Classics Challenge: A Year in Review

Wow. I can't believe I've come to the end of my Classics Challenge.
So many books have been read (and not read, unfortunately). I wanted to list my favorites...and not so favorites...to wrap up this blog series (seriously, has it really been a year?!).
Favorites:
Gone With the Wind

An obsession began after reading this book. I adore all things GWTW, especially the movie! Without this Classics Challenge, I doubt I would've found the motivation to put the huge book off my shelf. Now I own two copies!
Little Women
I'm counting this as a favorite because I'm leaving the ending out. I still don't like who Jo ended up with, and I probably never will! But the writing and sisterhood of the book was darling. As the oldest in a family of four girls, I think Little Women will always have a special place in my heart.
Didn't Finish:
Pride & Prejudice
A Tale of Two Cities
Lorna Doone
Jamaica Inn
Moby Dick
What can I say about these? Yes, a majority of the writers are British. But I don't think that had a huge impact considering Moby Dick was written by an American. These stories just lacked compelling characters and action (as they would say in GWTW, the character didn't have any gumption, at least not to me). I'll probably never pick these books up again. Especially Lorna Doone. Eek.
Not My Cup of Tea:
The Great Gatsby
The Lord of the Flies
The Time Machine
Is it a coincidence that all of these books start with "The"? I'm not sure. But I am sure that, though I finished these short books, I won't ever pick them up again. Each of them had their different quirks that didn't make them an enjoyable read. Most notably the violence that is The Lord of the Flies. I still don't like to think about it.
So-So:
Wuthering Heights
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
These books were okay. It wasn't a huge struggle to finish them, but I also probably wouldn't give them another read through or yearn to have a copy on my bookshelf.
Now...
Would I ever do another Classics Challenge? Sure! Just not anytime soon. I'm thinking 2018 or 2019. The required reading list was tiring! Especially forcing myself to read at times--which is something I've never had to do before.
This was a great experience though and opened my mind to different styles of writing as well as the human behind the writer. 
Meanwhile, I'm prepping for a massive blog series(because these are obviously becoming my new favorite thing)! Check back on Tuesday to see what it's all about.

Classics Challenge: Moby Dick

This year-long Classics Challenge didn't exactly end on a good note...
In case you were wondering, I didn't finish Moby Dick.
I didn't even bother picking it up after my Mid-Month Update.  The writing style was too wander-y for me. Call me crazy, but I like a story that progresses.
Look forward to a summary post where I discuss some of my favorite books and moments of the Classics Challenge...
And if I would do it again...

Classics Challenge: Mid-Month Update

Let me just say that I now understand what early critics of Moby Dick meant when they stated, "The idea of a connected and collected story has obviously visited and abandoned its writer again and again in the course of composition."
Furthermore, Melville goes off on these random tangents. The plot creeps forward at a painful (and downright boring) pace. I'm on page 56. And when I say page 56, trust me that I mean this is an accomplishment. The book I got is thick, the pages are long, and the text is tiny.
Anyway, page 56 and the characters haven't even gotten to the ocean yet.
Is this book about a whale, or what?

Not to mention Ishmael is a strange sort of character. He spends this half of the book making friends with a cannibal and then sharing a bed with him at a inn-ish place.
Whatever I expected from Moby Dick, it was nothing like this!

Classics Challenge: Herman Melville

"We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men." ~Herman Melville
Alas! Herman Melville is our last author in my Classics Challenge. He is also one of the few American authors I've read.
Melville was born in New York City in 1819. This famous author's love for writing budded in his early childhood, taking the form of short stories and poetry. After his father's death and due to financial hardships, Melville eventually took a job as a cabin boy on the whaling ship Acushnet.
The subsequent years of Melville's life were filled with one adventure after another: deserting the Acushnet with a crewmember, being captured by cannibals (but not eaten) for four months, escaping the cannibals by boarding another whaling ship only to be imprisoned soon afterward for taking part in a mutiny... Melville finally wound up in Hawaii, hopping a ride home to Massachusetts where he hurried to pen his adventures.
His first novel was Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life. From there his writing career grew. He married and continued writing. Though Moby Dick is considered Melville's best work today, it wasn't the case while he was alive. Critics were unimpressed and sales were dismal. Melville died of a heart attack in 1891 at the age of seventy-two.

Writerly Things to Learn from Herman Melville
1. There's no greater source of inspiration than a writer's life. Melville's adventures shaped the fictional adventures in his books and have made them the classics they are today.
2. Success is relative. Unfortunately, Melville wasn't dubbed a "Great American Author" until after his death. It's important to remember that the accomplishment in writing is a personal victory: you finished a book! It doesn't matter what society thinks.

Classics Challenge: "Jamaica Inn"

This book.
Ohhh, this book.
Let me summarize my feelings regarding "Jamaica Inn" in one sentence: The book was accidentally returned to the library a week-and-a-half ago, and I didn't bother to check it back out.
I mean, sheesh! I don't know what it was about the book that kept me from reading with relish (I mean joy, not yucky hot dog condiments). The plot seemed interesting enough when I added it to my Classics Challenge list. Which I feel has been a major fail, by the way. I can't count on one hand how many of the thirteen books I've enjoyed.
Regardless, "Jamaica Inn" was not my cup of tea. And I'm not a picky tea drinker--for the most part.

Classics Challenge: Mid-Month Update

Jamaica Inn is a dark book.

Okay, in that sentence book = first five chapters.
But still.
The book begins with the main character, Mary's, mother dying after a six month illness. Since her father passed away years before, she's left an orphan. Off she goes to live with her aunt at a remote lodging-house called Jamaica Inn.
Mary remembered her aunt as a jovial woman fond of frivolities.
That was before her aunt married an abusive, crazy, ape-like man. Now she's skittering creature afraid of everything. Mary finds herself trapped in this drafty old inn with a terrifying Uncle.
The one redeeming quality is Mary's attitude. She takes everything in stride, isn't entirely cowed by Uncle Joss, and takes to exploring the moors.
I'm not sure this is going to be a book I'm going to finish. It's hard to describe, but there's something missing in the writing style. Don't get me wrong, there are moments of great prose and the characters are real enough, but the story itself isn't engaging.
Then again, who knows? Maybe come October 31st I'll be reporting that I loved "Jamaica Inn," just like I did with "Gone With the Wind."

Classics Challenge: Daphne du Maurier

"I have no talent for making new friends, but oh such genius for fidelity to old ones." ~ Daphne du Maurier
Our classical author for the month of October is Daphne du Maurier, a famous English author. Daphne was the daughter of a well-known actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and actress Muriel Beaumont. Her first novel, The Loving Spirit, was published at the age of twenty-four.
The novel Daphne is most remembered for is Rebecca, published in 1938. It sold three million copies between 1938 and 1965 and has never gone out of print. Rebecca, as well as other of Daphne's novels, have been adapted into film including this month's read, Jamaica Inn.
People coined Daphne a "romantic novelist"--a title that she despised. Which is understandable, since none of her stories had traditional happy endings.
Daphne died at the age of eight-one in 1989. She was succeeded by three children, as well has her literary works: short stories, novels, plays, and film.

Writerly Things to Learn from Daphne du Maurier:
1. Use your connections. Coming from a celebrity family, Daphne ran in elite circles. Using her mother's magazine, Bystander, she published her very first short stories. Her literary career boomed from that point onward.
2. Be careful of plagiarism. Daphne was accused of plagiarism in two of her works: Rebecca and The Birds. While it didn't hurt Rebecca's sales, it didn't help Daphne's reputation. If you're dubious about whether you're copying someone else's idea. Stick to the safe side of the street and write something else.

Classics Challenge: "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"

What a letdown!
With such great build-up: the mystery, the murder, the mayhem...
Yet Hyde/Jekyll kills himself before the lawyer can break down the door. No confrontation, no epic battle. Nothing.

After Hyde/Jekyll's death, the lawyer finds himself with a full confession from the mad scientist which reveals (surprise, surprise!) Hyde/Jekyll to be the same person. This confession was the longest chapter in the book, go figure!
What I found most interesting about DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (that the pop culture stereotype doesn't portray) is that Jekyll liked being Hyde. Not only that, but he had some amount of cognizance as Hyde. He was aware of his actions, even if his temperament meant he couldn't control them.
Of course, once he started changing to Hyde without the aid of the potion... Well, Jekyll didn't like that too much.
Overall, this book was a disappointment for me. I was expecting a bigger reveal and a show down between Jekyll's dual selves. Alas, that was not what I got at all. Boo.

Classics Challenge: Mid-Month Update

Back in high school, when classical reading was a requirement, I read a few of Robert Louis Stevenson's books. Think Kidnapped and Treasure Island. I loved both of them. I even bought Treasure Island for my personal bookshelf.
Because of this, I dove into The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde confident that, at least, I wouldn't hate it.
And I don't!

The book is incredibly short. In less than an hour I found myself halfway through. So I put it down to type up this midpoint update. I have to say I'm a little disappointed. Not in the story or anything. It's interesting the way Stevenson weaved together suspicions and oddities while adding the appropriate amounts of suspense!
No, I'm disappointed because I already know the ending. Popular culture has made it clear that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (SPOILER!) are the same person. 
While it's fun to pick up on the clues scattered about the first half of the novel, it's not as compelling a read as it would be...
If I'd been left in the dark.

Classics Challenge: Robert Louis Stevenson

"The cruelest lies are often told in silence." ~Robert Louis Stevenson
This month we're hosting a Scottish writer! Robert Louis Stevenson, born November 13, 1850,  came from a family of lighthouse designers. In an attempt to follow the family profession, Stevenson studied engineering at Edinburg University, but later switched to law after lighthouse design failed to spark his interest. After he graduated with his law degree, he never practiced. The love of writing had taken him hostage.
Stevenson's first published book was AN INLAND VOYAGE. 
While Stevenson stretched his writing muscles, he met his would-be wife (who happened to already be married), Fanny Osbourne, an American with two children. After Fanny divorced her then-husband, she married Stevenson in 1880.
Shortly after his marriage, Stevenson's health declined (what some believe to be undiagnosed tuberculosis). He was forced to remain in bed, but it was at this point that his writing career took off. While bedridden he wrote the classic novels: Treasure Island, Kidnapped, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and The Black Arrow.
Stevenson died of a stroke on December 3, 1894.

Writerly Things to Learn from Robert Louis Stevenson:
1. What your family wants you to do, might not be what you're meant to do. If Stevenson had suppressed his love of writing in favor of lighthouse design, we wouldn't have his precious books today! We are all given different gifts. Don't let yours go to waste!
2. Travel is a spark for the imagination. Stevenson spent his life travelling. In his college years, he used his vacations to trek across France. In his lifetime his visited various places such as France, California, the islands of the Pacific Ocean, to finally settle in Samoan islands before he died. His travels richly influenced his imagination and his books.

Classics Challenge: THE TIME MACHINE

It feels like it's been forever since I finished THE TIME MACHINE. Which is kind of bad, considering I'm sitting down to write my "cumulative" review of the book.
To be honest, I can't say I liked it. While the concept of the story: a man inventing a time machine and coming back to tell of his adventures (and then vanishing!), was fantastic...
The future H.G. Wells painted was something I couldn't accept.

Maybe it comes down to my core beliefs or maybe my imagination is lacking. Either way, I couldn't allow myself to really enjoy the book because I found this future world the Time Traveler visited so unbelievable.
And I'm not talking in a good way.
But if you like scifi novels with lots of telling (hey, it was a style back then) and an intriguing (if slow) premise, give THE TIME MACHINE a try. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me.

Classics Challenge: Mid-Month Udpate

The Time Machine is one interesting book so far.
By interesting, I actually mean I don't want to live in H.G. Wells' idea of Earth in year 802,701. Luckily, that's 800,685 years away. So chances of that happening are very unlikely. 

Halfway through the book, the basics are as follows:
The Time Machine consists of a man (who is our narrator) listening to the Time Traveler (this is literally his "name" in the book) tell his story. The first chapter was a lot of theoretical science, dimensional talk, which I totally sort of skimmed. 
After this, though, the story picks up. The Time Traveler shows up to dinner with guests (of which our narrator is so conveniently present). Except the Time Traveler is worse for wear. He's bloody, limping, and covered in dust.
Thus, the real story begins. The future world consists of child-like people? that are about four feet tall, lazy, and not that intelligent, the Elloi. So far I've only gotten glimpses of the other race, Morllocks. They're described as being white and very ape-like.
And, courtesy of my dad's spoiler... I know that the Morlocks eat the Elloi. What?
Now I'm just waiting for this to actually happen.
I do have to admit I have a hard time taking H.G. Wells' idea of the future because it's so adverse to what I believe it would be (foremost that I don't believe in evolution so the concept of these weird "people" really stretches my imagination). But I'm interested to see where the story goes! Things look like they're picking up. 
Plus the book is only like 109 pages long. So, finishing the book isn't too much of a challenge!

Classics Challenge: "Lord of the Flies"

Oh, boy. Wow. 
Let me just start my saying that if a bunch of girls were stranded on an island, I think things would've been very different.
I mean, the first things the boys do is strip and go swimming! The most logical one was Piggy (which is obviously not his real name) and then later Ralph.
Things start off well enough for the boys. They have a lazy system working. But as days pass, everything falls apart. No one listens to the rules, everyone forgets about keeping the fire that will get them rescued except a small few, and hunting becomes the preferred activity.
I'm not going to go through each plot point with you. Partly because I don't remember them (the book was kind of confusing) and partly because I don't want to relive it. LORD OF THE FLIES disturbed me.

Three boys died in this book (at least, as far as we know). Two were murdered. My favorite character, Simon, was the first to be killed by his comrades. Or, rather, beaten to death shall we say. And he was running to inform everyone about the "monster."
And they killed him.
More than anything about the book, Simon's death bothered me most. I can't get it out of my head.
It makes me so angry!
Ugh!
Suffice to say, I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a good classic. In fact, I'd advise you to stay very, very far away!

Classics Challenge: Mid-Month Update

Let me just ask you, why is LORD OF THE FLIES a classic? 
I'm serious, why? This book just tells us what we already know: human nature is a dirty dark creature. Left unchecked, the monster rears it's ugly head.
Now for another question, why did I put this on my list?
I've done a pretty lousy job of picking books, haven't I? But this one is short, which definitely means that I will finish it.
LORD OF THE FLIES is a little confusing at the start. It opens with two boys wandering down a "scar" (a path made by a crashing plane in the jungle). It's not clear how these boys managed to escape a plane crash uninjured (or the numerous other boys who survive, for that matter).

This isn't the type of book you can immerse yourself in. Furthermore, it's difficult to explain to someone else what's happening. The plot points are so random and blur together. Probably because not much happens...until something happens. It's hard to explain.
Either way, I'm vaguely aware of how this book is going to end, courtesy of popular culture. 
I will be honest and say that, a few nights ago, when I was sitting in bed reading, I got very creeped out. The boys talk about this unseen "monster"...
And, yeah. I had to put the book down.
Because I got scared. So there's that.

Classics Challenge: William Golding

"The greatest ideas are the simplest." ~William Golding
For the month of July, we have another British author! William Golding was a self-proclaimed bully. At the age of twelve he attempted to write his first novel, but was unsuccessful. He took his frustrations out on other children. Golding is even quoted to say, regarding himself, "I enjoyed hurting people." 

Rather than study science in college like his father wanted, Golding opted for literature. He published his first book, a book of poetry, titled Poems (rather original, don't you think?) in 1934. Unfortunately, Poems didn't garner much interest.
Golding abandoned writing for a time, choosing to teach at a boy's school. It was here, teaching unruly boys, that he would draw inspiration for his most acclaimed work, Lord of the Flies. In 1940, like many other men during his time, Golding left his post as teacher and enlisted to fight in World War II.
Soon after, Golding penned Lord of the Flies. After Lord of the Flies' success, Golding went on to publish numerous other works such as Rites of Passage, Free Fall, and The Pyramid. 
Golding even had the Nobel Prize for Literature to his credit!
He passed away from a heart attack in his home in 1993.
Writerly Things to Learn from William Golding:
1. Who we are in our childhood doesn't dictate our future. Though Golding was a self-proclaimed bully, he went on to do wonderful things with his life, including serving in WWII. Don't base your future on failures of the past. Learn and grow!
2. Everyone gets rejected at some point. Before Lord of the Flies was published, Golding fielded 21 rejections (which I think is a pretty big number for the time period. Hello, postage!). Don't give up on your own work. Who knows? Maybe one day it too will be a classic!

Classics Challenge: "Lorna Doone"

As I admitted mid-month, I've given up on "Lorna Doone." It was just too painful.
Click here to see the post in which I complained and ultimately returned this classic.
Hoping for better things in July!

Classics Challenge: Mid-Month Update

That's it. I can't do it. I just can't.
I can't read another word of Lorna Doone. This is worse than Pride & Prejudice. No lie.
Check out the first sentence of this book...
"If anybody cares to read a simple tale told simply, I, John Ridd, of the parish of Oare, in the country of Somerset, yeoman and churchwarden, have seen and had a share in some doings of this neighborhood, which I will try to set down in order, God sparing my life and memory."
...So, what do you think? Just a word of caution: the entire book is written like this. I can understand, completely, why Lorna Doone is now out of print. I got to the 56th page (I think), and I have given up. It's too painful to read. Especially after the amazingness that is Gone With the Wind. 

John Ridd is an annoying main character, the writing is very lackluster, and the characters speak in a challenging dialect. When Ridd's father was killed, I had no sympathy for him, and I'm a very caring person. It was that bad.
I'll still do an end-of-the-month post for Lorna Doone, but it will just be a link referring readers back here. I've sealed the I'm-not-reading-anymore deal by returning the book back to the library.
Count June's Classic as an epic, epic failure.
Alas!

Classics Challenge: R.D. Blackmore

"Because I rant not, neither rave of what I feel, can you be so shallow as to dream that I feel nothing?" ~R.D. Blackmore
R.D. Blackmore, or should I say Richard Doddridge Blackmore, could rival Charles Dickens in the hair department. Look at those sideburns!

If you're thinking to yourself, who is R.D. Blackmore? rest at ease. You're not the only one who hasn't heard of him. Though Blackmore was popular in the nineteenth century, today his work is largely ignored, apart from Lorna Doone, which has recently gone out of publication (the only copy I could find was at a college library!).

Blackmore was born on June 7, 1825. He grew up in the countryside of Exmoor, the setting of his most famous work, Lorna Doone. After receiving his primary education, he attended Exeter College where he began penning his first novel, The Maid of Sker. 

Before he ventured into book-publishing, Blackmore sold collections of poetry. Lorna Doone, his third novel, was the most successful. In fact, it established him as one of the most popular British novelists of the time. Lorna Doone reshaped the idea of romantic fiction in English literature.

Blackmore died on January 20, 1900.

Writerly Things to Learn from R.D. Blackmore

1. You can't decide which book of yours becomes the most popular. Lorna Doone was Blackmore's least favorite work, but it's the only one popular enough today to be remembered! He considered The Maid of Sker to be his best work--but when's the last time you saw that on a bookshelf?
2. Fame doesn't last forever. Though Blackmore was popular in his day, the same can't be said for now. Lorna Doone and Jane Eyre were the two books most read by British ladies in the late nineteenth century. But Lorna Doone, unlike Jane Eyre, has faded into obscurity.
3. A small, close group of friends isn't a bad thing. Neighbors claimed Blackmore was reclusive and unsociable, but he just had a select number of friends. This allowed him to spend his energies on his fruit growing and his books. See, anti-social isn't necessarily a bad thing!

Classics Challenge: "Gone With the Wind"

Wow.
Okay, so guess what? 1,037 pages later...
I finished "Gone With the Wind." Surprised? Me too! Last update I swore I wouldn't finish it. But then last weekend happened. I planned to spend the day editing. Instead I read "Gone With the Wind" for almost twelve hours. I hit Scarlett and Melanie's flight from Atlanta as the Yankees closed in--and I couldn't stop. 
There were moments that I didn't like Scarlett. I mean, let's be honest. She's really selfish. And because of that she misses a lot of things. And by a lot of things... I mean a lot. But I still enjoyed her as a character. She wasn't afraid to get things done . And the chemistry between Scarlett and Rhett? Goodness! I could stand Scarlett being cold in her marriage to Charles and Frank. She didn't love them. But I couldn't stand her when she didn't realize that Rhett Butler was achingly in love with her! Okay, I also didn't like how she treated her children.   But mostly Rhett.
Oh, Rhett and Scarlett! There's so much to say about them. But it all comes down to one thing: COMMUNICATION. These two were so prideful that they failed to communicate their love for eachother. Which led to Rhett's famous line at the end...
Speaking of the end, everything went crazy around page 990. People were dying, realizations were made, hearts were breaking... In regard to "hearts," I don't think it's over. Not by a long shot. Scarlett, as she herself claimed, has gotten any man she sets her sights on. Even though Rhett has left her, he doesn't stand a chance!

  Rhett & Scarlett Butler Forever.
Also, fun fact. Did you know that there's a sequel to "Gone With the Wind?" All right, Margaret Mitchell didn't write it, but her estate paid another writer to pen it. The title is "Scarlett."   And I've already requested it from the library.

Classics Challenge: Mid-Month Update

I want to go back to November 2015 (when I was preparing the Classics Challenge list) and talk some sense into Younger Emily. These 500+ page books are ridiculous!
You can guess my progress with Gone With the Wind from the above. Although I'm not halfway through the book (page 296, in fact), I'm really enjoying it. Margaret Mitchell is amazing at characterization. From Scarlett to Rhett to Charlie... They all seem like real people with real faults. Except for the perfect Melanie Wilkes!
Interestingly enough, although Scarlett is extremely selfish and contemptuous, I find myself liking and sympathizing with her (for now). Especially that ill-advised marriage when she was sixteen. An important lesson to teenagers--listen to your parents! If Scarlett had considered her mother's advise, her life might've gone in a different direction!
As for my favorite character... This should come as no surprise. Rhett Butler. He is such an interesting "gentleman." I put that in quotes because no one in the south considers him a gentleman. Which is probably why I like him, alas.

And least favorite... Scarlett's father, Gerald. I like everything about him except his selfish absent-mindedness (I suppose Scarlet got this trait from him). If he had done his duty as a father and paid attention to his daughter, she might've avoided her unhappy marriage to Charlie which skewed her entire life.
Can you tell this marriage disturbed me?
Though I'm almost 100% sure that I won't finish Gone With the Wind, I'm going to keep reading and hopefully pick it back up once my Classics Challenge is over.
Meanwhile, watching the movie is in my near future.