Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

I would like to join in this challenge. Here is my list of books.

Old School

1. Persuasion
2. A Tale of Two Cities
3. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare Finished 18/03/16 Rating 3 stars

New School

1. Babbitt Finished 26/05/16 Rating 3 stars
2. Rebecca Finished 5/05/16 Rating 5 stars
3. Women in Love

+6

1. The Stranger/L'étranger by Albert Camus Finished 10/02/16 Rating 3 stars
2. The Metamorphosis/Die Verwandlung by Franz Kafka Finished 2/03/16 Rating 4 stars
3. Misery Finished 23/10/16 Rating 4 stars
4. The Testament
5. The Prince of Tides
6. Zoya

+2
1. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Finished 18/10/16 Rating 4 stars
2. Watership Down Finished 21/09/16 Rating 4 stars

8/12

Amanda welcome to the group and the challenge, glad you are with us. I can only speak to three of your selections, Rebecca and your two alternates. All are extremely good, especially Watership Down and Rebecca. Happy reading, good luck!

Welcome!

Thanks guys! Looking forward to it.

Great list. Happy to see another Amanda :)

There's some really great stuff on here! I listened to Prince of Tides last year and it's one of the best books I've ever read. Enjoy your challenge!

Nice list, Amanda -- and welcome to the challenge. I look forward to seeing how you like your choices.

Thank you ladies!

Sarah wrote: "There's some really great stuff on here! I listened to Prince of Tides last year and it's one of the best books I've ever read. Enjoy your challenge!"

I really want to read that one.

I really like Babbitt. Would love to re-read it with you or discuss it after you read it. Just message me if you are interested.

Rebecca was also incredible.

Great list! Happy reading in 2016!

Cosmic, I'll give you a shout when I'm intending to read Babbitt

Welcome to the challenge, you have some really great books on your list, good luck!

Thanks Pink!

1. L'étranger (The Stranger) by Albert Camus Finished 10/02/16

I read this while studying French so was acquainted with the book. It was good to read it again. Whenever you re-read a book, you always take something different from it. I guess what stood out for me this time was although Meursault, the main character, was indifferent and rather detached, he always told the truth. What this meant was that the truth and his true behaviour, as in not being openly emotional at his mother's funeral, was what in essence sealed his fate. Is there one true way for people to be expected to act? And are any deviants from this to be judged and condemned by others? It gave me something to think about. My rating is 3 stars.

2. Die Verwandlung (The Metamorphosis) by Franz Kafka Finished 2/03/16

This is a creepy short story about a man who wakes up one morning and discovers he has changed into a bug. He still thinks as a human but cannot communicate. His family are disgusted by him, only his sister brings him meals. They depended on him for money and now that he is vermin, they have to fend for themselves. It's a story that stays with you after you've finished reading. Will Gregor change back or is he condemned to be a bug forever?
Rating 4 stars

Thanks for posting your thoughts about what you've read. I will probably read The Metamorphosis next month and I'm looking forward to my first Kafka.

Enjoy it Pink!

3. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

This year is 400 years since William Shakespeare died. I had never read A Midsummer Night's Dream before. All I knew was that there were fairies in it and that there was a character named Puck and a character named Bottom. It's all about love and a bit of mischief. It's a short play so if you are intending to try some Shakespeare, it would be a good start. There's a lot of comedy too. I realise that a play is intended for stage so I feel like I really need to see it to appreciate the fairies, the costumes, the visual aspects of comedy. I am intending to see the film so will come back to this review after that to add my comments.
Read 18/03/16 Rating 3 stars

Your description about Metamorphosis change my mind about reading it. Now definitely will read it!

Amanda, that was a great synopsis of The Metamorphosis. I read it about a month ago, it was my first Kafka as well and.... I really, in a weird way, enjoyed it. Although it was a little book, it is capable of provoking tremendous thought. I do not think I will ever look at bugs in the same light again - and that's a good thing. ;-)

I hope all of you who are inspired to read it give it a go and find it worthwhile as well.

Thanks guys!

4. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

This book blew me away. Beautiful descriptive passages, mystery and intrigue and the story of a marriage, the second for Maxim de Winter, his first being to the enigmatic Rebecca. The young and naive second Mrs. de Winter after a whirlwind romance marries Maxim and moves to the secluded Manderley. There signs of Rebecca are everywhere including her devoted servant, the sinister Mrs. Danvers. The second Mrs. de Winter struggling with the constant reminders of perfect Rebecca seeks to find out what really happened to her...
Read 5/05/16 Rating 5 stars

Amanda wrote: "4. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

This book blew me away. Beautiful descriptive passages, mystery and intrigue and the story of a marriage, the second for Maxim de Win..."

Great writing -- this is what makes reading classics so worthwhile.

That's definitely true, Kathy.

This isn't in my list but I thought I would add it in here anyway.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

This book is a year in the life of Esther Greenwood. A young, bright girl whose mental state spirals out of control. She reminds me of Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye or Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The Bell Jar refers to being trapped in your mind. This book was published originally under a pseudonym in 1963, a few weeks before Sylvia Plath's suicide.
Read 18/05/16 Rating 5 stars

I like your review of Rebecca. I am adding it to next year's reading schedule. The rest of your challenge looks great.

Thanks Brina. Happy reading!

5. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis

Sinclair Lewis won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1930.
Babbitt is the story of a real-estate agent who is trying to live out the American dream but becomes disillusioned.
Read 26/05/16 Rating 3 stars

Amanda, Babbitt looks interesting.

I'm going to put it on my list for bingo 2017.

Great Andrea! Enjoy!

This isn't in my list but thought I would add it in here.

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

I read this in a children's version with my daughter aged 6. It tells the story through the eyes of the horse, Black Beauty. You hear for example what it's like to have reins on or how the various people in the story treat the horse. It teaches you to have empathy with animals and to realise that they have feelings too.
Completed 24/05/16 Rating 3 stars

Another one not in my list but definitely a classic.

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

A beautiful, tragic love story. Two feuding families, the Montagues and the Capulets are so locked in hatred that they fail to see the consequences for their own families.
P.S. I loved the film with Leonardi di Caprio and Claire Danes.
Completed 22/06/16 Rating 4 stars

Another classic, which was published in 1997.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind

This is a strange one. It's a book that made my skin crawl, that made me feel nothing but disgust for the main character, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, but at the same time, in complete contrast, it was beautifully written. It's an original story which does make it special. I would have given it 3 stars as it did sometimes make me feel uncomfortable but because of the reaction I felt by the way it was written, both positive and negative, I had to give it 4 stars. It's not to everyone's taste but if you want to read a book that tests boundaries, add it to your TBR.
Completed 26/06/16 Rating 4 stars

Amanda, I thought the author was successful in spades of intention to make the MC so revolting to the reader.

When I read this last year as one of our BOTM, I got lost in the details of scent extraction/making. I really enjoyed that.

The book for me, was disturbing, but beautifully written.

The end was very weird. I didn't see any of it coming.

Thanks for your comments Andrea. Yes, it was interesting reading about how to make perfume. I always think of perfume in a positive way, so to read about it in a negative way is strange. Have you seen the film? It also made me feel uncomfortable and disgusted.

Another classic not in my list.

No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre

Garcin, Ines and Estelle arrive in hell full of dread for the torture they are going to receive. Put together in a room for eternity they realise that "Hell is other people."
Completed 1/07/16 Rating 4 stars

I have not seen the film.

I didn't know this book had been adapted to film.

I'm taking part in a Books to Film/TV challenge in another group. I've watched the Film/TV adaptation of these two classic books. I thought it may be of interest to any film/tv lovers out there.

The Stranger by Albert Camus Book completed 10/02/16 Rating 4 stars

This is an Italian/French/Algerian film from 1967 with Marcello Mastroianni in the main role of Meursault. I thought it depicted really well the detachment and lack of concern of the main character. Also what he sees as truthfulness but comes over as lack of tact and inexcusable. The sun and the heat was very prevalent in the book and this was depicted really well in the film. I really enjoyed it and it explained the story even better to see it visually. 4 stars for both the book and the film

No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre Book completed 1/07/16 Rating 4 stars

I watched this play dramatised for television from 1964. It was called In Camera and starred Harold Pinter. To see how three people in one room can cause so many problems and irritations for the other two was superb. Plays really have to be seen to be appreciated properly. To see exactly what the writer is trying to achieve enhances the experience. For this reason both book and TV dramatisation get 4 stars.

A classic short story, not in my list.

The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Written in the 1800s, this short story tells about the descent into madness of a woman suffering from depression. She has been told by her husband to remain in a room to get better. With no stimulation she starts to obsess about the yellow wallpaper. It's a creepy story and is one that stays with you after you've finished.
Completed 28/08/16 Rating 4 stars

6. Watership Down by Richard Adams

This is such a beautifully written tale. Descriptive passages of nature and the way that you get so connected to the animal characters in the book makes it a very pleasurable read.
Completed 21/09/16 Rating 4 stars

Congrats on finishing another book, I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

Thanks Pink!

7. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

As I was aware of the story, it took the edge off it a little bit. I can imagine if you have not read any spoilers and have no clue whatsoever, that it's a very thrilling read. Having said that, I thought the way the tension was built kept me turning the pages and that's why I've given it the rating I have. It's my first book by Robert Louis Stevenson. Looking forward to reading Treasure Island in 2017!
Completed 18/10/16 Rating 4 stars

8. Misery by Stephen King

This was my first Stephen King. I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat so I thought I would go for one I knew. I saw the film of this with Kathy Bates which is superb. Reading it takes it to a new level. This woman is crazy and it chilled me to the bones. I got completely sucked in to the story. I was half-expecting to have nightmares about it. It certainly has intrigued me about reading more Stephen King because he certainly is a great storyteller but I think I'll have to read him in the height of summer as I don't think I can cope being scared on these dark nights...
Completed 23/10/16 Rating 4 stars

Another classic, not in my list, which I read earlier on in the year.

Frankenstein; Or, the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley

When I thought of Frankenstein and what it meant to me, I thought of a monster with a big head and a bolt through its neck, well it´s not like that at all. It is a gothic novel with a creator nearing madness and a monster who has a conscience.
Completed 20/2/16 Rating 3 stars

Hi Amanda -- looks like you have finished some good books.

Thanks Kathy. Yes, I've enjoyed a lot of books this year.