Tag Archives: exam period friendly

Spending time with a delightful dead guy: The Essays of Elia by Charles Lamb

I was curious about Charles Lamb after references to him in Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and I was surprised at how enjoyable The Essays of Elia and The Last Essays of Elia actually were. Published in magazines … Continue reading

Posted in 18th Century, Arts Criticism, Biography/Autobiography, Essays, General adult audience, Miscellaneous Non-Fiction, Social Commentary/Analysis, Travel and Geography Non-Fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The 100/500/100 Victorian Novel

While there are exceptions to the rule, I think I’ve decided that a typical Victorian novel consists of 100 pages of boring, followed by 500 pages of sedately interesting, before reaching a final 100 pages of completely riveting. While the … Continue reading

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A Victorian novel about decision paralysis: Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope

Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope has a name that is a bit off-putting. It suggests an obnoxious main character who will be hard to sympathise with. I didn’t find this to be the case. The main character, Alice … Continue reading

Posted in Classic, General adult audience, Novel, Novel of Manners, Romance, Social Novel, Victorian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Letters from England by Karel Čapek

Letters from England by Karel Čapek is a book I picked up for $5 in New Zealand, one of those high points of secondhand-bookshopping. As suggested by the title, it’s a collection of letters from the Czech author’s travels in … Continue reading

Posted in 20th Century, Biography/Autobiography, General adult audience, Letters, Social Commentary/Analysis, Travel and Geography Non-Fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Country Gentleman and His Family by Margaret Oliphant

A Country Gentleman and His Family by Margaret Oliphant is surprisingly well written. Mrs Oliphant was a Victorian authoress who wrote novels to support herself and several dependents so was prolific but variable in quality. This book had skillful characterisation … Continue reading

Posted in British, Classic, Family Drama, General adult audience, Novel of Manners, Pastoral novel, Romance, Social Novel, Victorian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Esther Waters by George Moore

Esther Waters by George Moore strives for realism as it portrays the choices and struggles of Esther, a house servant, as she seeks to provide for her illegitimate son. Esther herself is a strong character but by no means flawless. … Continue reading

Posted in Classic, General adult audience, Novel, Realism, Social Novel, Victorian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoevsky

Before I read Crime and Punishment all that I had heard about Feodor Dostoevsky was that he was a Russian author and, whereas Tolstoy understood legalism, Dostoevsky understood grace. I’ve since found out that he is also considered one of the greatest … Continue reading

Posted in 18th Century, Classic, Crime fiction, General adult audience, Realism, Russian, Social Novel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas

The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas is a tale of two tulip-fanciers – Dutchmen obsessed with growing (or stealing) a 100 000 guilder-winning black tulip. Set against the backdrop of post-Reformation Holland, the story is a mix of historical novel, … Continue reading

Posted in Classic, French, General adult audience, Historical Fiction, Melodrama, Romance, Victorian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment