Book Reviews / Reading ListsAnthology / classic literature / Domestic Suspense / Dystopian fiction / Essays / Historical fiction / History / murder mystery / Reading lists / Suspense10 Comments
Lorna Doone by R.D. Blackmore I went into this knowing nothing about it but the name. It ended up being a bit of a slog, for a few reasons: dialogue rendered in impenetrable dialect, a lot of blah blah blah musings, and the fact that I didn’t really like the ... more >
A- Reviews / Book Reviews / Recommended Reads19th century literature / classic literature / English Literature / whaling1 Comments
I first became aware of Elizabeth Gaskell through television adaptions of her works Cranford and North and South; I then went on to read and enjoy those books. Sylvia’s Lovers is, by my count, the sixth Gaskell book I have read (I think I only have two left after this, ... more >
A- Reviews / Book Reviews / Recommended Readsclassic fiction / Romance / slice of village life4 Comments
Way back in 2010, when I reviewed my first Elizabeth Gaskell book, Cranford, a few commenters urged me to read Wives and Daughters. I can’t quite explain why it’s taken me quite so long to actually pick the book up, but recently when I read and reviewed Ruth, someone again ... more >
A- Reviews / Recommended Reads19th Century British literature / classic literature / fallen woman8 Comments
I was first turned onto Gaskell’s work not in print but by the miniseries version of North and South, which I love. I also watched and adored the PBS adaption of Cranford, a very different kind of story. I eventually read both books and liked them each quite well. Still, ... more >
Book Reviewsclassic fiction / eating disorders / Essays / Historical Mysteries / Memoirs / Reading lists / Sci-fi / WWII10 Comments
Read and reviewed: The Sins of Lord Lockwood, A Treacherous Curse, Seize the Fire and Brooklynaire When We Were Ghouls by Amy E. Wallen I stumbled on this memoir…somewhere, and it sounded intriguing. The author spent part of her childhood in Nigeria and later in Peru, following her father’s ... more >
B+ Reviews / Book Reviews19th century / slice of life30 Comments
My route to reading this slim 19th-century novel was somewhat circuitous. Years ago, on romance message boards, I repeatedly read about the greatness of a certain historical romance miniseries called North and South. This was not the rather campy American Civil War miniseries starring Kirstie Alley and Patrick Swayze, but ... more >