A book review

I chose to read the book , The Mark of ! The author´s name is Johnston McCulley. But the version I read is retold by Anne Collins. The author Johnson McCulley was born in Ottawa, Illinois, in the USA on February 2nd 1883. He died on November 23rd 1958 in . Johnston McCulley wrote a lot of all kinds of stories. He wrote 64 stories about Zorro, and the first one was published in a magazine in 1919. , a famous movie actor, made a movie from the story and he called the movie „The Mark of Zorro.“ When the story was published again in 1924 it was called The Mark of Zorro. Many movies and TV shows and cartoons have been made about Zorro, but the two most popular movies were made in 1940 and 1998. This story is a thriller and a love story. The story takes place in California in about 1822. Then California was owned by Spain and it wasn´t until 1850 that California came part of USA. When The Mark of Zorro takes place is Los Angeles small town. This book is based on the life of the main person who is Zorro. Nobody knows who Zorro is. Zorro is always wearing large sombrero and long dark cloak around his body. He also wears black mask with two holes in the mask and through these holes his eyes watch everything. Most people think that Zorro is thief and the Governor of California wants him dead and will pay a lot of money to that man who kills Zorro. Zorro himself says he only want to punish the enemies of the poor and weak. Zorro seems always to be on the right places when somebody needs help. Zorro becomes in love with Lolita so this is also their love story. The main events are three. The first is when Zorro saves Lolita from Captain Ramón, when the captain visits her in Don Diego´s hacienda and threatens her. And the second event is when Zorro takes the hide dealer and the judge who cheated on Fray Felipe and punishes them for their behavior. The judge judges Fray Felipe wrongly for being a thief and the punishment is to let some soldiers whip Fray Felipe fifteen times when he is tied to the whipping post. Zorro finds out that the hide dealer and the judge are working together to get some money from Fray Felipe. Zorro decides to find the hide dealer and whip him fifteen times and then he finds the judge and tells five men that come out from the inn with the judge to tie him to the whipping post and each of them shall whip him five times. The judge is whipped 25 times. And the third main event is when Zorro saves Lolita and her family from the jail with the help from his ten caballeros. The main characters are Zorro, Lolita, Don Diego Vega and Fray Felipe. I have already described Zorro. In the beginning he is described as a thief and most people is scare of him but in the end he is a hero and famous and gets the woman he loves and takes of his mask. Lolita is eighteen year old girl. She is the Pulido´s daughter. The Pulido’s are old and noble family but because of some arguments with the Governor of California they are now poor. She is beautiful and clever and has three admires. Don Diego Vega is nearly twenty-five years old and his father wants him to get married and have children so he asks Lolita’s father for her hand. Don Diego Vega is very handsome but he is different from most of the young men in town. He does not like loud talk and fighting and isn´t interested in winning the love of women. Fray Felipe is Don Diego´s friend. He is a priest that lives in a farm that belongs to the Franciscan brothers of the Mission of San Gabriel. These priests do not have fine clothes or expensive things. They work hard and their life is simple and quiet. He helps Zorro to hide Lolita when he is saving her from the jail. Fray Felipe is also wrongly accused for selling bad hides and stealing money and Zorro help´s him out. The theme of the book touches on injustice and justice. The message of the book is that people should not steal or hurt others. The people that have power (like the governor the judge and the soldiers) should not take land or money from the poor. Zorro’s horse caught my attention. He runs very fast and Zorro have train him very well. Zorro can send him away so the soldier´s will think he is gone and then the horse comes back later to catch Zorro. I liked this book and my opinion is that it is good, fun and exciting to read. And it is well worth reading. You don´t know until in the end of the story, who Zorro is.

April 26th 2015

Tumi Thorberg Jónsson 8. MR Hetjuheimum

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