The Husband List by Janet Evanovich & Dorien Kelly

Title: The Husband List

Author: Janet Evanovich & Dorien Kelly
Read by: Lorelei King
Publisher: MacMillan Audio
Length: Approximately 8.5 hours (7 CDs)
Source: Kewaunee Public Library

The Husband List is not your typical Janet Evanovich novel. It is not set in the modern day with a sassy detective named Stephanie Plum caught in a love triangle. It is set in 1894 Gilded Age New York with a sassy heiress, Caroline Maxwell and a love triangle between the Irish-American man of her dreams Jack Culhane and the English Lord Bremerton.

The Maxwell family is one of the premier American families during the Gilded Age on level with the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers. Caroline’s mother has her sights set on getting Caroline married into English nobility. Lord Bremerton is the heir to a Dukedom, and in need of funds that he can get from marrying a rich heiress. As Mrs. Maxwell orchestrates a match between Caroline and Lord Bremerton, Caroline longs for the freedom to marry for love, explore the world, or even to explore her intellectual pursuits. As she begins to develop feelings for her brother’s handsome friend, Jack Culhane, she also meets Lord Bremerton and realizes that he is a cold, calculating man with a dark secret. Will Caroline fulfill her family obligations, or will she be able to find her own happy ending?

This book was the April pick for the FLICKS Book and Movie club. Sadly we were supposed to discuss it last night, but the meeting was cancelled due to freezing rain. I listened to this book on audiobook as that is where I seem to do the majority of my reading these days. It was read by my favorite audiobook narrator, Lorelei King. As usual, King did a superb job as a narrator for this novel. She has unique, fantastic voices for each of the characters, complete with accents. The witty writing and excellent narration lead to a few laugh out loud moments on my trips to and from work.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I love this time period in general and the characters were all fantastic, especially Caroline and Jack. The dialogue and witty play between the two as their feelings for each other grew was wonderful. Bremerton and Mrs. Maxwell were a bit one dimensional, but that added to their humor.

If you are a fan of Downton Abbey and wonder about the life that Cora could have possibly lived, The Husband List is your answer.

The India Fan by Victoria Holt

Victoria Holt got me through college. Her romantic suspense novels were just the kind of escapism reading that I needed to relax myself after a hard day of studying environmental engineering. I have read and own almost all of her novels, but do have a few left that I need to read. At that time, I found most of her novels at antique stores and used book stores, my favorite hunting ground. I was more than a little bit excited to see that Sourcebooks is starting to republish some of Holt’s fiction. I hadn’t read the India Fan yet so I was very happy to review it.


The India Fan is a typical Victoria Holt novel. It is a romantic suspense novel with Gothic undertones set during the Victorian era. While the novel starts off in England, there are trips to exotic locals such as India (and France – can I call that exotic?). Drusilla Delany is the rector’s daughter, plain, practical, and smart. She found herself drawn to the Framling Family, the local aristocrats. Lady Harriet believes that Drusilla is a good influence on her beautiful, bold, and reckless daughter, Lavinia Framling. Drusilla finds herself more interested in the handsome heir, Fabian Framling. Fabian kidnapped her when she was a baby and kept her for his own for two weeks. Since then, they both have felt drawn to each other as they have grown up.

The India Fan does not have one main mystery as other Holt novels do. The intrigue in this novel basically dealt with two items. Lavinia herself leads a reckless life that is self-absorbed and full of men. She gets into various scrapes and Drusilla has to help her lead her way through them. The other main mystery is the India Fan itself. The Framlings have a spinster Aunt Lucille that lives in a wing of their family estate. Drusilla steals a beautiful peacock fan from the wing under Fabian’s orders during a childhood game. Lucille tells Drusilla that she is now cursed with bad luck as she has been an owner of the fan. Lucille tells Drusilla her tragic love story. Drusilla does not believe in the curse, but as she grows older and has a string of bad luck, she starts to wonder. After she accompanies Lavinia to India, the India Fan takes on an entirely new and sinister connotation.

Drusilla has three different love interests in the India Fan, but there is one dark and brooding love interest overall. It was interesting to see how she was not the flashy woman that all of the men were after, but the woman that would be their intellectual equal and helpmate.

The only problem I had with this novel was that it had slightly racist undertones. Basically the way the English people think about and treat the native Indian people is not so nice. Is it accurate to the time, yes. It is a bit jarring now in our time of political correctness, yes. It did not impede my enjoyment of the novel overall, but I thought I would mention it.

Overall, I enjoyed The India Fan and thought it was a great story. It rekindled my interest in Victoria Holt novels. I hope that Sourcebooks publishes more of them. I would love to not only reread my favorites, but also track down the handful that I have not read!

Book Source: Sourcebooks Review Copy – Thank-you!

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Title: Little Women


Author: Louisa May Alcott

Read by: Christina Ricci

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Length: Approximately 19 Hours

Source: Digital Review Copy from Penguin Audio – Thank-you!



I recently discovered that I was robbed as a youth. As I was listening to Christina Ricci’s excellent narration of one of my favorite novels, I discovered scene after scene of the classic novel that I didn’t remember. I read it many times as a youth and recently reread it a couple of years ago. What was happening? I got out my old classic copy bought from a scholastic book order when I was young and realized I HAD BEEN READING AN ABRIDGED VERSION MY ENTIRE LIFE. How could this happen to me? How had I never noticed the “abridged” before so apparent now on the cover?

Luckily I could now fill in the gaps with this audio book, and truthfully, I found the gaps to be more interesting now as an adult that I probably would have found them as a child. For instance, I never knew before that sainted perfect mother Marmee actually had anger control issues. She has a wonderful talk with Jo on how to control your temper and explains why she often has to leave the room or chew on her lip to control her anger. Marmee – I never knew! I loved this human flaw to a character that had always seemed so perfect before. It was also a lesson I appreciated as a mother as it is sometimes hard to make sure your temper does not get the better of you.

I also loved the extra material in “Good Wives” (the second half of Little Women) giving more detail to the relationships between each sister and their spouses and interesting dynamics with Meg’s children, Demi and Daisy. I loved the romance and found that some of the domestic trials of yesteryear could be the same today. For example, Meg always told John he could invite a friend over for dinner any time, but of course John picks a day when Meg has made and destroyed jam and has nothing ready for supper. Meg is horrified and very angry with John after the incident. I could imagine the same thing happening to me with Ben clueless on why I was angry.

I enjoyed listening to Little Women again. It was like visiting with old friends. I love the trials and tribulations of the March sisters, each with their beauties and their flaws. Ricci was an excellent narrator. The only problem I had with her narration was Hannah’s apparently Southern accent. I don’t picture Hannah as a southern servant, did I miss something?

Listening to Little Women also inspired me to rewatch the 1994 film starring Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, and Claire Danes. I love that film, but they leave so much out. I also love the 1930’s film starring Katherine Hepburn and 1940’s version starring June Allyson and Elizabeth Taylor, each with its own spin on the classic. I will admit thought that my favorite growing up in the 1980’s was a cartoon Little Women we owned on “videodisc.” It included a sequence where they rescue a runaway slave, which is not in the original novel. Looking around the internet, I discovered that this cartoon was actually a Japanese anime version. Very interesting! What is your favorite cinematic version of Little Women?

This audiobook has inspired me to dust off my copy of Little Men, which as I admitted previously, I never read as a child. I am interested to learn what happens next to the March family so hopefully I will be reading it soon.

If you are looking for the COMPLETE version of Little Women in a new format, I suggest the wonderful digital audio version narrated by Christina Ricci.

The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey

The Flight of Gemma Hardy is a riveting book that I had a hard time putting down. Reimagining one of my favorite Victorian novels of all time, Jane Eyre, The Flight of Gemma Hardy is the story of an orphan girl that is determined to make her own way in the world in the 1950’s. After her father’s death in Iceland, Gemma is taken by her Uncle to be raised in Scotland with his family. Unfortunately after her Uncle’s death, Gemma is mistreated by her uncaring Aunt and cousins. Gifted at school, Gemma tries to make her escape by winning a scholarship to Claypoole School. Unfortunately the school does not live up to Gemma’s expectations and she discovers that she is a “working girl” forced to clean and endure harsh conditions with a limited chance at success in her studies.

Befriending another girl, Marian, Gemma works to survive. She grows up at Claypoole and after school she finds work as an au pair to a spirited girl, Nell, on the Orkney Islands in order to save money for college. Nell is the niece of the mysterious Mr. Sinclair that lives in London and does not spend much time on the Islands. Will Gemma pursue her dream of going on to the University? Will she find out about her mysterious past in Iceland? Will she find love?

I loved Gemma’s journey of self-discovery. Poor Gemma didn’t have anyone in the world that cared for her and life was pretty dispiriting at times. But she had “gumption” and the will to work toward her goals to get a great education and to find out more about her parents. Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books of all time and I admit, I looked forward to this book, but also was leery that it would not live up to its predecessor. I think Margot Livesey did an outstanding job of staying true to the story and heart of Jane Eyre, while also making it very much her own story. I loved the setting and the characters. Many times in the novel Livesey was able to dig into deeper than Jane Eyre. I now feel like I really know why her aunt and cousins didn’t like her.

I loved Mr. Sinclair, but I must admit that the one let down for this novel for me was his big secret. SPOILER ALERT

For those that love Jane Eyre as I do, you know the big reveal is that Mr. Rochester had a mad wife in the attic which prevented his marriage to Jane. It was a tragic circumstance as he couldn’t divorce Bertha or live with her as a husband. In this book, there is not mad wife in the attic and the big reveal was not nearly as shocking as Bertha and didn’t really make sense to me why Gemma would begin her flight.

SPOILER END

That was my only “beef” with this novel, but even that did not lesson my love for it. The prose was quite beautiful and I enjoyed it. Gemma Hardy is a wonderful character that is fully Jane Eyre’s successor.

I also enjoyed the bonuses at the end of the book and reading about Margot Livesey’s journey to writing this novel. I thought it was very interesting that she use her own memories of Jane Eyre (a beloved novel of her youth) that she hid during the writing of this book as well as her own childhood memories to create The Flight of Gemma Hardy. Part of what made Jane Eyre so powerful to me was Charlotte Bronte using her own life experiences. I think that also is what makes The Flight of Gemma Hardy so powerful, the use of Livesey’s life experiences.

I read this book as part of the TLC book tour. Unfortunately I was sick earlier this week and am posting this a day late.

Book Source: Review Copy from Harper Collins. Thank-you!

Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson

I bought a small collection of the Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson from a book order when I was in high school. During April, I reread this collection to celebrate Emily Dickinson month in the Victorian Challenge. I enjoyed the preface, which gave a brief account of Dickinson, her life, and what is known of her writing the poems.

I loved reading the poems themselves. They are short poems, but yet Dickinson captured the essence of wonder about death, love, and life. I don’t know best how to describe my love for the poems, but I think the poems talk for themselves. A few of my favorite Emily Dickinson poems are below with my brief thoughts.

I think I feel like this every day . . .

I felt a clearing in my mind
As if my brain had split;
I tried to match it, seam by seam,
But could not make them fit.

The thought behind I strove to join
Unto the thought before,
But sequence raveled out of reach
Like balls upon a floor.

I think this was my favorite poem as a teenager. I think everyone knows what it is like to be a nobody.

I’m nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there’s a pair of us – don’t tell!
They’d banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell you name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!

I have loved this poem since I was a teenager as well. The last two lines are so well known now. I think it can mean many things to different people. Parting from a romantic love, especially when you are the one left behind. But it can also signify to me at least, losing someone you love through death.

My life closed twice before its close;
It yet remains to see
If Immortality unveil
A third event to me,

So huge, so hopeless to conceive
As these that twice befell.
Parting is all we know of heaven,
And all we need of hell.

Emily Dickinson also wrote a lot of nature poems. I like dandelions and the following poem struck a chord with me.

The Dandelion’s pallid tube
Astonishes the Grass,
And Winter instantly becomes
An infinite Alas –
The tube uplifts a signal Bud
And then a shouting Flower, -
The Proclamation of the Suns
That sepulture is o’er.

As a fan of the written word, I loved this poem about the power of a word.

There is a word
Which bears a sword
Can pierce an armed man.
It hurls its barbed syllables, -
At once is mute again.

But where it fell

The saved will tell
On patriotic day,
Some epauletted brother
Gave his breath away.

Wherever runs the breathless sun,
Wherever roams the day,
There is its noiseless onset,
There is its victory!

Behold the keenest marksman!
The most accomplished shot!
Time’s sublimest target
Is a soul ‘forgot’!

I LOVE the following poem and I think that it describes Emily Dickinson and the power she still has on us. She may have lived a reclusive life and never tried to be in the light of fame, but you can not put her fire out.

You cannot put a fire out;

A thing that can ignite

Can go, itself, without a fan
Upon the slowest night.

You cannot fold a flood
And put it in a drawer, -
Because the winds would find it out,
And tell you cedar floor.

What are you favorite Dickinson poems?

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (audiobook)

Title: Treasure Island
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Read by: Frederick Davidson
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Length: 7 CDs, approximately 8 hours
Source: Wisconsin Public Library Consortium from the Kewaunee Public Library Website (Digital Download in Overdrive Media Console

Somehow in my youth, I managed to miss Treasure Island.  I had heard of the novel, but I never read it nor watched a movie version of it.  As the month of March focused on Robert Louis Stevenson, I vowed to rectify this omission.

Treasure Island was a rollicking adventure novel that was a perfect audiobook adventure.  I listened to the Blackstone Audio version on my Droid while doing household tasks and I really enjoyed it.  Frederick Davidson was a wonderful narrator that was able to bring the pirate crew and cast of characters brilliantly to life.  I especially loved his interpretation of Long John Silver.

For those like me that somehow missed this novel, Treasure Island tells the tale of a young lad, Jim Hawkins.  He lives in an inn with his mother and father and their lodger, Billy Bones.  Billy Bones is an old seaman and likes to drink and tell swashbuckling tales.  He has Jim on the look-out for the “one-legged man” and lives in mortal fear of him.  Jim’s father dies and soon afterwards an old blind seaman stops to see Billy Bones and give him a “black spot.”  Bones dies of “apoplexy” at this pirate summons.  Young Jim and his mother search Bones belongings for the money owed to them and Jim finds a mysterious oilskin packet during the search.  While they are searching, they hear a tap, tap, tap as the blind pirate approaches with his cane.  As pirates overtake the inn and Jim and his mother try to escape, the book has one of the best suspense sequences that I have ever read (or listened too).  I was in mortal fear myself!

The adventure continues on as Young Jim shows the magistrate, Dr. Livesey, and the local Squire, Squire Trelawney the packet and they are excited to find a treasure map within.  The three decide to search for the treasure together.  Squire Trelawney obtains the ship the Hispaniola, hires Captain Smollett, and a cook Long John Silver who requisitions the rest of the crew.  As the voyagers near their destination, it is soon discovered that treachery is at hand.  Will young Jim be able to navigate his way through this treachery of the crew to find the treasure?

I really enjoyed this novel.  It was a fantastic adventure story and I couldn’t wait to hear what would come next.  As I said before, some scenes, such as when the pirates come to the inn, have the reader at the edge of their seats with suspense.  What elevate this story above “just” an adventure story are the great characters, particularly Long John Silver.  Is he a bad guy or a good guy?  He is wonderful character and I think I could read an entire novel just about him. 

I loved all of the pirate lore in Treasure Island that has become common place in the movies, music, and novels of today.  The “black spot” was in both Pirates of the Caribbean as well as on Doctor Who.  According to the expert (Wikipedia),   this is the first story in which “x marks the spot appeared. A lot of the pirate tunes we think of today were in the novel and I wonder what Stevenson used for a source.  The entire language of the pirates, their dress, wooden legs, and parrots or in other words, everything we use to describe pirates was included in this novel.  I want to read a book that delves deeper into the history of pirates and Robert Louis Stevenson.  Does anyone know of a good book?  Treasure Island takes place in the mid-18^th century, which is at the height of piracy.

Overall, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is a great story with fantastic characters and adventure with suspense that is not to be missed. 

Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

I was a great fan of the Muppets as a child, but this movie came out just when I was graduating from high school so I wasn’t at the right age to go and see it.  My sons love pirates and my husband and I wanted to introduce them to the Muppets so we watched this movie last month.

Muppet Treasure Island tells the class tall of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson if Treasure Island was a musical and the supporting roles were taken by Muppets.  Kermit is Captain Smollett and Miss Piggy is “Benjamina” Gunn.  Humans play the characters of Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver.  The plot line follows similar to the book, but with key differences (such as young Jim being an orphan and the ending). 

My sons LOVED this movie and really want to watch it again.  They particularly liked the music and thought the Muppets were pretty funny.  I enjoyed the music too except for the occasional “off” piece such as young Jim’s solo at the beginning and the rendition of “cabin fever” in the middle.  I thought Tim Curry’s performance as Long John Silver was a bit over the top in a mustache twirling type way. In the book I thought he was more of a mystery on his motives.

Overall though, Muppet Treasure Island is a good family movie to watch together with the basic plot of Treasure Island.

Movie Source:  The Kewaunee Public Library

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (audiobook)

Title: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Read by: Sir Ian Holm
Publisher: CSA Word
Length: 2 hours, 33 minutes
Source: Wisconsin Public Library Consortium from the Kewaunee Public Library Website (Digital Download in Overdrive Media Console

I read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde back in high school sadly on my own and not part of a class reading assignment.  It’s been a few years since then, so I thought I’d listen to an audiobook version to refresh my memory.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is told through the narrative of a lawyer, John Utterson that hears a tale from a friend of a mysterious Mr. Hyde that tramples a girl.  To Mr. Utterson, the most disturbing part of the story is that the girl is paid off through a cheque signed by Dr. Jekyll, a friend of Mr. Utterson.  Mr. Utterson seeks to understand the strange connection between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  The later part of the story is narrated through letters by Dr.  Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll explaining the mystery.

SPOILER ALERT. I had forgotten a lot of the details of the story so it was very interesting to listen to it again.  I like how Dr. Jekyll reveled in being able to separate his dark side and to enjoy living without moral obligations as Mr. Hyde.  But he soon finds his Hyde self was out of control in his way of living, and in control of Dr. Jekyll.  At first he had to take a potion to become Hyde, but soon he had to take a potion to not become Hyde.  It was very interesting how the dark side ultimately took him over.  SPOILER END.

Sadly I think Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have become so commonplace in our society that it really takes away from the story to read or listen to it now.  It must have been quite shocking to read it for the first time, not knowing the truth. Now it takes away from the entire climax of the story to already know the ending.  I didn’t particularly like the narrative structure of the story either, having it narrated by Mr. Utterson and then concluded by a couple of longish letters.

The version I listened to by CSA Word was very hard to listen too.  It was recorded so low that even when turned up all of the way, I could hardly hear what was going on.  This was very distracting and made it hard to focus on the story.

Overall, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a very inventive and compelling story.  The only flaw is that it is so compelling that everyone knows what Jekyll and Hyde are and it ruins the climax of the story.

The Sherlock Holmes Theatre (Audiobook)

Title: The Sherlock Homes Theatre
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Read by: Full Cast Production of the Hollywood Theater of the Ear star Audie Award winning readers
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Length: 4 hours, 37 minutes

Award:  R.L.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award 2005
Source: Wisconsin Public Library Consortium from the Kewaunee Public Library Website (Digital Download in Overdrive Media Console

The Sherlock Holmes Theatre is a perfect audio experience.  A full production of actors takes on and interprets the only two plays Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about Sherlock Holmes, The Napoleon of Crime and The Speckled Band.  Also included as a bonus is a new one-act comedy play, Ghastly Double Murder in Famed Detective’s Flat. 

The Napoleon of Crime and The Speckled Band are typical entertaining Sherlock Holmes mysteries.  In The Napoleon of Crime, Holmes and Watson find themselves immersed in an international conspiracy against Holmes arch-rival Professor Moriarty.  A young woman has letters that could implicate the British heir in a major scandal right before his marriage.  In order to take these letters from her and earn a tidy profit, a couple kidnaps her and holds her captive.  Sherlock Holmes is soon on the scene to help her out and uncovers the mystery while also discovering admiration for the lady. Complicating matters, Professor Moriarty arrives in the picture and is bent on the final destruction of Holmes.

In The Speckled Band, Watson steps in to help a family that he knew back in his days serving in India.  Two daughters returned with their mother and step-father to England.  After their mother’s death, the eldest daughter dies under mysterious circumstances after uttering a mysterious phrase about a “speckled band.”  Two years later, the younger daughter has just gotten engaged and is starting to hear the same strange music that her sister had heard and her stepfather has moved her to the same bedroom.  Fearing for her life, she asks for assistance from family friend Dr. Watson and his good friend Sherlock Holmes.  Will Holmes be able to solve the mystery and save a life?

The play version of The Speckled Band was based on an earlier short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Facing financial difficulties, Doyle adapted his favorite Holmes story into a play changing names and some situations.  The play was a smashing success in both London and in America solving the financial problems.  It sounds like the villain (the step-father Dr. Grimesby Rylott played by Lyn Harding) was quite the character and something to behold.  I would have loved to have seen the production.

The new one-act comedy play by Yuri Rasovsky, Ghastly Double Murder in Famed Detective’s Flat, made me laugh out loud several times.  Obviously not a Conan Doyle original, in this parody, Holmes and Watson tell each other what they really think of each other.  I really enjoyed the humor in this piece.

I enjoyed listening to all of these Holmes stories.  I really love listening to audiobooks with a full cast of voice actors for all of the parts.  It really enhances the experience for me.  I thought this audiobook was brilliant.

I’m noticing a definite drug trend in the Victorian literature I’ve been reviewing this year for the Victorian Challenge.  Sherlock Holmes gets a talking too from Watson about the dangers of cocaine, but Holmes doesn’t seem bothered by the potential bad side effects.  It’s strange to think of the famous detective known for his keen intellect as also a drug addict.

Overall, if you are looking for a great mystery and a comedy, The Sherlock Holmes Theatre is an excellent audiobook.

Drood by Dan Simmons

 If you are a lover of Victorian literature, Drood is a novel not to be missed.  The year is 1865.  Charles Dickens is at the top of his career and is secretly traveling with his mistress, Ellen Ternan and her mother by train to London.  The train engineer suddenly sees with horror that the tracks ahead over a river have been removed for repair and the warning signalman is too close to give them adequate time to stop.  The train continues off the tracks and into the river below. Dickens was in the only 1^st class car that didn’t smash into the river.  He becomes a hero by rescuing many people in a horrific scene, but also meets the mysterious man Drood that seemingly takes the lives of the people he reaches.

Dickens is forever changed by this incident and it haunts him for the rest of his life, until his death five years to the date after the accident.  Dickens narrates the tale of the horror of accident and his meeting with Drood to his good friend and collaborator, Wilkie Collins.  Together they journey to the Drood’s lair in the sewers deep beneath London.  After this secret meeting, Wilkie Collins chronicles Dickens and his own obsession with Drood and descent into madness.  During this time period Collins wrote his most famous novel, The Moonstone, and the Dickens started work on his last unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

Drood is written as narrated by Wilkie Collins writing it as a Victorian memoir to be read 125 years after his death.   This narration is brilliant.  Collins is addicted to drugs and finds himself slipping further and further into his addiction as the novel proceeds.  He is an unreliable narrator which puts a great twist on the novel.  Are the events real or are they the twisted imaginings of an opium addict?  While being friends with Dickens, Collins also had a great jealousy of him.  While his novels, A Woman in White and The Moonstone have more readers than Dickens’ novels during the same era, Dickens is by far the more famous personality with much more critical acclaim.   I loved in the narration when Collins used terms like “Dear Reader” that one would see in a Victorian novel.

Drood was a wonderful historical fiction novel that also combines great elements of mystery, suspense, and horror.  I finished the book yesterday and I’m still thinking about the ending.  The history in it was great.  I just read Jane Smiley’s biography of Charles Dickens in December and this book dovetailed nicely with the facts I know about Dickens and Wilkie Collins.  The description really set the mood for one to believe that you were in Victorian England.  It was also great to have another view on how The Moonstone and The Mystery of Edwin Drood could have been inspired.

Both Dickens and Collins were represented as great fully released three-dimensional characters.  They both had flaws, but were both creative geniuses.  They were definitely the power house characters in this book, but the secondary characters were also wonderful including Dickens’ daughter (and Collins’ sister-in-law) Katey Dickens Collins, Inspector Field, Detective Hatchery and the mysterious villain Drood. 

Drood is a very large novel (my version is 770 pages), but it was a great meaty read and well worth the weeks I dedicated to reading it.  The plot was tightly woven and the length was needed to tell the entire story. Sadly it made it so I didn’t have enough time to read Oliver Twist in February, but I hope to still read that novel as part of the Victorian Challenge this year.  We read Drood as part of my Kewaunee Library book club, and I’ll admit that none of us had it finished by the time we met, although we were all intrigued with it. 

I must admit I was most intrigued with the details of the underground adventures of Dickens and Collins as they searched for Drood in the sewers of London.  It was an Indiana Jones like adventure in a setting that intrigues me.  I design sewers for a living so the history of the crypts, sewers and sanitation in the Victorian era was very, very interesting to me.  Such quotes as “I may have mentioned earlier that Joseph Bazalgette, chief engineer of the Board of Works, had proposed a complex system of new sewers to drain off the sewage from the Thames and to embank the mudflats along the shores.”  I need to look this stuff up – I’m fascinated!

Overall, Drood is a novel not to be missed.  It is a unique look at the Victorian period of history during the last five years of Dickens life told through the opium addicted author Wilkie Collins.  This book will definitely be one of my top books of this year.

Drood was not only my Kewaunee Library book club read, but I also read it as part of the Victorian Challenge 2012 and Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2012.

Book Source:  I won this book in a giveaway two years ago.

Dickens Masterpiece Spring 2012 Preview

As we wrap up our month long celebration of Charles Dickens, we still have much to look forward to in 2012, the bicentennial year of Dickens’ birth.  Masterpiece is bringing out two new adaptations of Dickens’ work, Great Expectations on April 1^st and 8^th and The Mystery of Edwin Drood on April 15^th.  I’ve really enjoyed the Masterpiece Dickens over the past few years, especially Bleak House and Little Dorrit. Let’s take a quick look at these new adaptations . . .

Great Expectations

The description of the mini-series on Masterpiece’s website is as follows:

“An orphan boy meets an escaped convict, a crazed rich woman, a bewitching girl, and grows up to have great expectations of wealth from a mysterious patron, on Great Expectations, Charles Dickens' remarkable tale of rags to riches to self-knowledge, starring Gillian Anderson (The X-Files, Bleak House), David Suchet (Hercule Poirot), Ray Winstone, and Douglas Booth.

Anderson appears as one of Dickens' most haunting creations: Miss Havisham, a bride-to-be who was jilted at the altar years before. Newcomer Booth stars as Pip, the promising young man who is snared in Miss Havisham's lair.


Great Expectations airs during the bicentennial of Dickens' birth and marks the fifteenth Masterpiece adaptation of the great novelist's works."

 

Watch Great Expectations Preview on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

Whenever I think of Great Expectations in cinema, I think of the rather sad modern day adaptation in the 1990’s starring Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow.  Luckily, from the preview on Masterpiece’s website (above) , it looks like this adaptation will be much more faithful to the novel.  What do you think of the preview?  I am officially intrigued although I think the music doesn’t really go with the preview at all and I think that Gillian Anderson makes a much younger and much more beautiful Miss Havisham than I ever envisioned while reading the novel.  She was an excellent Lady Dedlock in Bleak House and I am intrigued to see what new depths she brings to Miss Havisham.

Great Expectation already premiered on BBC in Great Britain in December.  I’ve read some of the reviews, and it appears that it was a critical success.  The only negative point I kept reading was that Douglas Booth, the actor who plays a grown up Pip, is too beautiful to be Pip.  Pip in the novel is always pining after Estelle and the reviewers think this this version, it should be the other way around.  I don’t have a problem having a handsome hero to gaze at . . . what about you?  I am excited to see this new version!

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

The Mystery of Edwin Drood was Charles Dickens’ last unfinished novel, with only half being completed before his death.  I haven’t read it or ever watched a version of it so it will be all new to me.  Unfortunately Masterpiece does not have a summary or preview up of this movie yet.  It did air on BBC in Great Britain in January with an original ending written by Gwyneth Hughes (see a great interview here about her writing process ).  I did find a preview trailer from the BBC on YouTube. ).

What are your thoughts?  I thought the trailer was very exciting and can’t wait to watch it.  Dickens knows how to go dark, but this looks like Dickens was going in a much darker direction in his last novel. Opium addiction, murder, mystery, and love – it all sounds like a very intriguing story.

Reviews call it a “thriller (and a) story of human passions and fatal weaknesses,” “not to be missed,” and “thrilling!”  It sounds like another must see Masterpiece movie and I can’t wait to watch it. 

I will post full reviews after watching both of these adaptations in April.  Which one are you more excited to see?  What are your thoughts?  What Dickens novel do you think deserves a new adaptation?

Silas Marner by George Eliot (audiobook)

Title: Silas Marner

Author: George Eliot
Read by: Nadia May
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Length: 6 CDs (unabridged)
Source: Wisconsin Public Library Consortium from the Kewaunee Public Library Website (Digital Download in Overdrive Media Console)

I’m sorry I’m a bit behind on reviews. With my job, teaching a class at the local technical college this semester, taking a class at the local technical college this semester, and three kids – life has been more than a little hectic lately. I’m hoping to catch up soon with the reviews by perhaps having them a bit briefer. Now on to Silas Marner. .

I’ve always heard Silas Marner described as a drab read, a lesser work of George Eliot that is forced upon school children because it is George Eliot’s shortest novel. I am happy to report that Silas Marner is neither drab nor a lesser work of Eliot. I found it to be an engaging, ultimately heartwarming and moral story about the true price of gold and human relations. It was a story that in many ways I found to be very relevant to today’s society. As Jane Austen did before her, Eliot writes about human characteristics that transcend time.

As the story starts, Silas Marner is a happy man with a good job as a weaver, a productive member of his church, a great best friend, and a fiancée. Things suddenly take a turn for the worst when Marner’s best friend frames him for a crime he didn’t commit, and also steals his fiancée. Bitter against his fellow church goers and town, Silas Marner moves away to a place where he is not known and where his weaving is prized. Making a good living, Marner values his gold and puts it above all human relations. Things soon change when his gold is stolen and a young child shows up on his door step shortly thereafter. He raises young Eppie as his own, until her real father shows up when Eppie is a teenager and wants to take her back. Will Eppie stay with Silas Marner or go to the father that abandoned her as a child?

George Eliot created a wonderful cast of characters in Silas Marner. Silas is the main character, but his neighbor lady Dolly Winthrop, is a wonderful lady who helps him raise Eppie. Squire Cass and his family are also fleshed out and discussed in great detail as their lives often intersect with Marner’s. I enjoyed listening to all of their lives. Nadia May was a great narrator. This was also the first book I listened to on my phone from the library. I love the system, but wish that there were more copies of digital audiobooks available to check out!

The most fascinating part of the book for me was how George Elliot captured timeless qualities in human interactions and life. My favorite example of this is how a bunch of old guys are together talking about how the youth of today are lazy and nothing like when they were young lads. How often have I heard this talk throughout my life about how the youth of whatever day are terrible compared with older generations.

Another example of this is problems with drugs. We hear about drugs in the news often and it seems like a problem just of today, but in Silas Marner, Eppie’s mother has a drug addiction that leads her to take one last fix that ultimately kills her and leaves her child an orphan in the snow. The drug of choice may have changed over time, but the deadly effects of them haven’t. As I continue to explore Victorian literature this year, I’ve noticed that drugs play a prominent role in many famous novels of that time. Any thoughts? I’ll continue my thoughts on this as I review other works.

Overall, Silas Marner is a moving, intriguing story, with characters and situations that are timeless.

A Boy Called Dickens by Deborah Hopkinson

I noticed A Boy Called Dickens by Deborah Hopkinson on an email sent to me by Bookpage for children’s books. I thought reading and reviewing this book would be another great way to celebrate Charles Dickens and his 200th birthday this month.

A Boy Called Dickens is a children’s picture book detailing the life of young Charles Dickens. Dickens has a hard life with his father going to Debtor’s prison while he was a boy. He was then forced to work in a shoe blacking factory in order to make money to support his family, who were also living in jail with his father. The worst thing to Dickens is the fact that he is unable to read his beloved books and attend school. He makes the most of his adversity and uses his imagination to create wonderful stories.

My boys loved A Boy Called Dickens. In fact NPR mentioned Dickens on the radio Wednesday and Kile (just turned six) piped up and said, “Dickens’ family was in jail and he worked in a factory. He grew up and wrote lots of books.” I was amazed and glad that he was retaining what we had read. He did pick the book to read each night last week so it must have intrigued him.

The boys really loved the artwork by John Hendrix, which goes perfectly with the story. Daniel is sure that one of the story creations of Dickens is a pirate from his hat and I went with it. They really like the beginning where the story asks where young Dickens is. They like to look at the picture and find him. They feel sad for him that he can’t go to school, but also think it is very cool that he is able to write his own stories and grows up to become a famous author. In other words, the boys found the story interesting, relatable, and educational. Or maybe I found it educational, and they just happened to learn from it! I liked how the tale ends happily and the note about Dickens’ life at the end.

As a child I LOVED biographies of famous people and learning about history. This love has served me well as I still remember a lot of my basic history as gleaned from those books. I am excited to find a great historical fiction author to share with my children. Deborah Hopkinson has written quite a few children’s historical fiction books. I need to find them to read to my children.

Overall, A Boy Called Dickens is a children’s historical fiction picture book that is sure to delight both children and adults.

This is my fifth item in the Victorian Challenge 2012.

Book Source: The Kewaunee Public Library

A Christmas Homecoming by Anne Perry (audiobook)

Title: A Christmas Homecoming
Author: Anne Perry
Read by: Terrence Hardiman
Publisher: AudioGO
Length: 4 CDs (unabridged), 4 Hours, 45 minutes
Source: Review copy from AudioGO through Audiobook Jukebox

A Christmas Homecoming is a short Christmas mystery set during the Victorian period. The main character, Caroline Fielding, is the mother of Charlotte Pitt from Anne Perry’s Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels. I’ve read a few of those novels, but it has been quite some time. This novel was an excellent stand-alone story.

Caroline is married to a much younger, handsome man named Joshua Fielding. Joshua is a famous actor and he has arranged to produce a stage adaptation of the new novel, Dracula, at the home of a wealthy patron, Charles Netheridge, over the Christmas season with his acting company. The play was adapted by Netheridge’s daughter, Alice, who has much enthusiasm for the project, but not much experience or skill. As Joshua’s company grows frustrated trying to bring life to a lackluster script, a mysterious stranger arrives during a winter storm.

Mr. Ballin has a great knowledge of vampires and helps to inspire the actors and Alice to bring life to the script. As Joshua and company start to hope that the production might actually be able to amount something, Caroline stumbles over a corpse in the hall in the dark of evening. And just as suddenly, the corpse disappears before it can be moved. Where did the corpse vanish? As no one can leave or enter the house due to the blizzard, who murdered the victim? Caroline puts all of her detective skills to use to solve the mystery.

I enjoyed this story immensely. I loved the Victorian County House setting and was intrigued at the behind the scenes look at putting together a theatrical. It was interesting to see how Bram Stoker’s Dracula could be interpreted as a very sensual novel for the time period, and what interest this novel raised in people of the era. Caroline, Joshua, and all of the characters were very interesting. I loved the murder mystery, but I think my only complaint was that it happened at the very end of the book and didn’t have much build-up to the resolution. The novel centered much more heavily on the stage production, which was then put aside and never finished after the murder. I was a bit disappointed in that, I wanted to “see” it carried out to its conclusion.

Although this book was set during the Christmas holiday season, with its Dracula theme, it seemed much more a Halloween type book. The audiobook I listened to was read by Terrence Hardiman. I love a good British accent and I think he did an excellent job reading the book. I enjoyed listening to it and his voice really seemed to bring the page to life.

Overall, A Christmas Homecoming is a very enjoyable Christmas Victorian mystery, especially with the story centering on the stage production of Dracula. This is my fourth item in the Victorian Challenge 2012, second item in the 2012 Audiobook Challenge, and third item in the 2012 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

The Complete Poems of Emily Jane Bronte Edited from Manuscripts by C.W. Hatfield

I’ll admit that I really wanted to read Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell (Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte), but I couldn’t find a copy in my library system anywhere. Has anyone else read the first publication of the Bronte sisters? Searching through the system, I noticed a lot of different versions of Emily’s poems, but none by the other sisters. I chose to read The Complete Poems of Emily Jane Bronte edited from Manuscripts by C.W. Hatfield. After reading The Brontes: A Beginner’s Guide by Steve Eddy, I discovered that critically, Emily’s poems are the most beloved of the sisters’ as they are the most original. Thus the reason why I had troubles finding poems by Anne and Charlotte.


I will tell the truth, I am not the world’s greatest fan of poetry. While I appreciate a good poem, and especially loved learning about them in school, I don’t make a habit of picking up books of poetry to read. I enjoyed reading Emily’s poems, but I am unable to offer a great critical review of them myself.

While the poems were enjoyable and beautiful to read, the most fascinating part of the book to me was the Introduction by C.W. Hatfield. In this introduction, Hatfield discusses his process of tracking down and finding Emily’s original poems. After the death of all of the Brontes, Charlotte’s husband, Arthur Bell Nichols, moved to Ireland and eventually remarried. Over the years, the manuscripts of the sisters in his possession and then his wife’s, were parceled and sold off, especially after Bell Nichols death in 1906. As the Bronte sisters and their brother Branwell had very similar handwriting, some poems were attributed to the wrong sister when they were published. Words and grammar were also changed through the years by different publishers. Hatfield worked to track down the original of all of Emily’s poems and to put them back together in the way they were when originally written. Over the years he was able to find many different poems never published before that were scattered around the world on original manuscripts. I found it all to be fascinating.

Many of Emily Bronte’s poems were written for the fictional world of Gondal, an island that Emily and Anne invented and wrote stories and poems about from children to adults. Sadly, none of the Gondal stories have survived, but Fannie Ratchford has a section in this book where she tries to put together as much about this world has she can using their poems, a short journal fragment, and letters exchanged between Emily and Anne. Ratchford has an outline of the reconstructed epic of Gondal and gives a brief description that makes the heading of the poems make more sense.

Irene Taylor wrote a great introduction and obviously loves the work of Emily Jane Bronte and thinks that Wuthering Heights is also a masterpiece. Curiously she also calls Villette Charlotte Bronte’s masterpiece. While I enjoy Villette, I think myself and most people consider Jane Eyre her masterpiece. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

It was interesting reading Emily Bronte’s poems. I found myself wishing often that I knew more about the Gondal epic so that I could really understand the background of some of the characters, but the prose itself was beautiful. The poems often touch on sadness and despair, loneliness and heartache. Emily was not one to write cheerful poetry, but isn’t poetry often melancholy? I found that I preferred her non-Gondal poems and found them to be much more powerful.

I liked many of the poems, but I’ll conclude with one that I particularly enjoyed, labeled A26:

O thy bright eyes must answer now,
When Reason, with a scornful brow,
Is mocking at my overthrow;
O thy sweet tongue must plead for me
And tell why I have chosen thee!

Stern Reason is to judgement come
Arrayed in all her forms of gloom:
Wilt though my advocate be dumb?
No, radiant angel, speak and say
Why I did cast the world away;

Why I have persevered to shun
The common paths that others run;
And on a strange road journeyed on
Heedless alike of Wealth and Power –
Of Glory’s wreath and Pleasure’s flower.

These once indeed seemed Beings divine,
And they perchance heard vows of mine
And saw my offerings on their shrine –
But, careless gifts are seldom prized,
And mine were worthily despised;

So with a ready heart I swore
To seek their altar-stone no more,
And gave my spirit to adore
Thee, ever present, phantom thing –
My slave, my comrade, and my King!

A slave because I rule thee still;
Incline thee to my changeful will
And make thy influence good or ill –
A comrade, for by day and night
Thou art my intimate delight –

My Darling Pain that wounds and sears
And wrings a blessing out from tears
Be deadening me to real cares;
And yet, a king – though prudence well
Have taught thy subject to rebel.

And am I wrong to worship where
Faith cannot doubt nor Hope despair
Since my own soul can grant my prayer?
Speak, God of Visions, plead for me
And tell why I have chosen thee!

This is my third item for the Victorian Challenge 2012.

Book Source: The Kewaunee Public Library

The Brontes: A Beginner’s Guide by Steve Eddy

I bought The Brontes: A Beginner’s Guide in 2004 while I was perusing the shelves at the downtown Milwaukee Border’s Book Store. That bookstore is sadly gone, but I still have many fine books that I discovered there amongst its shelves. My Milwaukee book club at the time was focusing on the Bronte sisters for the month, so I thought this book would be a quick reminder of what to focus on while I reread the works of the Bronte sisters.


The Brontes: A Beginner’s Guide, is indeed a very helpful book for one who wants to get a bit more out of the works of the Bronte sisters and has either never studied them in school, or can’t remember what was emphasized. The chapters include “Why Read the Brontes Today,” “How to Approach the Brontes’ Work,” “Biography and Influences,” “Major Themes,” “Major Works,” “Contemporary Critical Approaches,” “Modern Critical Approaches,” “Where Next.” At a slim eighty-two pages, this book packs in a lot of good information in a short amount of space. Pictures are included and it is written in a way that is easy for any reader to pick up and understand.

I really liked how this book discussed the Bronte sisters’ keen interest in women’s rights and how they incorporated this into their novels. All three sisters wrote about strong heroines that did not bend to the will of men and searched for meaning in their lives. I find it very interesting.

I’ll admit that I did get a bit lost in the modern critical approaches chapter. It was interesting that as time as passed, critics have come to rate Emily above Charlotte in their reviews. Charlotte is much beloved by feminist critics, and there has been an increase in interest in Anne. Contemporary critics hardly reviewed Anne’s novels, which is a shame as I would rate Anne’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall right up there with Charlotte’s Jane Eyre and Emily’s Wuthering Heights. It’s also interesting that contemporary critics of Charlotte Bronte said this of Jane Eyre, “ the plot is most extravagantly improbable.” I disagree. While there are some fantastical elements of the plot, so much of it is based on Charlotte’s real world experiences growing up that it has a deep sense of truth to it.

The major works chapter focuses on Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Shirley (by Charlotte Bronte), Villette (also by Charlotte), The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Anne), and their poems. I thought that since Agnes Grey by Anne and The Professor by Charlotte were the only two novels left out; maybe they just should have included them. I’ve read all of their collected works and I think those two novels are worth reading and discussing as well. I know the chapter was titled “major,” but if that were the case, I probably would have left out Shirley and Villette and just focused on the most famous work by each sister.

The collected poetry of the sisters is only discussed briefly, but overall it states that by far, Emily’s poems are the best and most original of the three sisters.

While not as extensive as a full biography of the sisters, The Brontes: A Beginner’s Guide is a great quick read packed full of great information about the Bronte sisters and their major works. It gives great themes and symbols to look for when you read their works.

This is my second item for the Victorian Challenge 2012.

Wuthering Heights (1939)

1939 was an epic year of filmmaking with Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Stagecoach, and Wuthering Heights. Wuthering Heights is based on the novel by Emily Bronte and starred Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff, Merle Oberon as Catherine, and David Niven as Edgar. For a summary and review of the novel Wuthering Heights, please see this link.

This movie overall makes Heathcliff and Catherine into much more romantic leads than what was originally in Emily Bronte’s novel. They are painted solely as star-crossed lovers that are just never able to get together because of various misunderstandings. The movie leaves out the entire second half of the novel, which shows how Heathcliff carefully plotted his revenge onto the second generation. In this movie, there are no children born.

Heathcliff first of all is portrayed by the very handsome Laurence Olivier. While I love Laurence Olivier and think he is a spectacular actor, he is not the dark personage described in Wuthering Heights. He is viewed in much more a sympathetic light because of the lack of showing his revenge on the second generation. His wife Isabella is shown to be miserable solely because of his continued love for Catherine. His abuse of her and the knowledge that he only married her to be able to inherit the Linton estate, Thrushcross Grange, is not mentioned. I believe that this movie may be one reason that people think of Heathcliff as a romantic character, when he is really not a very likeable character.

Merle Oberon is a good Catherine, although her selfish motives do not take center stage. I found her to be a much more unlikeable character in the book than in this production. David Niven is a good Edgar, although if I were Catherine and had to choose between a Laurence Olivier Heathcliff and a David Niven Edgar, I would be hard pressed to pick Edgar. You have a passionate love for Heathcliff who shares your passion and he is also hot as sin. Why are you picking the boring neighbor again? I feel kind of sorry for David Niven. I know him from being the Bishop in The Bishop’s Wife. In that movie, he is afraid his wife, Loretta Young, is developing feelings for an angel played by Cary Grant. Niven always seems to be the second fiddle.

The deathbed scene seemed strange to me. There is a very passionate speech from Heathcliff, while Catherine’s husband Edgar kneels by the bed in a prayerful poise saying nothing. This is very different than the death scene in the book. Catherine and Heathcliff have a passionate speech to each other when Edgar is away at church. There is suspense when he returns and he “flies at” Heathcliff enraged to see him there, but Catherine faints. Edgar has a bit more edge to him in the novel.

I did not like the omission of Hindley’s wife, Frances. Hindley is not a good man, but you can understand him better in the novel. First he has to see his father love Heathcliff rather than himself, and then his beloved wife Frances dies. It is easier to see why he became an alcoholic when Frances is in the picture and it humanizes Hindley.

Overall, I enjoyed the romance of the 1939 film version of Wuthering Heights, but I think it did a poor job of bringing Emily Bronte’s classic to life. The romance actually took away from Bronte’s original intent, and the omission of the younger generation made it so the viewers were unable to see the masterful plotting of revenge by Heathcliff.

This if my first item for the Victorian Challenge 2012.