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Monday 30 January 2012

Two Books Down..

... And a ridiculous amount still to go! I haven't ploughed through as many books as I wanted to with this resolution; although I'm disappointed with the number of books still left in my pile, I'm just going to continue reading as much as I can once I go back to work, and hopefully I should be able to get through them in a reasonable time.


Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
I am ashamed to admit that, other than A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations is the first Dickens novel I've ever read. I know a few people who really do not like him and I think I must have just been put off by their opinions, which is a shame because I now wish I'd read something of his a lot sooner.

I loved this novel. I love Dickens' writing style and turns of phrase, and the idiosyncratic names he gives to his characters are phonetically quirky and entertaining. The story itself was a good read, full of drama, good times and bad times; I realise now there is a good reason for this book being a classic!



Vanity Fair by William Thackeray
Another classic that I really enjoyed. I have to admit, I was put off by the size of the book as it's a pretty hefty tome (although my edition did have lots of appendices and notes), so I decided to get it out of the way before I went back to work, knowing it would take me even longer after that.

The novel really drew me in, and all of the characters were very engaging even if they were not all likeable. I liked the way the novel poked fun at society of the time; and the fact that it seemed not to be judging Becky Sharp in as moralistic a manner as other books of the time might have, but more watching her evil scheming with one amused eyebrow raised. The book dragged a little towards the end, but I think that was more my own impatience to find out what happened to all of the characters. For the most part, it didn't feel as long as it actually was, and I managed to get through it with enthusiasm. In fact, the only downside with the book being so long was that, immersed for so long in the language of that period, I now find myself thinking in old-fashioned speech patterns - I have the same problem when I read Jane Austen novels too...




I still have 9 books left on my list to get through; the list itself has changed slightly from the one shown in my initial post (linked above). I found a few books on my parents' shelves I wanted to add, and I'm giving up on A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth because it's just too, too massive. Also (idiot admission coming up) I realised there's no point in starting War and Peace, because the stupid girl (me) who bought it at the carboot sale failed to realise the spine clearly says "Part 1".. And I don't have Part 2. I did wonder why it was so small, I guess I just thought the print was super-tiny...

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