Charlotte's Web by E.B White

"I don't want to die!
Save me, somebody!
Save me!"

The tale of how a little girl named Fern, with the help of a friendly spider, saved her pig Wilbur from the usual fate of nice fat little pigs.

An affectionate pig named Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, who lives in the rafters above his pen. In this story of friendship, hardship, and the passing on into time, White reminds readers to open their eyes to the wonder and miracle found in the simplest of things.

Don't hurt me but I've never read this. I know, even my own mother was shocked when I told her. Which is precisely why I chose it for my final Classic of the year, as something nice and easy to read before I broke up for Christmas. 

For those who have been living under a rock and haven't read this, like me, basically a little girl looks after a piglet and watches him grow up in a barn. Wilbur the pig likes being looked after by Fern but when she leaves, he is alone. Until a spider in the corner talks to him, called Charlotte. 

So, here are my thoughts: I know it's a children's book but it seemed really simple. Like, three word sentences simple. And yet, it used words like "perspiration"! While the story was pretty basic, I liked the message it gave, about friendship in all shapes and forms. It was also about growing up and being brave, which Wilbur was not, but Charlotte was. Charlotte is the one who comes up with the "miracle" of tricking the farmers and saving Wilbur. 

I read this in three short sittings, just slipping into the old-fashioned and easy world of barn life and Wilbur's story. Definitely should have read it when I was younger but I'm glad I could see what all the fuss was about and finish this Classic's Challenge on a high. 

Published 3rd July 2014 by Puffin Classics. First published 1952.

The Dunwich Horror by HP Lovecraft

In the degenerate, unliked backwater of Dunwich, Wilbur Whately, a most unusual child, is born. Of unnatural parentage, he grows at an uncanny pace to an unsettling height, but the boy's arrival simply precedes that of a true horror: one of the Old Ones, that forces the people of the town to hole up by night.

This is quite a difficult review to write, partly because it's a collection of short stories and partly because I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.

The first story was the longest and also the title story, about a strange boy growing at an unusual rate and with unnatural powers. I really liked the beginning but the ending, with the professors and doctors trying to decipher the messages and stop some sort of alien uprising, got a little weird. Even for Lovecraft. Having said that, they were all enjoyable in their own way, very clever and well written from a master of the genre.

I liked the shorted ones, especially the one about a man having nightmares about an old witch and creepy rat-man; that one was surprising and so atmospherically terrifying. This is definitely one to read if you're a fan of old-school horror.

Published 2nd October 2008 by Penguin. First published April 1929.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula with the purchase of a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries about his client and his castle. Soon afterwards, a number of disturbing incidents unfold in England: an unmanned ship is wrecked at Whitby; strange puncture marks appear on a young woman’s neck; and the inmate of a lunatic asylum raves about the imminent arrival of his ‘Master’. In the ensuing battle of wits between the sinister Count Dracula and a determined group of adversaries, Bram Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing deeply into questions of human identity and sanity, and illuminating dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire. 

My October classic is a re-read from university, and I'm glad I did because I'd forgotten a lot of the details, especially Dr Seward and his patient Renfield - the inspiration for Igor if I ever saw one. Mostly told with journal entries, a few newspaper articles and letters, Stoker paints a wide picture of traditional Gothic horror, from Jonathan's treacherous journey into rural Romania to Mina and Lucy's inexpiable troubles in England and their final encounter with the formidable Count Dracula. It was very interesting to read it after having had lectures on the subject - brought back memories of discussions on femininity, sexuality, Victorian history and religion, all of which Stoker brings into the story. 

Mina and Lucy are total opposites in terms of womanhood: Mina is a modern woman, wanting to better herself, wanting to be part of the team fighting the Count, she's soft and brave and clever. Lucy on the other hand is naive and gullible and oh so sweet, it's no wonder Dracula was able to manipulate her! She is also used as the epitome of "evil feminism" when she changes, as she physically and mentally becomes a monster. In the 1890's, there's only so much a good woman should be able to do!

The men were mostly all typical Victorian men: smart and brave and typically masculine in their strategies and professions. Van Helsing comes to rescue them with his vast knowledge of apparently everything, but it isn't until they see what has become of Lucy that they even consider the supernatural. The way it is built up until only the impossible exists is very typical of a Victorian sensation novel and Stoker definitely knew what horror story he was creating. 

I adore this story. I admit, I did struggle, the Victorian novel is very dense and takes a lot of concentration, but the short chapters, the gripping plot and the variety of characters makes this the incredible story that it is. 

Published May 12th 1986 by W.W. Norton & Company (first published May 26th 1897)

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith

'I write this sitting in the kitchen sink' is the first line of this timeless, witty and enchanting novel about growing up. Cassandra Mortmain lives with her bohemian and impoverished family in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere. Her journal records her life with her beautiful, bored sister, Rose, her fadingly glamorous stepmother, Topaz, her little brother Thomas and her eccentric novelist father who suffers from a financially crippling writer's block. However, all their lives are turned upside down when the American heirs to the castle arrive and Cassandra finds herself falling in love for the first time.

Written like a diary, Cassandra recounts the day to day activities of her family and their slightly strange lives in an old castle. The story was very character driven, with portraits of her family was described by Cassandra, as best she can. And what a mad bunch they all were! Poverty stricken and reliant on their novelist father, who has written anything in years, the family are used to struggling to make ends meet. Which is why when the family of their old landlord turn up, they all have green arms from dying their dresses.


Suddenly there are new males to get to know, to flirt with - Rose in particular takes this as a challenge and uses her knowledge gained from Victorian romance novels to bat her eyelashes and laugh prettily, but all that does is freak them out! Even though Cassandra was aware of how handsome the men were and was daydreaming of possible happily ever after scenerios, she didn't take the whole thing very seriously, which was refreshing and highly entertaining to read.


The romance didn't go the direction I expected, which was actually kind of nice. It was definitely an exploration of maturing and personal growth as Cassandra battles her own feelings with that of her sister's for the man they want. It was also more about the overall happiness of their family and the fragility of their father's mental state, with Thomas and Cassandra going to extreme lengths to unblock his writers block.


I went into this knowing very little, having not really heard of it before, and ended up really enjoying it. It was almost like a 20th century Jane Austen, with its romance drama and family weirdness, and I loved it.


Published 5th February 2004 by Vintage. First published 1948.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Living in the Blackwood family home with only her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian for company, Merricat just wants to preserve their delicate way of life. But ever since Constance was acquitted of murdering the rest of the family, the world isn't leaving the Blackwoods alone. And when Cousin Charles arrives, armed with overtures of friendship and a desperate need to get into the safe, Merricat must do everything in her power to protect the remaining family.

Told from Mary Katherine, or Merricat's, point of view, we see the after effects of living in a town that no longer likes your family, is scared of them and blames one young woman in particular for the deaths of the rest of the Blackwoods. Merricat had a very odd voice, almost like a child she states strange and random thoughts as fact, like running away to the moon. Although she tells us she is 18, I honestly spent most of the story forgetting and expecting her to be about 5!

Older sister Constance looks after the house and the family now, telling Merricat to do her chores and making sure Uncle Julian gets his medicine. It had an old-school Gothic feel to it, with its big empty house, hushed secrets and dead family. But it never felt like a horror story. It was much more subtle in its scariness, mostly in the way that Merricat saw the world and her twisted yet fierce protectiveness of her family home.

The arrival of cousin Charles upsets Merricat's balance and that's when things go pear-shaped and the Gothic horror really comes out. We never knew who to trust or who to listen to, especially with Merricat's juvenile fears guiding our view of their situation. All in all, a weird and wonderful story, from whom I now understand to be one of the greatest Gothic writers.

Published 1st October 2009 by Penguin Modern Classics. First published 1962.

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

Dolls: red or black; capsules or tablets; washed down with vodka or swallowed straight-for Anne, Neely, and Jennifer, it doesn't matter, as long as the pill bottle is within easy reach. These three women become best friends when they are young and struggling in New York City and then climb to the top of the entertainment industry-only to find that there is no place left to go but down-into the Valley of the Dolls. 

Apart from getting a recommendation from Sophie, I didn't have any expectations about this story, and yet it still surprised me! Set over years, we follow three young women grow up in the glamorous world of New York, where of course nothing is as shiny as it appears to be.

Anne started of very innocent in the big city, working as a secretary in a talent agency and falling head over heels in love with womaniser Lyon. It isn't until years later when she started popping pills, when her life isn't going the way she wanted. I liked Anne, she was a little naive and could appear quite cold but really she just wanted love. And even after seeing what the entertainment industry did to people, she stayed a good person, standing by Neely even as she flipped out and slept around.

Speaking of, Neely was another that started the story quite naive. She was determined to get into the theatre industry. But as one would expect, when she gets her big break she turns into a huge diva and only get worse over the years. In fact by the time she was in her late twenties, early thirties I think (around the time she was huge in the theatre world but just worrying about getting old) I couldn't believe I used to like her! She was just awful in the way she treated people, her friends and her husband, quite a lot of the time I wanted to strangle her!

Finally, Jennifer was beautiful but not that talented, not that special. Yet I actually kind of liked her. She was very aware that all she had was her looks, and that might have made her superficial but as least she knew that about herself! As for her back story, that just made my heart ache. 

One thing that made this difficult to read was the horrible dated language about anyone different, especially LGBT and women. But it was portraying a dog-eat-dog world, cruel and vicious, so why would their language be any different? All in all, while I do have mixed feelings about some things, I did really enjoy it. It gave such a glamorous world a reality check and seeing how cutthroat and ruthless some people could be to get what they want was a little terrifying but the mad variety of characters was what made this.

Published May 2008 by Little. First published 1966.

Frenchman's Creek by Daphne Du Maurier

The Restoration Court knows Lady Dona St Columb to be ripe for any folly, any outrage that will relieve the tedium of her days. But there is another, secret Dona who longs for a life of honest love - and sweetness, even if it is spiced with danger. Dona flees London for remote Navron, looking for peace of mind in its solitary woods and hidden creeks. She finds there the passion her spirit craves - in the love of a daring pirate hunted across Cornwall, a Frenchman who, like Dona, would gamble his life for a moment's joy.

Dona feels trapped by her gender, her age, her life so she takes her children and runs away to Cornwall, her husband's property not seen in years. There, she finds gossip of a french pirate terrorising this part of the coast. 

Nearing thirty, Dona wanted more out of life and I loved this about her, it made her come across as such a modern woman, considering when this novel is set. She loved her life, her family but wanted more; her court life, the socialising and dinner parties, boring small talk, I can understand how it was sucking the life out of her - god, it was unbearably boring! And her husband, while caring, did not understand her at all. 

Then she meets the Frenchman, the pirate captain. With him, Dona feels alive again. It wasn't just the possibility to love, it was the romanticism of piracy, literally running for your life and having no restrictions nor responsibilities. It was thrilling, leaving her standard life for a few hours and having nothing but the boat and her captain and crew to rely on. 

While I did really like this, it was almost missing something after the dark thrills of Rebecca. Having said that, the second half was much better than the first, when Dona shed her inhibitions and just did what she wished. It was pure romance, getting swept off her feet, and it was lovely to read Dona and her pirate find love and new life. 

Published 16th July 2016 by Virago. First published 1941.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again...

Working as a lady's companion, the heroine of Rebecca learns her place. Her future looks bleak until, on a trip to the South of France, she meets Max de Winter, a handsome widower whose sudden proposal of marriage takes her by surprise. She accepts, but whisked from glamorous Monte Carlo to the ominous and brooding Manderley, the new Mrs de Winter finds Max a changed man. And the memory of his dead wife Rebecca is forever kept alive by the forbidding housekeeper, Mrs Danvers...

Not since Jane Eyre has a heroine faced such difficulty with the Other Woman. An international bestseller that has never gone out of print, Rebecca is the haunting story of a young girl consumed by love and the struggle to find her identity.  

I already kind of knew the story from reading New Girl,  a modern retelling, but knew next to nothing about the actual book. And while it was a bit slow to start but about half way through, I started to really get it. There's something about her writing that pulls you in without even realising.

Told in retrospect, the otherwise nameless Mrs de Winter remembers how she fell in love with Maxim and how young and foolish she was in her behaviour. Haunted by the memory of Maxim's ex-wife Rebecca, Mrs de Winter is cautious in her new role as mistress of the household. She was careful, quiet, almost suspicious and definitely had an over-active imagination. As for her new husband, Maxim was a bit of a tool, to be honest. Twice her age, he treats his new wife as a child to be scolded and patted on the head as such, and she acts this up intentionally because at least she's getting his attention. He is dismissive and condescending, until his confession - which blew my mind by the way! - and then he depends on her, they share a secret and it's them against the world.

Almost a third party in their relationship is Mrs Danvers. Determined to keep the memory of Rebecca alive, she manipulates and scares the new Mrs de Winter into traps that hurt Maxim, their friends and the staff. Mrs Danvers was just an awful woman, twisted and horrible in her deceit and completely two-faced in her behaviour with Mrs de Winter as opposed to the rest of the house. Fantastic as the antagonist, she made my blood boil at certain times!


All in all, a surprisingly clever story that encompasses love, loyalty and secrets, with an enthralling writing style and a mad mix of characters.


Published 1st December 2007 by Virago Press. First published May 1938.

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey ‘there and back again’. They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.

The prelude to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit has sold many millions of copies since its publication in 1937, establishing itself as one of the most beloved and influential books of the twentieth century.

I have never read LoTR but vaguely remember reading The Hobbit in year 5, so when I was about 10. I did have the movie version running through my head rather than any memories of reading it the first time, so things did get a little puzzling.


Bilbo is somewhat manipulated into an adventure, to join the dwarves on their quest to their old home of the Lonely Mountain and win back their treasure from the dragon, Smaug. Everyone should know this already but I think I was expecting too much from the movie; the book is much simpler. It is very much a children's story - nothing's too graphic or brutal, things move along at a steady pace and nothing is left too open.


Having said that, I did still enjoy it. Maybe a bit different to what I expected, but it's still a good story, easily recognisable, and very nice to read. Definitely a modern classic.


Published 2nd November 1998 by Harper Collins. First published 1937.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited, while he struggles to remain indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life. 

Everyone knows this story, although I've never actually read it. I've tried a few times before but the prose doesn't always agree with me. That's why I've waited this long to try it again, I definitely need to be in the right mindset. Having said that, it is really easy to read, although it did take me a while! 


The Bennett family is so easy to relate to, the sisters all had their individual personalities but Elizabeth and Jane's were the strongest. Elizabeth is famously strong willed, out spoken and prideful. Her ability to read people is one of her proudest strengths but all that gets thrown out the window when her first assumption about Mr Darcy turns out to be completely false.


There are lots of different characters, from the Bennett's themselves, to their neighbours, friends both new and old. Obviously Darcy and Bingley were big players in this, as well as Captain Wickham, but there was also Mrs Bennett, with her hysterics and forceful love for her daughters' happiness; Mr and Mrs Gardiner, the girls' aunt and uncle who help in the girls' entrance to society and later with Lydia's "thing" with Wickham; Catherin De Bourgh, a powerful woman who apparently can't help but push her nose into everyone's business.


It was all very middle class, with marrying off daughters, worries about money, their place and reputation in society. I really enjoyed reading the original story; there were lots of little pieces I wasn't aware of and getting to know the original characters in their rightful place in history was great. I did have all the different versions running through my head, especially the recent web series Lizzie Bennett Dairies, with lines or scenarios I recognized. I'm not sure whether this ruined my reading or not; as much I love the various adaptations, it did mean that I was anticipating events way before they occurred. Either way, very glad I've read and loved the original story and the most famous Austen novel.

Published 30th January 2003 by Penguin. First published 1813.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

'To look almost pretty, is an acquisition of higher delight to a girl who has been looking plain the first fifteen years of her life, than a beauty from her cradle can ever receive'

During an eventful season at Bath, young, naïve Catherine Morland experiences the joys of fashionable society for the first time. She is delighted with her new acquaintances: flirtatious Isabella, who shares Catherine's love of Gothic romance and horror, and sophisticated Henry and Eleanor Tilney, who invite her to their father's mysterious house, Northanger Abbey. There, her imagination influenced by novels of sensation and intrigue, Catherine imagines terrible crimes committed by General Tilney. With its broad comedy and irrepressible heroine, this is the most youthful and optimistic of Jane Austen's works.

This is still the only Austen book I've read all the way through - even though it's mocking the Gothic, still love the naïve heroine, the dark castles, the foreboding father and all that come with the genre.


Catherine Morland is new to society and goes to Bath with friends of the family to be introduced. There she encounters a variety of people she's never had to face before; new friends, male attention, money-grabbing so and so's! She is very naïve, it's just insane. She cannot believe that new friend Isabella would ever say or do anything to hurt her or her family; her imagination goes wild when she learns of Mr Tilney's mother; and she desperately wants to believe the best in everyone she meets, even when they give her reason to think otherwise. But she's young and silly and so caught up Gothic novels that she can't see what's in front of her.


Reading it for what is probably the third time, I still love this book. It's definitely witty and clever, even if that's just Mr Tilney, and it satirizes the Gothic genre and pulls some reality back into our heroine. It is, of course, a romance, and Mr Tilney's wooing of Catherine is so sweet and so very typical Austen, you can't help but love it. I'm glad I re-read this, I think reading post-university has helped me see it with fresh eyes, and next up for the Classic's Challenge is the very-Austen Pride and Prejudice.


Published 29th November 2012 by Penguin. First published December 1817.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Published as a shilling shocker, Robert Louis Stevenson's dark psychological fantasy gave birth to the idea of the split personality. The story of respectable Dr Jekyll's strange association with damnable young man Edward Hyde; the hunt through fog-bound London for a killer; and the final revelation of Hyde's true identity is a chilling exploration of humanity's basest capacity for evil. 

This was not what I thought it would be like! Clearly the many re-tellings and references have morphed the original story in popular culture. For instance, it was told mostly from a friend of Dr Jekyll's perspective, Mr Utterson, so we spent most of the story completely unaware of Mr Hyde's origin, just thinking he was a slightly murderous friend of Jekyll's.

My favourite part was the last chapter, which was Dr Jekyll's letter explaining the journey he made in his discovery and the consequences of losing control. He explains how he thought that mankind would be better if we could completely divide the good from the bad, to give the good a chance to reach their full potential. However, he realises that by becoming Mr Hyde, he had no good conscience to control himself. Overall, it was a really interesting take on the human condition and the balance between good and evil. 

Published 29th November 2012 by Penguin, first published 1886.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L Konigsburg

Dark black sketches by author add to this file, starting with a letter from Mrs. Frankweiler 82, to her lawyer Saxonburg. Claudia 11, bored by suburbia luxury and responsibility, runs away with wealthier brother Jamie 9, to the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art (map included). The collector sold the museum a small statue, the Angel. By Michelangelo or not? Claudia must know.

This is a re-published classic children's story, originally from the 60's. Just a little early for me(!) but I understand that a whole generation of writers was inspired by this story. And having read it, I can see why.

A short and sweet story, it tells of Claudia and her desire to run away. Not because she's unhappy but more because she wants to change. She enlists the help of her younger bother Jamie and they catch the train into the city and live in the Museum of Art. They learn to avoid the guards, sleep in ancient royalty's beds, wash in the restaurant fountain and then there are pulled into the mystery of a possible Michaelangelo statue. 

Both kids were adorable and had their own personalities, yet I could tell they were siblings. Claudia, as the oldest child, was bossy, stubborn, liked to give directions but not take them, while Jamie, only 8, was surprisingly smart and money-conscious. They bickered but they relied on each other and I loved that portrayal. 

As we get through the book, more clues pour out about this narrator. I really liked how it was told from Mrs Frankweiler's perspective but as if she was acting as an omniscient observer. All becomes clear by the end of the book, and in a nice clean circle. A sweet little tale of discovering secrets and growing up. 

Published 4th June 2015 by Pushkin Children's Books. Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Publisher: Vintage Books
Published: 1st October 2008
Pages: 324
Synopsis:
Sethe was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has borne the unthinkable and not gone mad, yet she is still held captive by memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. Meanwhile Sethe's house has long been troubled by the angry, destructive ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: "Beloved." 
Sethe works at beating back the past, but it makes itself heard and felt incessantly in her memory and in the lives of those around her. When a mysterious teenage girl arrives, calling herself Beloved, Sethe's terrible secret explodes into the present. 

Review:
I have mixed feelings about this book. It took me ages to get into and honestly, I don't think I ever really wanted to read it - uni book, you see. And yet it was strangely addictive: the whole first half you have no idea what horrible thing Sethe could have done and why a baby is haunting their house. The horror I felt when I found out what Sethe had done is indescribable. I physically felt sick. And yet, in a weird kind of way I can understand her passion for wanting her children safe. Even if her methods are disturbing to say the least.

There was an odd narrative to the story as Morrison moves swiftly between past and present, letting the reader fit the pieces together themselves, which you don't until nearly half way through. Quick tip, I mostly only knew when it was in the timeline if Baby Suggs was alive! The setting is also pretty incredible: the black mostly-post-slavery community is close knit and you really feel for the family when they run away. Plus the women in this story are very impressive, even if the mother/daughter relationship is a bit whacked.

I've spent many hours in university deciphering the meaning to Beloved and have got very few answers. We discussed memory, colour and identity; I'll leave it up to you, if you've read it. As for Beloved, the strange teenager, we discussed whether she was real, a figment of imagination, even a spirit possessing a body, but came to the conclusion Morrison just wants to keep us guessing.

A very odd read but worth it for the tough subject matter and the subtle ghost story.

This counted towards my genre variety challenge.

Evelina by Frances Burney

Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 15th December 2008
Pages: 455
Synopsis (Goodreads): 
Frances Burney's first and most enduringly popular novel is a vivid, satirical, and seductive account of the pleasures and dangers of fashionable life in late eighteenth-century London. As she describes her heroine's entry into society, womanhood and, inevitably, love, Burney exposes the vulnerability of female innocence in an image-conscious and often cruel world where social snobbery and sexual aggression are played out in the public arenas of pleasure-gardens, theatre visits, and balls. But Evelina's innocence also makes her a shrewd commentator on the excesses and absurdities of manners and social ambitions--as well as attracting the attention of the eminently eligible Lord Orville. 
Evelina, comic and shrewd, is at once a guide to fashionable London, a satirical attack on the new consumerism, an investigation of women's position in the late eighteenth century, and a love story. The new introduction and full notes to this edition help make this richness all the more readily available to a modern reader. 


Review: 
Evelina, the story of a somewhat typical country girl thrust into London society without a clue what to do when she's there. Another book for university, I enjoyed this one more so than the others. This is possibly because, even though Evelina is incredibly naive, she has the most funny and endearing moments. These silly moments usually caused me to yell at the book because her gullibility can be annoying to a modern young woman. Actually, I yelled at Sir Clement quite a lot too... but that's because he's - well, I wouldn't want to ruin it!


The epistolary style gave it a confessional and somewhat biased tone, but that's because all letters are to or from Evelina, giving the reader an insight into her innocent mind. Ah, if only the world was that simple! And of course, there were moments that were a bit slow - but what do you expect from an in-depth description of a boring dinner conversation? 


One last thing, I believe: Lord Orville. Even though you do only see him through Evelina's rose-tinted glasses, you will love him. He is sweet and considerate to Evelina's social blunders, subtly ignores her slip-ups and confesses his love for her before he finds out about her true family. He made the book worth it!

A Sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne

Publisher: Penguin Classics
Published: first: 1768 - Penguin: 26th March 2002
Pages: 160
Synopsis (Goodreads): 
A Sentimental Journey is a novel without a plot, a journey without a destination. It records the adventures of the amiable Parson Yorick, as he sets off on his travels through France and Italy, relishing his encounters with all manner of men and women-particularly the pretty ones. Sterne's tale rapidly moves away from the narrative of travel to become a series of dramatic sketches, ironic incidents, philosophical musings, reminiscences, and anecdotes; sharp wit is mixed with gaiety, irony with tender feeling. With A Sentimental Journey, as well as his masterpiece, Tristram Shandy, Sterne forged a truly original style and established himself as the first of the stream-of-consciousness writers. 
This new Penguin Classics edition features an introduction that discusses the novel in relation to Sterne's other writing and places it within the context of "sentimental" literature. Also included are a chronology, suggestions for further reading, and full explanatory notes.


Review:
First off, I feel I should warn that this is not for everyone - even avid readers of eighteenth century literature.

Another book for university - this one for a module entitled 'Gender and Eighteenth Century Fiction', so I was already aware of the ... difficulties that come with reading from this period. But wow! This book has no real plot, no direction, which is probably Sterne's point with his style of writing: the stream of consciousness. This, not to mention the complex and extremely detailed language, makes this book difficult to understand and interpret. And though it is definitely not my style of narrative, I can understand the appeal to this book; to have a travel book that focuses on the people rather than the places, the detail behind emotions and interactions. If only it was written in more understandable language! Or at least chronologically!

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Publisher: Norton and Company; Norton Critical Edition
Published: 1818 text, edition published 1996
Pages: text: 156, plus critical essays: 334
Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with discovering the cause of generation and life and bestowing animation upon lifeless matter, Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts but; upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature's hideousness. Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous revenge against his creator, Frankenstein. 

Review:

Despite all the expectations and stereotypes of Frankenstein, I did not know what to expect from this book. And yet, I really enjoyed it, much more than I thought I would. There were obvious Gothic elements, which is why I was reading it in the first place, like the Sublime description of the mountains, the far away and foreign element of the setting, the alien and terrible nature of Frankenstein's experiments etc.. 

I really liked the story, even though it was fairly predictable: the story of a young man, aiming to do good in his field of medical and anatomy, only to hate what he has created, how it destroyed his life and livelihood. Some of it was predictable, probably because I expected it, and some parts did annoy me, like how feminine Victor Frankenstein was sometimes. But the monster's story was actually a little bit heartbreaking; it was awful how cruel the human kind can be with things they do not understand. But it was a little annoying as to how well spoken the monster was - or maybe I just expected him to only be able to say 'urg'. 


Even the language of the novel was not too much to put me off, like some other books for this module I've tried to read. Easy to read, easy story to understand and follow along, I enjoyed it enough to recommend it but will admit that it is not for everyone - especially someone expecting the gore and violence that typically comes with the image of Frankenstein.