Pros:
- is on my Classics Club list
- it was my Classics Spin title, so it's kind of... destiny?
- I've already started it in March and read the first part
- there's a clear weekly plan for the readalong. I love schedules!
- it's supposed to be very satirical, multi-layered and enjoyable... hm..
Cons:
- there's a reason I abandoned it after the first part, and I'm not sure I will not be suffering the same this time
- it's 900 f***ing pages!
Pros:
- I've meant to read it for a long time
- December kind of suits for reading Dickens
- I like the button
- it's only 400 pages
Cons:
- it's not on my Classics club list, but I guess I can add another book there. *sighs* It keeps growing...
Pros:
- it's on my Classics Club list
- it's supposed to be a sweet and easy book, suitable even for children, although full 500 pages long
Cons:
- I just have this strange feeling I will not like it very much.. But I suppose it's not a valid reason :)
Pros:
- I'm so afraid of this book I'll never start to read it on my own. Srsly, I'm panicking even when I just think about it. I need an event for this!
- it's the best book for boasting that you have actually read it
- it's also on my Classics Club list
Cons:
- the timing couldn't be worse: out of 21 days for the readalong, 16 I will be enjoying my visit home, refreshing my distance relationships, buying gifts and then traveling. Not even the relatively calm beginning of December to get me started...
Sooo.. guys, what should I do? I'd really appreciate your opinions on the above-mentioned books to help me decide which one to choose! :)
In light of your cons I would at least say give Little Women a try. For one thing, it begins around the holidays so you will be reading about Christmas while going into the celebration itself. It's also strongly about family and since you'll be thinking about family in your real life why not, right? It is a sweet book and the character of Jo has inspired many young women to become writers. Or at least aspire to be writers. Also, after you've read it you have an excuse/reason to read March by Geraldine Brooks and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.
ReplyDelete(The above was typed with 7 fingers. Please forgive the shortness, etc. I'll be back soon. I think.)
I didn't know it is set during Christmas time! It certainly makes it sound very suitable. Thanks to you and your poor 7 fingers for your opinion :)
DeleteAgreed with Satia - Little Women is a very Christmas-y book! Despite its length, I never thought of it as a chunky classic, either; once you get into it, it goes by quickly. The plot is also much more interesting than the plot in the Winona Ryder movie.
Delete2:0 in favour of Little Women! :) And having a movie with Ryder to watch afterwards also adds to the appeal, even if the plot is not so complex as in the book, which is almost always the case...
DeleteMy first answer is Dickens because it has one of the best final lines I've ever read. I do have problems starting Dickens, but I (almost) always end up loving him.
ReplyDeleteI didn't particularly like Middlemarch, and I think you may want to leave that for when you feel like it.
I've read half of Ulysses and stand by my opinion that it's overrated, self-important, and just plain annoying. Someday I may finish it, but I wouldn't recommend anyone to read it (ever!) if they're not prepared to be annoyed by some of the chapters.
So that leaves Little Women, which I don't recall reading. but judging what Satia said, perhaps that is the way to go.
Well, my last Dickens was not very enjoyable, I read The Old Curiosity Shop, and it irritated and bored me most of the time... So I guess I need to get back to appreciating Dickens, and A Tale of Two Cities is considered one of his most famous works.. Best final line? I've heard the famous first line, of course, but if the last line is also great, the stuff in the middle must also be good! :)
DeleteOMG, that's exactly what I'm so much afraid of about Ulysses: that it will be annoying and overrated... I guess I wouldn't want it to spoil my holiday if it's the case :)
Definitely not Middlemarch or Ulysses! No. Do not waste your family time reading Ulysses, you can do that any day. Both are too long.
ReplyDeleteLittle Women is Christmasy, and I think it probably *will* annoy you at times, but! you should read it. When it was published, people hated it because it was so feminist and encouraged girls to have careers. Now people hate it because it's VERY sweet and doesn't look feminist any more. But at the time it was shocking! Keep that in mind.
Tale of Two Cities is pretty good, and not nearly as cloying as Old Curiosity Shop, but the heroine is still pretty darn sweet.
I vote for either of those two. :)
Good point! I always try to keep in mind what the world was like when the book was written, it sometimes helps a lot.
DeleteVotes counted! :)
I would personally also not take on Ulysses or Middlemarch with this kind of schedule. Both A Tale of Two Cities and Little Women certainly seem like plausible choices though, although I personally would have hard time to choose because I have fears concerning both: A Tale of Two Cities I attempted to read this year and didn't get into the book at that point in life (totally not book's fault but I can't help that it made me apprehensible) and although I really want to read Little Women, I'm thinking just how much will I be put off by the possible preachy/moralistic tones in the book (I don't know - just I have gotten the impression that it is this kind of book).
ReplyDeleteBut overall I think I'd go with Little Women just because of the Christmas theme :)
Glad to be of assistance!
("I like the button" is the best pro.)
Oh, yes, preachy and moralistic stuff also tends to irritate me. But there are exceptions! Speaking of Dickens, for example, I really enjoy A Christmas Carol, and if this is not preachy and moralistic, nothing is :) So I hope I'll survive Little Women :)
DeleteI won't be much good at helping you choose, but you actually gave me a heads up on some reading events I didn't know about! I'm trying to knock Little Women off my list before the end of the year, so this could be really good motivation!
ReplyDeleteGlad to be of help :) It'd be great is you join Little Women read-a-long, which judging by the advice I'm getting I'll be doing this December :)
DeleteI vote for Little Women, too. Yes, it is a bit preachy, but Christmas is a perfect time to let go and just enjoy it. :) I agree with Jean--just remember the context, and I think you'll like it just fine. It's a very easy read; I didn't even remember it being that long, but I guess it is!
ReplyDeleteEasy read is exactly what I need! Well, probably it's not that long, but I got myself an edition with pictures! :)
DeleteA Tale of Two Cities is an awesome fresco on 2 famous big European cities. This is definitely my favorite of your 4 titles. You could also listen to it, if you commute for instance, I believe it's narrated by Simon Vance The Great!
ReplyDeleteListening to audiobooks is not actually my thing... I get distracted easily, and then it's too difficult to wind back, much more work than just to move my eyes a few lines up :) The fact that it's Dickens and also that English is not my mother tongue add to the list of complications :) So I'd better stick with my ebook :)
DeleteI'm for The Tales of Two Cities! It is one of the simplest Dickens, and there's a lot of action there, which you're going to need for a quick reading, eh? ;)
ReplyDeleteAction in Dickens? You don't say! I nearly can't believe it after last year's experience The Old Curiosity Shop :)) OK, OK, I'm joking, I believe you and I believe that I'll like this particular Dickens :)
DeleteI thank all of you for providing some advice concerning the books in question! I KNEW I could count on you should a problem like this arise! :)
ReplyDeleteSoo, I was actually counting votes for each book, and that's what I got:
Middlemarch: 0
A Tale of Two Cities: 5 (FBT, Jean, Riv, Emma, Fanda)
Little Women: 6 (Satia, Marian, FBT, Jean, Riv, Emily)
Ulysses: 0
So it seems Little Women won, although A Tale of Two Cities was a promising rival!
Many thanks for helping me make this decision and saving me from some bad choices! Great Christmas reading to everyone! :)
Your dilemma resonates with me because I was also considering all of these read-a-longs, but will have limited time to read and know I probably can't handle a book like Middlemarch. I agree that Little Women is probably the best choice and on top of it has the Christmas and family themes. Heck, I will probably choose this book too!
ReplyDelete