'Serenity'
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
P-C, if the 19th Century English appeal to you, I'd recommend Anthony Trollope. Many, many novels of the "realistic" school. The Way We Live Now is an English Gilded Age. Can You Forgive Her? is the first of the Palliser novels, which explore the political scene of the era.
If the "sensationalistic" school appeals to you more, I'd suggest Willkie Collins, The Woman in White.
Hee. I don't think the 19th Century English actually appeal to me. Good writing appeals to me. I remember now that another rec I need to follow up on is Markus Zusak's The Book Thief.
OK. If you like Middlemarch, I'd recommend Trollope. Especially if you like dry wit.
Example: In one novel, he explained how a will worked to give a particular person a large inheritance. Unfortunately, he apparently got the law wrong. So, the next time he had to explain how a will worked to etc., he concluded with the equivalent of, "Well, at least that's how it was explained to me. Anyway, it worked so She inherited." The "So lay off, already!" was implied.
Hee!
whether Leonora was a complete bitch or justified in what she did (I defended her, of course).I don't know if I'd go as far as "justified." But I love Leonora.
It even starred Jeremy Brett as Edward and John Ratzenberger (yes, Cliff Claven!) as Jimmy.Ooo, that's wacky.
Have all you Good Soldier fans read Parade's End? You should!
And if you read Trollope, you can feel all in the know when listening to Dave's True Story "I'll Never Read Trollope Again."
Stendahl's "The Red and the Black" is a frequently overlooked book that everybody should read.
P-C if you get Middlemarch make sure to get an edition with footnotes Eliot has lots of references to events and people contemporary to the time so it makes it much more enjoyable when you know what people are refering to.
Will do, thanks!
I tried Trollope, but I just couldn't bear how *serious* they all were about their social standings etc. However, I quite enjoy Jane Austin. I've been tempted to read Wilkie Collins, but I'm afraid of running into the "We're British, we're here to help you poor benighted savages achieve your place in civilization as our servants, you lucky creatures" thing. I understand that that was the prevailing world view, but it makes me throw books across the room.
I'm more the "ordinary person facing extraordinary situations" type rather than the comedy of manners type.
Connie, you could try Wilkie Collins' Woman in White, which is an early mystery/suspense thriller, with no White Man's Burden to be seen.