Everything I read in January 2019
Here's everything I read in January 2019. I managed to read a lot more than I thought I'd be able to, January is a fairly busy month for me. There are many classics on this list, many I've been meaning to get to for a while and finally got round to doing so.
Agnes Grey, Anne Bronte: 5 Stars
This was my first read of 2019 and my first Anne Bronte novel. Previously to this, I had read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights by Anne's sisters and wanted to try Anne's work. I loved this book although I did find the protagonist hard going at times.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte: 5 Stars
This was my favourite of the two novels by Anne. It was so interesting to see a Victorian novel discussing the taboo of a wife leaving her husband and I rooted for Helen as she did whatever she could to protect her son.
The Professor, Charlotte Bronte: 3 Stars
It feels almost sacrilegious to give a Bronte book anything less than 4 stars however I did not enjoy this one. William Crimsworth as the protagonist is dull and the book dragged onto the weak ending. Jane Eyre is a much better book of Charlotte's, I will give still her other books a try.
To Defy a King, Elizabeth Chadwick: 3 Stars
I was fancying a change from the Classics binge I found myself on and decided to go back to one of my favourite genres: historical fiction. This was okay, it could easily have been 100 pages or so shorter. There were no characters in this book that I really connected, Mahelt felt a lifeless as a character and nothing memorable about her.
Bronte Poems: The Early work of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte: 4 Stars
Having never been a massive fan of poetry, having read the poetry of the Bronte sisters, I am more willing to give more poetry a go. Stand-out poems for me are "Plead for me" by Emily and "Passion" by Charlotte. Worth a read to get a deeper understanding of the Bronte's as their poems reflects the themes found in their novels.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy: 4 Stars
Mixed feelings with this one for a couple of reasons. The pacing was an issue as some parts of the novel dragged and cut of been cut down. My other issue is that I loved it despite of all the tragedy. Tess can't catch a break throughout the book, she is manipulated and abused by many of the other characters. You want to hate the book because of all the misfortune that befalls Jess yet you still enjoy the book somehow. I still find myself thinking about this book nearly a month later, it will haunt you with its misery.
The Wretched (Les Miserables), Victor Hugo: 5 Stars
After watching the BBC adaptation I decided to read this massive novel (1450 pages, my longest book to date). I enjoyed it immensely, if I had to pick a favourite character it would be Jean Valjean, he's such an interesting literary figure whose journey to become a better person is absolutely fascinating. Cosette was another fabulous character and, in my opinion, much better than her romantic interest, Marius, who was extremely irritating at times. My only criticism would be the frequent "ramble" chapters as I called them, one on the Parisian sewer system, another on the monastic system. These chapters affected the pacing of the novel, often happening after an exciting chapter and often lasting a good 30 pages or so. While they were interesting they could be cut in an abridged edition. An incredible novel and worth a read, just don't be put off by its size.
Supernatural Short Stories, Charles Dickens: 3 Stars
Least favourite Dickens work that I had read. Some of the stories did have some good supernatural elements, most of them just fell flat for me. None of the stories were particularly memorable so I'd pass on this one.
North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell: 4 Stars
Hard going at times, but overall enjoyable. This was my first Gaskell and I had some idea of the plot going into it, having seen a little of the BBC adaptation. Margaret was an alright protagonist, I felt for her as the events of the book unfold but she doesn't stand out amongst other Victorian heroines. The romance was alright in this one, a little frustrating at times and the book could have been wrapped up a lot sooner. An interesting look at the manufacturing town of Milton as an example of a Northern town during the Industrial period in comparison to the South.
The Mist in the Mirror, Susan Hill: 4 Stars
I love a good Susan Hill book. Admittedly, a little dry in places, but it still managed to creep me out in places. The ending does let this book down, it doesn't satisfy you very much as a way to end the novel although it does at least make sense. There's the classic Gothic atmosphere of Hill's ghost stories that sucks you in from the beginning that was perhaps more haunting than the plot itself.
The Foundling, Charlotte Bronte: 3 Stars
Written when Charlotte was only 17, there is the beginning of the elements of Charlotte's later works but on its own, it isn't that great. Interesting as a way to see the beginning of Charlotte's career as a novelist, it is otherwise not an easy book to recommend, I just found it hard to get into.
The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald: 4 Stars
To be honest, the first few times I read this book when I was 16 I hated it, I couldn't get into it at all. Nearly 6 years later, after watching the 2013 film, I found that I actually loved the book. Having read a lot more since my initial readings and once I'd watched the film, many parts of the books made more sense when I could actually see what was going on. I could appreciate Fitzgerald's writing a lot more and found my self immersed in the opulent 1920's high society. This is a good classic to start with as it is very short, although don't be disappointed if you don't "get it" the first time like me, sometimes it takes a few more goes.
Notre-Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Victor Hugo: 3 Stars
I really wanted to love this book, having really enjoyed "The Wretched" but I just couldn't. The only characters that I really connected with were Quasimodo and Esmeralda, everyone else I couldn't stand and many of the characters just weren't memorable. Many times I found myself lost as I tried to keep track of characters, they seemed to blend into one big blob. Again we had the "ramble" chapters although I didn't enjoy them as much this time, particularly the "Bird's Eye view of Paris" chapter. A disappointing read that I may need to try again one day.
Agnes Grey, Anne Bronte: 5 Stars
This was my first read of 2019 and my first Anne Bronte novel. Previously to this, I had read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights by Anne's sisters and wanted to try Anne's work. I loved this book although I did find the protagonist hard going at times.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte: 5 Stars
This was my favourite of the two novels by Anne. It was so interesting to see a Victorian novel discussing the taboo of a wife leaving her husband and I rooted for Helen as she did whatever she could to protect her son.
The Professor, Charlotte Bronte: 3 Stars
It feels almost sacrilegious to give a Bronte book anything less than 4 stars however I did not enjoy this one. William Crimsworth as the protagonist is dull and the book dragged onto the weak ending. Jane Eyre is a much better book of Charlotte's, I will give still her other books a try.
To Defy a King, Elizabeth Chadwick: 3 Stars
I was fancying a change from the Classics binge I found myself on and decided to go back to one of my favourite genres: historical fiction. This was okay, it could easily have been 100 pages or so shorter. There were no characters in this book that I really connected, Mahelt felt a lifeless as a character and nothing memorable about her.
Bronte Poems: The Early work of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte: 4 Stars
Having never been a massive fan of poetry, having read the poetry of the Bronte sisters, I am more willing to give more poetry a go. Stand-out poems for me are "Plead for me" by Emily and "Passion" by Charlotte. Worth a read to get a deeper understanding of the Bronte's as their poems reflects the themes found in their novels.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy: 4 Stars
Mixed feelings with this one for a couple of reasons. The pacing was an issue as some parts of the novel dragged and cut of been cut down. My other issue is that I loved it despite of all the tragedy. Tess can't catch a break throughout the book, she is manipulated and abused by many of the other characters. You want to hate the book because of all the misfortune that befalls Jess yet you still enjoy the book somehow. I still find myself thinking about this book nearly a month later, it will haunt you with its misery.
The Wretched (Les Miserables), Victor Hugo: 5 Stars
After watching the BBC adaptation I decided to read this massive novel (1450 pages, my longest book to date). I enjoyed it immensely, if I had to pick a favourite character it would be Jean Valjean, he's such an interesting literary figure whose journey to become a better person is absolutely fascinating. Cosette was another fabulous character and, in my opinion, much better than her romantic interest, Marius, who was extremely irritating at times. My only criticism would be the frequent "ramble" chapters as I called them, one on the Parisian sewer system, another on the monastic system. These chapters affected the pacing of the novel, often happening after an exciting chapter and often lasting a good 30 pages or so. While they were interesting they could be cut in an abridged edition. An incredible novel and worth a read, just don't be put off by its size.
Supernatural Short Stories, Charles Dickens: 3 Stars
Least favourite Dickens work that I had read. Some of the stories did have some good supernatural elements, most of them just fell flat for me. None of the stories were particularly memorable so I'd pass on this one.
North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell: 4 Stars
Hard going at times, but overall enjoyable. This was my first Gaskell and I had some idea of the plot going into it, having seen a little of the BBC adaptation. Margaret was an alright protagonist, I felt for her as the events of the book unfold but she doesn't stand out amongst other Victorian heroines. The romance was alright in this one, a little frustrating at times and the book could have been wrapped up a lot sooner. An interesting look at the manufacturing town of Milton as an example of a Northern town during the Industrial period in comparison to the South.
The Mist in the Mirror, Susan Hill: 4 Stars
I love a good Susan Hill book. Admittedly, a little dry in places, but it still managed to creep me out in places. The ending does let this book down, it doesn't satisfy you very much as a way to end the novel although it does at least make sense. There's the classic Gothic atmosphere of Hill's ghost stories that sucks you in from the beginning that was perhaps more haunting than the plot itself.
The Foundling, Charlotte Bronte: 3 Stars
Written when Charlotte was only 17, there is the beginning of the elements of Charlotte's later works but on its own, it isn't that great. Interesting as a way to see the beginning of Charlotte's career as a novelist, it is otherwise not an easy book to recommend, I just found it hard to get into.
The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald: 4 Stars
To be honest, the first few times I read this book when I was 16 I hated it, I couldn't get into it at all. Nearly 6 years later, after watching the 2013 film, I found that I actually loved the book. Having read a lot more since my initial readings and once I'd watched the film, many parts of the books made more sense when I could actually see what was going on. I could appreciate Fitzgerald's writing a lot more and found my self immersed in the opulent 1920's high society. This is a good classic to start with as it is very short, although don't be disappointed if you don't "get it" the first time like me, sometimes it takes a few more goes.
Notre-Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Victor Hugo: 3 Stars
I really wanted to love this book, having really enjoyed "The Wretched" but I just couldn't. The only characters that I really connected with were Quasimodo and Esmeralda, everyone else I couldn't stand and many of the characters just weren't memorable. Many times I found myself lost as I tried to keep track of characters, they seemed to blend into one big blob. Again we had the "ramble" chapters although I didn't enjoy them as much this time, particularly the "Bird's Eye view of Paris" chapter. A disappointing read that I may need to try again one day.
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