When poking about for information about the author of the celebrated children's book Heidi, I found references to an interesting work by the same author- "A Note on Vrony's Grave", which deals with the unusual topic of domestic violence ( Read more... )

I picked up the Puffin Classics version of Little Women recently. There is a line in Ch. 37 that reads, "The set in which they found themselves was composed of English, and Amy was compelled to walk decorously through a cotillion, feeling all the while as if she could dance the tarantella with relish ( Read more... )

Hi all. I've been trying to read Crime and Punishment, and suffice to to say it isn't going very well. I wonder if the problem may be my translation. Can anybody recommend some English translations of Crime and Punishment that they found particularly well done?

For the summer, I plan on reading a few more of the classics. However, I can't decide which ones. I'm hoping you guys will help me out with that. I tend to like Greek mythology/epics/etc, anything that is at least a little dark and twisted and reinvented/reimagined ideas on religion. But I have fairly diverse tastes when it comes to my preferred ( Read more... )

I've noticed that a vast majority of Jane Austen fans claim Persuasion to be their favourite novel of hers. I keep wondering why this is. I've read five of her novels and personally, I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice the most because it was the most humorous and witty, had a fast-paced plot with lots of conflict and tension as well as the most piquant ( Read more... )

I can't decide whether or not I liked it or hated it.

I loved the writing, but I hated the content and I hated Stephen even more.

Am I the only one who felt that way about this book?

( comment at my journal, please! )

I just finished reading Emma by Jane Austen.

I absolutely loved it, and I was wondering what other people thought.

( Please follow the link to comment! )

I just finished reading Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita and I absolutely loved it. I went on Amazon and read many of the reviews and I was sad to see that so many people were disappointed with it. I'll admit that I found the ending a little anti-climactic, but the rest of the story was so phenomenal I can't bring myself to think any less of it.

I'm ( Read more... )

The only novel of hers that I have actually read has been Pride & Prejudice. I admit that I was less than enthralled by it. The secondary characters are my only real reason for entertaining the idea of reading it more than one time ( Read more... )

I'm having difficulties making much headway in A Tale of Two Cities and I've had it for almost two months now. I'm a little over 100 pages in, but I find the plot seemingly a bit dull. I love Dickens' prose and whatnot, but the story isn't grabbing me to the point where I must know what is going on and read if it means sacrificing sleep to do so. I ( Read more... )