Tag Archives: classics

5 Reasons to read The Count of Monte Cristo

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Title / The Count of Monte Cristo
Author / Alexandre Dumas
Publication Date / 1844
Page no. / 1462
Overall Rating / ★★★★
It’s time for another 5 reasons to read style review and as you can see from the title today I am going to be talking about The Count of Monte Cristo. I have to admit putting off reading this book for quite a long time because of the size, but I ended up loving it so don’t be intimidated by the size.
  • Originally written in French, this is a fantastic revenge tale. The basics of this tale is that a young man called Edmond Dantes is betrayed and ends up spending 14 years in prison. He comes back to seek revenge against those that betrayed him. I thought that the plot was compelling throughout, although I will admit that it took me a couple of chapters to settle into the flow of the story.
  • Dantes is a fantastic protagonist and an interesting character study. This book spans many years and I loved being able to see Dantes development throughout. Although I think all of the characters were well written, I think some secondary characters seemed a little less developed then Dantes but since this is Dantes story it kind of makes sense.
  • The writing is fantastic and will keep you engaged throughout this long book. Even in the slower paced sections, the writing and characters keep you invested. However I will admit that it dragged a tiny bit a few times but I still love this book.
  • I think this book can be enjoyed by a variety of readers and ages. I will definitely reread this book at some point because I think I’ll pick up on things I may have missed during the first read.
  • I am a big fan of this author and this is one of my favourite books by him, so of course I want to recommend checking it out. My other favourite is The Three Musketeers, for anyone interested.

 

Since this was originally published in instalments, it may be a good idea to read it in instalments or just set yourself a certain amount of chapters per week to make it seem more manageable. Do not be intimidated by the size and just take your time reading this fantastic book. Have you read this book? I’d love to know what you thought. I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

 

Pippa

 

 

 

5 reasons to read North and South by E. Gaskell

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Title / North and South
Author / Elizabeth Gaskell
Publication Date / 1855
Page no. / 544
Overall Rating / ★★★★★
It’s time for another 5 reasons to read style review and today I wanted to talk about one of my all time favourite classics, North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. I first read this back in secondary school and it’s remained a favourite of mine since then. Let’s get started.
  • The writing is fantastic and I personally found it to be quite an easy classic to read. I think this would be a great book to read if you are new to classics and want to start reading them.
  • There is a great cast of characters and I love Margaret as the protagonist. All of them are well written from a range of backgrounds, which gives the reader a better look at society as a whole at the time. Some of my favourite characters include Bessy and Nicholas Higgins but I love all of them really.
  • It’s such an interesting look into society at the time and what the British landscape looked like at the time. It was so interesting to see the differences between the countryside and towns, and how our protagonist adapts to these changes.
  • If you are a big fan of reading classics and/or have enjoyed books by Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters etc then I think you will love this book.
  • As already mentioned it’s one of my favourites, so of course I’m taking this opportunity to recommend it. Also the BBC adaptation starring Daniela Denby-Ashe and Richard Armitage is fantastic and well worth checking out too.

 

 

That’s all for today. Have you read this book? I’d love to know what you thought of it. I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

 

Pippa

 

 

 

5 reasons to read Persuasion by Jane Austen

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Hi guys, I hope you are all well. It’s time for another 5 reasons to read style review and today I wanted to talk about one of my favourite books by Jane Austen, Persuasion. If I remember correctly this was Austen’s last completed novel and was published roughly 6 months after her death. This book is just so good.

 

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  1. This book contains a fantastic female protagonist in the form of Anne Elliott. I love her character and think that a lot of people will be able to relate to her. The entire cast of this book are well written, although Wentworth could perhaps be a little more fleshed out.
  2. As with all her books the writing is so good. I find her books so easy to get into and I love the wit she incorporates into her writing. If you are new to classics I think her books are a great place to start.
  3. It’s another interesting look into women’s place in society during this time period. Anne is 27 when we meet her and in danger of becoming a spinster. As with her other books, we get a good insight into society at the time.
  4. There is a good BBC adaptation starring Sally Hawkins, which you can watch after reading the book :).
  5. This is one of my favourite (tied with Pride and Prejudice) Austen books so of course I want to recommend it to you guys.

 

To be honest I recommend reading all of Austen’s books because they are so good. Have you read this book? I’d love to know what you thought of it. I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

 

Pippa

 

 

 

5 Reasons To Read Jane Eyre

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Hi guys, I hope you are all well. Today I have a new 5 reasons to read style review and I figured I’d talk about one of my favourite books, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I’ve reread this book multiple times and decided to share my love with you guys. I know a lot of you may have already read this but I wanted to do this anyway.

 

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“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”

 

  1. It is well-known and well-loved for a reason. This book deserves it and definitely lives up to the hype surrounding it. It is one of my all time favourite classics and I would recommend it to everyone.
  2. Jane is a fantastic female protagonist. I love that she sticks to her beliefs and I love her development through the book. All of the characters are so well written.
  3. It is so well written and you can tell that each word is chosen for reason. She doesn’t waste any words and this results in an immersive reading experience. Bronte does a wonderful job at creating an atmosphere through her writing, which really lends itself to the story. Basically the writing is fantastic.
  4. Despite the length of this book and the fact that when you think about it not a lot happens in this book, the plot is still compelling. I think even in the slower moments, the writing and the characters really pull you through.
  5. Now I’m not particularly big on romance but I love the romance in this book. The relationship between Jane and Mr Rochester is just so good. They are both flawed people but I think they are so well matched and I enjoyed seeing how their relationship developed.

 

“Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilised by education: they grow there, firm as weeds among stones.”

 

As you may be able to tell I love this book so much and I thought it was about time to share my love with you guys :). It is one of the few books that I have multiple copies of… I think I only have two other books I have multiple copies of. Anyway have you guys read it? I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

 

Pippa

 

 

 

September Wrap Up and October TBR

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Hi guys it’s time to wrap up another month of reading. I thought I hadn’t read much this month but it turns out I still managed to read 5 books so I’m pretty happy with that. At one point I thought it was only going to be two books. Anyway I’ve read some great books this month – none of the books are rated under 3 stars. I’ve just not had a huge amount of motivation to read so I’m super happy with the 5 books I’ve read. Let’s get started with my mini reviews.

 

Queen of Fire / Raven Shadow trilogy – book 3 / Anthony Ryan / ★★★
This was a good conclusion to this trilogy, but I have to admit that the second and third book were a little disappointing when compared with the first book. This one was definitely an improvement from the second book though. Although overall I thought this was a compelling read, there were definitely times it dragged. I think the trilogy as a whole could probably have been shortened a bit. It was great to be back with these characters though. Overall I enjoyed this trilogy but for me the first book was the strongest. I can’t say for sure why the other books weren’t quite as compelling. I would still recommend checking these books out.

 

 

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Spellslinger / Spellslinger series – book 1 / Sebastien de Castell / ★★★.5
I thought this was a great introduction to this series. I definitely didn’t love it quite as much as the first book in his other series but it was still really good. The world of this book is an interesting and it’s well thought out too, as is the magic system. It’s also quite funny at times. The characters are fleshed out, the plot is compelling and the writing is easy to get into. I will definitely be checking out the second book in this series.

 

Blood of Dragons / Robin Hobb / ★★★★
It’s a Robin Hobb book so of course this was great. I thought this was such a good conclusion to this series and I think that each character thread was really well done. I was completely invested in the characters and we get to learn even more about the world too. Basically these are fantastic books and I highly recommend checking them out. I would say that this is probably the weakest of the Realm of the Elderling series so far but it is still great.

 

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Artemis / Andy Weir / ★★★★
*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
While I enjoyed Weir’s other book, I definitely didn’t love it quite as much as everyone else seemed to so I was interested to see he was releasing a new book. I thought this was such a great read.  This book is set to be released November 14th and I will have more to say closer to that release date.

 

Tess of the D’Ubervilles / Thomas Hardy / ★★★★
This was my classic pick of the month and it was pretty heartbreaking. As with the two other Hardy books I’ve read this was very well written and does a great job of transporting you into the landscape. It is also quite interesting as it really showcases the place women had in society at that time and the rigid morals applied to them. In that sense it is quite a frustrating read because we can’t understand why Tess does certain things but it was a very different time back then. It is a pretty depressing story, which will definitely not be to everyone’s tastes. This isn’t really a book you enjoy as it is a tragic tale but I think it is worth a read nonetheless.

 

I am also almost finished with The Loving Cup by Winston Graham, which is the 10th book in the Poldark series. In terms of my October TBR I’ve set myself a few books that I hope to get to. My classic pick for October is 1984 by George Orwell but I would also quite like to get to The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. The other books I would like to get to are Mistress of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts, The Power by Naomi Alderman, the Good People by Hannah Kent, Sovereign by C. J. Sansom and maybe The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin. I probably won’t get to all of those but I’m hoping it will happen anyway :). What was your favourite book this month? I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

 

Pippa

5 Reasons To Read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

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Hi guys, today I thought I would do another 5 reasons to read type review. I wanted to talk about one of my favourite classics, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. I read it a couple of years ago now and I loved it. It’s actually probably time for a reread. Anne is such an underrated Bronte sister so I wanted to share my love for this book. I also have the Penguin English Library edition which is stunning. Anyway let’s get started.

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  1. Helen is a fantastic main character, who is so well written. She is quite a guarded character but you can really sense an air of vulnerability from her throughout the book. I just think she’s quite an interesting person. The other characters are also well written.
  2. As with the other Bronte sister, Anne’s writing is fantastic. I found it easy to get into and so I think this could be a good place to start with the Bronte sisters or classics in general.
  3. The content for the plot is so progressive for the time and it’s also interesting to see what things were like at that time. I found the plot to be compelling throughout but I think that some may find the middle drags a little bit.
  4. If you enjoyed the works of the other Bronte sisters, than you need to check this book out too. Or if you just enjoy Victorian literature in general than I would recommend it.
  5. Although this was published in 1848 it was still accessible to modern readers. Personally I think it has aged very well and would recommend it to everyone who enjoys classics, especially people who prefer Victorian literature.

 

That is all I have to share with you for now :). As you can probably tell I loved this book and Anne’s other book Agnes Grey is also well worth a read. Have you read this book? What did you think? I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

 

Pippa

 

 

 

Mini Reviews: 3 Classics

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Hi guys, how are you? Today I have some mini reviews of 3 classics to share with you all.  On a completely different note I have my theory test next week and the anxiety is really starting to settle in now. I’ll just have to try my best and hope that is enough :). Anyway back to the point of this post.

 

Mayor of Casterbridge / Thomas Hardy / ★★★★
I decided to pick this one up after enjoying Far From the Madding Crowd, also by Hardy. This is another fantastic book by this author. I very much enjoy the writing style and the plot is engaging throughout, although perhaps a little slow at times. Hardy does have quite a descriptive writing style, so that is something to be aware of if that isn’t your thing – I personally like it. There is so many details in this book, and I think if I reread it I would pick up on more things. It is definitely not a very happy book but it is well worth a read.  The characters are so well written – their complexities make them fantastic character studies. Overall I enjoyed this book alot and I would highly recommend it. I hope to get to Tess of the D’Urbervilles this year.

 

The Ladies’ Paradise / Emile Zola / ★★★★
This is my second book by Zola and I will definitely be reading more, although it is probably more of a 3.5 star rating in retrospect.I think this is a really interesting book to read and it is set in an very interesting time. I have been interested in reading this ever since I saw the fairly loose BBC adaptation of it a while back. The characters are generally well written, although I think their development is sometimes sacrificed for the focus on the world. The different strands of the book are all engaging and Zola’s writing is great. Having said that the lengthy descriptions can make the book drag in places but do bear with it as it is well worth a read. Overall I definitely recommend this book and I am looking forward to trying out more from Zola. I currently have Germinal on my shelves waiting to be read.

 

Rebecca / Daphne du Maurier / ★★★.5 
I have to admit that I found this a little slow to start. The main character I found to be a little flat initially and I found the descriptive writing style a bit tricky to get into. Having said that, after around 100 pages I was invested in the book. I ended up quite enjoying the writing style and I thought the build up of suspense and mystery was done very well. I loved the mystery of it – the vagueness of it all keeps you guessing throughout the book. The characters turned out to all be interesting, in their own way – Rebecca is especially intriguing. I think my expectations of the book weren’t completely meet but I did still like it. Overall I very much enjoyed this and I am interested to try out more from this author

 

That’s all I have to share with you guys today. I hope to read more classics this year, so far I think I’ve only read two, but I’ve still got plenty of time :). Have you guys read any of these books? What did you think of it? I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

 

Pippa