Tag Archives: classics

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

 

 

Author Exploration: The Bronte Sisters

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Hi guys I hope you are all well. It is time for another author exploration post. Today I thought I would share my thoughts on the works of the Bronte sisters. I have read the majority of their books, I think, but I have read no poetry by any of the sisters. You probably all know of the Bronte sisters but if you don’t they comprise of three British sisters. The eldest was Charlotte Bronte, then Emily Bronte and the youngest was Anne Bronte. They lived during the 1800’s and between the three of them wrote 8 books (correct me if I’m wrong). I am a big fan of the sisters so I thought they would be perfect to be the topic of this author exploration. Let’s get started.
Charlotte Bronte:
  • Jane Eyre  ★★★★★ – first published 1847 – I have mentioned my love for this book before so I am going to keep this short :). It is one of my all time favourite classics. Jane is one of the all time favourite characters – her strength, her serenity, her intelligence and the journey of her growth is just a pleasure to read. The writing is wonderful. I think some would find the pacing a bit slow at times, but I personally never had this issue. For me it is engaging throughout and even when the pacing is slow the writing itself will keep you engaged. I also highly recommend the BBC TV adaptation starring Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson – it is so good. I personally think this is the best place to start, if you are new to Charlotte or the sisters as a whole.
  • Shirley  ★★★.5 – first published 1849 – I found this one hard to rate as I appreciated the book more than I actually enjoyed it. It is a pretty dense read. The feminism in this book is a pleasure to read but the lack of a driving plot meant that it does drag abit. I had to push myself to read it as time because of it. It is a slow read, but it is well worth the time for the themes present.
  • Villette ★★★.5 – first published 1853 – Again this was a bit mixed for me. You can clearly see her skill as a writer, but something about this just didn’t quite work for me. Don’t get me wrong I did enjoy it, but not as much as Jane Eyre. Lucy Snowe is quite an intriguing character, but I didn’t really care about any of the other characters. It is quite dense and slow moving but nothing that you can’t get into within a few chapters. To me it felt abit inconsistent – which is interesting as this book is based around her own experiences so perhaps she had difficulty melding fiction with reality. The characters also seemed quite inconsistent at times as well. I found it to be a bit confusing at times, and it took me a while to get into it. Overall I enjoyed this but I also had a few issues with it.
  • The Professor – first published 1857 – unread
  • Emma – first published 1860 – unread

 

Anne Bronte:
  • Agnes Grey ★★★★ – first published in 1847 – In my opinion this is an underrated classic. The story is straightforward and engaging.  The writing is wonderful, the characters are well written and Agnes is a great female protagonist. This book also touches on some interesting themes and I think this is a great place to start with classics or if you are new to the Bronte sisters.
  • The Tenant of Wildfell Hall ★★★★★ – first published in 1848 – I think Anne is so underrated compared to her sisters. This book is definitely up there with Jane Eyre as one of my favourite classics – it may be my favourite book by all the Bronte sisters. The writing is phenomenal and the issues raised are so progressive for the time ( feminism, alcoholism, abuse). As I mentioned the writing is wonderful but it is also easy to read and it is engaging throughout.  Helen is an amazing female protagonist. I think this is a timeless piece of literature and I would highly recommend it, especially if you are a fan of classics in general.

 

Emily Bronte:

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  • Wuthering Heights ★★★★ – first published in 1847 – This book is definitely one that you will either love or hate. You won’t like any of the characters, especially the two main characters, but I think that showcases Emily’s skill at creating screwed up characters. It is a great look into human nature. So if you are the type of reader who doesn’t enjoy reading about unlikeable characters then this really is not the book for you and I would avoid it at all costs. However if you can appreciate unlikeable characters, than you need to check this book out. The setting of this books is one of my favourite things about it – I love the wilderness of the moors and it is a perfect backdrop to the story. However it did take me a little while to get fully engaged with the plot, so definitely try to make it past the first 100 pages or so.
I think it is safe to say I am a big fan of the Bronte sisters and I look forward to completing all of their books in the future :). Jane Eyre and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall are definitely my two favourite books by these three authors. Let me know your thoughts on the sisters – what is your favourite book by them? I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

 

Pippa

 

 

5 Reasons to Read Pride and Prejudice

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Now I am sure you have all at least heard of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen but as it is one of my favourite classics and is a close tie with Persuasion as my favourite Austen book so I thought I would do a bit of a review. I thought I would give you 5 reasons to read this book.

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  1. It is a great entry level classic. You don’t need a lot of experience of classics to love this book. In my opinion it is very accessible and after a few chapters you should get into the flow of the writing. If you do have trouble you can maybe try watching the 1995 BBC adaptation at the same time and see if that helps.
  2. It is full of humour and wit. When I first read it, I never expected the humour within this book and so was pleasantly surprised by it. I especially loved the sarcastic wit of Mr Bennet.
  3. The relationship between the sisters, mainly between Jane and Lizzie, is absolutely wonderful. It is great to see such a close female friendship and I love their relationship. I think Austen writes family dynamics very well – I love the Bennet family so much.
  4. This is a fantastic read, even if you are not a big romance reader. Yes the main plot point of this book is the romance, but there is so much more to this book. There are interesting character studies, wit, humour, social commentary etc.
  5. It is a beloved classic for a reason. The writing, plot, characters etc are all done incredibly well. It is engaging throughout the book and I think the characters are absolutely brilliant.
There are 5 reasons to read one of my all time favourite classics, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I think the majority of people have read this book, but maybe I can persuade the few who haven’t that it’s worth a go. Let me know if you’ve read it and your thoughts. I hope you are all having a great day and I will see you next time. Happy reading 🙂

 

Pippa

 

 

Mini Reviews: 3 classics

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Good morning. Today as the title suggests I have 3 mini reviews of some classics. I am trying to read more classics this year so I thought I would share some classics love with these reviews.  I’m doing pretty well so far this year – I have been reading a classic a month. I have really been enjoying classics so I thought I’d share some of my thought of them with you. Onto the reviews :).

 

 

Far From the Madding Crowd / Thomas Hardy ★★★★
First published in 1874, this follows Bathsheba Everdeen who inherits a large farm and attracts the attention of three different men. I read this last year and was my first experience of Thomas Hardy – it won’t be my last. The descriptive writing style creates an amazing rural backdrop to the events of the book, but I didn’t find it overly descriptive. Hardy crafts complex and flawed characters that are a pleasure to read about, although I did question Bathsheba decisions at some points during the book. However it is also very interesting, as her position in society as a woman is precarious, especially since she has some power. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I will definitely be checking out more by Thomas Hardy in the future.

 

Cranford / Elizabeth Gaskell ★★★★
This is a short book which is more a series of episodes, than a linear narrative, although there are plot points that run throughout the book. For this reason I think it would be a great place to start if you are new to Gaskell, or classics in general. Although I didn’t realise that going in so it took me a little while to get into the flow of the story, but I ended up really enjoying the meandering plot (realistically it doesn’t have much of a plot) and underlying themes. What really makes this book are the characters –  as I mentioned there is not much of a plot, but the character studies within the book are a pleasure to read. So if you like very character driven stories with meandering plot than I highly recommend this book, whether you’ve read Gaskell before or not.

 

The Great Gatsby / F. Scott Fitzgerald ★★★
Really more of a 2.5 star rating to be honest. To me this is a very overhyped book. I just didn’t really get it – I found it to be really quite underwhelming. The characters were all abit flat to me, as well as being generally unlikable (mainly Nick) and I didn’t particularly care about them. Even though it is a short book I still had to push myself to get through it. There is nothing particularly bad about this book, I was just very underwhelmed and it was kind of dull. Don’t get me wrong, you can’t deny that Fitzgerald is a great writer, but other than that this book fell flat for me.  I didn’t care about the romance or Gatsby or any of the characters really and Daisy is an extremely frustrating representation of a woman – I swear at one point she sobs at some shirts. To me the characters felt shallow, flat and meaningless. I really don’t see why this is so loved, but that is just personal preference. I would still recommend giving it a read though, as I am in the minority. I do love this edition though.

 

Let me know what your thoughts were on any of these books and I am always open to classics recommendation. I hope you are all having a great day.

 

See you next time

 

Pippa