saw this earlier and thought of you all!
Books #38
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saw this earlier and thought of you all!
I’m (listening) to Vilette. I’m on Chapter 10 and I’m finding that it doesn’t really have a story at the moment? It’s meandering and at times a bit of a slog. Does it get a bit better?
honestly, nope. it’s my least favourite of any of bronte novels (though it’s been a while since i read it) - it stays fairly meandering and i don’t remember there being any big emotional payoff at the end.
I’m in half a mind to just read the Wikipedia summary but I also feel guilty not finishing a book which is very ridiculous. Especially since this is a classic, I guess I feel a bit inferior to those who can finish the books.
don’t feel inferior! it being a “classic” doesn’t mean anything (especially as it’s a fairly niche one that is famously difficult to get on with) - don’t push on if you’re not enjoying it and pick something you WILL enjoy instead
i love love classic lit and even i struggled with vilette. there’s a lot of much more readable ones out there if you do want to try more!
Thank you for your kind words. I am quite harsh on myself. Do you have any suggestions for classic literature that are more readable and more enjoyable?don’t feel inferior! it being a “classic” doesn’t mean anything (especially as it’s a fairly niche one that is famously difficult to get on with) - don’t push on if you’re not enjoying it and pick something you WILL enjoy instead
i love love classic lit and even i struggled with vilette. there’s a lot of much more readable ones out there if you do want to try more!
Any good contemporary books in the vein of A Man Called Ove?
I would be grateful for some suggestions along the same lines as well please.
I have never read any of the classics, although I would love too.
They all seem a bit intimidating to be honest. Like I should read them and immediately be able to properly understand them and analyse every sentence to within an inch of its life. Rather then just read and enjoy (or not) the story.
This is very much a throwback to high school where essays, exams and a pass or fail were involved and obviously not the fault of any books/authors!
Apologies for the derail and thanks in advance
Have you read Remarkably Bright Creatures?
I’ve just finished By Your Side by Ruth Jones. Loved it! I think it’s gotten me out of my reading slump.
I read Wuthering Heights for the first time this year and it wasn’t at all what I expected but it also wasn’t this…..
purely in my opinion but the ones that immediately come to mind right now:
the age of innocence - edith wharton (imo one of the greatest books of all time)
lady audley’s secret - mary elizabeth brannon
north and south - elizabeth gaskell
the woman in white - wilkie collins (if you like your classics a bit gothic)
any anthony trollope. they’re BIG books but a very accessible writing style and way more fun than dickens.
i think alexandre dumas is very readable too: though also mainly very big books
try the three musketeers to start and see what you think!
My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises would be the logical next step, but if you've already read that one, have you tried Jonas Jonasson's books? The Hundred-Year-Old-Man Who Climbed Out of the Window And Disappeared (amongst other titles). I just picked up The Prophet And The Idiot from the library but not started it yet.
The Age of Innocence is an incredible book!purely in my opinion but the ones that immediately come to mind right now:
the age of innocence - edith wharton (imo one of the greatest books of all time)
lady audley’s secret - mary elizabeth brannon
north and south - elizabeth gaskell
the woman in white - wilkie collins (if you like your classics a bit gothic)
any anthony trollope. they’re BIG books but a very accessible writing style and way more fun than dickens.
i think alexandre dumas is very readable too: though also mainly very big books
Also for @itsalwaysrainy
I just reread The Great Gatsby and if you didn't read it for school, I'd recommend that. Beautiful language, and it's under 200 pages
Same with A Room with a View, set in Florence in Edwardian times, I think it's a beautiful little read.
And I know that there was some debate a few pages back about which Austen to try, I personally think her most accessible are Northanger Abbey (under 300 pages, satirising the gothic tradition whilst it's unfolding), or Pride and Prejudice (what a cast of characters, and I think Austen's humour really shines here).
Alternatively if you're into spooky books, either Dracula or Frankenstein, they're surprisingly readable and I personally really enjoyed going back to the starting point.
I recently read and would recommend ‘When the Cranes Fly South’ (also by a Swedish author).
I’ve not read many classics, but I enjoyed Rebecca if that’s considered a classic?
I read Jane Eyre for GCSE and A Level and still read it for pleasure after so I’d say that’s a good one.
I tried Dickens but couldn’t get on with it but would like to try again.
1984 I’ve read a few times and is amazing but possibly too depressing to re read now
I tried Dickens but couldn’t get on with it but would like to try again.
1984 I’ve read a few times and is amazing but possibly too depressing to re read now
I think Rebecca is classed as a classic, I was going to suggest it too! Also totally agree with @LaBlonde and @daisynoon about The Age Of Innocence and The Great Gatsby. Both books I’ve gone back to many times over the years.
A bit more contemporary but undoubtedly a classic - East of Eden by John Steinbeck. One of my favourite books of all time, truly epic!
It is imo! Also co-sign your recommendation. It’s great.
On the topic of the classics, if anyone has read Jane Eyre I really recommend trying Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys.
Other good classics that come to mind that aren’t a drag:
Picnic at Hanging Rock - Joan Lindsey
Girls of Slender Means - Muriel Spark (or any of her books really)
North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell (then watch the adaptation with Richard Armitage!)
north and south is, as the kids say, an absolute BANGER of a book, i adore it. it’s also just a very grown up romance: they fully work through their issues in a believable way and
and richard armitage in that series
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