Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

Just finished Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte. This story begs the question, did every Victorian era young woman work as a governess? The title character of the story is a young lady who after the financial ruin of her family decides to become a governess to help raise money. She quickly finds out a very important teaching lesson, parents believe that their children are "little angels" and you're the problem. She goes through a couple of sets of students and in each situation the children are a challenge to say the least. Agnes relies on her religious beliefs to pull her through the obstacles.

There was a line in this story that I really enjoyed. As Agnes describes her parents she tells that her mother chose to marry her father and it caused her to be cut-off. The line that was:

"An elegant house, and spacious grounds were not to be despised, but she would rather live in a cottage with Richard Grey, than in a palace with any other man in the world."

Not too many women like that around today. The more realistic is the the sheer joy that Rosalie Murray feels about breaking the hearts of her admirers.

The story is believed to be at least somewhat autobiographical as Anne served as a governess for five years.

Next up is Fingersmith by Sarah Waters.

Cranford by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

Last night I finished Cranford by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. This is the story of a fictional English town named Cranford and the ladies who reside there. This ladies are obsessed with gentility and station. At one point the Alpha Female of the town takes a trip to Cheltenham and the ladies don't decide that they will not decide how they feel about an occurrence until she returns. These ladies adventures played out quite comically. Cranford was initially published in serial format in a magazine edited by Gaskell's friend Charles Dickens.

This was the first book that I've read on my Nook that was not a dedicated e-book. I don't know if thats the proper term or not. What I mean to say is that it was converted from a hard copy book to a digital file. This caused the structure of the book to be off. Meaning for example at times it would seem like a new paragraph was starting in mid sentence. I suppose this is where initially the page changed. Also, from time to time in the middle of the page the word "Cranford" or a number would appear. I don't know if this occurred during digitalizing or if it was the edition but quite a few words had bizarre letters in them. After a while I began to barely notice it and was able to figure out what the words were suppose to be.

Next up will be Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte.....wait a minute I gotta do a Bronte check.....yep Anne Bronte.

Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence

Just finished Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence. It revolves around a couple from of English nobles in the 1920s. Constance (Lady Chatterley) and Clifford (Lord Chatterley). Clifford is wounded in World War I and is left impotent. Lady Chatterley has a fling but finally settles on the gamekeeper, Oliver Mellors, as her lover. Clifford actually encourages Lady Chatterley to find a find a lover in order to produce a child, however the person would have to be of a respectable position and a lowly gamekeeper simply would not qualify. So the story boils down to the conflict of class and society in Britain.

This is the second book by Lawrence that I've read following Sons and Lovers. It must be said that while Sons and Lovers touched on intimate situations and was quite controversial at the time of its release, Lady Chatterley's Lover did not just imply the sexual acts. He describes them in vivid detail. It was enough to make me blush.

All and all I did not care for this story. Maybe I'm too old school. Lady Chatterley and Mellors were both married and carrying on an illicit affair. I don't know what the marriage vows of Britain in the early 20th century were but from the handful of weddings I've been to I remember "....in sickness and in health...." Meanwhile Clifford isn't much better with his obsession with class and society.

Okay for my next book, I decided to try to take a departure from English literature and noticing how my library of e-books is dominated by books by Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Robert Lewis Stevenson, Lewis Carroll, etc., I decided to choose from the full list of 1001 and the winner is.....Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. So I guess I'll be staying with the Brits anyway.

On a side note, I was flipping through the channels yesterday and I noticed Julie and Julia. If you don't know it's about a woman who has a blog where she is trying to fix all of the recipes in one of Julia Child's cookbooks. It got me thinking Keith's 1001 Books Quest should be a movie. A guy whose hopes and dreams have been dashed on the rocks of inequity finds solace and a purpose in reading list of 1001 classic novels. It sounds great. Plus if I've learned anything in my life it's that a little Keith Adams makes everything better.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Just finished Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. In reading this I found that the pop culture versions of Frankenstein vary a great deal from Shelley's story. When I think of Frankenstein's monster I think of a mindless beast while in the story the monster shows great eloquence. Also the monster has much more agility than a human whereas we more often see him slowly plodding along. Also, in the book there is no mention of Dr. Frankenstein's assistant, Igor.

Lets see. What's next? Time to go to the trusty Random.org. It appears the next choice will be Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence.

Coming Up For Air by George Orwell

Finished Coming Up for Air by George Orwell. This book was not what I'd expected taken into account the two books of Orwell that I'm familiar with, Animal Farm and 1984. This book focused on a middle-aged, middle-class man who lives in the suburbs. I guess you could say that George Bowling is going through a mid-life crisis. He senses that World War II is about to begin and it gives him pause because he was wounded in World War I. He wants to get away from life to not have to worry about the impending war, his nagging wife, etc., etc, so he decides to take a trip to his childhood home after being gone 20 years. Does he find out that you can't go home again or (I hate that I'm stealing this tagline from the atrocious movie "Sweet Home Alabama") Sometimes what you're looking for is right where you left it?

Next is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I think I shall devote at least the next several selections to my library of e-books. I think I have about forty that I got free from Barnes & Noble.

50!!!!!!!!!

Just finished Vanity Fair by Thomas Makepeace Thackeray. I enjoyed this book more than I expected I would. I especially enjoyed the style of narration as the narrator presented the story as if he was describing a stage play. The story is a work of satire on the English nobility. It revolves around two women, the simple Amelia and the (kindest word I can use) parasitic Rebecca. Both women marriages cause there husbands to be renounced from their families. Most of the characters in this story are not honorable, however there is Major William Dobbin who is the very model of honor and loyalty. A few of my favorite passages from the story:

"He (George Osborne) was seen lighting his cigar with one (Amelia's love letter), to the horror of Captain Dobbin, who, it is my belief, would have given a bank-note for the document."

"It is those who injure women who get the most kindness from them--they are born timid and tyrants, and maltreat those who are humblest before them"

Isn't that the truth.

Dobbin is woefully mistreated by Amelia while Amelia is captivated by the reprobate George Osborne. By any meaningful criteria Osborne should not be able to even stand in the presence of Dobbin and yet Amelia so easily and completely disregards Dobbin. That is as true today as ever. How many times have we all seen women even women who could not be described as simple choose hollow style over substance?

Next on the docket is Coming Up For Air by George Orwell.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Just finished Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. The book tells two story of the fall of an Ibo "strong man" named Okonkwo. The first is an "ancient" story which tells of Okonkwo's fall from his prestigious position within his clan while the second tells about how the influence of European missionaries plays upon Okonkwo's clan. It was really interesting this is my first experience with African fiction.

Next up is Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray.