Back to the Classics Challenge Wrap-Up

I completed the Back to the Classics Challenge - reading and writing a review for books in all 12 categories (giving me 3 entries into the drawing). The reading part wasn't difficult, but it was sometimes hard to get around to writing the review. 

1. 19th Century Classic. 

Rob Roy (1817) by Sir Walter Scott. I read many books that would fit in this category. I just picked this one, because I found time to write a review about it. I did read my original pick Ivanhoe, but I never got around to writing a review for it.

2. 20th Century Classic. 

How the Heather Looks by Joan Bodger (1965). This was another easy category to fulfill; though not as many books in it are in public domain. This was a school geography books for my 7^th grader.

3. Classic by a Female Author. 

I did end up reading my original pick, The Shuttle (1906) by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

4. Classic in Translation. 
The Way of a Pilgrim by Anonymous Russian author (1860) that I received for Christmas. This was my first read for this challenge.

5. Classic Comedy. 

 Philip did indeed read aloud Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (1889) to me.

6. Classic Tragedy.  

Well, I never did get around to reading Wuthering Heights. Instead I read Kenilworth (1821) by Sir Walter Scott. I didn’t realize it was a tragedy until the end, but it was fortuitous that I was able to use it for this category.

7. Very Long Classic.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (1867) Read as planned.

8. Classic Novella. 

Lady Susan (1871) by Jane Austen which is only 180 pages. I did also read Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but it was so disappointing and awful, I didn’t want to dwell on it longer by writing a review.

9. Classic From the Americas 

I ended up just read something from an US author, since One Hundred Years of Solitude was only available at the online library in audiobook, and I couldn’t any of the other books I wanted to read.  I went with Personal Rcollections of Joan of Arc (1896) by Mark Twain.

10. Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia). 

I had a hard time finding an available book for this category. I kept looking up books that weren’t available at my online library or at Gutenberg.org that I hadn’t read and actually wanted to read. Finally, I heard about A Town Like Alice (1950) by Nevil Shute which was available on the online library and partially set in Australia. I’m glad to have discovered it.

11. Classic From a Place You've Lived. 

Four Reigns (1953) by Kukrit Pramoj set in Thailand where I currently live.

12. Classic Play. 
 I ended up choosing Othello as Eris and were reading it together and almost finished. I had to finish on my own, though.

Book Review: Othello

This is my final book review for the Back to the Classics Challenge - the category of play. Eris and I didn't quite finish this before Christmas break, so I finished it on my own. I already knew the basic story line but never actually read it.

I was surprised by how wily and truly evil Iago was. The audience knows more than the characters, so it's amazing how fooled they all are about his character. He is thought to be honest and good, even his wife doesn't suspect his duplicity until near the end. It's scary how well his deception worked.

Since it's a Shakespeare tragedy, more people die than seems necessary. The language was not as beautiful to me as in some of his plays. Some of the best lines were soured in the mouth of Iago. Desdemona does have some nice lines on love near the beginning. I'm not a Shakespeare expert by any means, but I did not enjoy this play as much as some others.

Book Review: The Personal Reflections of Joan of Arc

This is the penultimate review for the Back to the Classics Reading Challenge. I read The Personal Reflections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain ahead of Eris for school. It's not the ideal book to choose for the "Classic from the Americas" category, because even though Mark Twain is a very American author, the subject is decidedly not. However, I had some trouble finding the books I had hoped to read for this category and was reading this one anyway.

Before reading this, I already knew much of the story of Joan of Arc; I even did a report on her in grade school. I almost decided not to read this book along with Eris, since I didn't feel I needed a refresher on the Maid of Orleans. However, while looking into the book, I came across some information claiming that Mark Twain thought this was his best book and was his personal favorite. I figured that if this was so, it would be worth reading.

The story is from the point of view of a man who grow up with Joan, served with her in battle, and was present during her imprisonment, trial, and death. I didn't learn much more than I already knew about the story of Joan; the majority of her story is famous and well known by many. However, I do feel like I know Joan better.  Of course, this is merely an illusion, since the story is actually written by a man who lived far after Joan and not by someone who was her friend. It was well done, and this feeling of personal knowledge is the best part of the book.

Book Review: Kenilworth

I am working on finishing up the 2019 Back to the Classics Reading Challenge. Last night, I stayed up late to finish "Kenilworth" by Sir Walter Scott. It is a historical fiction novel set in the Elizabethan era involving court intrigue. I have been reading about his period of history with Meriel, so it was fun to read about some known characters. I did not know the full history of the main characters, so the ending was a surprise for me. (Hint: If you want it to be a surprise, don't search about Amy Robsart.)

I enjoyed the story of Sir Walter Raleigh and passing references to William Shakespeare. Certain descriptions of Elizabeth as proud and enjoying flattering were echoed in our history reader. Scott included some fun contemporary descriptions of celebrations and decorations for Queen Elizabeth at Kenilworth Castle.

This is my fifth Scott novel, and my least favorite so far. The only characters I really liked were not minor and did not feature as much as I would have liked. A happy union I had hoped for is only mentioned in passing. A joyful meeting of characters leading to a resolution does not happen quite in the way of his other tales. I'll leave it at that, so you can decide whether or not to read it for yourself.

Book Review: A Town Like Alice

I really enjoyed "A Town Like Alice" by Nevile Shute (1950). I read this to fulfill the "Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia)" category in the Back to the Classics reading challenge. The main part of the story began in Malaysia, which seemed like home since I live in the Thai-Malay Peninsula. When it moved to London or Australia, I was in a foreign land.

Books like this are how I travel, and also make me want to travel. Of course, if I went to the Outback now, it would not be like the 1940's, though it would still be huge and rugged and sparsely populated with tough people. I enjoy strong characters, and this one contained a lovely woman. She was brave, intelligent, humble, and flexible. With the help of an inheritance, she figured out what she wanted and set about achieving it. 

This was a fun and easy read. I'm not sure I would have discovered it with this challenge. It was one of the few "classic" books I had access to about this part of the world.

Book Review: War and Peace

Well, I did it. I read all 1,392 pages of  "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy! It's a difficult book to write a review about, because it's much lauded. The story covers many characters, weaving in and out of their lives, traversing between the fighting men and those at home. It seems to give an in depth view of Russian upper class society during Napoleon's campaign against Russia and after. I didn't know much about this slice of history, and now I can say I know Tolstoy's impression.

Tolstoy doesn't just stick to a story. He includes his own theories of war and history and why people do what they do. To me, these were bumps in the narrative. I would be enjoying the story, and then Tolstoy's voice would jump in. Perhaps his views were novel and important at the time.

I haven't read any reviews about what is supposed to make this book so great. Other than its massiveness, I believe this tale tried to develop "true-to-life" characters. There are no heroes, few heroic events, tragedies drift into the past. People change - change their opinions, philosophies of life, romantic interests. The vast cast of character narrows to a handful in the end, about who the reader cares.

I read this over the year with a group of people. It was hard for me to read it on a schedule. I would read a bunch, and then wait a while before reading again. I was rarely eager to read it, though there were times I enjoyed it. It wasn't suspenseful; it was just there. A bit like daily life. So maybe that is what makes it special - we get to live a small section of life in Russia at the beginning of the 19th century.