2022 RTT Quarterly: 1st Quarter: Jan - March 2022 - 19th Century (Excluding North America)

Marie Curie

In the 19th century, energized by the industrial revolution and under pressure from a rapidly growing population, Europe launched a new period of colonial expansion, inspired by the discovery of new markets, new areas for the settlement of Europe’s poor migrants, and the desire to " civilize the barbarian nations ".

The 19th century was an era of rapidly accelerating scientific discovery and invention, with significant developments in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, electricity, and metallurgy that laid the groundwork for the technological advances of the 20th century.

It was the age of Victoria, of Napoleon, slave revolts, railroads, and the Barbary Pirates. It also marked the end of the Ottoman Empire in the Baltics and the industrial revolution

Jane Austen published her works, Keats was writing poetry, Mary Shelley published Frankenstein. The term 'scientist' was coined by William Whewell, and Darwin shocked the world with his On the Origin of Species.

Here's a link to tag 19th Century literature : https://www.librarything.com/tag/19th+century+literature

Here's the new wiki for you to update as you read:
https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Reading_Through_Time_Quarterly_Theme_Rea...

This is one of my "CATS" this year, so I will be reading many 19th century books!

I have got to remember that we don't do a different group each year. I keep forgetting to put enough in the titles to find these quarterly threads. Sorry.

>3 majkia: I find the best way to alert people is to put a link to the new thread in the last/current thread, which is what I've just done ;)

>3 majkia: The group administrator can change the title. :)

First Quarterly thread for 2022. January - March.

I added the "First Quarter Months of Jan - March, 2022" to the thread's title.

>7 DeltaQueen50: Thanks!

*bump*

Hey! Coming out of lurk mode again... Is this thread for both fiction & non-fiction? (I tried to look through some past Wikis, but for some reason the gateways keep timing out!)

>10 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Both fiction AND non-fiction, whichever you prefer to read, just so it fits the defined time period.

I lean more toward literary fiction, so I'm planning on a major read/reread of Thomas Hardy (which will fit in also with the February monthly theme of "Rural Life," so I'll cover both the quarterly and the monthly themes together next month). I'd also like to get to Wives and Daughters, which is the only significant work by Elizabeth Gaskell (I call her the "honorary Brontë") that I've never read. And I'm woefully weak on my reading of George Eliot (Adam Bede a few years ago, Silas Marner over a half-century ago back in high school, and otherwise that's it), so I might go for Middlemarch or The Mill on the Floss. I could also do with some Balzac, Stendhal, Victor Hugo, or whatever. Or just some Brontë rereads. This period's the best of the entire rotation for me.

Now, if I were overly ambitious ("masochistic" might be the better word), I'd also consider non-fiction in the form of Harriet Martineau's History of the Thirty Years Peace, which covers the post-Napoleonic era of 1816-1836. I've had this around the house for quite some years, but its four volumes are a bit intimidating. (Martineau and Charlotte Brontë were friends for a short period but then had a falling-out that's a long story.....)

Anywhere in the world, EXCEPT that North America is excluded, to be picked up in the second quarter (but without including the "Old West," which comes up by itself in the third quarter).

>11 CurrerBell: Thank you for taking the time to answer my question!

In the last half of December, I read The Strangler Vine (Avery & Blake #1; by M.J. Carter; narrated by Alex Wyndham) which is set in 1837 in India. It's a mystery/spy thriller with two officers from the British East India Company who are tasked with tracking down a controversial poet whose work is fueling the tensions between the British and the Indians. At the end of the book, there is a hint of The Great Game in Central Asia and I was rather hoping Avery & Blake would head to Afghanistan, but a quick peek at the synopses for the other two books has them in Victorian London. I hadn't been quite ready to "return" to England, which is why I decided to dive into Kim (by Rudyard Kipling; narrated by Sam Dastor) when I did. Though the time period is not spelled out, it looks (from a casual Google search), that 'Kim' is set in the late 19th century after the second Anglo-Afghan War. Now I'm listening to The Great Game (non-fiction by Peter Hopkirk; narrated by Alex Wyndham) - the heart of which lies squarely in the 19th century. From there, I'll probably queue up the other two books in the Avery & Blake series.

I have one Thomas Hardy novel in my stacks, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, set in the late 19th century in Wessex. Technically, this would be a re-read, but it's literally been decades since I first read it. The last time, I read it in anticipation of the Roman Polanksi film adaptation with Nastassja Kinski in the title role. I might re-watch the movie after reading the book this time around too as I only vaguely recall the controversy around the film and a rather erotically charged atmosphere involving a cello (?)

I've also just started the Pink Carnation series (by Lauren Willig), set in the early 19th century during the French Empire period. These are melodramas à la The Scarlet Pimpernel (by Baroness Orczy) - spy thrillers/mysteries/romances. Very light, but fun and great "mental floss" reads! The next two books in the series, The Masque of the Black Tulip and The Deception of the Emerald Ring are waiting for me :-)

I'm also thinking about a re-read of The Four Feathers (by A.E.W. Mason) which is set in the 1880s; but I'm not sure I can squeeze it in during the first quarter. We'll see!

The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia (by Peter Hopkirk; narrated by Alex Wyndham). This is non-fiction, but reads like an adventure tale with massacres that made me weep (Kyber Pass 1842) and, amazing feats of strategy, leadership &, courage; but more importantly, an overview of the geopolitics then that still have ramifications today. The narrator, a British reader who has become one of my favorites, related tales with his signature touch of controlled exuberance that engages without sensationalism. The only reason I'm not giving this a full five stars is because I still have to go buy the book for the maps! (I did a quick internet search for various places, but still...) :-)

I'll probably start Tess of the D'Urbervilles (by Thomas Hardy) at the end of the week/over the weekend.

>13 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Do not! buy the paperback for the maps. I bought the paperback and was very disappointed at the way any maps that spread over two pages, left and right, were difficult to read at the inner edges of the pages, in the gutters. I don't know for sure, but I suspect that the hardcover probably opens better (flatter, if you will) so that the gutter portion of two-page maps are easier to read.

I think I bought the paperback because I saw it on the shelf at Barnes & Noble retail. I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy a hardcover on ABE, but it's not all that important to me now that I'm going to bother getting another copy. But I do want to give you a warning before you make the mistake I made.

Those maps are really important to an understanding of the narrative. And in addition to more readable gutters, the hardcover will probably have somewhat larger pages, hence larger maps, hence I'd hope more legible place-names on the maps.

Get a hardcover on ABE. And it might, in very good or even fine condition, prove to be less expensive than a new paperback.

>14 CurrerBell: Absolutely! I read your comments about the PB vs HB and the maps on the monthly prompt and am keeping them in mind. I hope to actually look at a HB copy at Powell's (Portland, OR, USA) next time I'm up there. Ironically, I suffer from global disorientation (will get lost coming home from the grocery store without directions)-- but I love maps! :-)

I have finished Sea of Poppies about the British Opium trade to China (among other things). I was pretty lost among all the strange words at first, only a handful of which I could find in my Hobson-Jobson, but I ploughed on regardless and I am glad I did. Most can be understand from the context or would be just as plain baffling in English (the ship's rig and other nautical terms). All the many characters finally end up on the good ship Isis on its way to Mauritius with a cargo of Indian contract labourers and two convicts. I am very curious to find out more about their adventures in the next books of the trilogy.

I completed The Hungry Road which was about the Irish potato famine. This book was set in 1847-1855 and follows 3 families throughout this time period. Very nicely written.

Im reading David Copperfield for the Victorian thread, will use that here as well, unless something else suits my fancy

I just finished listening to The Infidel Stain (Avery & Blake #2; by M.J. Carter; narrated by Alex Wyndham) - Avery & Blake "inquire" after the death of two printers in 1841. The Chartist Movement, classicism and poverty are the backdrop against which the gruesome, ritualistic murders take place and which the two former soldiers in the East India Trading Company race against false accusations and red herrings. M.J. Carter has indulged in her love of research and brings into focus the rich/poor divide, industrialization and urbanization that lead to it and, the efforts of many to eradicate it. On a personal note, I was intrigued with the summary account of Avery's time in Afghanistan (after the events in the first book in the series, The Strangler Vine which takes place in India). Between Kim (by Rudyard Kipling) and The Great Game (by Peter Hopkirk) and these historical fiction mysteries, I'm gaining a deeper & richer knowledge and understanding of the Victorian Era. I have to admit that prior to reading Kim, it was rather sketchy and limited to the late part of the 19th century and, not with a lot of context.

Looking through my shelves, I came across two books that would be perfect for this time period. Emily Eden (3 March 1797 – 5 August 1869) was an author compared to Jane Austen; her books were about the British society. She's most famous for The Semi-Attached Couple, and The Semi-Detached House. Written to Her Sister from the Upper Provinces of India (1867). These both poke fun at the upper class, with great humor. Ive read both of these several times, probably wont again, but wanted to pass these on as possible reads for others.

She also wrote accounts of her life in India in Up The Country: Letters Written to Her Sister from the Upper Provinces of India (1867). While the emphasis of her Indian writings was on travel descriptions, local colour and details of the ceremonial and social functions that she attended, Eden also provided a perceptive record of the major political events that occurred during her brother's term of office. These included the total destruction of a British/Indian army during the retreat from Kabul in 1842; a disaster for which George Eden was held partly responsible. Ive not read this, not sure I will in time for the theme, but will add it to my TBR list

>19 Tanya-dogearedcopy: you might be interested in these!

>20 cindydavid4: Oh, wow! Thank You! I'm going to start with Up The Country: Letters Written to Her Sister from the Upper Provinces of India. I managed to find a copy on Abebooks for a few U.S. dollars ❤️

LOL, I never know what's going to catch my reading brain's attention: A few years ago, it was "All Things WWI"; A couple years ago, Shakespeare's Histories... And now it's all sorts of things about British India & Afghanistan... I'm also looking at a couple things by William Dalrymple: I just bought Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839-42 and have put, The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire on my wishlist :-)

ETA: OK, Well, that didn't last long.... I had an Audible credit so I just got The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire (narrated by Sid Sagar) :-D

Read Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Too sickeningly sweet! 114 pages 3- stars

>21 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I've got the Dalrymples laid by, too...

>21 Tanya-dogearedcopy: >23 MissWatson: I've got several Dalrymples laid by as well. I have read The Anarchy (4****), read it just about a year ago.

This month I finished two books from the 19th century:

Stempenyu: A Jewish Romance by Sholem Aleichem (1888); author was born near Kiev and the story is set in a small village in Eastern Europe. I enjoyed this tale of love and life in the shtetl.
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886); very much enjoyed this young person's classic which I had never read. My edition was very helpful, with many notes and an extensive glossary of words from the Scots language.

I am currently listening to the audiobook of David Copperfield and loving it. Will probably finish sometime next month.

>21 Tanya-dogearedcopy: tanya very interested in what you thought of that letter book. i may need to do the same!

I finished listening to The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire (by William Dalrymple; narrated by Sid Sagar) last week and, while I absolutely loved it (narrative eye-opening NF written and delivered in an engaging way); it did not extend into the 19th century as much as I had hoped. It starts with the EIC's formation in 1599 as a trading company and pretty much ends with the last official EIC military engagement in 1803. The book did not include the EIC's activity as it became more subsumed by the British government during the Victorian Era-- so while I can wholeheartedly recommend it as a source that provides context for so much that happens in Asia, Europe and North America then and later, I can't really justify listing it in the Wiki for this quarterly prompt.

>26 cindydavid4: I just got Up The Country: Letters Written to Her Sister from the Upper Provinces of India (by Emily Eden) in the mail a couple days ago! I may have bitten off more than I can chew for the short month of February, so it might not surface to the top of the stacks until March!

>27 Tanya-dogearedcopy: cool!

I completed The Cat of Bubastes by G.A. Henty which is a 19th century children's classic set in Egypt. It is the story of a young boy who accidentally kills a cat and must flee as the crime is punishable by death. This book is a product of its time, but I did enjoy parts of it--NOT the extended battle scenes, though. 369 pages

I have finished Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens. My first reading of this later novel, and I loved it. I’ll probably reread it in several months’ time. I read it too quickly this time because the plot really pulled me in, and I’m curious to see what another reading will bring out.

>30 dianelouise100: I listened to the audio last year--at least my 3rd or 4th re-reading--and just as wonderful. The more I think about it, the more it is my favorite Dickens.

I have finished Jezebel's Daughter which was published in 1880 and is set in 1828 Frankfurt-on-the-Main. well-built suspense, considering the limited cast of characters.

ETA: the cover of my copy is pretty hideous, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the OCR. Someone obviously took care to produce a readable version.

>31 kac522: I failed to mention—and should have!—that I read the text accompanied by the Juliet Stevenson narration. Her skill at making all the various characters recognizable by voice was amazing, and added so much to the experience.

>33 dianelouise100: Ooooh, she's my favorite narrator! I may have to check that out. Mine was read by Simon Vance, who is my second favorite narrator, and he also has distinct character voices. His Mr Dorrit was absolutely perfect, especially toward the end where he shows signs of dementia.

>34 kac522: so far I’ve not liked male narrators as well as female, so am glad to have a name recommended. I think he has narrated a lot of Dickens, including Great Expectations, which I hope to read this year.

>35 dianelouise100: I should add that Simon Vance also uses the name Robert Whitfield, especially on older recordings. Apparently narrators can have "stage" (studio?) names.

In hs I was took part in National Forensic Society, that is now the National Speech and Debate Association, that sponsored competitions for students across the country. I remember many readings I did, and many I listened to, which felt like being on a stage. So having stage names doesn't surprise me!

Rereading Queen of Hearts Oh it is such a delight. In the middle of it and don't quite want it to end. I am surprised this was never made into a movie, tho granted the individual stories of the brothers might be difficult to make work right. Its just such a great story

I’ve finished Silas Marner by George Eliot. My first rereading of this beautiful, compact novel since it was assigned in 9th grade. 5*

>39 dianelouise100: One of my top favorite books of all time! Also, one of my favorite authors. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks, Tess, Eliot is my favorite 19th century author and this novel has made me cast my TBR aside to spend some more time with her. I’m going on to read Romola next, one of two of her major novels I’ve never read.

I finished listening to The Devil's Feast (Blake & Avery #3; by M.J. Carter; narrated by Alex Wyndham) this morning. This final installment in the series has Blake & Avery in a Victorian Era (1842) club kitchen investigating the death of a member. Poisoning is suspected, but accidental or murder? Carter takes a look at the kitchen and life of the first celebrity chef, Alexis Soyer and the reader/listener has a fully realized depiction of his flamboyancy and the workings of his trade. The author's research is heavier here than in The Infidel Stain, and the actual mystery suffered a little more; But I still regret that Carter did not continue this series.

>39 dianelouise100: oh I hated Silas Marner, and could never stomach another of her books. I may have just been too young and maybe should try them now, but there are so many other books to read

>39 dianelouise100: >43 cindydavid4: I’ve only ever tried to read one George Eliot book, Middlemarch. It did not go well: I wanted Dora (?) to die or disappear very quickly, but as it seemed like she wasn’t going to go away, I did! This was many years ago though. Maybe I’ll give GE another shot one of these days.

>40 Tess_W:, >41 dianelouise100: I love George Eliot, too. I've read Middlemarch at least 3 times; the last time was an audiobook read by Juliet Stevenson--just magnificent, and so much to think about. Last year I re-read both Silas Marner and Adam Bede. I haven't read either Romola or Felix Holt, so I hope to get to those 2 this year.

I'm also slowly making my way through her biography: George Eliot by Jenny Uglow, which is not long and very accessible (published by Virago). After the initial chapters of Eliot's early life, Uglow dedicates a chapter (in order published) of her major works, while intertwining Eliot's life.

>45 kac522: Now me, I'm hoping this quarter to get to Uglow's Elizabeth Gaskell: A Habit of Stories and to finally read the one Gaskell I've never made very much progress on, Wives and Daughters.

>46 CurrerBell: I have that biography, too, but it's way longer than the Eliot biography. Plus I've still got Ruth and Sylvia's Lovers, and like you, Wives and Daughters yet to read. And a re-read of Mary Barton, too. So many books, so little time....

>47 kac522: Ruth, ugh! But I really liked Sylvia's Lovers, one of her less popular novels. The story was a bit implausible, but I liked the depiction of town life and the description of a press gang.

>39 dianelouise100:
>45 kac522:

I read Romola last year. It was unlike any of the other Eliot's I've read. The story was good. The prose was very dense and sometimes I concentrated more on the words than the story, making it less enjoyable then it should have been. I've not yet read Felix Holt. I think I will put this on the list for sometime this year.

In The Anarchy, William Dalrymple mentions the Koh-i-Noor-- an enormous diamond that carries a curse with it-- and that would become the basis for Wilkie Collins' novel, The Moonstone (set in 1848-1850; text published in 1868). I couldn't resist: I bought a 30-cent ebook version on AMZN and then bought the Naxos multi-voice recording for half-price on Audible. I'm not sure what I thought this was, but it's a mystery centered around the disappearance of the diamond from an English country estate. Told in epistolary fashion, the opening letter shows how the diamond left India... Anyway, I'm absolutely loving this! I've just started and it will probably take me through to the end of February to wrap up as I prioritize finishing Tess of the D'Urbervilles (by Thomas Hardy) :-)

Thomas Hardy, Under the Greenwood Tree 3***, which fits both this month's and this quarter's theme. First of the Wessex novels, a rather slight affair.

Yesterday, I finally finished, Tess of the D'Urbervilles (by Thomas Hardy)! This Classic (published in 1891) is the tragedy of a young country girl/woman in Wessex during the 1870s who tries to make her way through the world with love and a sense of dignity, even as her world is corrupted by outside influences. There is plenty of fodder for literary criticism and discussion, but what cannot be rendered equivocal is the richness of the text and the vivid, painterly portrayals of the settings and characters. This edition contains endnotes that compare other MSS of the text (Hardy made revisions/redactions to accommodate himself and various publications, most notably Graphic in the latter case), as well as references to paintings that the author was influenced by; Biblical citations & notes and; song attributions... all of which are in equal measures tedious and enlightening.

ETA: ICYMBI, This 2016 article from The Guardian, "Bones found at prison may belong to real-life Tess of the d'Urbervilles" (by Steven Morris):
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/feb/19/thomas-hardy-tess-of-the-durbervil...

I have finished L'argent, first published in 1891 and set in Paris in the second half of the 1860s. Lots of stock dealing and other financial shenanigans.

>50 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I didn't know about the connection between The Anarchy and The Moonstone. I found Dalrymple's book very interesting when I read it and have the Collins book somewhere on my shelves. I should pull it to read now that I have that fact in my mind.

A lot of the books I read are set in the 19th century predominantly in Britain so I just had to choose one of my reads that met this criteria for this challenge. A Dangerous Collaboration was book four in the Veronica Speedwell mystery series that I am pursuing. In this book the mystery took place at an estate in Cornwall and kept me turning the pages.

I finished The Moonstone (by Wilkie Collins; narrated by Ronald Pickup, Sean Barrett, David Timson, Jamie Parker, Jonathan Olive, Fenella Woolgar and, Joe Marsh). Published in 1868, this mystery is set in the country house belonging to the Verinder family. A rare and large diamond (à la the Koh-i-Noor) has passed into the hands of a young woman and, before the night is out, the gem is missing! Told in epistolary form from several POVs, this leaves you guessing up until the very end as to who, how and why. Though there is one "loose-ish" end (not really a spoiler, but marking it as such out of respect to those who may not want to know-- How is it that Dr. Candy recovers?), I found it entertaining and am looking forward to picking up The Woman in White in the future. My only quibble with the audio (which had so many amazing narrators, including the talented Ms Woolgar who turns in a truly fine and comic performance of Miss Drusilla Clack) is that there didn't seem to be any overall directorial guidance-- so sometimes the steward's daughter is Irish and sometimes not! Anyway, Edgar Allan Poe wrote one of the earliest mystery novels in the 19th century, The Murders in the Rue Morgue in 1841, but this represents the first full mystery novel and it serves as the prototype from which many mysteries still take their cues.

>54 Familyhistorian: I'm currently listening to Koh-i-Noor (by Anita Anand & William Dalrymple; narrated by Leighton Pugh). This is a narrative NF title about the famed diamond that is the basis for The Moonstone and which currently sits in the British Royal Crown. The first part is written by Dalrymple and delves into the history of the gemstone. A lot of this material is replicated in The Anarchy-- so, a little disappointing because "been there, done that" but I'm looking forward to Anand's section which delves into the more recent issues around the "cursed" jewel.

speaking of wilkie collins I read queen of hearts Three elderly brothers live by themselves. One of them is a guadian of a young woman. The will from her late father stipulated that she spend 6 weeks a year with him until her majority (rest of time with her aunt) They are getting prepared for her visit when he gets a letter from his son, who is sailing back after fighting in the crimea. He is in love with her. He asks him to please try to keep her home until he arrives. She is set to go traveling with her aunt when her trip here is finished which is in 10 day. So the brothers write stories to read to her for the 10 nights before she comes of age. The tension is whether or not the sons ship will arrive before she leaves. The ending is sweet, and I loved the old men. Most of there stories were from thier own experiences; and each one reveals somethng of them. And while a few of them were rather boring none of them had any kind of victorian model which was fine with mt. A very pleasat read

I have just finished Bel-Ami and liked it very much. I'm really looking forward to reading more of his books.

>57 cindydavid4: I have this on my Kobo and it starts very well!

Amitav Ghosh, Flood of Fire (4½****), the concluding volume of the Ibis Trilogy, set in eastern India, southern China, and the surrounding maritime regions in the lead-up to and through the First Opium War. I read Sea of Poppies (5*****) and River of Smoke (4****) some months ago; and while I can understand why some would find Ghosh a bit over-the-top, the trilogy is far superior to those James Michener sagas. The second volume suffers as do most second volumes from a bit of a lag, but Ghosh comes back to speed in Flood of Fire. My only problem is that the conclusion is a bit too neat of a "wrap up"; and yes, over all, there are a bit too many coincidences of characters meeting up with each other throughout the entire trilogy.

I've started listening to my selection for the March thread ("Time") and it fits here too: Hard Times (by Charles Dickens) is a relatively short C.D. novel that was reputedly written in anger over how industrialization was ruining well, everything. The audiobook is narrated by Anton Lesser, a noted British actor and one of my favorite British narrators (cf Sally Lockhart series by Philip Pullman and A Tale of Two Cities (by Charles Dickens) :-)

And one more Wilkie Collins: The Queen of Hearts. Three old brothers live together onm a remote estate in Wales and have a visit from the youngest brother's war, a young lady, to whom they tell stories.

I finished the whole of Hard Times (by Charles Dickens; narrated by Anton Lesser) a bit early (was in my March stack). It's a satirical anti-industrialism work and the shortest Dickens novel in his oeuvre. One of the first characters we meet is Josiah Bounderby, a man who boasts of his origins in poverty. At this point, all I could think of was the absurdist sketch, "The Four Yorkshiremen" from "At Last the 1948 Show"; and from there, imagining all the characters in the novel as Monty Python comics. Anyway, from the ridiculous Mr. Bounderby to the Queen of Passive Aggressiveness, Mrs. Sparsit, they were all vividly and evocatively drawn. Anton Lesser is a master audiobook narrator-- the kind where you can't quite believe the book is being read by just one person! But he doesn't call attention to himself. You just sort of slip into Dickens' world with Lesser as your discreet audio guide.

https://youtu.be/DT1mGoLDRbc

In The Devil's Feast (Blake & Avery #3; by M.J. Carter; narrated by Alex Wyndham), the story lifts a bit from Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers. (The "lift" is part of the story and fully acknowledged so it's not plagiarism). Not having read The Pickwick Papers before, I decided to get the audio (narrated by David Timson). The conceit is that a few well-meaning but naive gentlemen form an amateur social science club. They go around England collecting & recording stories. This is longer that I had anticipated at 31+ hours so unless I manage a binge listening session sometime in March, I expect this will carry over into April.

In February I finished Linda Tressel by Anthony Trollope, which was probably the saddest, least hopeful of Trollope's novels that I've read.

I started out this month by re-reading The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. I remembered almost nothing about this book, so it was like a new book this time around. It was very suspenseful, although he does drag it out a bit.

I'm almost done with an audiobook re-read of David Copperfield, which I am loving and will be sad when it ends.

Continuing on with my Thomas Hardy project, I just finished Far from the Madding Crowd 3*** in the Norton Critical Edition, including a reading of the supplementary materials. I wasn't that impressed with this one, which alternates between tragedy and a "contented" if not entirely happy ending; and the critical essays tended to be a bit tedious, which is unusual for Norton.

So far I've covered Under the Greedwood Tree and Madding Crowd. For starters, I'm doing the Wessex novels, and doing them in order, so next on to The Return of the Native, a reread (but I read it back in high school or college, and that's half a century ago, so it might as well be a new read).

The Pickwick Papers FINALLY! I read this via serial reader, 115 installments. I usually read 3-4 a day, but it grew increasingly difficult. I have loved such Dickens as David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and Bleak House. This was the least favorite of any I have read. The first half was ok, but the last half seemed to be farcical or slap-stick comedy, which I do not care for. It was the story of The Pickwick Club, four odd members, and their traipsing around the English countryside. Trouble always followed them. I didn't find the episodes amusing, I found them irritating. I do understand this was Dickens' first full-length novel. Glad he improved! 801 pages 2.5 stars

Apr - Jun thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/340188

Wilkie Collins: Armadale

It took me a long time to finish this long novel, but I did enjoy it. It was filled with suspense, especially near the end, and kept me reading. I was a little confused about Lydia’s history, but otherwise the complicated plot moved along easily and quickly.
3 1/2 to 4 stars

The Masque of the Black Tulip (Pink Carnation #2; by Lauren Willig) - More melodrama, romance and, intrigue on the heel of the first-in-series, The Pink Carnation! Fun tales of clichéd dialogue, spies running around in cloaks, and the looming threat of Napoleon make this perfect for fans of the Scarlet Pimpernel, Regency Romance and/or those who just need some "mental floss" between heavier reads. I also went back and re-read Ivy & Intrigue which is a Christmas-themed novella that falls chronologically after this one. I know this technically falls into the "Napoleonic Wars" time frame; but 1803 also puts it in the 19th century so I'm mentioning it here.

I've also started reading Sea of Poppies (by Amitav Ghosh) - Taking place in 1837 against the backdrop of the East India Company's opium trade with China, the Ibis is heading to Calcutta to be inspected by its new owner before it is refitted from being a slave ship to a spice/cargo vessel.

I'm continuing with The Pickwick Papers (by Charles Dickens; narrated by David Timson) - Listening to a little bit every day, I look forward to "Wellerisms"-- the analogous quips Sam Weller comes up with (e.g., "Vich I call addin' insult to injury, as the parrot said ven they not only took him from his native land, but made him talk the English langwidge afterwards.") I just finished with the lovely Christmas/skating party scene a couple days ago-- the quintessential Anglo holiday and the heart of much of Dickens' future writings, IMO.

I'm on track to finish Sea of Poppies and, The Pickwick Papers by the end of the month, if literally on the 31st!

Go Tanya!

I finished The Pickwick Papers (by Charles Dickens; narrated by David Timson) last night! I listened to a little bit every day and found some scenes/characters to be absolutely charming, hilarious and/or tense. I also found a web-site that carries the original illustrations which is "icing on the cake!"

https://www.charlesdickenspage.com/illustrations-pickwick.html

Now it's down to the wire for Sea of Poppies (Ibis Trilogy #1; by Amitav Ghosh). I had a dream a couple nights ago wherein I was arguing with a zemindar-- so I think it's safe to say that I'm really into this story! I've already acquired the next book in the series, River of Smoke.

Continuing with my Thomas Hardy project, The Return of the Native in the Norton Critical Edition (1st ed 1969) 3***.

Contemporary critics disliked Hardy's extravagant Native prose. I agree and would characterize it as "purple" prose. In giving this a 3*** rating, though, I'm also considering the quality of this particular Norton edition, which is a first edition published just about forty years after Hardy's death. The supplementary materials are badly dated (though the D.H. Lawrence articles are excellent and timeless, and a couple others are quite interesting). There's a 2d edition (2005) which is no doubt a better one on the supplementary materials.

Overall, I might give Native itself 3½***, but no more. A bit overrated, I think, within the Hardy canon.

In March I read the following and enjoyed them all:

The Moonstone, Wilkie Collins (1868)
David Copperfield, Charles Dickens (1850)
The Perpetual Curate, Margaret Oliphant (1864)