Skeletons and ladies
45. Derek Landy: Skulduggery Pleasant (review book)
This was a fast-paced entertaining adventure tale starring a 12-year-old kickass heroine and a stylish skeleton detective in a fight against evil. A bit clicheic, but a very nice read anyway.
46. Elizabeth Gaskell: Wives and Daughters
I finally managed to finish this book. It seems like I've been reading it forever (well, I read a couple of other books in between). This is not to say that I didn't like it, quite the opposite. The following might be a bit incoherent, since it's fairly late here, but I want to write it down now when it's still fairly fresh in my mind.
I found Gaskell's depiction of the Hollingford society and it's gossiping, class hierarchies and domestic happenings very interesting. I also liked her portrayal of the main characters, though Molly Gibson, the heroine of the book, was a bit too good and docile to be true. Still, I guess she was supposed to be representation of the Victorian domestic goddess type.
Mrs. Gibson pretensions to a higher status than she really has and her self-delusions and selfishness were occasionally very amusing, as were her ways of interpreting everything in a way that would benefit her. Cynthia Kirkpatrick was also a very interesting figure, because though she is a bit of a flirt and some of people look down on her behaviour, still she is always portrayed in a very sympathetic and understanding light. In the end, all of the characters seemed like distinct individuals with their own roles to play in the small town society.
The connections to 19th century scientific debate and journeys of exploration are skillfully embedded into the narrative through the character of Roger Hamley, and the more pastoral and poetic type of male characters on the other hand are portrayed through his brother Osborne Hamley.
I very much liked the book and will seek out more of Mrs. Gaskell's works. Next will probably be North and South. I'll also have to check out the Wives and Daughters miniseries, since I missed it when it was shown on local tv.
This was a fast-paced entertaining adventure tale starring a 12-year-old kickass heroine and a stylish skeleton detective in a fight against evil. A bit clicheic, but a very nice read anyway.
46. Elizabeth Gaskell: Wives and Daughters
I finally managed to finish this book. It seems like I've been reading it forever (well, I read a couple of other books in between). This is not to say that I didn't like it, quite the opposite. The following might be a bit incoherent, since it's fairly late here, but I want to write it down now when it's still fairly fresh in my mind.
I found Gaskell's depiction of the Hollingford society and it's gossiping, class hierarchies and domestic happenings very interesting. I also liked her portrayal of the main characters, though Molly Gibson, the heroine of the book, was a bit too good and docile to be true. Still, I guess she was supposed to be representation of the Victorian domestic goddess type.
Mrs. Gibson pretensions to a higher status than she really has and her self-delusions and selfishness were occasionally very amusing, as were her ways of interpreting everything in a way that would benefit her. Cynthia Kirkpatrick was also a very interesting figure, because though she is a bit of a flirt and some of people look down on her behaviour, still she is always portrayed in a very sympathetic and understanding light. In the end, all of the characters seemed like distinct individuals with their own roles to play in the small town society.
The connections to 19th century scientific debate and journeys of exploration are skillfully embedded into the narrative through the character of Roger Hamley, and the more pastoral and poetic type of male characters on the other hand are portrayed through his brother Osborne Hamley.
I very much liked the book and will seek out more of Mrs. Gaskell's works. Next will probably be North and South. I'll also have to check out the Wives and Daughters miniseries, since I missed it when it was shown on local tv.