u/ExploringNewFacets

Last year I decided to read my first Jane Austen novel and it was, of course, Pride And Prejudice. I have to admit that I only found it decent, not a bad read by any means, but perhaps I found there was just a bit lacking - perhaps I just wasn’t in the right frame of time whilst reading it.

Nonetheless, I want to give her another chance and these are the options I’m currently weighing up.

- Mansfield Park

- Northanger Abbey

- Persuasion

If it helps I very much enjoy the novels of Eliot, Tolstoy, Hugo, Brontes, Collins, and I’m partial to Dickens (as just a selection of the many authors I enjoy). Any advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated!

As you can guess, Bleak House has rekindled the attention and appreciation I’m giving Dickens (after Hard Times kind of extinguished it), and I’m incredibly indecisive on where I go from here.

My current thoughts are:

- Little Dorrit

- Our Mutual Friend

- Dombey And Son

If you have any recommendations on the above, or any other suggestions you have, and a justification of why to help me choose it’d be incredibly appreciated! Honestly… I just can’t decide on my own!

As you can guess, Bleak House has rekindled the attention and appreciation I’m giving Dickens (after Hard Times kind of extinguished it), and I’m incredibly indecisive on where I go from here.

My current thoughts are:

- Little Dorrit

- Our Mutual Friend

- Dombey And Son

If you have any recommendations on the above, or any other suggestions you have, and a justification of why to help me choose it’d be incredibly appreciated!

After reading Hard Times as my second Dickens read (A Christmas Carol being my first, which I enjoyed) last year I was apprehensive to read more of his work since it didn’t pique my interest as much as I’d hoped.

However, after devouring Bleak House in two weeks I can say that he hooked me, and I’m so excited to dive further. The characters were so memorable, the narrative was exciting, the wit & humour is so sharp, and someone even spontaneously combusts - what’s not to love??

More so, his prose is beautifully wandering, but every sentence was crafted absolutely perfectly and had me engrossed within throughout. Truly a master of his craft.

So many revelations, mystery, intrigue, and that’s without mentioning those two scenes specifically (iykyk) which absolutely tore my heart out.

One of the best books I’ve read this year, and one of the best books I’ve read overall. I’d definitely recommend that you give it some attention, and don’t be put off by the size!!

As a result I’m wondering where I go from here?? What’s next in line on my Dickens journey??

Last year I decided to take the leap into Eliot’s work by deciding to surmount her literary Everest - Middlemarch.

It took me a long time to really get into the rhythm of her writing style since her prose is so dense. The amount of historical, literary, philosophical, and scientific references she weaves into a single page can be incredibly daunting to approach. However, after slowing my reading pace to half of what my ‘typical’ rate would be, I slowly became acclimated to her prose and began to appreciate just how beautifully constructed each sentence was. Her narrative voice was also just incredible insightful and human. I managed to close my Middlemarch journey within a month.

Since then I’ve read, and enjoyed, both Felix Holt and Daniel Deronda this year (enjoying Daniel Deronda more than Felix Holt, although both were reads I’m glad to have journeyed through), with Middlemarch still, I believe, taking its spot as my #1 Eliot novel. I feel much more educated when I finish her novels just because of how intellectually researched her mind was and how evident it is throughout her work.

Going forward, when I feel ready to tackle another Eliot, I’m unsure which of her major works (Silas Marner, The Mill On The Floss, Romola, Adam Bede) should be my next read. If you’ve read any of the remaining novels and can guide my journey it’d be much appreciated! Or even if you want to share your own experience with Eliot’s works then it’d be great to hear!

Thanks!

After reading Hard Times as my second Dickens read (A Christmas Carol being my first, which I enjoyed) last year I was apprehensive to read more of his work since it didn’t pique my interest as much as I’d hoped.

However, after devouring Bleak House in two weeks I can say that he hooked me, and I’m so excited to dive further. The characters were so memorable, the narrative was exciting, the wit & humour is so sharp, and someone even spontaneously combusts - what’s not to love??

More so, his prose is beautifully wandering, but every sentence was crafted absolutely perfectly and had me engrossed within throughout. Truly a master of his craft.

So many revelations, mystery, intrigue, and that’s without mentioning those two scenes specifically (iykyk) which absolutely tore my heart out.

One of the best books I’ve read this year, and one of the best books I’ve read overall. I’d definitely recommend that you give it some attention, and don’t be put off by the size!!

As you can probably guess, I’m currently reading my first full Henry James novel after having only read his The Turn Of A Screw previously.

As i’ve made my way through the first ~200 pages of The Portrait Of A Lady, I can’t help wondering why it was so hard to find any real discussion around his works on this subreddit and other forums. I’m just absolutely loving his entire narrative voice and tone through both of his works I’ve ventured into, and I’m surprised that this consensus is more evident today despite his huge literary legacy.

Of course I’m not saying that James is a niche, undiscovered author, yet I am surprised that he isn’t brought into the conversation anywhere near as much as Edith Wharton or Joseph Conrad. Obviously I may be speaking prematurely as I am yet to finish one of his novels, but I’ve absolutely loved how unique each character is - and that’s without even mentioning how witty and subtly humorous the entire narrative is. I can already tell that this is going to be an author who I repeatedly come back to.

However, I guess that this is just one small perspective since there are so many authors who (despite their huge reputations) seem to be frequently omitted from general online conversation, or siloed into their “main masterpiece” as defining their entire purpose. So apart from me urging you to go pick up Henry James, I’m also curious who you would like to hear more people appreciating their works or a wider scope of their works??