Samantha's Updates en-US Fri, 11 Apr 2025 02:53:03 -0700 60 Samantha's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg AuthorBlogPost25663899 Fri, 11 Apr 2025 02:53:03 -0700 <![CDATA[Samantha Devin wrote a blog post: MITOS DE LA NAVIDAD]]> /author_blog_posts/25663899-mitos-de-la-navidad Comment288080525 Sat, 08 Mar 2025 18:44:11 -0800 <![CDATA[Samantha commented on Khadeeja's review of ARCADIA, A Modern Tragedy]]> /review/show/7280543512 Khadeeja's review of ARCADIA, A Modern Tragedy
by Samantha Devin

Dear reader. This novel is based on The Bacchae, a tragedy from Euripides. For your information, Dionysus was the Greek god of ecstasy, excess, altered states of consciousness induced by entheogenic substances, and wine. The Maenads were the women鈥攜oung and old鈥攚ho surrendered to the god and what he represented: the forbidden, the thrilling, the mysterious, and forbidden sexuality鈥
If one lacks even a basic knowledge of ancient Greek culture, and if that ignorance is combined with a lack of open-mindedness and a prudishness bordering on the infantile鈥攍ikely caused by the very same lack of knowledge and culture鈥攖hen the easiest (and laziest) way to categorize what happens in the novel is simply as pedophilia and incest and to dismiss it outright. (In mythology and Greek tragedy鈥攕pecifically in Sophocles' Oedipus, one of the masterpieces of Western literature鈥攊ncest is indeed a central theme.)
Your comment about the novel only reflects negatively on yourself. After reading it, I assume that if you were to read Greek Mythology or the works of Greek tragedians 鈥 Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus 鈥 or even Homer or Shakespeare, you would judge them with the same prudishness and ignorance. Your frantic and childish "omg" reactions would be even more hysterical, and it is easy to see that if it were up to you, you would likely try to ban them. Because, after all, how is it possible that Queen Tamora feeds her own children to Titus Andronicus? Or that Othello kills Desdemona out of jealousy and then takes his own life?? It's a sin! No, dear IT鈥橲 LITERATURE!
It is because of ignorant people like you that our culture is in decline. I feel sorry for you. There is nothing sadder than growing old without growing in knowledge, discernment, and sophistication.
Bumpkins have always existed and always will. The problem is that now they are allowed to voice their opinions from a place of ignorance. A precious advice: Read, study, learn something, develop a real critical perspective, and then you may have the right to an opinion. Until then, keep your mouth shut and at least have the humility to acknowledge that you are an ignoramus. ]]> Rating834063175 Sat, 08 Mar 2025 18:33:39 -0800 <![CDATA[<Update id=16127934110 user_id=29849117 resource_id=834063175 resource_type=Rating>]]> Rating834063168 Sat, 08 Mar 2025 18:33:37 -0800 <![CDATA[Samantha Devin liked a review]]> /
Samantha Devin liked Alba's review of Arcadia:
Arcadia by Samantha Devin
"COMO PUEDE SER UN LIBRO POCO CONOCIDO
ENAMORADA DE DANIEL"
]]> Comment288080116 Sat, 08 Mar 2025 18:28:59 -0800 <![CDATA[Samantha commented on kait's review of ARCADIA, A Modern Tragedy]]> /review/show/6853449997 kait's review of ARCADIA, A Modern Tragedy
by Samantha Devin

Dear reader,
yours is an exaggerated and baseless reaction, typical of those who read superficially or fail to understand the cultural and mythological background of a work. Your tags are simplistic and offensive and demonstrate a lack of comprehension of the book and its context. You probably have no real knowledge of Greek mythology and are reacting in a sensationalist manner.
Your extreme reaction and rejection of the age difference reveal a prudish and ridiculous mindset. If two beings love each other, what problem is there in a few years of difference between them? No one is forcing anyone into anything. In fact, it is the younger one who seduces the oldest. He does so because he is embodying the god Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstasy, the forbidden, and intoxication... Arcadia is based in The Bacchae by Euripides. You could benefit from reading some mythology or Greek tragedy鈥攐r even Shakespeare鈥攖o catch up on incest, pedophilia, murder, etc. Would you also 鈥榳arn鈥 about them with your tags? ]]> Comment288079551 Sat, 08 Mar 2025 18:11:06 -0800 <![CDATA[Samantha commented on Judit's review of Arcadia: Una tragedia moderna]]> /review/show/5511447000 Judit's review of Arcadia: Una tragedia moderna
by Samantha Devin

Estimada Judit,
sobre la edici贸n si pudiera mandar una foto de esos p谩rrafos que dice que est谩n juntos se lo agradecer铆amos. No tenemos constancia de ning煤n error de edici贸n.

Sobre su opini贸n de que Arcadia es "imposible de leer" como no sabemos cu谩les son sus capacidades intelectuales no podemos opinar, pero vemos que Arcadia es muy distinta a las novelas que tiene en su lista de 鈥渓ibros le铆dos鈥 y en especial a los que ha puesto 4 o 5 estrellas. Hablamos de novelas como "La asistenta te vigila" o el romance colegial "Antes de Diciembre" o tambi茅n "El metal perdido", libro n潞 7 de Nacidos de la Bruma". Eso dice mucho de usted y de su imposibilidad de leer Arcadia. Vemos que al Fausto de Goethe y a Edgar Allan Poe tambi茅n les ha puesto dos estrellas. Es probable que simplemente sea muy joven para apreciar ciertas lecturas. No s茅 cu谩ntos a帽os tiene, pero por los libros que lee y las estrellas que les pone imagino que debe ser adolescente. Cuando crezca, ya sea en edad o en madurez, y trate de hacer algo por s铆 misma, como escribir una novela鈥攜a que veo que le gusta mucho leer鈥攕e dar谩 cuenta de que criticar el trabajo de un escritor desde la ignorancia, la inmadurez o simplemente la falta de cultura es un acto que revela, cuando menos, inconsciencia, irreflexi贸n y una gran irresponsabilidad.
Le deseo que con el tiempo crezca y aprenda a escoger mejor sus lecturas, que no se quede en los romances adolescentes, en esas historias blanditas de amores rosas y sufrimiento infinito, causado principalmente por una inmadurez emocional ineludible. Se est谩 perdiendo obras grandiosas mientras lee "Hasta que nos quedemos sin estrellas" o "Coraz贸n Roto" y la 煤nica perjudicada es usted. Acu茅rdese de este mensaje cuando cumpla algunos a帽os. Espero que entonces, como lectora que es, le de otra oportunidad a Arcadia, que es un 鈥渞emake鈥, como dicen ahora, de "Las Bacantes" de Eur铆pides. La tragedia griega es brutal, pero est谩 llena de verdad y sabidur铆a. Puede que ahora no la entienda, pero si crece intelectualmente, y ese es el deber de todo ser humano, se dar谩 cuenta de lo que se ha estado perdiendo. Un saludo, Samantha Devin ]]> Rating834027630 Sat, 08 Mar 2025 15:58:27 -0800 <![CDATA[Samantha Devin liked a review]]> /
Samantha Devin liked All Mota's review of Arcadia: Una tragedia moderna:
Arcadia by Samantha Devin
""Ahora s茅 menos que nunca pero siento m谩s que antes"

Esta obra -a mi parecer- no tiene comparaci贸n, o incluso no tiene siquiera un g茅nero especifico, por lo menos no uno en la actualidad, se mueve del horror, de la novela negra, hasta algo tan id铆lico como el romance, las relaciones familiares, desde una vertiginosa velocidad hasta momentos de paz y felicidad absoluta, lleva a un plano actual una lucha milenaria, despoja al amor y al sexo de prejuicios, y renueva ideas que en la actualidad yac铆an entre capas de polvo, valores p茅rdidos, y la idea griega de vivir la vida por una causa y morir expectante. Sin duda la novela reson贸 mucho conmigo, y puede que no le guste a todos -como pas贸 con mi amiga con la cual intercambie este libro-, pero desde mi opini贸n totalmente personal lo am茅, es un favorito instant谩neo, y quisiera releerlo inmediatamente, NO S脡 POR QU脡 NO ES MAS CONOCIDO!!!"
]]> ReadStatus7115633098 Wed, 18 Oct 2023 06:33:16 -0700 <![CDATA[Samantha has read 'Lady Chatterley's Lover']]> /review/show/5916844700 Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence Samantha has read Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
]]> Review5874733279 Fri, 29 Sep 2023 01:51:44 -0700 <![CDATA[Samantha added 'The Art of Mystery: The Search for Questions']]> /review/show/5874733279 The Art of Mystery by Maud Casey Samantha gave 2 stars to The Art of Mystery: The Search for Questions (Art of...) by Maud Casey
Wrong choice of titles to analyse for a book that focuses on mystery?

I expected mystery to be the main theme. That the book, as the title says, would focus on the questions of how to create mystery in fiction. However, the book focuses mainly on authors whose main theme is exclusion by race or social class and on topics as mundane and UN-attractive or rather, as UN-mysterious, as drug trafficking or racism. It is not that these topics cannot be interesting, but the mystery that the book promises to analyze is not there. ]]>