Saturday, February 27, 2016

February Reading - A Classics Club Meme reboot




A meme rewind from May 2013Tell us about the classic book(s) you’re reading this month. You can post about what you’re looking forward to reading in February, or post thoughts-in-progress on your current read(s).

I am currently working my way through Tom Jones by Henry Fielding


My first thoughts? It’s long, so very, very long. I’m not going to finish it in February, which according to strict Classics Club rules, prevents me from talking about what I’m looking forward to next, because it won’t be in February – but stick around. I may break the rules.


Tom Jones, fully titled The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling. It’s very good, but it’s long, so very, very long. It has a definite Dickensian feel, which is really unfair to Henry Fielding; he predates Charles Dickens. In fact, I remember David Copperfield reading Tom Jones at one point in that novel. 


My scheduled reading is full of big fat thick novels this year: Pride and Prejudice, War and Peace, The Count of Monte Cristo, Les Misérables, The Fountainhead, Crime and Punishment. I’m looking forward to all of them, but they’re long, so very, very, long.


And Les Mis – ya know, I think it’s a misnomer. Goofy French spelling aside, I don’t know how Hugo could call it Less Miserable. I can’t imagine it being any MORE miserable. But ya know, artists – they're quirky.

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14 comments:

  1. All I can say is good luck with all your tomes! At least they're all great books (except I don't have experience with The Fountainhead, so I'll leave that out of my comment).

    I read somewhere that Les Misérables is untranslatable into English, or perhaps they meant it simple doesn't translate well. I didn't find the book completely miserable because there is certainly redemption in the misery. But Hugo was definitely realistic.

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  2. Looking forward to those 'huge' books....
    I'm exhausted just thinking about them. But as the say:
    “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” (Admiral Farragut USN, Battle of Mobile Bay, August 5, 1864)

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    1. Yep...no telling when, but I'll get through them.

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  3. I wouldn't call Pride and Prejudice long. But the rest...yeah. Good luck!

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    1. You're right. Not sure what I was thinking. Thanks for keeping me honest :)

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  4. My potter around with Louisa May Alcott and Woolf looks pretty weak comapred to the chunksters you have ahead of you!

    It took me 2 months to finish W&P and I read it during my teaching years when I had nearly 6 glorious weeks off over the summer with nothing to do but read, read, read. My tip is to read a translation that YOU like (which may not necessarily be the one everyone else recommends). By 3/4 of the way through mine, I realised I was struggling thanks to the translation. It may be a very long time before I have the time or patience to commit to reading it again with a better translation. So get that right and you'll be fine...with all of them.

    You may feel like throwing The Fountainhead against a wall or out the window quite regularly - go with it - it's a perfectly normal response :-)

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    1. Thanks for the advice regarding The Fountainhead. I've heard great things about Atlas Shrugged (I also have that coming up), but less about The Fountainhead.

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  5. Yes, they are all long,so very very long! But they are all good, so very very good! Hang in there!

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  6. A Dickensian novel that pre-dates Dickens - but is he as good as Dickens?? I'm about a third of the way through Dombey & Son. It's taking me ages but I am enjoying it.

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    1. Jury's still out. So far, I'd say not quite on par with CD, but I'm a big fan of CD, so that's a high bar. I'll give you the verdict with the final review.

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  7. I find Pride and Prejudice and The Fountainhead to be quick reads despite their heft, if that's at all encouraging :-)

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