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Category Archives: Realism
Poverty and money, men and women, limited-options and Victorian-era spinsterhood: The Odd Women is a thought-provoking, character-driven novel that explores what happens when women lack opportunities for independence
The Odd Women by George Gissing is a late Victorian novel that explores the personal and social implications of a surplus of spinsters. It follows the struggles, fortunes and (limited) choices of the three Madden sisters, whose father’s sudden death … Continue reading
Posted in 18th Century, British, Classic, Fiction, General adult audience, Novel, Realism, Social Novel, Victorian
Tagged singleness, wealth
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Light a Single Candle by Beverley Butler
Light A Single Candle by Beverley Butler is a great book written in the early 60s that I discovered in high school. Cathy Wheeler becomes completely blind in her early teens when surgery to treat glaucoma goes seriously wrong. As … Continue reading
Posted in 11 years and up, 20th Century YA, American, Coming of Age/Rites of Passage, Light Fiction, Novel, YA Realism, Young Adult
Tagged 1960s, 20th Century, American, animals, blindness, coming-of-age, disability, dogs, fiction, guide dogs, high school, instituationalisation, society, young adult
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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 19th Century, British, character-driven, classic, domestic realism, drama, exam period friendly, fiction, injustice, realism, servants, single mothers, society, women
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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 character-driven, classic, drama, ethics, exam period friendly, fiction, grace, Murder, philosophy, poverty, psychological, relationships, Russian, society, St Petersburg, worldview
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Miserable, Not Romantic: The Happy Ever After of Marrying a Scoundrel Explored in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë is a book about what happens if you actually marry Mr Rochester or Mr Willoughby. Helen marries a careless but charismatic man and finds that her influence quickly wanes after their marriage. … Continue reading
Posted in British, Classic, Diarial, General adult audience, Novel, Pastoral novel, Realism, Romance, Social Novel, Victorian
Tagged 19th Century, British, Brontë sisters, classic, divorce, domestic abuse, drama, ethics, fiction, grace, relationships, substance abuse
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All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
All Quiet on the Western Front provides a great insightinto the human cost of World War I as it portrays a generation of men whose formative years are spent in the trenches. Remarque weaves narrative together with reflections on the … Continue reading
Posted in 20th Century Classics, Fiction, General adult audience, Novel, Realism, War Story
Tagged 20th Century, classic, fiction, German, war novel, wartime, WWI
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