Agnes Grey was the debut novel of Anne Bronte, first published in 1847, and republished in a second edition in 1850. When her father falls into debt, Agnes takes up work as a governess for the English gentry, despite the misgivings of her family, and the story thus follows her experiences. The novel is inspired … Continue reading Reflections on a classic: Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
Classic Fiction
Thinking Out Loud: Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf. Up until last week, unread by me. Now I can say I've read her, but am I richer for the experience? I buddy read Mrs Dalloway with a friend, which was a good thing because I might not have persevered without the back and forth chat confirming that my reading experience of Mrs … Continue reading Thinking Out Loud: Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Book Review: The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
About the Book: Longing for love, obsessed with weddings and let's not even mention the mysteries of sex, Linda, her sisters and cousin Fanny are on the hunt for the ideal lover. But finding the perfect match is much harder than any of them had ever dreamed. Linda is first courted by a stuffy Tory … Continue reading Book Review: The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
Book Review: Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham
About the Book: A cool, cruel, rediscovered classic of American noir, soon to be a major motion picture directed by Guillermo del Toro. Stanton Carlisle, employed as a carny at a travelling circus watches their freak-show geek - an abject alcoholic, the object of the voyeuristic crowd's gleeful disgust and derision - and wonders how … Continue reading Book Review: Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham
#BookBingo2020 – Round 12: A classic you’ve never read before
Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie At last! I have read an Agatha Christie novel. Seemed like a fitting choice for this category. This particular one was recommended to me by someone here on the blog a few months ago. If it was you, please put your hand up in the comments so I … Continue reading #BookBingo2020 – Round 12: A classic you’ve never read before
Sunday Splendour – Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser
Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser... About the Book: Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is a cultural phenomenon. First published in 1865, it has never been out of print and has been translated into 170 languages. But why does it have such enduring and universal appeal for both adults and children? This book explores the global impact … Continue reading Sunday Splendour – Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser
#TheClassicsEight: Revisiting Jane Austen’s Emma
‘Vanity working on a weak head, produces every sort of mischief.’ I first read Emma in my early 20s (I'm now in my early 40s) about the time that the Gwenyth Paltrow adaptation came out. That period in the late 1990s saw quite a few classic adaptations, in particular the novels of Austen, Dickens, and … Continue reading #TheClassicsEight: Revisiting Jane Austen’s Emma
The Classics Eight Challenge Wrap Up
A personal challenge I set for myself this year was to read eight classics. I have a bit of a habit of collecting pretty editions of classics, but I don't necessarily end up reading them, so this challenge was a way for me to actively change that. I picked eight because in the past when … Continue reading The Classics Eight Challenge Wrap Up
#BookBingo – Round 21
I've filled a horizontal line this round. Bingo! Beloved Classic: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne I have a lot of beloved classics but just in case I don’t read anymore of them this year, I figured I'd better lock this one in! This round gives me another full row filled across the top of … Continue reading #BookBingo – Round 21
The Classics Eight: Little Women
Little Women AND Good Wives – a reflection in words and images I first read Little Women when I was ten. I was gifted a copy and took it with me to Europe in that same year, carting it everywhere and reading it over and over. I never read it again, but still have that … Continue reading The Classics Eight: Little Women
Theresa Smith Writes 