A Cup of Tea & Biscuits

One of the earliest works of detective fiction, The Woman in White is an epistolary novel set in the late mid-19th century, written by Wilkie Collins , a man who is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. This is definitely literature, the sleuthing and legal mind at its best. The foreword/preamble to the book sets the tone and pace of the novel, which essentially is a collection of statements of the various important people that figure in it. Much like a trial scene where each witness provides his side of the story, in facts. Walter Hartright, a twenty-something drawing master, receives an offer of employment, to teach drawing to two young ladies that reside in Limmeridge House. As he bids his family farewell and sets off to fulfill his commission, he meets a lady dressed in white. He doesn't realize until later that she was an escapee from a private asylum but thinks nothing of it as he settles in to his role as tutor. His employer, Mr. Fredrick Fairlie, is a middle aged man w...

Day 6:   A Book that Makes Me Sad It took me a while to think through which book might possibly qualify as one that makes me sad.  Villette by Charlotte  Brontë wasn't foremost on my mind, but it does make for this category. Lucy, though not my favorite protagonist, is one to be reckoned with. The themes of the book, the loneliness, repression, and the intense feminist theme that's familiarly Miss  Brontë, keep you glued to the pages. Without giving away too much of the story, I must say that it would be the ending that made me think of this book as a sad one. The story has its plot twists and a very literal ambiguity to it, and will keep you hooked.

Day 2: A Book I've Read At Least 3 Times Apparently I have a thing for books by authors who are no longer living. Quite naturally they are all at least a century old. Pro-feminist novels of the time definitely have my attention, but it is the literature that keeps me. North & South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (see my previous review ) is an industrial novel set in the fictional town of Milton, in northern England. The main aspect of this book, and the writing, is the passion in it. The passion for life, or the lack of it. The class and cultural differences of the time are clearly laid out before the reader. There is descriptive power in every word and all of the characters are uniquely defined. It is one of my all time favorite books, so it is no wonder that I've read it more than 3 times. Mr. Thornton is an amazing man and I love this book more for him. The story might drag along for some, but almost every aspect of living in an industrial town is covered. Beginning f...

For anyone, who is as obsessed with P & P as I am - and I'm certain there are many - the most natural thing is to wonder, after you've read P & P, what was going on in Darcy's head. What's his side of the story? His point of view, his opinions? Jane Austen told us one of the greatest love stories (I'm going out on a limb here, but I dare you to refute me) through the heroine's eyes. While Elizabeth is a practical and generally sensible story teller, it might seem very biased. Just the story-telling part of it. And because I like Mr. Darcy more than I like Elizabeth, for all the obvious reasons, I've always wondered, from probably my second reading of the book over ten years ago, what exactly was he thinking? This book, Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer , came out soon after the BBC adaptation of the classic. There are way too many around, if you ask me, and very few live up to the expectation. Many try to mimic Miss Austen because there is no other...

I have a thing for 19th century novels. I don't know when it started, I don't know how, and I really can't explain it, but I love them. All of them. I'm fascinated by the history, traditions and culture of the time that I can't get enough! Which is why I'm thankful that there are so many books from that era, and that I can never tire of them no matter how many times I've read them! So, to the point now. North & South . Not so very well known, unless you like 19th century novels, or watch the BBC period drama productions. I knew of Elizabeth Gaskell , of Cranford fame, and was aware of her novels, but didn't really pay much attention to the others until a YouTube video of period dramas led me to look up Mr. Richard Armitage , North & South and then Mr. John Thornton. Good succession of things, I'd say. And so I watched the BBC adaptation of the book , fell head over heels in love with it right after the very first episode, printed out the eBo...