Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Summer Reading

Since summer is my official time off, I always try to catch up on my reading. This summer, I've read quite a bit by Jodi Picoult (loved The Pact, really disliked My Sister's Keeper) along with some light stuff (Good Grief by Lolly Winston) and some not-so-light stuff, specifically Pride and Prejudice and The Count of Monte Cristo.

Why P&P? It seems like every other agent/editor that is interviewed in the Romance Writers Report mentions it as the best romance novel of all time. I thought I had read it in high school, but I coudn't remember. Anyway, turns out those agents and editors know what they're talking about! Though the Victorian language is tough to get through at times, the characters are beautifully drawn and the love story between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy is magical.

Why COMC? So many of my students had read it and loved it, I decided I had to pick it up so I could discuss it with them. And, though it isn't a romance novel per se, it is a TERRIFIC story with so much conflict and so many well-drawn characters that, though 600+ pages, it's nearly impossible to put down. There is one moment, near the end, when 2 lovers reunite after years apart and Oh My Gosh it brought tears to my eyes. Not bad for something that was written in 1844.

Guess they're called The Classics for a reason.

3 comments:

Charity Tahmaseb said...

Love, love, love Pride and Prejudice. I reread this summer too, or actually, listened to the book on CD during my commute. This was probably my fifth time through, but it’s been a while and I was blown away--again--by how good it is.

It also figures into the YA I’m writing, so I figured I ought brush up on it, just in case.

Marianne Arkins said...

Never read either of those books... can you imagine? I got force fed so much depressing garbage (Steinbeck and Hemingway were the big faves) in English Lit when I was in school that, if you call it a "classic" I run screaming in the other direction.

Maybe I should pick it up and try again...

Marianne Arkins said...

BTW, you might want to edit at least one of those links on your sidebar to reflect your website... just a thought.

Saw your pic. I had imagined you with long hair. Go figure!