Reading Prompt: A book set in a different century - "Tess of d'Urbervilles: a Pure Woman Faithfully Presented" by Thomas Hardy
I would decribe it as The Anti-Manifesto of the Victorian era and double standards.
Why it's worth reading:
✓Hardy is a master of suspense
✓ Juxtaposition of "fallen" woman and pure woman
✓ The book was considered scandalized at the time of its publication
✓ Irony as a primary literary device
✓ Awesome metaphors (for ex., Tess acts like clockwork every time she is harrassed)
Why you might want to put it aside:
✓ Some of the protagonist actions look a bit annoying and illogical for the 21st century reader
✓ Ugly male characters: both Angel and Alec contributed to the tragedy at the end
✓ Descriptions of the country life might seem boring. For those who don't want to waste time on them, I would recommend 1979 movie.
8 out of 10 for the book in general. 10 out of 10 for the prot and style👍
#books #classic #classicalliterature
Reading Prompt: A book set in a different century - "Tess of d'Urbervilles: a Pure Woman Faithfully Presented" by Thomas Hardy
I would decribe it as The Anti-Manifesto of the Victorian era and double standards.
Why it's worth reading:
✓Hardy is a master of suspense
✓ Juxtaposition of "fallen" woman and pure woman
✓ The book was considered scandalized at the time of its publication
✓ Irony as a primary literary device
✓ Awesome metaphors (for ex., Tess acts like clockwork every time she is harrassed)
Why you might want to put it aside:
✓ Some of the protagonist actions look a bit annoying and illogical for the 21st century reader
✓ Ugly male characters: both Angel and Alec contributed to the tragedy at the end
✓ Descriptions of the country life might seem boring. For those who don't want to waste time on them, I would recommend 1979 movie.
8 out of 10 for the book in general. 10 out of 10 for the prot and style👍
Reading Prompt: Unreliable narrator
Just finished "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier and you know what? I'm stunned!
Five things I like about it:
1. Unreliable narrator. A relatively rare literary device that personally I met only in Nabokov's "Lolita".
2. Suspense. It builds slowly with little details and events adding up to a bigger picture until the climax hits.
3. Eerie atmosphere. I'm not a big fan of wordy countryside descriptions, but even I was moved.
4. Symbolism. Symbols are everywhere! Manderly, a cupid, a dress, rhododendrons, a boat - sometimes I needed to pause for a moment to get a grasp on all of them.
5. Ghostly narrator. The first book in my bookworm career that describes a house haunted by memory. The protagonist is actually much more of a ghost herself than a supposed "evil" spirit.
Things that might make you think twice before you decide to add this book in your TBR list:
1. Slow start. I literally fell asleep before I made it through the first chapters. But it was certainly worth it.
2. Annoying characters. The protagonist's logic made me question her sanity from time to time, but remember not to trust her.
3.Sexist comments of Maxim de Winter. This character does not evoke sympathy. At all. I hope Daphne du Maurier created this horrible figure deliberately.
8/10. A decent read that is worth creating a post about :)
#books #gothicnovel #prompts
Reading Prompt: Unreliable narrator
Just finished "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier and you know what? I'm stunned!
Five things I like about it:
1. Unreliable narrator. A relatively rare literary device that personally I met only in Nabokov's "Lolita".
2. Suspense. It builds slowly with little details and events adding up to a bigger picture until the climax hits.
3. Eerie atmosphere. I'm not a big fan of wordy countryside descriptions, but even I was moved.
4. Symbolism. Symbols are everywhere! Manderly, a cupid, a dress, rhododendrons, a boat - sometimes I needed to pause for a moment to get a grasp on all of them.
5. Ghostly narrator. The first book in my bookworm career that describes a house haunted by memory. The protagonist is actually much more of a ghost herself than a supposed "evil" spirit.
Things that might make you think twice before you decide to add this book in your TBR list:
1. Slow start. I literally fell asleep before I made it through the first chapters. But it was certainly worth it.
2. Annoying characters. The protagonist's logic made me question her sanity from time to time, but remember not to trust her.
3.Sexist comments of Maxim de Winter. This character does not evoke sympathy. At all. I hope Daphne du Maurier created this horrible figure deliberately.
8/10. A decent read that is worth creating a post about :)