The Scarlet Pimpernel (with thoughts from @JenRyland)

Over the summer, the amazing Jen Ryland/YA Romantics and I decided to read a classic together, settling on the 1905 novel The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy in anticipation of Diana Peterfreund's Across a Star-Swept Sea. We'd both read books that twisted the pimpernel story and I'd seen the 1934 film adaptation with Leslie Howard but we had no idea what to really expect.

 The Scarlet Pimpernel Summary:

The Scarlet Pimpernel is a British man who has led many French aristocrats to safety, escaping the French revolutionary bloodlust and saving countless lives, leaving behind a card with a scarlet pimpernel as his trademark. Sir Percy Blakeney is a dull wealthy English baronet who somehow managed to win the heart and hand of Marguerite, the most beautiful and charming woman around. The two could never have anything in common or could they? For in actuality, they are one and the same with Percy cleverly using his dim-witted persona to hide his real identity. This book follows a French agent attempting to smoke out the Pimpernel once and for all, manipulating Marguerite into providing help by threatening her beloved brother.

Our immediate thoughts centered on the language, which is flowery, ornate, over-the-top, very theatrical, fitting its origin as a play. The characters are caricatured and defined by one or two traits that are hammered home over and over again. For example, Percy has thick blond hair and lazy eyes while Marguerite is beautiful, little, and childlike. Still it was easy to read and the plot moves crazy fast. We both feared muddling through some difficult Dickensian passages (he loved the look of his writing, just sayin') but once the book gets going, it keeps going with barely a chance to catch a breath. Again this fits perfectly with its theatrical roots and helps me to imagine how it might look on stage.

Historically it is a very exciting time with all the tumult around the French Revolution and the British desire for stability. Neither of us knows much about the period although we've read other books set during that time (for example A Tale of Two Cities and were able to make some comparisons to that excellent novel such as when the Scarlet Pimpernel disguises himself as a knitter, bringing to mind Madame Defarge's knitting.) Some real-life figures are mentioned but for the most part, it centers on the fictional. As I already mentioned, they're not very deeply-drawn. Though Percy has the secret life, which could potentially add many layers to his personality, they are not explored. Neither does Marguerite get much nuance to her personality. And if the main characters are so sketchily drawn, what hope do the secondary characters have? There are many small amusing moments with them like the British innkeeper who disdains the French but ends up unwittingly drinking with two Frenchmen in disguise.

One of the most interesting aspects ended up being how the pimpernel disguises himself as a Jew for his most daring escapade. As a Jew, he is considered the lowest of lows and the agents tracking him never consider that it could possibly be a disguise. It's a very clever idea, taking advantage of the unquestioned prejudices of those men. However it left me unsettled as I didn't feel it challenged the status quo of Jewish people being considered so low. Deanna Raybourn wrote a fascinating post about this and other instances of antisemitism in fiction.

Overall: I would say we had a lot of fun reading this and it might be good for reluctant classic readers if they give themselves some time to become accustomed to the writing. It is full of action and moves very quickly though the writing style very much dates it.

Check this out:

On Wednesday, Jen will be posting a review of Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund, which will include some thoughts about its relationship to The Scarlet Pimpernel. And currently she is hosting an amazing giveaway. I'll be hosting one starting Friday too so you have two chances to win :)

If you'd like to give The Scarlet Pimpernel a try, it is available for FREE through Project Gutenberg. We'd love to hear your thoughts if you've read the book.

Blogoversary Giveaway #4

Hello-and welcome to my week of giveaways in honor of my third blogoversary. Every day this week, I will be having a giveaway.

Most will be pretty straightforward-today you have the chance to win:

your choice of Classic, up to $15 at Book Depository.

Personally I have really been enjoying my readalong of Anna Karenina. Through this and other readalongs, I have discovered that not all classics are as intimidating as school made them seem. Even if you don't usually read classics, I encourage you to give them a try. You might be surprised by their accessibility and continued relevance.

Rules:
1. There will be 1 winner, who must have a mailing address in a country where Book Depository ships. So this contest is international :)
2. You must be 13 years of age or older or use parental information to enter.
3. You do NOT have to follow although I appreciate it and you get an extra entry; you can also tweet for another entry.
4. Contest ends November 30 at midnight, EST per Rafflecopter standards
5. Winner will be contacted via email on December 1 and will have 48 hours to respond with book selection and address or else I will move on to the next person. I pledge to keep your address confidential and to delete it as soon as I have shipped your book.
6. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below or email me at bookworm1858@hotmail.com.
7. You are free to enter every giveaway this week but if you (somehow) win 2 or more, I will email you to pick one. I want to have seven different winners!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cranford

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
Barnes & Noble, Inc, 2005
Originally published 1853
176 pages
Classic; FITG
4/5 stars

Source: Mom's copy

I honestly don't have much to say about this book as I mostly read it for my Fill-in-the-Gaps challenge and to further my acquaintance with Elizabeth Gaskell (I've read and seen North and South and seen Wives and Daughters as well as the miniseries from this book). Usually I read YA books in part to be aware of the hyped books as well as lesser-known gems. Not much really happens in this book, which is set in approximately 1830s small-town England. While the world around seems to be modernizing and industrializing, Cranford seems to remain steadfastly the same: ruled over by ladies and filled with compassion and kindness.

Of course that is somewhat revolutionary in a book as most seem to focus on the masculine sphere or else have a love story. While there are elements of "manly" commerce as well as marriages, they are not the focus. There isn't much driving the story either; it kind of just meanders mostly centered on Miss Matty, an elderly spinster, and her closest circle. Miss Matty is just the sweetest person and all of the characters are pretty nice people. But there wasn't much excitement for me.

In fact, this book took me a rather long time to read considering the length. Just one chapter seemed to take me forever to read. And I guess that contributes to my lack of enthusiasm in reviewing. I would like to say that this is NOT a bad book by any means but it is not the book for me.

Recommended: For fans of Gaskell and if you've seen (or plan to see) the miniseries.

Washington Square

Washington Square by Henry James
Signet Classic, 1979
Originally published 1880
232 pages
Classic
4/5 stars

Source: Library

Although I've heard of Henry James as an intimidating literary figure, I actually had a very pleasant experience with The Portrait of a Lady and was thus eager to pick up another book by him. When at the library, I narrowed my choices down to two (short) books and selected this one due to my love of the awesome film adaptation, The Heiress, starring Olivia de Havilland and Montgomery Clift (I cannot recommend this production to you enough-amazing acting!) Although I had no reason to do so, I assumed that the film was fairly accurate and approached the book with expectations about what it contained. While the film is pretty faithful, I found its ending much more satisfying although I won't spoil exactly why.

This novel is pretty simple and straightforward. A young woman named Catherine Sloper is plain but rich. Her father, Doctor Sloper, laments the loss of his beautiful wife giving birth to Catherine but does bring up Catherine. Their household is completed by his sister, the widow Penniman. The fourth main player in this drama is Morris Townsend, who pays many fine compliments to Catherine with the ultimate end of acquiring a fortune. Doctor Sloper sees this and promises the couple that if they wed, they will not receive a penny of his not insignificant fortune. This leads to Townsend breaking their engagement and Catherine remaining a spinster for the rest of her days. Several other characters play pivotal roles in this novel but overall it is a small, focused story, heavily reminiscent of a play.

Although I was familiar with the film, I still was not expecting the overwhelming sadness I felt. The comparisons to Jane Austen made me think there could somehow be a happy ending; but how do a simple young woman and a fortune hunter get a happy ending? But Doctor Sloper's obvious dislike for his daughter and her continued admiration for him and his knowledge left a sickening feeling in my stomach. The movie made Catherine even more sympathetic since she is played by the lovely Olivia de Havilland, who did her best to look plain.

And honestly my impressions of the film also overshadowed the book as a whole. I feel so bad saying that and I'm not going to say that the movie was better. But I do prefer the movie. I struggled with some of the writing as James employed some extremely long, convoluted sentences. And the characters are just so awful. When I watch the film, I at least have the ending to look forward, an original ending that James did not script.

Overall: My impressions of the film overpowered my desire to slog through James' prose and bleak outlook.

Rilla of Ingleside

Rilla of Ingleside by LM Montgomery
Bantam, 1998
Originally published J.B. Lippincott, 1921
277 pages
Children's Classic
5/5 stars

Source: Own

This is the last book in the Anne of Green Gables series and one with a more serious tone as World War I breaks out and several of our beloved male characters enlist. However this book, as you might guess from the title, focuses on Rilla, youngest child of Anne, and life on the homefront in Canada during the Great War.

There was a lot to love about this book. First unlike the previous two books, this one focuses one just one character: the lovely spoiled 15-year old Rilla. Because it follows just her, I had a greater understanding of her, of her hopes and dreams AND was still able to learn the fates of my favorite characters.  Over the course of the book, Rilla matures so much and endures a lot. She was a great character and even had some of the irrepressible joy of her mother.

Second, this book is mostly set during WWI. The beginning of the book overlaps with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, an event the papers mention but few take notice of. How could the death of an Austro-Hungarian archduke affect the denizens of Canada? But too soon, everyone is swept up into war. Rilla has three older brothers and various other young men around the island enlist, including Rilla's sweetheart. No one is spared the pain of missing loved ones and some do die. Thus the emotional stakes are very high.

Third, this was a different book for me. I've read several books set during WWI and other wars. I've read books about serving at the front and about staying at home. But I'm an American and most of the books I've read have been about the American experience. This is a Canadian book and thus follows the fortunes of the United Kingdom and Canada. Thus I got to learn a bit more about the Great War!

Overall, an excellent mix of the serious with the humorous to leaven the tense parts as well as featuring a great character arc and some history lessons.

Rainbow Valley

Rainbow Valley by LM Montgomery
Bantam, 1998
Originally Published Frederick H. Stokes Co., 1919
225 pages
Children's Classic
3.5/5 stars

Source: Own

This book is still technically part of the Anne of Green Gables series (packaged all together, this is labelled as the seventh) but it focuses much more on children, who are very like her in sensibility, and their adventures rather than Anne. Thus I feel that this is slightly misrepresented as Anne barely appears and in fact it is the new Presbyterian minister's children who have most of the page time with Anne's kids occasionally showing up as well. They are neighbors and spend a lot of time together in an area named Rainbow Valley by the Blythes.

Like the previous books, these are mostly vignettes alternating focus on the kids and allowing all of them to have a bit of spotlight. While I did like those kids for the most part, as they have good hearts and intentions even if they run wild, I feel a little upset with the publisher for marketing them all together. Surely there were stories about Anne's bunch that could have been told instead! This is compounded by the arrival of a character called Mary Vance, who seems okay at first but then becomes very annoying as she is a bossy know-it-all. It also seemed like she received more page-time than the Blythes and was supposed to be funny.

I also find myself growing a little tired of the necessity of everyone being matched up, of the incessant gossip within their small town, and the little things like that. I do enjoy the children's misadventures still as they always seem able to come up with new stuff. I was also struck by the foreshadowing to a coming war. It is my understanding that this was published in 1919 but is set probably in about 1912-4 or thereabouts and certain passages helped me ponder what would happen in the next (and last) book, which does cover the years of the Great War.

Overall: Definitely my least favorite of the Anne books as it doesn't have much Anne nor does it have a fully cohesive plot.

The Portrait of a Lady

The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
The Modern Library, 2001
Originally Published 1881
565 pages
Classic
4/5 stars

Source: Library

I started this in order to add some more classics to my knowledge.  It was my first James and I chose it because it was one of his first masterpieces, according to canon.  I was thinking it would be something like Edith Wharton's writing.  That is somewhat true as the minutiae of upper-class people and the dictates of society are the focus. Let's start with a summary, which kind of has spoilers but this book is over 100 years old so I don't feel bad about that or anything.

Isabel is a young American who inherits wealth from her uncle.  She rejects proposals from the wealthy polite Lord Warburton and the energetic American businessman Caspar Goodwood.  Isabel eventually marries Count Osmond, a poor American in Italy, despite the objections from her cousin Ralph, her aunt Mrs. Touchett, and her friend Henrietta.  After several years of marriage, she finally realizes what they recognized from the start: Osmond is not a romantic exciting man.  He is narrow-minded and controlling; he raised his daughter to bend entirely to his will and he expected his wife to conform to his dictates as well, acting as an ornament to his pride rather than as an independent person.  He also wanted her money.  The first part of the novel covers her interactions with people and her decision to marry.  The pulls of her own spirit versus her perceived duty to her husband define the second part, ending with her decision to remain with her husband.

I chose this as the book considered one of James's earliest masterpieces.  I was hoping that it would be fairly accessible, which I found it to be and that the style wouldn't be too radical.  I think I've read that James went very extreme in later books but maybe not yet? I will need to read more of him before I can decide. Any recommendations?

I feel completely unable to embark on a full analysis of James's style but I can mention some things I noticed.  There were many instances where a single paragraph would take up a page or even two; there would just be pages and pages of lingering descriptions of Isabel and those around her.  As the story progressed though, there was more dialogue and less of a focus on Isabel.  Instead there were (seemingly) peripheral events described.  Important events are skipped over such as the actual marriage of Isabel and Osmond and the birth and death of their child while seemingly insignificant conversations are recorded.  The book is narrated by an omniscient narrator, who occasionally inserts himself into the book using "I."  While the narrator knows more than the reader, he doles out that bit of knowledge sparingly.

I am glad that I am already familiar with some of the old-fashioned mores and standards or I would have found them even more bewildering.  For example, Isabel is determined to not share her unhappiness in marriage with anyone.  She will not consider leaving her husband despite his brutality and the encouragement of friends. This could seem bizarre under current standards but this book is from the late nineteenth century with upper-class continental Europeans, a vastly different society.  Even so, there were some frustrating moments.

There were still several upsetting moments for me. First that Isabel threw away possible happiness with Goodwood in favor of her ill-advised attachment to Osmond.  She denied the idea that the slightly sinister Madame Merle influenced her marriage before finally realizing that it was so.  The other upsetting instant revolved around Pansy Osmond, the daughter of Osmond who he has trained to obey, kind of like a dog.  She represses her independent thoughts and gives up her love because it does not please her father's pride. While Isabel returns to her husband, it seems to stem partly from her promise to love and watch over Pansy.  However I fear that both women will continue to suffer under Osmond's thumb, leaving a tragic pall over the conclusion.

There's so much more to discuss but I'm going to stop now with my Overall: A surprisingly accessible example of Henry James's prose; I am eager to read more of his work.

Read for FITG Challenge

Cold Comfort Farm

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
Longmans, Green & Co, 1932
307 pages
Classic; Satire
4/5 stars

Source: Library

Meg Cabot had recommended this book, which is how I first heard about it.  Additionally I really like this cover that I found, although my copy from the library was just a plain blue.  I wasn't sure what to expect other than hopefully a good time.

I really struggled at first to get into the story.  Flora was recently orphaned and she is looking around over her family relations to decide where she will live.  She ends up picking the family at Cold Comfort Farm, where she is sure to encounter problems that she can solve.  And she does.  She finds a bewildering assortment of relatives, surly and intent on their lives as they've always been.  However Flora wades in and sets their lives on a more modern path, arranging marriages for several and new career paths for others.

Apparently this book is somewhat parodying some rural life novels of the time such as DH Lawrence, Thomas Hardy, and the Brontë sisters.  I've only read the latter and references to them are explicit in the form of a character who argues that Branwell wrote his sisters' novels because certainly Wuthering Heights could not have been written by a woman!  I don't understand his rationale at all but I was fascinated.  Some of the characters also spoke in a "country dialect" akin to Joseph in Wuthering Heights albeit more comprehensible.  The other elements were probably lost on me as I am unfamiliar with those types of novels.

Another interesting element is that this book is technically set in the future (the late 40s) with video phones and a different historical path (I believe an Anglo-Nicaragua War is mentioned).  That was not a very important aspect though as most of the story is set on a very rural farm.

However I really liked the characters, especially Flora, the modern young lady who inserts herself into the lives of her relations and I would say makes them better.  She was a funny character and very likable.  The other characters were also enjoyable.

Overall: A funny story with likable characters.

FITG Challenge; British Books Challenge

A Passage to India

A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
Harcourt, Inc, 1952
Originally Published 1924
362 pages
Classic; FITG
3.5/5

Source: Bought and read for class

Summary: Adela Quested and Mrs. Moore are British citizens, excited to journey to India and see the scenery.  A new friend of Mrs. Moore's, Dr. Aziz invites them to see the Marabar Caves where a most unfortunate incident occurs leading to a court case and aggravating relations between the British colonizers and the colonized Indians.

I was really excited about this but I was left unsatisfied.  I was expecting a tale of the clash of cultures as Anglo/Indian relations were explored and gender roles were examined.  And to a degree, I got that.  But the prose was not to my liking at all.  Forster's descriptions of the scenery were so boring (almost Tolkien-esque-the only way I got through LOTR was by skimming the endless scenery descriptions and focusing on the actual plot) and it was very slow-moving.  The incident described on the book-flap is Aziz being falsely accused of sexually molesting Adela; do you know when that happens? Nearly halfway through the book! Before that, there is plenty of description and a lot of set-up to establish the personalities of the characters and the relationship between the British and the Indians.

I didn't particularly like any of the characters either.  The four main characters are Brits Adela, Mrs. Moore, and college principal Fielding in addition to Indian doctor Aziz.  My inability to feel completely connected to any of them soured my opinion of this book.  I'm not sure if that was part of Forster's intention.  However this is an useful book for study of the time period.  Rising nationalism makes an appearance and is a topic I find fascinating.

Overall: I was really disappointed; have I missed something huge with regards to Forster? I'd love to give him another try-any recommendations?

Read for personal FITG challenge.

The Age of Innocence

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Barnes and Noble, 1920
293 pages
Classic
4.5/5 stars
FITG Challenge

Source: Own

Thoughts: I put this on my list because I wanted to read the first Pulitzer winning-novel by a woman; after enjoying Old New York, a collection of four short stories, I had high hopes for this.  And they were mostly fulfilled.

I loved the pictures painted by Wharton; every detail seemed carefully chosen to convey the taste and wealth of the characters although I'm sure I didn't fully appreciate those details, given my 21st century sensibilities and understanding.  I loved being enmeshed in that world and slowly journeying through it toward completion.

The part I didn't like was the character Newland Archer.  He is torn between duty to his fiancee May Welland and passion for her cousin, the scandalous Countess Ellen Olenska who left her husband.  I was caught up in that and I supported his choice.  But I hated his musings on the innocence and conventionality of May-how was she to be different? I think that he is a stand-in for Wharton who was raised in that kind of environment but obviously had a sharp intellect of her own.  Over the course of the novel though, I grew annoyed with him.  I did not want to spend as much time with him as I did; I think I would have preferred this novel from a female point of view because Archer grated on me.

I would also like to see the movie starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer (j'adore her), and Winona Ryder.

Overall: Beautifully written; I definitely consider myself a fan of Wharton now.

Cover: Pretty gallery-I'm a big fan of the Barnes and Noble editions.

Wide Sargasso Sea

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Originally published 1966
110 pages
Feminist; Classic
4/5 stars

Source: Library

Summary: A postcolonial and feminist novel exploring the life of "Bertha Rochester," immortalized as the madwoman in the attic, the wife of Jane Eyre's love Rochester.  But was she a madwoman? Where did she come from? How did she come to such an end?

Thoughts: Somehow I thought this was part of my FITG challenge which is why I picked it up.  But apparently my memory fails because it is not.  Still I wanted to read this response to Jane Eyre; I'm not a big fan of the Brontës as I think I've made clear but I still keep trying to force myself to like them.

I really liked it.  I wasn't sure what to expect and it was confusing at first as I tried to understand the social position of the Cosways.  They are a former slave owning family, surrounded by former slaves who loathe them.  Yet they are not rich and are not fully European.  They are caught between two worlds and this is particularly important to understanding Antoinette (Bertha).

It alternates between Antoinette and Rochester's point of view (although I'm not sure he was ever named).  She narrates her childhood.  Then he comes.  He is slime; sent there by his family to marry wealth, he grows to despise her.  He takes her money, has a sexual encounter with a servant right next to her room, and hates her.  She wants his love desperately and he refuses.  In the end, he takes her to England where she eventually starts the fire that takes her own life.  She feels it's better that way...and I don't think she's wrong.

The importance of names and their power is seen here.  Originally she is born Antoinette Cosway; then her mother remarries and her last name becomes Mason; then she marries and is known as Antoinette Rochester; then he renames her Bertha.  He ******* RENAMES her because he doesn't like her original name! I'm so angry about that.

As a next step, I would like to read literary criticism of it because I think that will help me get more out of it.  Although I am not the best reader of classics, I am trying to read more in order to become a more well-read person.  There are probably a lot of things I missed, although I still enjoyed the book.

Overall: I would recommend this to people who've read Jane Eyre with the caveat that the style is very different.

Effi Briest

Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane
Translated by Douglas Parmee
Penguin, 1989/Originally 1895
267 pages
Classic
4/5 stars

Source: Bought

I guess kind of spoilers but the book's over 100 years old so I'm not sure it really matters.

Summary: Effi Briest is a young Prussian aristocratic girl who makes a smart match with Baron Geert von Instetten.  But Geert is didactic and doesn't treat Effi as she might wish.  Thus she has an affair.  Six years later, he discovers her indiscretion and duels her lover. Additionally he divorces her and she ends up dying at the age of 29.

Thoughts: I read this for a class and as I was doing research was surprised to find that it is kind of considered part of an adultery trilogy with the far more famous (although I haven't read them yet) Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina.  I had never heard of it until it was assigned but Thomas Mann has considered it one of the greatest six books.  I'm not sure if I concur but it was a pretty good read.

We read it because of its observations about the stratified nature of Prussian society.  While it is technically unified Germany (post 1871), the main characters are all Prussian aristocrats who live their lives of privilege rather separately from the rising bourgeoisie and certainly from the peasants and workers.

Effi is a sweet girl.  She's 16/17 when we first meet her and her husband Geert is 38 and was kind of a boyfriend of her mother's-ew! But she accepts this as an appropriate match, rejecting the bourgeois notion of marriage for love.  He treats her like a child but they are mostly happy excepting the affair.

The thing about the affair is that if you didn't know what this book is about, it's a revelation that she had an affair.  It's incredibly subtle to modern readers (or at least most of the people in my class including my professor the first time he read it).  She goes off in the woods alone and we never really see the couple interacting.  I mentioned that her husband discovers letters six years later; first Effi is an idiot for not burning the letters but second it's important that it was more than five years because that's the end of the statute of limitations.  That's right, if a woman committed adultery and her husband found out within five years, he could prosecute her.  Note male adultery was not even a misdemeanor.  While he cannot legally take action, he still has internalized aristocratic notions of honor and thus challenges her aristocratic lover.  If the lover hadn't been an aristocrat, then he could not have given satisfaction to Geert.

After the affair, she lives alone without her daughter who Geert turns against her (heartbreaking!) Then she returns home to her parents where she eventually dies.  Speaking of her parents, Parmee in the introduction mentions that some of their scenes could almost come out of Jane Austen; I approve of that statement and enjoyed reading those parts because of that.

Overall: Rather good; important historically but that doesn't mean it's not enjoyable.

Recommendations: I would definitely recommend this if you've read Madame Bovary and/or Anna Karenina so that you can tell me about similarities and differences between them.  Also if you're interested in reading more German literature.  I really only know Goethe but I would like to read more.

Sorry this was so long but thank you for reading or even skimming it.  I actually have still more to say and would love to talk about it with you if you've read it.  My email is on the side and in my profile.

A Confederacy of Dunces

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Published 1981
338 pages
Classic; Pulitzer; Picaresque; FITG
4.5/5 stars

Source: Library

Summary: I've tried describing this before to my friends but I don't think I'm doing a very good job. Basically Ignatius J Reilly is a lazy eccentric who is forced to get a job leading to a series of adventures involving many Characters.

Thoughts: I was excited to read this because it's one of my dad's favorite books and he's recommended it to me before.  While I can appreciate its strong points, I don't think it's one of my favorites.  For one thing, I prefer a main character I love and would want to hang out with. Ignatius Reilly had many interesting characteristics but I would never want to meet him.  On the one hand, he's obsessed with the Middle Ages and thinks things would be better with an enlightened monarchy (I'm not saying he's wrong what with the way things are...)  He is very educated with a graduate degree and he speaks far beyond the comprehension of the people around, which is very funny to read.  On the other hand, he lies, he's selfish, and he's cruel to his mama among other offenses. So not someone I'd want to meet but someone who is a Character.

My favorite part of the book was how the disparate characters and earlier events tied together-I mean it's perfect.  It's not like crazy coincidences as Dickens does but instances that logically follow the previous events.  The part I didn't like was how intensely awkward some scenes were for me to read.  I could not have read this book all in one go because I had to take breaks and distance myself from what was happening.

It's been defined as a picaresque novel which I always associate with Don Quixote.  It's been a while since I've read that but I remember some of the occurrences escalating in a similar way so I can see it.  For example, Ignatius has a simple office job before he decides that he will organize the workers at a factory which almost leads to a riot.  It's amazing.

Overall: Intensely awkward at times, very funny at times with the perfect ending.

Cover: I found this cover weird at first but it actually makes perfect sense after reading the book.

The Sorrows of Young Werther

The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Translated Michael Hulse
Penguin, 1989
Originally published 1774
134 pages
Classic
3/5 stars

Source: Bought for class

Summary: A young man kills himself after being disappointed in love.

Thoughts: I thought this was so boring.  I kept falling asleep while I was reading it.  The most interesting part was the introduction which explained how part one of the book is based on a real-life experience for Goethe and part two is based on a case where a man killed himself for love.

I think I struggled against his ideal of female perfection, which includes a woman who is acting like a mother to her siblings after the death of their mother (reminded me of Bleak House) and just sounds really boring.  The language was a bit too flowery and I didn't sympathize with Werther falling for a woman who clearly states that she is already involved with another man.

Overall: A short classic that you could read fairly quickly but not my taste at all!

Cover: This isn't my cover as I have an earlier Penguin edition but it fits.

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2003

Originally published 1847

258 pages

Classic; "Love" story

Summary: The classic tale of Cathy and Heathcliff on the wild moors.

Thoughts: I read this as part of the Brontë challenge and also because I had never read it before. It was a struggle to finish it but I am finally done (and just in time because it is due at the library soon!)

When I first tried to read this, I had difficulty with the framing device used. It starts with a tenant meeting Heathcliff and then is told from the perspective of a gossipy servant who watched all that happened. I suppose I prefer a more traditional method of telling a story.

The other big problem I have is that none of the characters are likeable. They are all awful people who seem to enjoy hurting others, being accommodating to spoiled brats, being spoiled brats, being selfish, etc. Why would anyone choose to write a story about people with basically no redeeming qualities? I've never met anybody that awful and fiction ought to have some basis in reality.

The biggest problem I have is with Heathcliff. Anybody who finds him romantic has either watched film versions too much or has some serious psychological problems because he is a character I find almost pure evil. His legitimate grudges (toward Earnshaw, Linton, and Cathy) are pursued needlessly against the second generation so that almost every page features the reverberations of a selfish, cruel person who cares naught for anyone or anything beyond himself. I cannot see any love in his heart even as he professes it for Cathy (And I do not like that everyone keeps having the same name.)

Also what's up with the moors? I'm not sure this covers everything I hated about this book but it will have to suffice.

Overall: 1 out of 5. Simply awful.

Also a cute cartoon about the Brontë sisters.

The Time Machine

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Scholastic, 1978

123 pages

Science Fiction; Classic

FITG Challenge

Summary: The classic story of a man who builds a time machine and travels into a horrifying future.

Why I Read: It was assigned for class but it also overlapped with a personal challenge.

My Thoughts: I didn't really know what to expect but the future that this man goes into is like a capitalist nightmare. The leisured class have degenerated into frolickers while the workers have become blind mole people who feast on them. It was weird. Then he goes even further into the future where pretty much everything is dead. It is certainly not the kind of future I would want to imagine and put down on paper although I am also not a brilliant writer and I'm not aspiring to that.

Overall: 4 out of 5. It's an important book; part of the founding of the genre of science fiction and very interesting in its forecasting of the future but it's not really my type of book. It is however blessedly short (and my copy had largeish font so it's actually even shorter.)

I do kind of want to see the 2002 film with Guy Pearce which is apparently quite altered but also features the very hot Guy Pearce. Has anybody seen it?

Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Dlilithium Press, 1988

Originally 1908

240 pages

Children's; Classic

Summary: Matthew and Marilla decide to adopt a boy but instead they get a voluble little girl named Anne. This book follows Anne from youth to adulthood, with her various scrapes and triumphs.

Why I Read: This is a classic and I felt bad that I had never read it so when I was browsing for books in the library, I decided to see if they had it and they did!

My Thoughts: I fell in love with Anne-what a fun child! I totally would want to be Diana and get to hang out with her (I'm not talkative enough to be Anne!) One problem was I could usually only read a few chapters at a time because Anne overwhelmed me. But just what a good book! I cried several times but I laughed so much more. I'm so in love with Gilbert although I know have to read the rest of the books for that to further develop (at the end they're just friends).

One question: did I read this right in that Anne is going to be a teacher at 16? That's crazy-I don't think any of my friends could be teachers yet and we're three-five years older! How things were different!

Overall: 5 out of 5. One of my top picks for what I read in March and something I've already recommended to some of my friends and will continue to do.

Cover: The picture is actually the back cover because Gilbert looks hot! And Anne's hair is very pretty.

Recommended: to everyone! But especially people who like the Betsy books by Maud Hart Lovelace; I feel like they're somewhat similar only this is set in Canada.

L'Assommoir

L'Assommoir by Emile Zola

Translated Margaret Mauldon

Oxford University Press, 2009;

Originally published 1877

440 pages

Summary: "The first novel about the common people that does not lie." Part of Zola's story cycle this is the story of a woman in working-class Paris and her life with her lover and husband, their children, and her eventually downfall through pride and drink.

Why I Read: It was for class as we were studying the Second Empire of France. I had also read "Therese Raquin" in my hated English class in high school.

My thoughts: I had enjoyed "Therese Raquin" until about the halfway point and that also occurred in this book. It seems I like the story until the inevitable downfall of the main character. Here Gervaise is a successful laundress whose husband Coupeau is also an industrious member of society. But after he is injured on the job, he slowly recuperates and then spends most of his days drinking. She takes longer to fall but eventually does so too. I found the characters very unsympathetic. There are vivid descriptions of husband to wife and father to daughter beatings and overall I found it very disgusting. I hope it doesn't make me a snob if I say that if this is truly accurate, then I'm glad I'm not working class French in the Second Empire.

Overall: 3/5 I think I only finished it because it was for class.

Random Question: My professor called Zola the greatest French writer. The class disagreed suggesting Flaubert, Hugo, and Dumas instead. Personally I've found Dumas the most enjoyable. What do you think?

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1852

I knew this was a very important book; apocryphally the book written by the little lady who started a big war. I knew it was a response to the (dreadful) Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and that it sparked increased abolitionist feeling in the North. I knew about Eliza crossing the frozen river (The King and I) and about the evil Simon Legree. But there were still some surprises.

Firstly this is a melodramatic novel featuring very cardboard characters who represent specific types of the period. For example there is the evil slave owner (Legree); there is an angelic little girl (who made me think of Nell from The Old Curiosity Shop which I've never read but I've seen an adaptation); there is a slave owner who is conflicted about the system of slavery; there are Northern anti-slavery people who have slavery brought to their doorstep. Nothing that happens is particularly surprising and none of the characters have any depth or growth.

Secondly I just realized a plot might be helpful. Uncle Tom is a slave on a farm where he is about to be sold because his owner is profligate. A little boy named Harry is also about to be sold away from his mother Eliza. She is terrified about this prospect and so runs away, accumulating family and escaping to Canada along the way. Uncle Tom however submits to his fate and is first bought by an ambivalent slave owner who ends up dying before freeing him, leaving him to be sold to the vile Legree which leads to his death.

Some of the major parts of this book are evangelical fervor; pretty much every page has Christianity references and it can be overwhelming because even modern Christian novels I've read are not so steeped in my opinion. The morality of women and their ability to influence their husbands from their proper domestic sphere also occurs. Stowe's solution for post-abolition seems to be colonization of Liberia using ex-slaves as missionaries to spread Christianity which seems impractical to me and obviously did not end up happening. It is also interesting to look at her racial attitudes which are awful in our times but were actually among the most liberal for the 1850s! I read this for class and my professor called it "romantic racism" where Africans are recognized to have a soul but aren't as good as Anglo-Saxons.

It is also interesting how the use of Uncle Tom has changed. Now he is considered a subservient simpleminded slave but here he is actually very responsible and devoted to his Christian faith. When Legree demands Uncle Tom betray his slaves who have escaped, he refuses and is protected by his faith so that he dies secure in the knowledge of his betrayal. Actually the representation of Uncle Tom as bowing and scraping comes from ministrel shows where Stowe's story was twisted to actually promote slavery.

Overall: I'm very pleased that I've read this very important book now. While there are some crazy coincidences a la Dickens, they come together rather well. The only bad thing was the flowery language which meant I usually could only read one chapter at a time with lots of breaks. So I will rate this 4/5 and recommend it.

Animal Farm

I read Animal Farm as part of my FITG challenge. I feel like many of my friends read this for school and felt left out that I hadn't (I'm kind of a nerd). I also liked that it was short! One interesting part of the copy I read was that it was in English and French; if I read French, I bet it would have been interesting to examine the translation.

I found AF to be a quick and pretty easy read. I can see why teachers assign it. I don't really have anything else to say; I just want to document that I read it for FITG.

Line: "All animals are equal but some are more equal than others."

Overall: 5 out of 5. Very good; highly recommended for all.