There are novels which make you grow and expand your understanding of other people in ways you wouldn't have predicted. I've recently read such a book. It's 'Ruth' by Elizabeth Gaskell, an early Victorian story of a young mother, Ruth Hilton, and her illegitimate son, Leonard. Ruth leaves her hometown with Mr Bellingham, a spoiled … Continue reading ‘Ruth’ by Elizabeth Gaskell
Author: Bess Appledore
I'm a literature freak obsessed with classics, fantasy, and eighteenth/nineteenth century revolutionaries.
‘Fairy Tale’ by Stephen King
A fairy-tale which wasn't so fairy, and if it wasn't, the dark retelling trope wasn't the reason for that, sadly. There is something missing in this newest book by King in comparison with his old novels. And there is something missing in comparison with other contemporary fantasy books, overall. Because there are authors who may … Continue reading ‘Fairy Tale’ by Stephen King
The Uncanny Cornwall of Daphne du Maurier
So far, I've read only three novels by Daphne du Maurier: 'Rebecca', 'Jamaica', and 'My cousin Rachel'. Each of them was gripping in its own way, and each of them depicted its characters and settings very vividly. I can see now why they are classics. And I can see why so many people see them … Continue reading The Uncanny Cornwall of Daphne du Maurier
‘The Book of the New Sun’: First Two Novels
I love 'Viriconium'. I love the Dying Earth genre. But reading the initial two parts of 'The Book of the New Sun', 'The Shadow of the Torturer' and 'The Claw of the Reconciliator' by Gene Wolfe made me aware that I might like more the aura than the actual content. Robin Hobb is known for … Continue reading ‘The Book of the New Sun’: First Two Novels
Speculative Fiction Authors I’ve Changed My Mind About
Over months, or maybe over years, I've been trying to listen. I've been trying to learn. I realized that sometimes, you need to look at somebody's set of works time-wise; because how they describe certain things can change too. Sometimes, having read other authors, you may appreciate that this one has made an actual effort … Continue reading Speculative Fiction Authors I’ve Changed My Mind About
“Hamnet” by Maggie O’Farrell
It was a rare book, a precious one. One of those which evoke the past in an original, unusual way. I don't read contemporary historical novels like that often. I like many of them, but they always lack something, if not in their characters, then in their style. In the end, I'd say that 'Hamnet' … Continue reading “Hamnet” by Maggie O’Farrell
“Cloud Atlas” by David Mitchell
... Or when being epic and panoramic through ages is, in the end, not enough. I remember when I saw the "Cloud Atlas" trailer. I must have been eleven or twelve, waiting to see an animation in the movies. The trailer was the only thing standing out from the other teasers before the movie. I … Continue reading “Cloud Atlas” by David Mitchell
My Recent Bad YA Read
...was The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller. I should have predicted that. I wasn't delighted with her first pirate novel, it was bland and predictable to me. It reminded me of how, before the Wattpad era, people were publishing their fanfiction on Blogger. And it was like a mediocre fanfiction. The Shadows Between Us … Continue reading My Recent Bad YA Read
“The Tenant of Wildfell Hall”
It's my third novel by the Brontë sisters I've read. And as it was with Jane Eyre and with Wuthering Heights, I am surprised with so many things. Do you know this feeling when somebody's style and somebody's tropes are familiar and alien at once? Old-fashioned and still relatable at the same time—literally? That's me … Continue reading “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall”
“Jane Eyre”
It's a funny feeling when you know well some tropes and contexts, but you've been reluctant to read its source material for years. Rich guys with with a past. Ordinary heroines one can feel represented by. Mysterious mansions. Dark secrets which will be revealed sooner or later. Of course I've read about it in so … Continue reading “Jane Eyre”
Left Hand of Fiction 