Celia Johnson Books

This is from the 1948 broadcast and the sound is OK. I must say that, however much I like John Gielgud as an actor, he simply is not Hamlet. His reading is much too weak, really lacking intelligence. In addition, Ceilia Johnson as Ophelia is a disaster. She has a voice which is whinny and annoying and absolutely middle-aged; unbelievable as well as distracting as Ophelia. Andrew Cruikshank as Claudius is fine, although his wonderful, deep voice makes Hamlet shrink in his presence and makes him sound a little too good, which is not Claudius. Finally, Hugh Griffith is excellent, but one wishes one could have seen him! Might have saved the day!

After reading the negative and only review of this CD, I decided to see how terrible this recorded performance was for myself. First of all, I was surprised at how clear the sound of the performance actually was, considering the date of the recording. Second, I've seen and heard numerous performances of Shakespeare's Hamlet over the years, (including Mel Gibson, Nicol Williamson, Lawrence Oliver, Richard Burton, and Kenneth Branagh), most of which I have enjoyed, more or less, for different reasons. (I find it is a lot like listening to the many, great violinists who have recorded Beethoven's, one and only, Violin Concerto in D, Op. 61, i.e., some are good and some are great, for different reasons.)
At the time of this recording, John Gielgud had played Hamlet over 500 times and this performance in 1948 came late for him to play the role, yet Gielgud was also at the height of his abilities as an actor. I found that beyond the various interpretation's of Hamlet's personality by others, no one can "Speak the speech, I pray you, ...trippingly on the tongue..." in the decisively commanding, poetic, and eloquent manner as John Gielgud. It is the beauty of Shakespeare's language that Gielgud offers here, and that I believe is worth the price of admission, (or in this case, the 3CDs). Of course, the cast is not perfect, but Andrew Cruickshank is the best Claudius, I've ever heard, and Hugh Griffith's monologue as the First Player is just marvelous. Also, memorable is Marian Spencer as Gertrude, Baliol Holloway as Polonius, Sebastian Shaw as Horatio and Hugh Burden as Laertes. If that's not enough to wet your palette, get this CD set for no other reason than it is a historic performance of a John Gielgud with an enchanted voice, like none other.

You may feel an occasional smile playing around the corners of your mouth while reading 100 Poems to Lift Your Spirits, but I doubt that you'll be soaring to new heights. To be sure, this collection does contain at least twenty-or-so extraordinary poems. The trouble is that if you have any love of poetry, you're probably already familiar with these poems.

We read poems to be stopped in our tracks and laid flat on our backs--even if the laying down is a gentle one. At its best, reading poems can be like watching open-heart surgery on our own chests. Collections of poems, like this one, have unique challenges and possibilities when it comes to arresting our attention. In a great collection, poems will stand by themselves and also, by their differences and similarities, will resonate with the poems surrounding them. Here, the pacing of the poems becomes important, and I found that the pacing of this collection lacks inspiration.

I became bored reading through the first few dozen poems. They seemed far too monolithic in style and tone to elicit much of a reaction. After finishing the book, I went back and took a closer look. Out of 100 poems, 71 were written by authors who died before 1950. This limits the scope and impact of the collection. Not only that, but I would consider many of the poems to be fluffy. Sure, there's a lighter side to life. But joy, happiness, and even hilarity are deep emotions, and many of these poems never plumb the depths.

Who might appreciate this book? Perhaps an older reader who loves literature but has not yet read much poetry will find this book engaging. There is an introduction before each poem that will orient that new reader to some fact about the poet or poem. The collection is divided into four sections: Nature, Nonsense, Spirituality, and The Human Connection. Anyone with a particular interest in one of these topics might want to browse through the book.

There are great poems here; unfortunately the great don't resonate well with the mediocre.

Armchair Interviews says: Heed this reviewer's words.

Although the amount of personal detail in this account may be somewhat daunting for readers who are not themselves familiar with Mr. Johnson, his is a touching story of faith and an encouraging tale of accomplishments in the face of difficulties. People who feel that circumstances are conspiring against them will take heart from the perspective of a man who pressed on in spite of his trials.