
- rhapsody on a windy night
- the hollow men (!!!)
- ash wednesday
- journey of the magi
- marina
- choruses from ‘the rock�� (esp chorus I, VII, IX)"

"The Pearl reads much like a Greek tragedy. It is a thoroughly pagan work, by which I mean that the elements of the story are driven by fate and the whimsy of the gods, rather than by the characters in the story. This is, in fact, the reason I disliked this novel as much as I did, despite the fact that it is a compelling story, told in a convincing fashion.

The story takes place in 19th or early 20th century Mexico, and is thus set in an interesting milieu. The Spanish rulers have brought Christianity, but it is an authoritarian, synchretistic mode of Christianity. The lower class pearl-fishers are superstitious, poor, oppressed by their colonial rulers, and suspicious of the new ways.

Fate drives the story--a moment of fear and anxiety, brought about in an arbitrary manner, drives Keno, a pearl fisher, to lofty ambitions, exploiting his natural desires to protect his own. The story spins out of control once he is capriciously rewarded.

The rest of what happens is interesting, to be sure, but again, it is fatalistic--evil is not within the hearts of men, but in things. Evil is brought about capriciously by the gods, who desire to keep men in their station. Those whose ambition exceeds their natural born state are punished and compelled to return, even at great cost.

This kind of story, while interesting, and often enjoyable in a way, speaks lies about the way the world is, and the way God ordained this life to be. God is not capricious, life is not arbitrary. Evil is not outside of man, but within."