Classics: A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol 
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Ebenezer Scrooge is unimpressed by Christmas. He has no time for festivities or goodwill toward his fellow men and is only interested in money. Then, on the night of Christmas Eve, his life is changed by a series of ghostly visitations that show him some bitter truths about his choices. A Christmas Carol is Dickens' most influential book and a funny, clever and hugely enjoyable story.

I loooveee Vintage classics, I'm slowly collecting the Russian Classics (which are seriously gorgeous, check them out!) and they always do such gorgeous editions and the brand new Dickens Vintage classics are completely wonderful to behold! Bright, colourful covers, and excellent cover illustrations! But not only that...they have sprayed edges too! I'm not sure about the other ones but A Christmas Carol in particular has black sprayed edges! There's also an iconic quote on the back! I seriously can't wait to collect the other Vintage Classics! 

Because A Christmas Carol isn't that long a book, this includes The Chimes and The Haunted Man too! A Christmas Carol is one of my favourite Dickens stories, and it's so Christmas appropriate, what could be more festive than ghosts terrorising an old rich man!? No but seriously, I do really love A Christmas Carol as a Christmas read and if you're looking for something festive to read, this is perfect because it's not too long either! 

I really do love Dickens writing, contrary to what you may already think, it's actually quite easy to read and isn't as heavy or difficult as you'd imagine! I love the imagery and turns of phrase he uses, and it's quite an atmospheric read. The Ghost of Christmas Future is....scarier than in any of the movie depictions! Although I'm talking about Mickey's Christmas Carol and Muppet Christmas Carol, the only two I've seen (I used to work at Disney, the songs/videos where played on a loop...it was hard not to absorb them!). 

A Christmas Carol is well written (obviously), atmospheric and vivid. It really paints a picture and you feel like you've time warped back. Dickens writing is witty, and it really does put you in the Christmas mood! It's also easy to sit and read in one sitting, and it's not a slog like some classics can tend to be. It being a short book, I'd recommend it not only for Christmas reading...but also for if you're after a taste of Dickens writing before diving in to one of the longer novels! 

As for this Vintage edition...what more can I say? It's got a gorgeous cover both inside and outside, an excellent choice of quote on the back, the paper is lovely quality and thick, and the sprayed edges are a nice touch! Another nice touch is the little "Ex Libris" page at the front! This edition is wonderfully laid out too, and the font's a nice size, which might be an odd thing for me to comment on...but I've read plenty of classics that have the font size reaaaallly tiny and it's kind of annoying! 

Review: Tales of Horror

Tales of Horror
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

A murderer is forced to reveal his crime by the sound of a beating heart, a mysterious figure wreaks havoc among a party of noblemen during the time of the plague, a grieving lover awakens to find himself clutching a box of his beloved blood-stained teeth, a man is obsessed with the fear of being buried alive – these are only some of the memorable characters and stories included in this volume, which exemplify Poe’s inventiveness and natural talent as a storyteller. 

I read a brilliant book called The Fall by Bethany Griffin, that's based on The Fall of the House of Usher, and ever since I've been itching to actually read the original House of Usher story, as well as the other stories by Poe! So I jumped at the chance to get to review this! For such a slim volume, there's a lot packed in here! The contents is as follows: 

Metzengerstein

MS Found in a Bottle

Berenice

Morella

Ligeia

The Devil in the Belfry

The Fall of the House of Usher

William Wilson

The Man of the Crowd

The Murders in the Rue Morgue

A Descent into the Maelström

Never Bet the Devil Your Head

Eleonora

The Masque of the Red Death

The Tell-Tale Heart

The Black Cat

The Pit and the Pendulum

A Tale of the Ragged Mountains

The Premature Burial

The Oblong Box

The Purloined Letter

Some Words with a Mummy

The Oval Portrait

The Imp of the Perverse

The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar

The Sphinx

Once again, the notes section in the back of Alma's editions where invaluable in understanding the text and offering tidbits of the time period and how things where then, more so than can be gleaned from the text itself! 

I looooveeee Poe's writing style. You can feel the unease radiating off the page. The shorter stories manage to draw you in with only a page or two, quite a feat in my opinion! They're lastingly creepy too, perhaps not overtly terrifying, but still sinister and creepy and a great read to send a shiver down your spine. These stories are atmospheric and vivid, I could clearly picture each of the settings and considering how short some of these stories are, it's impressive how much detail there is without bogging down the story. I'm not particularly terrified of anything that happens in these stories, but I still found myself in the characters shoes with goosebumps erupting all over my arms, and my skin practically crawling. I find all of the characters to be interesting whether good or bad or you know....really, really twisted. I'm always intrigued by their motivations.  

Out of all of the stories, along with The Fall of the House of Usher and Premature Burial (skin crawling goodness), I really enjoyed Murders in the Rue Morgue as when I started to read it, I recalled that I'd read a book that was based on it a while back! So it was intriguing to see the original! It was one of the longer ones, but it drew me in and while it didn't creep me out all that much, I enjoyed trying to puzzle out who the killer was and how it was done! The detective was very Holme's like! I also really enjoyed Masque of the Red Death and you know...Some Words With a Mummy because....Egypt and I love Egypt! 

Tales of Horror is a great collection of stories with interesting characters and various levels of creepiness. Even if you aren't scared of being buried alive, Premature Burial will freak you out. Words With a Mummy is oddly fascinating and The Murders in the Rue Morgue has a Holmes feel, but that's just me personally! 

Review: Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Bored on a hot afternoon, Alice, a bright and inquisitive child, follows a white rabbit down a rabbit-hole, and finds herself in Wonderland, a very odd place indeed. This unique story mixes satire and puzzles, comedy and anxiety, Mock Turtles and Gryphos to provide an astute description of the experience of childhood. 

Awkward confession time.....I haven't actually properly read Alice in Wonderland before, and I've never even looked at Through The Looking Glass before! I've read bits of Alice In Wonderland, and then I've read loads of books that are retellings or inspired by and obviously I've watched the animated Disney movie. But seriously. I've never properly read Alice in Wonderland! So I was quite excited to read both books! 

There are some really gorgeous illustrations in this edition, and I really enjoyed them paired with the story! I actually feel like I've read Alice so many times because of various retellings etc, there was something so familiar about the story! I enjoyed the writing style, the silliness to the story and the satirical elements to it. I also enjoyed the world and feeling like I was venturing through Wonderland with Alice. Alice however, I couldn't get along with. I'm not going to lie she kind of bugged me and I spent a lot of my time being annoyed at her, I'm not going to lie! 

I wouldn't say that Alice in Wonderland is a favourite classic of mine, but it was an interesting read and I'm pleased that I've finally read it properly! I also have to say, that the writing and language used in the book was very easy to read! I know some people struggle with classics because of the language  but this one was a breeze! 

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Review: The Little Prince

The Little Prince

Rating: 4/5

Buy or Borrow: Buy 

Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

When a pilot crash-lands in the Sahara Desert he meets a stranger - a little prince - who has arrived on Earth from an entirely different planet. By listening to the prince's stories and his questions about the world, it becomes clear to the pilot that truths about life can reveal themselves in the most unlikely of places. 

Somehow I've gone through my entire life without having read this classic...I don't even know how? What an epic fail! I know a lot of you guys love this book, so I was excited to finally read it and I managed to read it in one go and super fast because you know...not many pages! 

I loved this edition, the cover is completely gorgeous, and there are some brilliant illustrations throughout the book that are the originals, I'm fairly sure! I have to say, I really loved the dedication at the front of this book and I hardly ever read those! I enjoyed the storytelling style of the author, and it was a fun little story to read! I love how the author makes all these comments about how adults wouldn't understand because of this or that, and wouldn't understand in the same way a child does! I'm kind of really sad that I never read this as a child! 

The Little Prince is beautiful simple, and it has a fantastic message behind it! 

Review: A Hero Of Our Time

A Hero Of Our Time
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Borrow
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

On his travels through the wild mountainous terrain of the Caucasus, the narrator of A Hero of Our Time chances upon the veteran soldier and storyteller Maxim Maximych, who relates to him the dubious exploits of his former comrade Pechorin. Engaging in various acts of duelling, contraband, abduction and seduction, Pechorin, an archetypal Byronic anti-hero, combines cynicism and arrogance with melancholy and sensitivity.

Causing an uproar in Russia when it was first published in 1840, Lermontov’s brilliant, seminal study of contemporary society and the nihilistic aspect of Romanticism – accompanied here by the unfinished novel Princess Ligovskaya – remains compelling to this day. 

I've been meaning to read this one for a while, as I've heard from several people that it's very good. As I started to read this, I was starting to think that this would be another classic that I didn't love as much as everyone else. But then I hit a certain part of the book. That part would be Pechorin's journal. A Hero Of Our Time is like a lot of little stories within the main story. They're all linked and most of them show our main character from the outside, as it where. 

I was a bit eh, about the beginning of the book, I didn't truly get interested in this book until we reached the part that was told from Pechorin's journal. I was utterly fascinated with the character and this glimpse in to his mind. I found it intriguing to see how he operated, what he was thinking and feeling. What his motivations where. I mean, he's not the nicest person. I think it's supposed to be ironic or poking fun. But it was interesting to see how he ticked. Also, this part had a dodgy duel, which spiced things up a bit, and there was the whole thing with Mary which ya know...it was cruel of him and everything, but it was by far the part that was the most interesting. 

Strangely enough for the time period, it was actually quite easy to read prose/language wise, so the translation was very good. As well as having a stunning cover, this edition has the usual notes which made understanding the novel all the easier! It also had another story in the back and I'm not sure if it was originally published with Hero Of Our Time or if it was separate or added after or what, but it added some more background and linked really well to the main book! 

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Classics: The Island of Doctor Moreau

The Island of Doctor Moreau 
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Edward Prendick, the single survivor of a shipwreck, is rescued by a vessel carrying a menagerie of savage animals. Soon he finds himself stranded on an uncharted island in the Pacific with the strange vivisectionist Dr Moreau, whose experiments have led him to break the laws of nature, stitching together man and beast with horrific results.

Okay...nobody shout at me but this is the first H.G. Wells book that I've read and I completely loved it! I'm in love with the Pocket Penguin editions in general, and the notes for this edition of Moreau really helped when reading. They let you know what all the nautical terms where and met, and offered historical insight in to the novel and what may have influenced it as well as some critical reviews and what they made of certain parts of the book, which was just as interesting to read about as the book itself. 

I was hooked from the introduction of this book. It sent a shiver up the spine and immediately intrigued me and I was intrigued for the entirety of the book. Who is Moreau? Why did Montgomery have to leave? What exactly is going on with all these creatures?! I got a little bit of a Jurassic Park vibe, purely because you have an island filled with all of these creatures and the people in charge lose control. But in this case it's more animals reverting back to their original instincts, rather than getting free of their enclosures. 

I'm not a science person, I'm a history person, but even so I found the science to this book fascinating, especially with the notes that added some historical insight in to it all. I perhaps didn't understand all of the finer points in detail but I got the gist of it. I found the island to be a vivid creation, and the creatures really spring to life. The entire point of the book, the morality and ethicalness of it make you think, and it's cleverly done. Entertaining rather than a lecture. 

The book may be short, but it manages to explore a lot, genetics, religion, psychology, experimenting on animals, ethics and more. It's a read that definitely makes you think, and is brilliantly written. I hugely enjoyed it and found it a breeze of a read, oddly enough! It was also quite creepy at points! I'm thinking I need to read all of his other works sooner rather than later! I have been meaning to get to them, I swear! The Island of Doctor Moreau is an entertaining read, that you can read easily in one sitting, and that'll have you thinking about it long after you've put the book down! 

Classics: The Jungle Books

The Jungle Books
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher, Alma Books!

The adventures of Mowgli, the young man raised by wolves in the jungles of Central India, and his friends Baloo the bear, Bagheera the panther and Kaa the python, as they face the arch villain Shere Khan the tiger, have become so popular that they have achieved an almost mythical status throughout the world. They were collected by Kipling in The Jungle Book and its sequel, The Second Jungle Book, which also contain other stories set in India and prominently featuring animals, such as the well-known 'Rikki-Tikki-Tavi', which describes the struggles of a mongoose against venomous cobras. Here presented with brand-new illustrations by Ian Beck, these hugely popular tales, inspired by ancient fables and Kipling's own experiences in India, form a vivid account of the relationship between humans and nature, and will continue to inspire readers young and old.

I'm gonna straight up tell you all that the only thing I know about The Jungle Book is the Disney movie. Yep. I used to watch it as a kid, although it wasn't really my favourite. I've not actually read the book before this! The Jungle Books, being book one and book two, are made up of lots of short stories, with some interesting and adult themes to them. While it's a bit of a struggle in the beginning, the way Kipling writes about the animals and the animal behaviour is incredibly well done, he shows the savagery and the beauty. 

I liked how rich the writing was, there where songs and verses to go with the stories, giving details and context that you wouldn't otherwise know about! I really do think that this is one of those timeless classics because of the writing and the themes in the book. There's so much to enjoy in this book story-wise! It's fascinating to read and ends up hooking you in, and you can read one story here or there. 

Edition-wise, this book is very well laid out, each song or verse gets it own page, and each new story has a relevant and beautiful illustration at the top of the page, with a quote. But that's not all this edition has, this edition has a tonne of cool stuff at the back! There's notes about the text, extra material on the writer, the books and on the characters so you can get plenty more context and interesting little tidbits, and a glossary! But I think the thing young readers of this edition will enjoy most about the extra material is the quiz at the back! Let's be honest, we all love a good quiz! 

Not only are The Jungle Books full of colourful and brilliant stories to keep you entertained but this edition goes beyond that and rounds out the reading experience, while adding in some fun! 

2016 Classics Challenge: April

Hey guys! 
I'm another classic down, a lot sooner than usual as well! There's no video for this months, which sucks I know and it'll annoy me to be missing a month, but I should be back to normal soon and doing videos again! I think with this months classic it's safe to say I'm a Jane Austen fangirl! I've read Pride and Prejudice and Emma as part of this challenge and Persuasion when I was reviewing an edition of it, and I'm completely loving each one more than the other! I think Emma is now my favourite! I'll probably say the same each time I read a new Austen one that I haven't read before! 

"I always deserve the best treatment because I never put up with any other"

As you can see, I read Emma this month and I got on with it a lot better than when I first started this challenge. I loved Pride and Prejudice but I did struggle a bit with the writing and the way of speech, now, seeing as Emma is written by the same author, I'm going to assume that I got on better with this because I've not gotten used to the writing of the time! 

Emma is all about Emma Woodhouse, a single lady living with her fragile father, Emma see's no need for marriage or love as she's perfectly content with her life as it is. Emma does however, enjoy playing with the love lives of others, she's something of a match maker. When Emma decides to ignore the advice of her good friend Mr Knightley and attempt to matchmake her protegee Harriet Smith, things don't go according to plan and there are consequences that she never expected. 

When I Discovered This Classic 

I'm (as usual) not entirely sure, Pride and Prejudice is the Austen classic I knew about first, and I guess I found out about this at around the same time, probably when I was reading about the author herself perhaps? Or when I started collecting classics! 

Why I Chose To Read It 

I chose to read Emma because I'd just won a copy of it, and I wasn't too sure what classic to read next or what options to get you guys to vote on, so I thought....why not read another Austen?! It helps that it also sounds really fun, I mean....matchmaking and romance and how wrong it can go...what's not to like?! 

What Makes It A Classic

I'm inclined to say that it's an Austen book so of course it's a classic! But honestly, the writing, the romance, the wit all of it make it a classic. It explores relationships while being humorous, and giving us a brilliant romance. We have a flawed female lead, she's certainly not perfect and you see her come to some realisations and see her change over the course of the book. It's just brilliantly done. Then there's the whole matchmaking catastrophe trying to match people up who like other people and so on, and you can see that in contemporary books done in different ways, and I feel like that plot in Emma is the original as it where. 

What I Thought of This Classic

I have to say, I haven't disliked an Austen book so far and after reading Emma I'm reluctant to point one out as a favourite. Every time I read a different Austen book it's my new favourite so I've decided I'll no longer have a favourite! This book was a lot of fun for me, because I could tell or had suspicions about who really liked who and I found a lot of humour in the book. I loved Emma and Knightley's banter, and their scenes together, I actually loved them so much as a couple. I could understand his actions, but Emma had no idea, it was hilarious because she's supposed to be such a brilliant matchmaker! I liked Emma, she was flawed, and had some not very nice qualities like her snobbery for instance, but at the same time, she shows so much patience to her father when she's dealing with him, she's always cheerful and I think she means well. I think she just wants to make people happy by finding them their perfect other half she just doesn't always get it right or go about it the right way, but I don't think she genuinely means any harm. Besides she changes over the course of the book and you can see it at the end with the Martins and how her opinion has changed. I think what endeared her to me was how she kept digging herself a hole in some situations and making things worse, like with Harriet! 

It has to be said, Mrs Elton was such a cow, and her husband wasn't much better like way to be bitter dude. Mrs Elton was so genuinely vile though! As usual Austen gives us a great many characters, each intriguing and having a very strong personality. There's a lot of mystery in this book, like what is Frank Churchill up to with Emma? What is he hiding? What's going on with him and Jane? You can see which characters are clearly up to something but it's trying to work out what, I must admit I was surprised and hadn't been expecting some of the reveals! 

I should also mention the setting of this book because WHEEY SURREY! Some of you might recall me sharing photos from the top of a hill, and the guy buried upside down on it? That would be Box Hill which is mentioned a lot in this book, it's about a half hour 45 minute drive away from me and we go up there for dinner sometimes so I could so easily picture the hill at the time of the book and the events that happen on it! They also mention Kingston as a lot which is my hometown and technically classed as London rather than Surrey, but I enjoyed seeing a lot of places that are well known to me in the book, described as they must have been at the time! 

Will It Stay A Classic

I think it will, I think all Austen books will because she's such an icon in literature. Each of her books has something different to the others about it, a different kind of romance and memorable characters and each has inspired many contemporary romance books. With Emma in particular, I think once you read it once, you want to read it again to see what you missed and to read it knowing what's going to happen or rather what's really going on, so you'll read it again and again and recommend it to others. 

Who I'd Recommend It To

I would recommend this to romance lovers everywhere! Like I said, I feel like Austen's books are the originals and a lot of contemporary romances take aspects from her books and change them around or use them with other things, so I feel like reading Austen's books are a must. The language, the time period, the romance it all creates a great book. I'd also recommend it to wannabe classics readers because while the language takes some getting used to, I think Austen's books are a good classic to start with as there's romance, and Austen's wit makes for some humorous scenes. 

My Editions

Hmmm, I don't actually have that many editions of Emma, which is a first for me! 
I have the Penguin English Library Edition which is the one pictured! 
Andddd the Penguin Clothbound Edition! 
Aaaaaand the Word Cloud Classic edition! 
There's a couple of other editions of it that I actually need for my collection, thinking about it! 

Classics: The Woman in White

The Woman in White
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy Courtesy of the Publisher, Alma Classics! 

In love with the beautiful heiress Laura Fairlie, the impoverished art teacher Walter Hartright finds his romantic desires thwarted by her previous engagement to Sir Percival Glyde. But all is not as it seems with Sir Percival, as becomes clear when he arrives with his eccentric friend Count Fosco. The mystery and intrigue are further deepened by the ghostly appearances of a woman in white, apparently harbouring a secret that concerns Sir Percival’s past.

A tale of love, madness, deceit and redemption, boasting sublime Gothic settings and pulse-quickening suspense, The Woman in White was the first best-selling Victorian sensation novel, sparking off a huge trend in the fiction of the time with its compulsive, fascinating narrative.

I'm back with another beautiful cover and wonderfully presented edition from Alma Classics! I think the thing I like most about the covers for these books is that while they're simple...they're eye catching and beautiful and I can't stop staring at them. I'm not trying to work out how to get the marks from my grubby fingerprints off the cover! 

I was never too sure what The Woman In White was all about, I'm well aware that Dickens and Collins where buddies, and that sparked my curiosity, but whenever seeing the book mentioned I wasn't entirely sure of it's genre. I for some reason thought it was a ghost story, it's not! It's a very early thriller/suspense novel as you will be told by, well, anywhere. God knows how I came up with ghost story! 

I'm not going to lie, while looking at the portraits in the front of this edition...I think the author looks a tad bit creepy! It was nice to see his lady friends though, seeing as they're mentioned in another part of the edition a fair bit! I also know what his house looks like when I go blue plaque hunting! Assuming, that there is actually a blue plaque on his house! We shall see! I would also like to mention that his handwriting was downright atrocious and I feel for anyone who had to decipher it! 

This edition informs me that the story in this particular edition is based on the earliest version of the book, when it was serialised in Dickens' All The Year Round, and collated with editions up to 1861 to make sure it's all up to date, which explained why there are two different prefaces, both of which are very interesting! I enjoyed reading the authors reaction to people's reaction to the story and his characters and how it was originally serialised and so on! I find it all kind of fascinating, to see what the sentiments where on the book! 

I eagerly dove in to the story, and I have to say...this may just be one of my favourite classics! Don't get me wrong, there where a couple of bits where not much was going on in the beginning..but once things got going the sense of foreboding builds up and you get such a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach when you're reading and then things happen, and then you're right there with one of the narrators on his quest for justice! The book ends so satisfyingly as well. I fully blame Game of Thrones for my insistence that bad guys get what's coming to them! Or maybe I should blame other novels for making it so that I expect baddies to get their comeuppance! 

The thing that hooked me first, was Walters friend Pesca. Purely because he was so dramatic/theatrical and kind of hilarious! He had me chuckling quite a bit and I was actually sad he wasn't in the book more! So he hooked me in, and then we have The Woman in White make her first appearance and my brain was like OMG ghost, but it swiftly became apparent that I actually know nothing about this book, and my brain needed to pipe down with what it thought it knew! Immediately I was invested in the book. It was a little bit daunting because it's just shy of 600 pages, but I had so many questions from the start that I needed to have answered...who is this woman? What's going on? How did she escape? Why was she there in the first place? 

There's intrigue from the start, and I found the writing to be very compelling, especially as certain narratives left you with a sense of impending doom, shall we say. Some more than others, anyway! Certain parts of the book gave me a creepy feeling, and there was mystery all over the place, not surprising considering that this is considered to be one of the very first detective stories! 

You may have noticed that I said narratives, plural. Yep. There's multiple narratives and I wasn't sure why at first, but as the book goes on, you start to realise something very bad is going to happen and that these narratives written after the fact, most likely are evidence or something. We mostly have Walter's narrative, he tells the story in the beginning and then at the end in a couple of different parts. I actually liked Walter, I felt for the poor guy, and I liked that he ended up investigating everything himself, something which he may not have usually done. His determination was admirable, as was his intelligence and cunning at the end, I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for him to be outwitted, but nope! He got him in the end! His narrative wasn't all thrills all the time, in the beginning, after the encounter with WIW, it's all him teaching the ladies, and the romance developing and so on, his later narrative is more action packed, and I felt like his character was a lot less....what's the word...I'm not sure, I just felt like his character had improved from his time away! 

The next narrative we had was the Fairlie Lawyer, Vincent Gilmore....his was efficient and to the point and left us with the chilling sentence, "No daughter of mine should have been married to any man alive under such a settlement as I was compelled to make for Laura Fairlie"considering he repeated that.....oooomminouuuuusss! 

Next up we have Marian Halcombe's narrative, she is the half sister of Laura, her narrative is told through her diary and this is the narrative when things really start to happen. They take a rather chilling turn, and I was on the edge of my seat at multiple points. Things really started to go wrong and I was just as frustrated as Marian was, a lot of things where happening and I was like "oh no, not good....really not good" and I was just as in the dark as Marian herself! From this point...the plot thickens and the intricacies start to show themselves. 

Mr Fairlies narrative...dear lord. It was kind of funny to be honest, because his character is so ridiculous, or so I think. It was funny right up until the end when it got so foreboding. We then go to Eliza, the housekeeper at Blackwater's narrative. Hers was my least favourite I have to say, "my husband this" "my husband that", she went off on one once or twice and kept quoting the Bible and so  on. I kinda didn't like her because she defended Fosco and the characters clearly up to no good as well, but she did take a stand against Percival and she stuck with Marian and Laura. She also left us with an even more ominous feeling. I didn't trust the narrative of Fosco's cook at all. At this point my brain was reverting back to history classes and assessing the narratives as if they where sources, working out which where reliable and which where not, and why and so on. Mostly because at this point it became obvious that they where related to some sort of legal thing, whether a trial or something else. Fosco's narrative? Just as infuriating and flamboyant as the man himself. 

There are a couple of other narratives but spoilers! Plus they where totally reliable. So as you see we have a fair few narratives, and I loved the changes between them, each narrative handed off to the next narrator perfectly, at the right time! The story was continued when another character had left the situation, or gaps where filled in where one narrator didn't know something and so on. It created the story fantastically, as well as building up the suspense and the intrigue and at times confusing you as much as the characters so you weren't entirely sure what, exactly, had gone on! 

I liked that each narrative had a very distinct voice that stuck out from the others. Fosco for example, had a very flamboyant way of narrating. Marian was intelligent and logical but hampered by being female, Walter could do what she could not in a lot of cases, and was just as intelligent. You got a feel for the character and what they where like through their narrative, as well as through the eyes of the others. 

As you can probably guess, we have a fantastic cast of characters and each of them is quite lively! I will admit, I enjoyed reading about all of the characters...including the bad ones! They where all just written so well, and even the ones you hated you had to admit...they where brilliantly written. 

I liked Laura and I had the most horrible feeling that something bad was going to happen to her that just got worse and worse over the course of the book, mostly because Percival was so freaking shady! I was mentally shouting at her not to do it, because I figured I knew what he was going to do. I mean...I wasn't far off, but I was still surprised! I was hoping for a happy ending for her, and not entirely sure she'd get it! Although, I didn't really understand her logic with the whole engagement thing. 

Marian was one of my favourite characters, I loved her! She was a female, but she was a lot more outspoken than most females of the time. I loved reading about her stating her opinions and chattering to Walter or other characters. She was so fiercely intelligent and brave, and determined to save her sister no matter what. She was quite the detective herself, actually! 

I need to mention Mr. Fairlie because....what even?! He has to be read to be believed. I still can't quite decide if he's just over dramatic or incredibly weird. He's very selfish though, and I rolled my eyes so many times whenever he was in a scene, and half the time had to laugh at his ridiculousness. I'm surprised no-one had bumped him off. 

On to Sir Percival Glyde, the shadiest of the shady. I knew he was shady as soon as the dog growled at him and wouldn't go near him. I don't trust anyone that a dog doesn't like. I really didn't like him at all, he was so slimy, and has his whole gentlemanly facade up to get what he wanted. There was something not right about him and then his true colours are revealed, and what a bad guy. I really thought he was an incredibly terrible baddie until it became evident he was actually kind of pathetic and a little bit stupid. 

Fosco, clearly the brains behind everything. Constantly having to reign in Percival. I wasn't sure of him at first, he knows how to talk his way around things, he's super intelligent and even I was a bit taken in by him at first. I mean...he was doing all those nice things...his true nature is revealed more and more as it is to the narrators, and he is SUCH a nasty piece of work. 

Like I said, the sense of foreboding builds more and more as you read, and the book gets more and more chilling. As you're reading each new narrative, you're making more and more connections and putting the pieces together, but still missing a few. I actually found the book scary at one point, because I started to think about being a woman in that time period, and everything that would have entailed, and reading about what happened to Laura..I mean..I wouldn't be entirely surprised if similar circumstances had actually happened in the past. Women where so powerless in that time, it's scary. Anyway, I had a few ideas of what was going to happen, but the closest I came to being right was to only being half right! I ended up being surprised so many times, except with Anne! 

The thing that strikes me about the book, is that usually this time period is really romanticised, and I'm not entirely sure why. When you read other books such as Austen and it's all romance and everything is great and okay maybe you might be inclined to romanticise the time period. But then if you read a book like this...hell no. You have a woman who has to marry a man over 20 years older than her, who in order to marry him has to agree to his terms which means leaving her money to him when she dies instead of who she wanted because her Uncle said so. You then see how she's treated by said husband, how she and Marian are thwarted at every turn in getting the help they seek. I felt so frustrated on their behalf because there where a lot of things they couldn't do, and more things they couldn't do because they where female, and he was SIR Percival. Honestly, it makes me think that I am SO GLAD I didn't live in that time! 

Once again Alma have saved me, and made reading a classic super easy! The notes on the text are a GODSEND. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure I would have understood a lot of it without the notes, but with the notes, I felt like I could fully comprehend everything that was being said or implied. I got the references and so on. I feel like if I hadn't had the notes to help me understand some of the phrases and references, I would have stumbled through some of it missing the point! I mean....how am I supposed to know about bathing machines or what exactly bills at three months means?! Thank you Alma! 

I particularly enjoyed reading all of the information on the author at the back of the book. I knew even less about this author than I did about Austen or Bronte! All I knew was that he was friends with Dickens because I'd stumbled across a book called Drood! This edition provides you with all the information you could want on the guy, and he was certainly unusual. His situation with his lady friends in particular! I wouldn't be pleased if I was Martha! I also winced and was glad I was eating while reading about his illness and his "agonised shrieks" *shudder* 

I also loved the section on his works, that summarised each novel of his! I enjoyed this one so much that I'm thinking I should probably check out The Moonstone next! Although, I ended up totally spoiling The Woman In White for myself. It was like 1am, and I'd been reading it and reading it and finally managed to tear myself away and was kind of absent-mindedly browsing the back of the book, and then ya know...accidentally read the synopsis for The Woman in White and found out what was going to happen. I mean..maybe it was a win because instead of picking it back up like I was debating, I did the right thing and went to sleep, safe in the knowledge that justice would be served! Although, when I read the rest of the book I was kinda like....but whyyyyy did they get off so easy! No-one ever found out about "Sir" Percival and his little secret! 

The Woman in White is a fantastically gripping story, that pulls you in with the growing sense of foreboding and the narrative style. The plot is incredibly intricate, and very well thought out and executed on the authors part! I enjoyed reading about the characters both good and bad, and ya know..ridiculous in one case! Despite being an intimidating near 600 pages...you forget about all of that as you're reading and working out what's actually going on, and trying to guess what will happen next. This edition makes the book easy to read, and easy to understand the context of the book and the time it was written, as well as allowing you to get to know the author of the book a little better too! 

2016 Classics Challenge: March

Hey guys! 
It's time for the Classics Challenge again! I read this months classic fairly early on, and it's the fastest I've ever read a classic! I literally read it in two sitings! I wasn't too sure in the beginning, but once it got going, I was hooked! 
I've actually read more than one classic this month, as I got to review two completely gorgeous editions of Persuasion and The Woman in White! I'm clearly on a roll! As usual, we'll have the Q&A section, followed by my video with my thoughts on the book! 

"They've done it before and they'll do it again and when they do it - seems that only children weep"

So as you can see, this month I read To Kill A Mockingbird, and I got on really well with it, partly because the writing was more modern, but also because it really hooked me with the whole Boo Radley thing, followed by the trial and so on! 

To Kill A Mockingbird is narrated from Scout's point of view, set in the South in the 1930's. In the book we see Scout and her brother Jem become fascinated with the mysterious Book Radley, and determine to get to see him, along with their friend Dill who comes to town every Summer. But as one Summer begins, so does a trial that will have a big impact on Scout and Jem. Their father Atticus is to defend a black man, in actual fact the real Mockingbird of the book, charged with attacking a white girl. A case that would have been familiar in the time period. 

When I Discovered This Classic

I'm not entirely sure how I discovered this, it's just kind of always been there, as one of the big classics. I'm going to assume I came across it through another book perhaps, or film or TV, or just hearing someone talk about it. Or possibly at school, a teacher may have mentioned it in passing or it could have been on the wall. Our classroom used to have a huge poster with classics all over it. We never did this book at school, but I really think we should have! 

Why I Chose To Read It 

I chose to read it because I always feel like I should have read it long ago. I really do think we should have read this book at school and I'm kind of disappointed we didn't. It's always been on my list of books that I've wanted to read, and I just never got around to it, then I bought it a few years ago determined to read it...and still never got around to it. Then you guys voted for me to read it next and here we are! It's always intrigued me, as everyone speaks so highly of it and now I see why! 

What Makes It A Classic 

The message behind the book, simply. While this is a coming of age novel, in part, it's mostly a book that brings to life a very horrific time period in the South. History is brought to garish light, and is so incredibly real as you're reading it. The message of this book is a warning about prejudice. It shows how nasty people can be when prejudice is involved, and what the consequences of it are. This book shows you all that's wrong with race and class, and warns you against it. The most startling point of the book is that kids can see all that's wrong with this behaviour when the adults can't. It's a very powerful message. There was also some intense hypocrisy in this book at one point that kind of makes you shake your head, as it's so typical of behaviour. 

What also makes this a classic, I think, is that sadly this book teaches us a lesson that is still relevant today. In this day and age. 

What I Thought Of This Classic

Will It Stay A Classic

Undoubtedly. Unfortunately, there are always people who are racist and prejudice to other people, so this book and it's lesson will always be relevant, which is sad, and I do hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it. Especially watching the news these days, I'd love for things to change, but we have a long way to go. 

Who I'd Recommend It To

I nearly said something rude, but I thought I'd best not. In more polite terms, perhaps people who can benefit from reading this book. People who are interested in the history of the time period, people who, like me, haven't read a kids book in ages and fancy reading a book narrated from the view point of a child, but still want to read an adult book, if that makes sense? Definitely teenagers! 

For Those Asking...

I mentioned in my TBR video that I wouldn't be reading Go Set A Watchman, and a few of you where wondering why. Well, I read a lot of articles about the book and how it's publication came about, and I just feel like Harper Lee may have been taken advantage of, and I'm not sure how I feel about the book!