Tag Archives: Classics

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for persuasion word cloud classic book cover

Title: Persuasion
Author: Jane Austen
Series: Word Cloud Classics
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Romance
Dates read: 2nd – 5th July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Word Cloud Classics
Year: 1817
5th sentence, 74th page: They did not like each other, and no renewal of acquaintance now could do any good; and were Lady Russell to see them together, she might think that he had too much self-possession, and she too little.

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Synopsis

Published in 1818, Persuasion was Jane Austen’s last completed novel. In this compelling love story, Anne Elliott is unhappy and unmarried twenty-seven. At the urging of her family, she broke her engagement to the man she loved eight years before because he was poor and didn’t have good family connections. When they meet again, he is wealthy, a captain in the navy, and looking for a wife, but he has not forgiven Anne for her rejection and resolves not to fall in love with her again. With a heat-burnished cover, foil stamping, and designed endpapers, the Word Cloud Classics edition of Persuasion is the perfect addition to any bookshelf!

Thoughts

I always forget how much I love Jane Austen until I pick up one of her books and start sinking my teeth into it again. The fact that there’s still a few that I haven’t read yet makes me think that I need to finish reading the books on my shelves. Especially since this was the first time I’ve ever read Persuasion, and I seriously couldn’t put it down once I got about a third of the way in. after all of the introductory, family history nonsense.

My heart broke a little as Anne’s plight and treatment by her family was fully revealed. There was something so sweet and kind about her from the very first introduction, and the fact that she was completely ignored and abandoned by her family was just… well, heart wrenching. But it also made this story all the more romantic and endearing. There is one man that truly understood her worth and he waited around for her for years and years.

We’ve all been persuaded to do something that we’re not really sure is right, or away from something that we know we really want and need in our lives. Although this story was written in the 1800’s, that is a theme that still occurs repeatedly today. Yet, I love that Anne has a chance to make things right and fix her mistake of being persuaded away from true happiness. Persuaded to go against her heart and work with her head and the sensibilities of others.

This is one of those novels that is going to the top of my favourites list. One that I’m going to read again and again. Whenever I’m feeling low, in a reading slump or just in need of a good story that will provide me with a little hope that the world isn’t actually that bad.

<- Northanger AbbeyPride and Prejudice ->

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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for twenty thousand leagues under the sea word cloud classic book cover

Title: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Author: Jules Verne
Series: Word Cloud Classics
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Oceans, Science fiction
Dates read: 31st May – 3rd June 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Word Cloud Classics
Year: 1870
5th sentence, 74th page: I was in ecstasies with the vivacity of their movements and the beauty of their forms.

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Synopsis

French naturalist Dr. Aronnax embarks on an expedition to hunt down a sea monster, only to discover instead the Nautilus, a remarkable submarine built by the enigmatic Captain Nemo. Together Nemo and Aronnax explore the underwater marvels, undergo a transcendent experience amongst the ruins of Atlantis, and plant a black flag at the South Pole. But Nemo’s mission is one of revenge-and his methods coldly efficient.

Thoughts

This is one of those stories that you can read again and again and find something new and fun each and ever time. This first read I mostly just got an overall impression of amazing writing, in depth characterisation and vivid settings. Ones that I just couldn’t get out of my mind’s eye even after I turned the final page of the book.

There are some classics that are tedious in the extreme. Don’t get me wrong, you can understand why they’re a classic. But, they’re just long-winded and difficult to read. Verne still has a convoluted and beautiful way with words, but there is something so much more accessible about the way he uses them and twists the world around him. Something about the journey that you are swept away on that makes it really hard to look away. And, even though I absolutely know that I didn’t pick up on every small detail of the storyline, I still loved every moment. Every beautiful, meandering stop along the adventure.

One of the aspects of this writing that I loved the most was the fact that each chapter was its own adventure. There was a strong connection with what happened in the preceding section, but it functioned incredibly well by itself as well. It meant that although I found the novel hard to put down because of the amazingly talented writing, there were also pauses in which it felt feasible and logical to put aside to act like a real adult…

<- The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe Age of Innocence ->

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The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
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Title: The Last Battle
Author: C.S. Lewis
Series: Chronicles of Narnia #7
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Fantasy
Dates read: 28th March – 19th April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Grafton
Year: 1956
5th sentence, 74th page: I’m on your side, Sire: and on Aslan’s.

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Synopsis

“To my side, all true Narnians! Would you wait till your new masters have killed you all, one by one?”

It is Narnia’s darkest hour. A false Aslan is commanding all Narnians to work for the cruel Calormenes and striking terror into every heart. King Tirian’s only hope is to call Eustace and Jill back to Narnia, in an attempt to find the true Aslan and restore peace to the land. But a might battle lies ahead.

The Last Battle is the dramatic conclusion to the seven magical Chronicles of Narnia.

Thoughts

As an ending to a series this book works incredibly well. It helps to tie everything up in a beautiful knot and pretty little bow. As a standalone story, it’s not as compellingly engaging as the other books in the Chronicles of Narnia series. Which is probably why it took me a little longer to read than most of the other stories in this series…

The Last Battle is exactly what it sounds – the last battle to be fought in Narnia. The end of days, if you will. It made it kind of sad to finish, it meant the closing of a world and an era. There are no ways in which to return to Narnia now. Which is more than a little heartbreaking. After all, as a kid I always checked every wardrobe I came across to get to that special world I had dreamt so much about.

Lucy is still my favourite character in all of the Chronicles of Narnia tales. There is something about her sweetness, her faith and her ability to love everyone that makes you kind of want to give her a great, big cuddle. Don’t get me wrong, I would never want to be her friend, she’s a little too nice… but as a character in a novel, she is just brilliant. So it was incredibly nice to find her returning to the series, albeit for a short while. Jill and Eustace just aren’t as relatable and loveable… maybe because I only met them as an adult, but I met Lucy when I was a young girl.

 <- The Silver Chair ReviewThe Magician’s Nephew Review ->
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The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the silver chair grafton book cover

Title: The Silver Chair
Author: C.S. Lewis
Series: Chronicles of Narnia #6
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Fantasy
Dates read: 23rd – 27th March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Grafton
Year: 1953
5th sentence, 74th page: The children thanked her again, with shining eyes, and the Lady waved to them.

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Synopsis

Quick!” said Eustace. “Hold hands! We mustn’t get separated!”
And before Jill quite knew what was happening, he had pulled her out of our whole world into That Place.

Eustace and Jill are whisked to the land of Narnia where Aslan, the great Lion, needs their help to find the missing Prince Rilian. Teaming up with Puddleglum, the Marsh Wiggle, the search takes them through some of the most dangerous underland of Narnia. Even if they attain their goal, it can only be the start of further trouble…

Thoughts

This is probably my least favourite of the Chronicles of Narnia. It’s still really good, but it just doesn’t have the same adventure spirit and oomph as the other tales. Maybe it’s because the Pensieve children don’t feature in this story at all. They are completely out of the picture, and I really missed them. After all, they are the children that made me fall in love with this series in the first place.

This was a great message of not letting your pride stand in the way of doing what is right. Every mistake that led to extra complications throughout this story happened because one of the characters, mostly Jill, was too prideful and didn’t share what was in her head. Or what she was told. Basically this story could have been much easier and the adventure much simpler if it wasn’t for the fact that Jill was kind of a pain in the ass child…

I did like that this story helps to span the rest of Prince Caspian’s lifetime. It follows the stories of Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and gives him a happily ever after that just wasn’t quite expected. And was definitely appreciated. He’s the only Narnian in the whole series that you get to span his entire life, and I kind of really liked that fact. It made this story feel a little more rounded, and a little more reassured that he too got a happily ever after in the end…

 <- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader ReviewThe Last Battle Review ->
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The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Author: C.S. Lewis
Series: Chronicles of Narnia #5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Fantasy
Dates read: 19th – 22nd March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Grafton
Year: 1951
5th sentence, 74th page: He realized that he was a monster cut off from the whole human race.

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Synopsis

“Stop it!” cried Eustace. “It’s some silly trick you are playing! Ow!”
A great cold, salt splash had broken right out of the frame and they were breathless from the smack of it, as well as being wet through.

Lucy and Edmund, stuck with their awful cousin Eustace, suddenly find themselves on board the Dawn Treader – and realise they have fallen into the magical land of Narnia. Reunited with old friends, the young King Caspian and Reepicheep the mouse, they gladly join the voyage to the World’s End. Eustace, however, is not so happy…

Thoughts

It doesn’t matter how many times I read this story, I still love it. And my heart melts. And I get all gooey and happy on the inside. It really doesn’t matter how many times I read this, it is just as wonderful and amazing as the first time I read it when I was six years old.

I honestly don’t know why I love this story so much more than anything else from my childhood. It has the same level of writing, engagement and storytelling as some of the other tales I read as a kid. But it is just SO MUCH BETTER. It is change your life, melt your heart better. And honestly, I think part of the reason, is that as a child, Lucy was so easy for me to relate to. Even now, as an adult, I can understand and sympathise with Lucy better than most characters in the adult books I read today.

The other part of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader that I love is that it is a series of mini adventures. The overall story flows beautifully, but you could almost read each chapter separately. They are each their own tales and adventures. Something that I don’t often come across in novels. Or at least, this was the first time (as a child) that I read a story that was a little less dependent on what happened before to tell the story.

 <- Prince Caspian ReviewThe Silver Chair Review ->
Image source: Narnia Translations Home

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the diary of a young girl anne frank book cover

Title: The Diary of a Young Girl
Author: Anne Frank
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Biographies, Classics, History, War
Dates read: 4th – 11th March 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Bantam Books
Year: 1947
5th sentence, 74th page: Number Two was that, Mr. Vossen having left earlier than usual the previous evening, we didn’t know definitely whether Elli had been able to get hold of the key, and had perhaps forgotten to shut the door.

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Synopsis

Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has since become a world classic – a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.

In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annexe” of an old building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death.

In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.

Thoughts

I can’t believe that I’ve waited so long to read this book! It’s been on my shelf for so long and I’ve always wanted to read it (even before I bought it), but I just never seemed to have the time… or the inclination. And now I really, really, really don’t know why I took so long. This story was amazing, and heart-wrenching and just so damn knock-your-socks-off that I can’t stop thinking about it.

This book was both impossible to put down, and heart-wrenching to pick up. Not because it was overly sad, but the knowledge of Anne’s death throughout was haunting. There is so much hope and optimism, even in her darkest moments that it is hard to realise that she doesn’t have that happily ever after. Although, I suppose that is why we read non-fiction – there isn’t the happily ever after for everyone, just a very real and very tragic ending.

What haunts me the most about The Diary of a Young Girl is how similar Anne Frank is. A lot of what she writes in her diary is exactly what I would have written as a stubborn, opinionated teenager. The holocaust and World War II have never really been moments in history that I can relate to. After all, I’ve lived an incredibly privileged and happy life. So reading the words of a young girl who was going through exactly the same things as me, and hearing my own voice reaching out over the passage of time… it was just… haunting. There is no other word for it.

 <- Zlata’s DiaryBorn to Run ->

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Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for word cloud classics emily bronte book cover

Title: Wuthering Heights
Author: Emily Bronte
Series: Word Cloud Classics
Rating Out of 5: 2 (Managed to read it… just)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Gothic
Dates read: 12th – 18th February 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Word Cloud Classics
Year: 1847
5th sentence, 74th page: “What ails you, Cathy?” he was saying when I entered: “you look as dismal as a drowned whelp.”

Synopsis

Discover a passionate tale of love lost, found, and avenged in Wuthering Heights. Lockwood, a wealthy man from England, rents a house from an eccentric gentleman named Heathcliff, who is the tortured master of Wuthering Heights. Through Lockwood and the housekeeper, Nelly, the story of Heathcliff’s adoption, upbringing, revenge, and love for Catherine is told. The unconventional relationships and complex story structure will keep you turning pages long into the night

Thoughts

Heathcliff is a douche. Total and utter, pain in the bum, can’t even get into this story kind of douche. There’s a chance that Catherine might also be a bit of a douche. But I really couldn’t move past my blinding hatred for Heathcliff to even concentrate on the object of his obsession.

I was kind of disappointed by the utmost douchiness of Heathcliff. If it wasn’t for him, I would have absolutely loved this book. The writing style was engaging, the storytelling complex but brilliantly done. There was a lot of fantastic imagery throughout the half of the story I read (yes, I hated Heathcliff that much that I only got about halfway through before the rage became too much). And the themes throughout are just striking. But then it all comes back to Heathcliff.

This is definitely one of those books that I’m going to try again in a year or so… it just wasn’t the right time to try and tackle the dark obsession and douchiness of Heathcliff. But, I can see this being a great read if I am feeling down and out against the world. Or, more specifically, men and romance in general…

<- Jane Eyre101 Fairy Tales ->

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The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for word cloud classics jungle book book cover

Title: The Jungle Book
Author: Rudyard Kipling
Series: Word Cloud Classics
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Fantasy
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Word Cloud Classics
Year: 1894
5th sentence, 74th page: What’s that?” said Sea Vitch, and he struck the next walrus a blow with his tusks and waked him up, and the next struck the next, and so on till they were all awake and staring in every direction but the right one.

Synopsis

Penned by English Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling in 1894, The Jungle Book is a collection of allegorical stories that take place in the Indian jungle. The most famous stories of The Jungle Book are those featuring a young boy named Mowgli who was raised by wolves, is friends with a panther, and was educated by the animals of the jungle. Also popular in this collection is “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” about a mongoose who protects his human family against cobras. This edition also features tales from Kipling’s Just So Stories. These origin fables answer many questions about why things are the way they are, and readers will delight in tales like “How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin,” “The Beginning of the Armadillos,” and “How the First Letter Was Written.” A treasure trove of children’s literature, The Jungle Book and Other Stories from the Word Cloud Classics series is a chic and affordable addition to any library.

Thoughts

I had no idea what to expect from The Jungle Book. I’d honestly only ever watched the Disney movie and hadn’t read any blurbs attached to Kipling’s writing. It was just one of my many impulsive moments where I picked up the book, ready to read it and unsure of what to expect. Which was nice, because I also didn’t have any huge expectations placed upon the words. My main expectation was just that it would be about Mowgli, which was wrong.

I did wonder how an entire book about a man cub would turn out, and I’m actually really glad that this wasn’t the case in any way, shape or form. I loved that there were only about half a dozen short stories (or chapters) devoted to Mowgli, and the rest were a series of stories and poems based all across the Indian countryside. It made me feel like I was transported to a different place and a different time. Learning about how things were in a fantastical land that is part fact, and part fiction.

This is definitely going to be one of those classics that I’ll pick up again and again and again, and I’ll probably find something new and interesting to say about it each time. A new story or meaning that I wasn’t able to pick up on before.

<- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other StoriesThe Phantom of the Opera ->

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Sophie’s Choice by William Styron

Book Review, ,
Overview
Image result for sophie's choice vintage book cover

Title: Sophie’s Choice
Author: William Styron
Rating Out of 5: 2 (Managed to read it… just)
My Bookshelves: Classics, History
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Year: 1979
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘Look at her,’ he said, ‘isn’t she something?’

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Synopsis

Stingo, an inexperienced twenty-two-year-old Southerner, takes us back to the summer of 1947 and a boarding house in a leafy Brooklyn suburb. There he meets Nathan, a fiery Jewish intellectual; and Sophie, a beautiful and fragile Polish Catholic. Stingo is drawn into the heart of their passionate and destructive relationship as witness, confidant and supplicant. Ultimately, he arrives at the dark core of Sophie’s past: her memories of pre-war Poland, the concentration camp and – the essence of her terrible secret – her choice.

Thoughts

I really, really couldn’t get into this. Generally, when I’m reading a classic, it takes me quite a while since I need to be in the right mood for the lyricality of the wording. But, even when I was enjoying the prose in this, I really wasn’t being drawn in by the storyline. I don’t know if it was moving too slowly, or was a little too boring, or just in general not my style of storyline, but I just couldn’t get into it.

The fact that I couldn’t really get involved in this (I read about 200 pages before I gave it up) kind of frustrated me. I was hoping to really get into this – it’s one of the stories that I’ve always wanted to read. And now that I have… I was disappointed.

Who knows, maybe I’ll pick it up again in a year or so and see how it goes…

 <- More classics reviewsMore History reviews ->
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A Christmas Carol and Other Holiday Treasures by Charles Dickens

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for a christmas carol and other holiday treasures word cloud classics book cover

Title: A Christmas Carol and Other Holiday Treasures
Author: Charles Dickens
Series: Word Cloud Classics
In: A Christmas Carol and Other Holiday Treasures (Charles Dickens)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Classics, Short story collections
Pace: Slow
Format: Collection
Publisher: Word Cloud Classics
Year: 1843
5th sentence, 74th page: A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you, for many a year!

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Synopsis

Most famous in the realm of holiday literature for his 1843 publication, A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens was in fact a prolific writer in the yuletide genre and a great contributor to many now-prevalent traditions of the holiday itself. In 1944, A Christmas Carol, Dickens released The Chimes: A Christmas Story of Some Bells That Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In, which combined his usual sympathy for the poor with the notion that we must always strive to live in nobler ways. In 1845 came the novella The Cricket on the Hearth. The years 1846 and 1848 respectively saw published The Battle of Life and The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain. Because of this wealth of Christmas-themed works, Dickens is sometime referred to as “the man who invented Christmas.”

Thoughts

I can’t believe that it has taken me until I was almost twenty-six to read this collection! Actually, I can’t believe that it has taken me almost twenty-six years to read anything written by Charles Dickens. Normally I find anything written in the 1800s pleasurable, but a little difficult to get through. Not so with Dickens’ writing. It is so much more accessible and, although it still has the same mouthy, lyrical feel as much of the writing from that time, it is just somehow less formal, and more… real.

I know that sometimes Dickens is known as the father of the Christmas spirit. And, after reading these five “Christmas stories”, I can understand why. They all have the underlying theme of giving, love and family. Most of the stories feature the poor, and highlight that they almost have a better time in the holiday season than the rich – because for them it isn’t confused by the cost of Christmas, but of the love that surrounds everyone.

<- The Upturned FaceA Christmas Carol ->

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