My Review for A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, read by Martin Jarvis

“A multitude of people and yet a solitude.”

December's choice for #classiclitbookclub was A Tale of Two Cities, and I have to be honest—having finished it, I don't think Dickens and I click! 😬 This was tough, slow-going, and, quite frankly, boring. I tried to mix it up: I read some, but listened to most of it—let's be honest, it was the only way I was going to get through it! 🎧 That's fifteen hours of my life I'm never getting back. ⏳

I don't know whether it was the subject—the French Revolution 🇫🇷—or the writing, maybe some of both. I know people who love Dickens, so I’ll give others a go at some point, but this one will never be on my list again—sorry, not sorry! 😅

While I didn't enjoy most of the book, I did have a soft spot for Dr. Manette and his daughter Lucie ❤️, who comes to his rescue after many years of imprisonment in France and helps him regain relatively stable mental health. But yep, that was about it.

The only other Dickens novel I’ve read is A Christmas Carol 🎄, which I did enjoy—but now I’m thinking that was mostly because I already knew the story. 🤔

About the Book

A Tale of Two Cities is Charles Dickens’s historical novel set against the turbulent backdrop of London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The story follows the intersecting lives of Charles Darnay, a French aristocrat who renounces his family’s oppressive legacy; Lucie Manette, whose compassion and devotion inspire loyalty and love; and Sydney Carton, a dissolute English lawyer burdened by wasted potential and self-contempt. Central to the narrative is Dr. Alexandre Manette, Lucie’s father, whose long and unjust imprisonment in the Bastille embodies the cruelty of institutional tyranny.

As revolutionary fervor escalates into violence, Dickens explores themes of injustice, fate, resurrection, and personal sacrifice. The novel contrasts the social order of England with the chaos and vengeance of revolutionary France, illustrating how both systems can fail the vulnerable. Culminating in a powerful act of self-sacrifice, A Tale of Two Cities remains a profound meditation on redemption and the capacity for human goodness amid historical upheaval.

About Charles

Charles Dickens (1812–1870) was a prominent English novelist and social critic, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of the Victorian era. Born in Portsmouth, England, Dickens experienced financial hardship early in life when his father was imprisoned for debt, forcing the young Dickens to work in a factory. These experiences deeply influenced his writing and fueled his lifelong concern for social injustice, poverty, and the treatment of children.

Dickens rose to fame with the publication of The Pickwick Papers and went on to write many enduring novels, including Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, and A Tale of Two Cities. His works are known for vivid characters, sharp social commentary, and a blend of humor and moral seriousness. Hugely popular during his lifetime, Dickens also gave public readings of his work, further cementing his celebrity. He died in 1870, leaving a lasting legacy as a writer who brought the struggles of ordinary people to the center of English literature.

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My Review for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, read by Tom Parker

“No, my friend. We are lunatics from the hospital up the highway, psycho-ceramics, the cracked pots of mankind."

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was November’s read for #classiclitbookclub, and I opted for the audiobook. I found a great copy on Libby narrated by Tom Parker, who absolutely nailed it 🎧.

I went in with zero expectations — classic me, never reading the synopsis 😜 — and it’s not a book I ever came across in school. So I was genuinely surprised when the opening chapters gave me The Green Mile vibes (I know it’s a book too, but I’ve only seen the movie!) 🎬.

The story was incredibly eye-opening. From what I understand, treatments like electric shock therapy, lobotomies, and simply locking people away for having mental health issues were all considered normal at the time ⚡🧠. Horrifying, honestly. And the wildest part is that it really wasn’t that long ago. We’ve come such a long way since then.

Nurse Ratched, though… wow. She should’ve been running a prison, not a ward. The level of control and cruelty she wielded was unbelievable 😳🚫.

I really loved Chief as the narrator. The fact that everyone assumed he was deaf and mute — giving him a front-row seat to everything — added such a clever layer to the story 👀.

I’d definitely like to watch an adaptation. One’s already been recommended to me, so I might give it a go soon 🎥.

About the Book

Tyrannical Nurse Ratched rules her ward in an Oregon State mental hospital with a strict and unbending routine, unopposed by her patients, who remain cowed by mind-numbing medication and the threat of electric shock therapy. But her regime is disrupted by the arrival of McMurphy – the swaggering, fun-loving trickster with a devilish grin who resolves to oppose her rules on behalf of his fellow inmates. His struggle is seen through the eyes of Chief Bromden, a seemingly mute half-Indian patient who understands McMurphy's heroic attempt to do battle with the powers that keep them imprisoned. Ken Kesey's extraordinary first novel is an exuberant, ribald and devastatingly honest portrayal of the boundaries between sanity and madness.

About Ken

Ken Kesey (1935–2001) was an American novelist and a defining voice of 1960s counterculture. He rose to prominence with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a novel inspired by his time working in a psychiatric hospital and participating in early psychedelic-drug studies. In the mid-’60s, Kesey helped spark the psychedelic movement through his cross-country trip with the Merry Pranksters aboard their wild, painted bus “Furthur,” hosting the legendary “Acid Tests.” Beyond his cultural impact, he wrote several other works — most notably Sometimes a Great Notion — and became known for blending rebellion, imagination, and storytelling into a uniquely American legacy.

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My Review for The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

“No sensible man ever engages, unprepared, in a fencing match of words with a woman.”

Huge thank you to #classiclitbookclub for picking The Woman in White for October, because it has officially become my new favourite book. Rebecca has been my number one forever, but nope—it's been bumped. 😂 Clearly the gothic vibe is my thing… it’s only taken me 52 years to figure that out!

I read the gorgeous clothbound copy while also listening to the audiobook, and switching between the two was so much fun. The creepy, psychological tension totally sucked me in. 🙊 Some of the characters are seriously twisted—they start off all lovely and then bam, the masks come off. And honestly? It’s wild (and pretty scary) to think people could just be thrown into an asylum back then with hardly any assessment.

It’s told through multiple POVs, and I did get a bit lost now and then, but it didn’t ruin anything for me. The writing is gorgeous and the story is brilliant. Now I’m off to find a pretty copy of The Moonstone!

About the Book

The Woman in White famously opens with Walter Hartright’s eerie encounter on a moonlit London road. Engaged as a drawing master to the beautiful Laura Fairlie, Walter is drawn into the sinister intrigues of Sir Percival Glyde and his ‘charming’ friend Count Fosco, who has a taste for white mice, vanilla bonbons and poison. Pursuing questions of identity and insanity along the paths and corridors of English country houses and the madhouse, The Woman in White is the first and most influential of the Victorian genre that combined Gothic horror with psychological realism.

About Wilkie

William Wilkie Collins, or Wilkie as he was known to his friends and readers, was born in London's Marylebone where he lived more or less continuously for 65 years. Today he is best known for The Moonstone (1868), often regarded as the first true detective novel, and The Woman in White (1860), the archetypal sensation novel. During his lifetime, however, he wrote over thirty major books, well over a hundred articles, short stories and essays, and a dozen or more plays.

He lived an unconventional, Bohemian lifestyle, loved good food and wine to excess, wore flamboyant clothes, travelled abroad frequently, formed long-term relationships with two women but married neither, and took vast quantities of opium over many years to relieve the symptoms of ill health. Collins's circle of friends included many pre-eminent figures of the day. He knew the major writers, particularly Charles Dickens with whom he regularly collaborated, as well as a host of minor novelists. His friends and acquaintances included some of the foremost artists, playwrights, theatrical personalities, musicians, publishers, physicians and society figures of the time. Collins's unorthodox lifestyle reveals a cynical regard for the Victorian establishment. This view is reflected in his books together with a sense of humour and a profound understanding for many of the then prevailing social injustices.

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My Review for Carmilla by J.Sheridan Le Fanu, performed by a BBC Radio Full-Cast

“but curiosity is a restless and scrupulous passion, and no one girl can endure, with patience, that hers should be baffled by another.”

Carmilla was an additional read/listen for October for #classiclitbookclub, and I loved it! Admittedly, the version I listened to was abridged and performed by a BBC Radio cast, but I think the gist of the story came through really well.

Carmilla reminded me of a cross between Dracula (well, it did inspire Bram Stoker) and, for some reason, a mixture of Daphne du Maurier’s novels. I think it was the gothic vibe—the characters wandering through the darkness. I wasn’t sure whether I was going to enjoy it; female vampires just don’t have the same draw as the male ones 😂. But actually, I liked Laura and her dad, even if I really didn’t like Carmilla—she was the essence of evil and manipulation: narcissistic and just plain creepy!

I’ll read the full version at some point, but I’m really glad it’s now on my radar.

About the Book

In an isolated castle deep in the Austrian forest, Laura leads a solitary life with only her ailing father for company. Until one moonlit night, a horse-drawn carriage crashes into view, carrying an unexpected guest – the beautiful Carmilla. So begins a feverish friendship between Laura and her mysterious, entrancing companion. 

But as Carmilla becomes increasingly strange and volatile, prone to eerie nocturnal wanderings, Laura finds herself tormented by nightmares and growing weaker by the day… Pre-dating Dracula by twenty-six years, Carmilla is the original vampire story, steeped in sexual tension and gothic romance.

About J. Sheridan Le Fanu

Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu was an Irish writer of Gothic tales and mystery novels. He was the leading ghost-story writer of the nineteenth century and was central to the development of the genre in the Victorian era. M.R. James described Le Fanu as "absolutely in the first rank as a writer of ghost stories".

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My Review for The Awakening by Kate Chopin, read by Lisa Ross

“...but whatever came, she had resolved never again to belong to another than herself.”

The Awakening was another classic I listened to for #classiclitbookclub in 2024. Looking back, I think it’s one that would grow on me with rereads. Edna Pontellier was a woman way ahead of her time. She isn’t happy with her life, or with her role as a wife and a mother. Despite the expectations of society, she basically throws in the towel, sticks her fingers up to the world, and says: nope, I’m not doing this anymore. I’m going to do what I want from now on.

Some people aren’t meant to be parents, and some just don’t want to be. But in her time, Edna was married and a mother because that’s what was expected. Drop her in the twenty-first century and I don’t think she would have made the same choices. The climax of the book is heartbreaking, but I think Edna felt like she didn’t have another option.

I really enjoyed the rebellious side of The Awakening, and writing this review makes me want to read it next time instead of listening.

About the Book

First published in 1899, this revolutionary novel so disturbed critics and the public that it was banished for decades afterward. Now widely read and admired, The Awakening has been hailed as an early vision of woman's emancipation. Rooted in the romantic tradition of Melville and Dickinson, it is the story of twenty-eight-year-old Edna Pontellier, a surprisingly modern woman trapped in a dehumanizing marriage and in search of self-discovery. Turning away from convention and society toward her primal instincts for passion and freedom, Edna abandons her family to realize herself as an individual. But her quest leads to her destruction by a society that grants no place for those unfulfilled by marriage and motherhood.

About Kate

Kate Chopin (1850–1904) was an American author best known for her bold, ahead-of-its-time explorations of women’s inner lives. Writing in the late 19th century, she tackled themes like independence, desire, and identity in a society that often tried to silence women’s voices. Her novel The Awakening caused a stir when it was first published in 1899, but today it’s celebrated as an early feminist classic.

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My Review for The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger

'He was a very good skater and all, but I couldn't enjoy it much because I kept picturing him practicing to be a guy on roller-skates on the stage.'

The Catcher in the Rye was chosen for September's #classiclitbookclub. This is my first time reading it, and I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about it. At first, I found Holden to be annoying, the story depressing, and there was a lot of overthinking. But as the book progressed and drew to a close, I started to understand why Holden narrates the way he does. 

Holden seemed like a troubled teen still grappling with the death of his brother. His parents appeared more concerned about his academic failures than his emotional state. I suppose this is reflective of the time in which the book was written—mental health awareness was not as prevalent back then. Today, there are more resources available for teens going through similar struggles. 

What really stood out to me was Holden's internal conflict—he’s trying to act like an adult when he clearly isn’t ready to let go of his childhood. He has no true friends; instead, he’s surrounded by acquaintances who tolerate him but don’t really understand him. 

After reading a few other reviews, it’s clear that people either love or hate this book. As for me, I’m still on the fence, but I think if I read it again, I’d lean more toward ‘love’ than ‘hate.’

About the Book

It's Christmas time and Holden Caulfield has just been expelled from yet another school...

Fleeing the crooks at Pencey Prep, he pinballs around New York City seeking solace in fleeting encounters—shooting the bull with strangers in dive hotels, wandering alone round Central Park, getting beaten up by pimps and cut down by erstwhile girlfriends. The city is beautiful and terrible, in all its neon loneliness and seedy glamour, its mingled sense of possibility and emptiness. Holden passes through it like a ghost, thinking always of his kid sister Phoebe, the only person who really understands him, and his determination to escape the phonies and find a life of true meaning.

The Catcher in the Rye is an all-time classic in coming-of-age literature- an elegy to teenage alienation, capturing the deeply human need for connection and the bewildering sense of loss as we leave childhood behind.

About J.D. Salinger

People well know this author for his reclusive nature. He published his last original work in 1965 and gave his last interview in 1980. Reared in city of New York, Salinger began short stories in secondary school and published several stories in the early 1940s before serving in World War II. In 1948, he published the critically acclaimed story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" in The New Yorker, his subsequent home magazine. He released an immediate popular success. His depiction of adolescent alienation and loss of innocence in the protagonist Holden Caulfield especially influenced adolescent readers. Widely read and controversial, sells a quarter-million copies a year.

The success led to public attention and scrutiny: reclusive, he published new work less frequently. He followed with a short story collection, Nine Stories (1953), of a novella and a short story, Franny and Zooey (1961), and a collection of two novellas, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963). His last published work, a novella entitled "Hapworth 16, 1924", appeared in The New Yorker on June 19, 1965.

Afterward, Salinger struggled with unwanted attention, including a legal battle in the 1980s with biographer Ian Hamilton. In the late 1990s, Joyce Maynard, a close ex-lover, and Margaret Salinger, his daughter, wrote and released his memoirs. In 1996, a small publisher announced a deal with Salinger to publish "Hapworth 16, 1924" in book form, but the ensuing publicity indefinitely delayed the release. 

Another writer used one of his characters, resulting in copyright infringement; he filed a lawsuit against this writer and afterward made headlines around the globe in June 2009. Salinger died of natural causes at his home in Cornish, New Hampshire.

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My Review for Tess of the D'urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

“I think of people more kindly when I am away from them.”

I picked up the gorgeous Penguin Clothbound copy of this one, and I adored Tess of the D'urbervilles. Yes it's disturbing, yes it's sad, and tragic, and it focuses very much on the class system in England in the nineteenth century, of which Tess is nearer the bottom than the top. It's brilliantly and beautifully written, and Mr Hardy captures the essence of the English countryside in great detail throughout. 

Poor Tess, thrown out into the world without any real life skills, and susceptible to the predatory nature of the men she comes across. Wasn't it a thing to talk to your daughter about s*x in the nineteenth century? Surely they had some sort of conversation!🤷

Tess is a true victim throughout this book, society treats her shoddily, and she deserves so much more. A tragic end for such an aspiring young woman, who could have done so much better with her life if given half a chance.

I had to read Far From the Madding Crowd for school, and I need to read it again, without the hassle of looking for symbolism, and meaning and all that guff. I'm sure I'll enjoy it, just as much as this one. 

It's a while ago now, but thank you to #classiclitbookclub for choosing to read Tess of the D'urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. 

About the Book

When Tess Durbeyfield is driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D'Urbervilles and seek a portion of their family fortune, meeting her 'cousin' Alec proves to be her downfall. A very different man, Angel Clare, seems to offer her love and salvation, but Tess must choose whether to reveal her past or remain silent in the hope of a peaceful future. With its sensitive depiction of the wronged Tess and powerful criticism of social convention, Tess of the D'Urbervilles is one of the most moving and poetic of Hardy's novels.

About Thomas

Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) was born in Higher Bockhampton, Dorset, into a close-knit rural family whose characters and landscape shaped his imagination. His father, a builder and musician, passed down a love of music, while his mother encouraged his education. After schooling in Dorchester, Hardy apprenticed as an architect before moving to London in 1862, where he worked as a Gothic draughtsman and wrote poetry. Poor health brought him back to Dorset in 1867, where he turned to fiction. His first published novel, Desperate Remedies (1871), was followed by Under the Greenwood Tree (1872) and Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), which made his reputation and allowed him to marry Emma Gifford. Their unhappy marriage ended with Emma’s death in 1912, inspiring some of Hardy’s most powerful poetry.

Over the next two decades Hardy produced major novels including The Return of the Native (1878), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891) and Jude the Obscure (1895). Outrage at Jude led him to abandon fiction and devote himself to poetry, publishing eight volumes and the vast verse-drama The Dynasts. He lived from 1885 at Max Gate, his Dorchester home, where he wrote until his death. Celebrated as the “Grand Old Man of English Letters,” Hardy was admired by younger writers such as Sassoon, Graves, Woolf and Lawrence.

He died in 1928. In a compromise between family and state, his ashes were interred in Westminster Abbey, while his heart was buried in Stinsford beside Emma.

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My Review for Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, read by Andrew Wincott

'If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever.'

Although I have a beautiful, Penguin clothbound copy of Nineteen Eighty-Four, I chose to listen to it, and I'm so glad I did! As soon as the narrator spoke the first words, I knew that I knew him, and it took me all of five minutes to realise that it was Adam from the Archers. He was phenomenal, and made Winston come to life!

I read this book many, many years ago, and I couldn't remember a thing about it. I found it terrifying that the authoritarian state in which he's living, could be said to resemble what's happening in certain parts of the world right now. Let's rewrite history, and make it the way we want it!😲

I enjoyed the beginning and the end, but now and then, Orwell goes off on a tangent and I became bored quite quickly.

Nineteen Eighty-Four is definitely worth a read, just because it's a classic. Oh, and I love that he lived about thirty minutes from me, in a town on the east coast of England called Southwold. There is a huge mural of him on the pier there. 

Thank you to #classiclitbookclub for choosing this one for August's read.

About the Book

Hidden away in the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith skilfully rewrites the past to suit the needs of the Party. Yet he inwardly rebels against the totalitarian world he lives in, which demands absolute obedience and controls him through the all-seeing telescreens and the watchful eye of Big Brother, symbolic head of the Party. In his longing for truth and liberty, Smith begins a secret love affair with a fellow-worker Julia, but soon discovers the true price of freedom is betrayal.

About George

As both pioneering political journalist and sage-like novelist George Orwell shaped how many of us interpreted the 20th century. His pre-war reportage highlighted inequality and poverty in Britain’s provinces, as well as bearing witness to pivotal political developments in Civil War Spain. His earlier fiction drew on his own experiences in imperial India and the English suburbs but broadened out to envision dystopian worlds rich in political allegory. His masterwork, Nineteen Eighty-Four, is one of the most significant novels of the 20th century.

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My Review for Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

'I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.'

I first read Of Mice and Men for GCSE English, 36 years ago! I remember the basics of it, but I definitely enjoyed it more this time around, when I read it for #classiclitbookclub last year. It's funny how a book is more fun to read, if you don't have to dissect it to death in order to get a good grade!

The friendship between George and Lenny is second to none. They fell into each other's company by accident, and now, they have each other's back, no matter what. Fight one and you'll fight the other! Their comradeship is unbreakable in a difficult and cruel world. I didn't remember the ending from 36 years ago, and I'm going to try to forget it all over again. 

Reading this, you need to be aware that it was first published in 1937 and so it isn't politically correct by any means, but it's of its time, as are many classics.

About the Book

Drifters in search of work, George and his childlike friend Lennie, have nothing in the world except the clothes on their back - and a dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch in California's Salinas Valley, but their hopes are dashed as Lennie - struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy - becomes a victim of his own strength.

About John

John Ernst Steinbeck was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception". He has been called "a giant of American letters."

During his writing career, he authored 33 books, with one book coauthored alongside Edward F. Ricketts, including 16 novels, six non-fiction books, and two collections of short stories. He is widely known for the comic novels Tortilla Flat (1935) and Cannery Row (1945), the multi-generation epic East of Eden (1952), and the novellas The Red Pony (1933) and Of Mice and Men (1937). The Pulitzer Prize–winning The Grapes of Wrath (1939) is considered Steinbeck's masterpiece and part of the American literary canon. By the 75th anniversary of its publishing date, it had sold 14 million copies.

Most of Steinbeck's work is set in central California, particularly in the Salinas Valley and the California Coast Ranges region. His works frequently explored the themes of fate and injustice, especially as applied to downtrodden or everyman protagonists.

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My Review for The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

'Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.'

I can't believe I have never read this before. Thank you to #classiclitbookclub for choosing The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery  for July's read. I used to work in a library suppliers which stocked only children's books and time after time I would shelve it, or prepare it it libraries and never once did I think to even take a glance inside. I was missing out!

This book is gorgeous, and would be absorbed very differently, depending on whether you are a child or an adult as you read it.  It's full of life lessons, vanity, innocence and beautiful similes. 

If you are an adult and want to remember what it was like to be a child, then read this - it's only short - it'll only take you an hour or so to read. If you have a kids, then read it to them or buy them their own copy. I have the Penguin Clothbound edition and it's beautiful. It's a book to be treasured and I'm off to look for more special editions of it. 

About the Book

This strange and lovely parable, written as much for adults as for children, and beautifully illustrated by the author, has become a classic of our time.

The narrator, an air pilot, tells how, having made a forced landing in the Sahara Desert, he meets the little prince. The wise and enchanting stories the prince tells about the planet where he lives with three volcanoes and a haught flower, about the other planets and their rulers, and about his fight with the bad seeds, make him an entrancing, unforgettable character.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was a novelist and professional air pilot. He wrote The Little Prince a year before his death in 1944.

About Antoine

ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY, the "Winged Poet," was born in Lyon, France, in 1900. A pilot at twenty-six, he was a pioneer of commercial aviation and flew in the Spanish Civil War and World War II. His writings include The Little Prince, Wind, Sand and Stars, Night Flight, Southern Mail, and Airman's Odyssey. In 1944, while flying a reconnaissance mission for his French air squadron, he disappeared over the Mediterranean.

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My Review for Heidi by Johanna Spyri, read by Gemma Whelan

"When he (the sun) says good-night to the mountains he throws his most beautiful colors over them, so that they may not forget him before he comes again the next day."

I adored Heidi when I was growing up, and to say that I was obsessed with the BBC adaptation is an understatement. Despite it being originally filmed in German and dubbed (very badly) into English, I could watch it over and over again. From what I can remember, it was shown on a Sunday morning, week in, and week out, and then repeated all over again. 

Until I reread it for June's read for #classiclitbookclub, I'd forgotten how much I loved it. Even now, at 52 years old, I want to be Heidi. I want to be springing from rock to rock as I climb up and down the mountainside. I want to sleep in the loft on a bed of hay and gaze up at the stars through a hole in the roof!

When Clara visits from the city, she arrives being unable to walk and leaves, very much recuperated. This reminded me very much of The Secret Garden and even back in 1881 when Heidi was written, it was obviously very apparent that being outside in the fresh air, at one with nature, can be hugely beneficial for health and wellbeing. Something which is very much encouraged today for mental health.

If you've never read this, and you fancy an easy, escapist read where you're transported to the beauty of the Swiss mountains, then give this a go.

About the Book

When Heidi, a cheerful 5-year-old orphan, comes to live with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps, she brings a bright ray of sunshine into the lives of the people around her. Young Peter, a goatherd, shares her love of nature, and his blind grandmother delights in the little girl's bubbling personality. Even Heidi's surly and hermit-like grandfather, the old Alm-Uncle, finds his long-lost grandchild a source of immense pleasure.

A few years later, when she is forced to go to Frankfurt to serve as a companion for Klara, a well-to-do but sickly girl, Heidi must leave her beloved mountains and friends behind — an experience that proves highly traumatic to the innocent and sensitive little girl. But her return home and a visit from Klara result in magical moments that will leave young readers thoroughly captivated by this heartwarming tale of an unforgettable child and her effect on the people around her.

Complete and unabridged, this story "for children and those who love children" will thrill today's youngsters just as it has delighted generations of young readers and listeners since its original publication in 1881.

About Johanna

Johanna Spyri (1827–1901) was a Swiss author best known for her beloved children's book Heidi. Born in Hirzel, Switzerland, Spyri grew up in a rural setting that would later inspire the vivid Alpine landscapes in her writing. She began her literary career later in life, publishing Heidi in 1880, which quickly became an international classic. Spyri’s works often reflect themes of nature, family, and the resilience of children. Her heartfelt storytelling and depiction of Swiss village life continue to charm readers around the world.

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My Review for The Bell Jar by Sylvia Path, read by Maggie Gyllenhaal

“If you expect nothing from somebody you are never disappointed.”

The Bell Jar was the book we chose to read for #classiclitbookclub in August 2024, and I have finally managed to find the time to write a review. I listened to this one, narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal and I loved it.

It's semi-autobiographical and so, so sad, as Esther takes the reader (or listener) through her inner turmoil, whilst her friends and family, are seemingly living a happy and perfect life. As it becomes apparent that she suffers severely with mental health issues, I found myself wondering if she had been born into today's society. Would she have perhaps been diagnosed with ADHD and received the help she needed, earlier than she did. 

This is another book that I would be happy to revisit at another time, to see if I take anything more away from it, now I know the story. 

Sadly, Sylvia took her own life, aged just thirty, but her writings live on and have been translated into many languages throughout the world.

About the Book

'I was supposed to be having the time of my life'.

When Esther Greenwood wins an internship on a New York fashion magazine in 1953, she is elated, believing she will finally realise her dream to become a writer.

But in between the cocktail parties and piles of manuscripts, Esther's life begins to slide out of control. She finds herself spiralling into depression and eventually a suicide attempt, as she grapples with difficult relationships and a society which refuses to take women's aspirations seriously.

The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath's only novel, was originally published in 1963 under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas. The novel is partially based on Plath's own life and descent into mental illness, and has become a modern classic. The Bell Jar has been celebrated for its darkly funny and razor sharp portrait of 1950s society and has sold millions of copies worldwide.

About Sylvia

Sylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer, widely regarded as one of the most influential and emotionally powerful authors of the 20th century. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she demonstrated literary talent from an early age, publishing her first poem at the age of eight. Her early life was shaped by the death of her father, Otto Plath, when she was eight years old, a trauma that would profoundly influence her later work.

Plath attended Smith College, where she excelled academically but also struggled privately with depression. In 1953, she survived a suicide attempt, an experience she later fictionalized in her semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar. After recovering, she earned a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Newnham College, Cambridge, in England. While there, she met and married English poet Ted Hughes in 1956. Their relationship was passionate but tumultuous, with tensions exacerbated by personal differences and Hughes's infidelities.

Throughout her life, Plath sought to balance her ambitions as a writer with the demands of marriage and motherhood. She had two children with Hughes, Frieda and Nicholas, and continued to write prolifically. In 1960, her first poetry collection, The Colossus and Other Poems, was published in the United Kingdom. Although it received modest critical attention at the time, it laid the foundation for her distinctive voice—intensely personal, often exploring themes of death, rebirth, and female identity.

Plath's marriage unraveled in 1962, leading to a period of intense emotional turmoil but also extraordinary creative output. Living with her two children in London, she wrote many of the poems that would posthumously form Ariel, the collection that would cement her literary legacy. These works, filled with striking imagery and raw emotional force, displayed her ability to turn personal suffering into powerful art. Poems like "Daddy" and "Lady Lazarus" remain among her most famous, celebrated for their fierce honesty and technical brilliance.

In early 1963, following a deepening depression, Plath died by suicide at the age of 30. Her death shocked the literary world and sparked a lasting fascination with her life and work. The posthumous publication of Ariel in 1965, edited by Hughes, introduced Plath's later poetry to a wide audience and established her as a major figure in modern literature. Her novel The Bell Jar was also published under her own name shortly after her death, having initially appeared under the pseudonym "Victoria Lucas."

Plath’s work is often classified within the genre of confessional poetry, a style that emphasizes personal and psychological experiences. Her fearless exploration of themes like mental illness, female oppression, and death has resonated with generations of readers and scholars. Over time, Plath has become a feminist icon, though her legacy is complex and occasionally controversial, especially in light of debates over Hughes's role in managing her literary estate and personal history.

Today, Sylvia Plath is remembered not only for her tragic personal story but also for her immense contributions to American and English literature. Her work continues to inspire writers, artists, and readers worldwide. Collections such as Ariel, Crossing the Water, and Winter Trees, as well as her journals and letters, offer deep insight into her creative mind. Sylvia Plath’s voice, marked by its intensity and emotional clarity, remains one of the most haunting and enduring in modern literature.

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My Review for My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier, read by Jonathan Pryce

'..If we killed women for their tongues all men would be murderers.'

Back in 2024 I listened to My Cousin Rachel for the September read for #classiclitbookclub and as always, Daphne's writing just blew me away. A storyteller like no other, she kept me enthralled for the entire book. Just as with Rebecca and Jamaica Inn, the gothic atmosphere shines through and once again, there are some really, really dark turns of events. 

Philip is naive and immature and just doesn't seem to understand why Rachel doesn't want to be with him - she's just lost her husband for goodness’ sake, give the woman some space! I didn't like Philip at all, I'm not sure whether Daphne du Maurier's intention was for us to feel sorry for him or get annoyed with him. He was just a namby-pamby who had been molly-coddled his entire life and hadn't a clue how to live in the real world. 

Ambrose, in my opinion, expected far too much of Philip as he asks him to take over the running of his estate. Philip doesn't have the experience or knowledge to even begin to understand where to start.

Rachel - well, you'll probably change your mind, time and again in regard to Rachel. Is she evil, clever, yet manipulative? Or is she just a very sad widow who has lost her husband and is looking for something which was close to her dead husband for comfort? I'll leave you to ponder on that one as you read it - and long afterwards. 

I will be suggesting Frenchman's Creek for inclusion on the list for next year for #classiclitbookclub. It's been many years since I read that one, but I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it!

About the Book

I threw the piece of paper on the fire. She saw it burn ...Orphaned at an early age, Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent older cousin, Ambrose. Resolutely single, Ambrose delights in Philip as his heir, a man who will love his grand home as much as he does himself. But the cosy world the two construct is shattered when Ambrose sets off on a trip to Florence. There he falls in love and marries - and there he dies suddenly. In almost no time at all, the new widow - Philip's cousin Rachel - turns up in England. Despite himself, Philip is drawn to this beautiful, sophisticated, mysterious woman like a moth to the flame. And yet ...might she have had a hand in Ambrose's death?

About Daphne

Daphne du Maurier (13th May 1907 - 19th April 1989) was first and foremost a really excellent storyteller but she was also part of the remarkable du Maurier dynasty - a granddaughter, daughter, sister, military wife, mother and grandmother. Daphne is often thought of as reclusive; she was perhaps solitary, comfortable with her own company and the make-believe world that she lived in and which enabled her to bring us her wonderful novels and short stories. Her social media accounts are approved by her estate.

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