classic book
Classic Review: The Romance of the Forest
The Romance of the Forest
by Ann Radcliffe
by Ann Radcliffe
3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
Adeline is cast out by her father and finds shelter with her new friends, the La Motte family, who are on the run from the law. The family find a refuge in an old ruined Abbey in the depths of the forest, where they hide from prying eyes, always terrified that they will be discovered and forced from their pitiful home.
The Marquis who owns the dilapidated Abbey, discovers them living on his land, but inexplicably allows them to remain, making a mysterious alliance with Mr. La Motte. Ghoulish skeletons, mysterious manuscripts, and gruesome secret rooms are lying around all over the Abbey, and the dark forest holds secrets of its own.
The friendly Theodore warns Adeline that her life is in danger, but he is called away to his regiment before he can explain or help her. Adeline goes through every kind of disaster and terrifying mishap, fleeing for her life when she is betrayed by those she trusts.
This is Gothic melodrama at its best! I lost count of how many times Adeline fainted, but it must have been more than twenty times. She dissolves into tears, is frozen with terror, collapses under the strain of horror, and is prostrate with grief in every single chapter.
Graphic Novel Review: The Hound of the Baskervilles
Dark Tales: The Hound of the Baskervilles: A Graphic Novel
by Arthur Conan Doyle
by Arthur Conan Doyle
3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
A good retelling of the Hound of the Baskervilles in comic book form! The artwork is dark and creepy, giving deep shadows to everything, and perfectly reflecting the mysterious nature of the story.
I thought that Holmes’ character is represented beautifully both through the artwork and the dialogue. His austere personality and furtive energy comes across strongly on every page! Continue reading
I thought that Holmes’ character is represented beautifully both through the artwork and the dialogue. His austere personality and furtive energy comes across strongly on every page! Continue reading
Favorite Authors: Anthony Trollope
Book Review: Jamaica Inn
Jamaica Inn
by Daphne du Maurier
by Daphne du Maurier
4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
After her mother’s death, Mary arrives at Jamaica Inn on the coast of Cornwall to live with her Aunt Patience and the uncle she has never met. He is a man feared through all the country as rumors of smuggling and murder surround Jamaica Inn. Mary is horrified as she discovers the truth about the inn, but it’s too dangerous to go against her vicious uncle, until Mary receives help from an unexpected ally.
The writing is expressive and really paints a picture of the setting amidst the dark moors. The story is certainly striking, even though I found the plot fairly predictable.
Mary’s character has a good balance, since she’s plucky but also vulnerable. The other characters are vivid and interesting too, even the awful villains. Each person has such colorful dialogue, descriptions, and body language that they jump off the page into life! I was truly afraid of the villains, truly sorry for the pathetic Aunt Patience, and absolutely disgusted with the nasty smugglers. I could almost smell them, they were so close to life.
Excellent writing and a good tale of mystery and suspense!
Book Review: Candide
Candide
by Voltaire, John Everett Butt
by Voltaire, John Everett Butt
2 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
Candide and his friends are thrown into horrible situations, tortured, robbed, conscripted into armies, sold as slaves, shipwrecked, beaten, thrown into prison, etc… for the entire book, all the while discussing the philosophy of optimism, the idea that all is well and good in the world, despite the evidence to the contrary.
The writing is extremely concise and lacking in any detail, so that all the characters are one-dimensional, and the plot is very sparse. Everything moves quickly from one plot point to the next, so that within a few sentences the entire situation has changed. Not much is explained either, leaving a lot of plot holes and gaps in the story. Continue reading
Book Review: The Children of the New Forest
The Children Of The New Forest (Puffin Classics)
by Frederick Marryat
by Frederick Marryat
4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
During the English Civil War, the four Beverley children are orphaned when their wealthy father is killed fighting for the restoration of King Charles. Their grand home is burnt down and they are supposed dead, so they find shelter with a kindly old forester. They each learn to hunt, harvest, and care for their little cottage, living in seclusion deep in the forest. But the oldest boy, Edward, is restless and he dreams of going to war as his father did. Continue reading
Book Review: The White Company
The White Company by Arthur Conan Doyle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Young Alleyne has had a sheltered up-bringing in a monastery, learning how to read and paint, but knowing very little about normal life in Medieval England. When he ventures out into the world as a young man, he finds a place as squire to the famous knight, Sir Nigel, the leader of the White Company, a band of English archers. They march to war with Spain, and Alleyne is determined to win glory, love, riches, and honor without losing the saintly virtues that the monks taught him as a child.
I loved the adventure, the action, the rousing dialogue, and knightly courage! The plot ran through all these unexpected turns that took me by surprise. Continue reading
Review: Manga Classics: Sense and Sensibility
Manga Classics: Sense and Sensibility by Stacy King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this manga adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic story! The manga follows the original story pretty closely, and the artwork is beautiful.
There’s a lot of crying in this book! I mean, I suppose there’s a lot of crying in the original story too, but seeing almost all the characters constantly collapsing into violent tears, hysterics, and/or fits of depression was over-the-top dramatic. Then again, Marianne Dashwood is the epitome of drama! haha!
The artwork is really lovely, and I liked seeing all the pretty costumes of the ladies. The villains and nasty people, like Lucy Steele, have ugly grotesque expressions sometimes that just make you hate them. I love the way the artwork really enhances the characters! Continue reading
Review: Manga Classics: Emma
Manga Classics: Emma by Stacy King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love that this manga adaptation of one of my favorite classics kept somewhat closely to the original story, even using some of the original dialogue. Jane Austen is one of my favorite classic authors, and “Emma” is my favorite of all her books, so I was really excited to read this one!
The artwork is really lovely and the characters are all so distinct. I love their costumes and the pretty scenery. Sometimes I think the drama goes a little bit overboard though, as though the characters are shouting at each other with wild expressions, or looking dramatically shocked and amazed with wide eyes and open mouths. It just ends up looking a little silly! But most of the time, the characters expressions match the dialogue in a more demure and subtle way.
I enjoyed this manga so much, and it’s a great way to revisit one of my favorite stories! Can’t wait to read more Manga Classics!
Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.
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