So many greats! And Bleak House might be my favorite Dickens book. I think Charles Dickens very much tried to write about the harsh realities of life for people (especially the poor) in the Victorian era while also having happy endings.
I absolutely LOVE Anthony Trollope. I have his complete works on ebook from Delphi. So worth it. I wasn’t a fan of Cranford unfortunately. Middlemarch is one of my all time favorites. It’s like being under a cozy blanket in front of a roaring fire, if that makes sense😊.
I haven’t read The Mayor of Casterbridge yet but have read and adored all the others you mentioned Gina- what fantastic taste we have 😉 what you said about Cranford and the Golden Girls was spot on!
OK Gina, you convinced me to give Barchester Towers another try! I started listening to it on audio and gave it up, so it may be one of those books you need to read in book form. I've read Dr. Thorn and the Warden and liked them both. I bought can you forgive her and the way we live now recently for a buck, so those will also be on my Trollope list. I knew you would be a Cranford fan...the old lady trope has my heart and that, along with Mary Barton are 2 of my top faves. David Copperfield, Our mutual friend, Great Expectations (it was the first Dickens for me so it's special), Jude the Obscure, Tess of the D'Urbervilles , Jane Eyre & Shirley, also have stuck to my mind and heart for years. Great Tag!
I'm so surprised to hear that you gave up on Barchester Towers! I hope if you decide to give it another try you enjoy it. The Way We Live Now was really anxiety provoking for me - it has a plot about financial ruin that really stresses me out for some reason. (Also the same reason I struggled with Framley Parsonage)
I'm a weirdo and rather love to read about financial ruin! But religion is my lump in the throat, and Barchester Towers seemed to be steeped in it. I know a lot of Vic. Lit. has a lot of the old Religion, but sometimes I just can't stomach it in some books...others if it's "soft religion" that is not exactly serious, like in miss Reed or Barbara Pym I can take it :)
This is a great list! Barchester Towers is the first Victorian novel I remember reading, so it's one of my very favorites as well. Bleak House was my favorite Dickens until I read Dombey and Son, but they're both so wonderful. I'm reading The Pickwick Papers by Dickens and Rachel Ray by Trollope right now and so enjoying both!
Loved hearing about your top five Victorian novels, Gina! I'm sooo glad you told me about the Mayor of Castorbridge. I think I'll have to pass on that one! lol. Love Elizabeth Gaskell, too. I need to get on board and try more Anthony Trollope and Dickens! I can't believe you read Middlemarch. The size really intimidates me. But, someday, I will. Awesome video! 😍❤📚💚
interesting choice of Middlemarch with its brilliant beginning and ending and ge's machine gun intellect in between which became a little wearying on me. My take is her best r romola, deronda & Felix holt which, although I have yet to bite on Trollope hardy or haskell I suspect r with mm the top 4 of this era by several notches. I have romola #1 on my novel goat list, deronda at #3.
Love those clothbound editions… Coralie Bickford-Smith is the design genius behind them, she’s so great. Do the covers’ elements tend to fall apart when you read them?
Hi! I haven’t quite figured out project Gutenberg tbh. Most of the classics I have I’ve gotten for free or .99 on Amazon. I also get them from my library.
I'm currently reading The Mayor of Casterbridge, October was a busy month so my Victober has been extended. It's the fifth Hardy book I've read and I absolutely adore him. He is hands down the best male author at writing female characters.
I love Barchester Towers as well! And I love Anthony Trollope for all the reasons you mentioned! I need to re-read Barchester Towers and then continue with that series.
Hi Gina, I 'm taking part in Non-fiction November for the first time ever and really excited about it. I'm kicking it off with Dear Memory by Victoria Chang. Have you read this before? It seems quite fitting for me as my mom just passed away.
Great video! I have actually not read any of these books yet. However, I have enjoyed different books by each of these authors. Based on your reviews, I have a lot to look forward to when I get to these. Victober is one of my favorite reading times of the year :) Cheers!
I've read 4 of the 5 and saw a TV adaptation of Cranford. It seems among all the YT channels listing Victorian favorites, my top choice Vanity Fair is missing.
Good video Gina, As I said I put a lot of short Trollope on my TBR for future victobers. . Seeing how I love Miss Reed you'd think Cranford would be a no brainer for me but Gaskill loses me with her long sentences as a listener. I'm just glad to have found one victorian author to enjoy. Did you see Maranda's video today? My TBR grew quite a bit.
@@GinaStanyerBooks haha! We seem to have similar tastes with the exception being Star Trek only because I have never ventured into it. (Maybe I’m intimidated!)
Had "Far from the Madding Crowd" for 'O' Level Lit and " Tess if the D'Urbervilles" for 'A' Lit (needless to say, each book was but a portion of the syllabuses) and they both out me off Hardy ! I love Victorian writers but not Hardy.....cannot explain why,though 🤔
Omigosh I gave up on The Mayor of Casterbridge. It definitely wasn’t the worst I’ve read but I need a character I can root for. That one died early in the novel. I’m seriously considering Bleak House. I’m told it’s a “Victorian legal thriller”????
Yeah, I can understand why it doesn’t appeal to everyone. I was just so enthralled by the writing and the characters. I wouldn’t call Bleak House a thriller, but it does have a legal setting.
You and I have the same tastes here. I love Barchester Towers, Mr. Slope isn't he something, I always wish Mary Bold had a more significant story, I liked her a lot, and Signora Madeline Vesey Neroni, I love her. Cranford, Bleak House, Middlemarch all wonderful books.
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So happy to see Trollope in your top 5 list! Love, love, love his novels!🥰
Isn’t he just wonderful? He’s probably in my top 5 favorite authors of all time right now.
I do love Trollope. I liked how you described his writing. Barchester Towers is such a great read.
I think he’s my favorite Victorian. I just love his sparkle!
So many greats! And Bleak House might be my favorite Dickens book. I think Charles Dickens very much tried to write about the harsh realities of life for people (especially the poor) in the Victorian era while also having happy endings.
I absolutely LOVE Anthony Trollope. I have his complete works on ebook from Delphi. So worth it. I wasn’t a fan of Cranford unfortunately. Middlemarch is one of my all time favorites. It’s like being under a cozy blanket in front of a roaring fire, if that makes sense😊.
Trollope is quite possibly my favorite Victorian author. I just love his style!
I haven’t read The Mayor of Casterbridge yet but have read and adored all the others you mentioned Gina- what fantastic taste we have 😉 what you said about Cranford and the Golden Girls was spot on!
We do have good taste!
I totally agree with you re: "The Mayor of Casterbridge"!🧡Michael Henchard is an accident waiting to happen--over and over again!🥴
He is! His own worst enemy...
OK Gina, you convinced me to give Barchester Towers another try! I started listening to it on audio and gave it up, so it may be one of those books you need to read in book form. I've read Dr. Thorn and the Warden and liked them both. I bought can you forgive her and the way we live now recently for a buck, so those will also be on my Trollope list. I knew you would be a Cranford fan...the old lady trope has my heart and that, along with Mary Barton are 2 of my top faves. David Copperfield, Our mutual friend, Great Expectations (it was the first Dickens for me so it's special), Jude the Obscure, Tess of the D'Urbervilles , Jane Eyre & Shirley, also have stuck to my mind and heart for years. Great Tag!
I'm so surprised to hear that you gave up on Barchester Towers! I hope if you decide to give it another try you enjoy it. The Way We Live Now was really anxiety provoking for me - it has a plot about financial ruin that really stresses me out for some reason. (Also the same reason I struggled with Framley Parsonage)
I'm a weirdo and rather love to read about financial ruin! But religion is my lump in the throat, and Barchester Towers seemed to be steeped in it. I know a lot of Vic. Lit. has a lot of the old Religion, but sometimes I just can't stomach it in some books...others if it's "soft religion" that is not exactly serious, like in miss Reed or Barbara Pym I can take it :)
This is a great list! Barchester Towers is the first Victorian novel I remember reading, so it's one of my very favorites as well. Bleak House was my favorite Dickens until I read Dombey and Son, but they're both so wonderful. I'm reading The Pickwick Papers by Dickens and Rachel Ray by Trollope right now and so enjoying both!
I'm so excited to hear that you loved Dombey and Son, I am loving it so far too! I've got Rachel Ray on my Kindle, maybe I should try that one next.
@@GinaStanyerBooks I'm about 100 pages into Rachel Ray. So far it's a great standalone! Interesting characters and set up.
Another vote here for Dombey.
Loved hearing about your top five Victorian novels, Gina! I'm sooo glad you told me about the Mayor of Castorbridge. I think I'll have to pass on that one! lol. Love Elizabeth Gaskell, too. I need to get on board and try more Anthony Trollope and Dickens! I can't believe you read Middlemarch. The size really intimidates me. But, someday, I will. Awesome video! 😍❤📚💚
interesting choice of Middlemarch with its brilliant beginning and ending and ge's machine gun intellect in between which became a little wearying on me. My take is her best r romola, deronda & Felix holt which, although I have yet to bite on Trollope hardy or haskell I suspect r with mm the top 4 of this era by several notches. I have romola #1 on my novel goat list, deronda at #3.
Gina, this was wonderful! Middlemarch has been calling to me lately. 😊
You’ve sold me on The Mayor of Casterbridge!
March of the Mammoths!!!
So glad you did this. And five gorgeous books.
Thanks Ros! It was such a great idea. I had so much fun this Victober and you were a wonderful co-host.
Love those clothbound editions… Coralie Bickford-Smith is the design genius behind them, she’s so great. Do the covers’ elements tend to fall apart when you read them?
Hi Tom, yeah, sadly the clothbound covers are not very sturdy. I haven't even read these and the pictures are already rubbing off...
@@GinaStanyerBooks 😅 Well, they are works of art in themselves.
I just got my very first Kindle! Do you use Project Gutenberg to get classics?
Hi! I haven’t quite figured out project Gutenberg tbh. Most of the classics I have I’ve gotten for free or .99 on Amazon. I also get them from my library.
@@GinaStanyerBooks I can’t seem to figure out Gutenberg either. Happy reading!
Cranford was one of my reads for #victober 2022 and was a new read. I always enjoy #victober and hearing what you completed. Happy reading 📚 😊
Thanks Kami!
The twin dressmaker ladies in Cranford are terrific characters. Dickens writes melancholic stores. Great top 5 list Gina. I’ve read them all.
Thanks Diane. Dickens and Trollope are so different but both are wonderful.
I was so up and down while seeing your list. For the most part, I loved it. 💛 So happy that Bleak House made the top 5.
We had some crossover in authors! Alice may have made my list, but I haven’t finished it yet. I am LOVING Dombey and Son so far.
@@GinaStanyerBooks Oh, I am so glad you are enjoying Dombey and Son! Such a great book!
I'm currently reading The Mayor of Casterbridge, October was a busy month so my Victober has been extended. It's the fifth Hardy book I've read and I absolutely adore him. He is hands down the best male author at writing female characters.
I love Barchester Towers as well! And I love Anthony Trollope for all the reasons you mentioned! I need to re-read Barchester Towers and then continue with that series.
It's so good! I just loved reading it all in close succession. It was so much fun.
Hi Gina, I 'm taking part in Non-fiction November for the first time ever and really excited about it. I'm kicking it off with Dear Memory by Victoria Chang. Have you read this before? It seems quite fitting for me as my mom just passed away.
I'm so sorry to hear about your mom Liz. That is so hard to go through. It's been 9 years for me - it's particularly tough this time of year.
Great video! I have actually not read any of these books yet. However, I have enjoyed different books by each of these authors. Based on your reviews, I have a lot to look forward to when I get to these. Victober is one of my favorite reading times of the year :) Cheers!
Thanks! They are so so good. I just love Victorian literature.
I've read 4 of the 5 and saw a TV adaptation of Cranford. It seems among all the YT channels listing Victorian favorites, my top choice Vanity Fair is missing.
It’s in my 2024 TBR! I’ll let you know when I read it, but I’m excited.
Good video Gina, As I said I put a lot of short Trollope on my TBR for future victobers. . Seeing how I love Miss Reed you'd think Cranford would be a no brainer for me but Gaskill loses me with her long sentences as a listener. I'm just glad to have found one victorian author to enjoy. Did you see Maranda's video today? My TBR grew quite a bit.
Oh no, I haven't seen it yet! I always add a ton to my TBR from her too.
The comment below mine is spam so you should delete it.
You got me! I ordered the chiltern classics copy of The Mayor of Casterbridge. Let’s see!
Well, even if you hate it at least you'll have a beautiful edition!
@@GinaStanyerBooks haha! We seem to have similar tastes with the exception being Star Trek only because I have never ventured into it. (Maybe I’m intimidated!)
Is there a November challenge going on like Victober is for October? Thanks
The only November event I’m aware of is non-fiction November hosted by A Book Olive. It’s a lot of fun too!
Personally, I think the darkest book by Hardy is Jude the Obscure. Hardy puts his characters through a really tough time, and it's unredeeming.
I haven't read that one!
Had "Far from the Madding Crowd" for 'O' Level Lit and " Tess if the D'Urbervilles" for 'A' Lit (needless to say, each book was but a portion of the syllabuses) and they both out me off Hardy !
I love Victorian writers but not Hardy.....cannot explain why,though 🤔
Yeah, I can see why people don't like him. He's really interesting and different and beautiful to me.
Omigosh I gave up on The Mayor of Casterbridge. It definitely wasn’t the worst I’ve read but I need a character I can root for. That one died early in the novel. I’m seriously considering Bleak House. I’m told it’s a “Victorian legal thriller”????
Yeah, I can understand why it doesn’t appeal to everyone. I was just so enthralled by the writing and the characters. I wouldn’t call Bleak House a thriller, but it does have a legal setting.
You and I have the same tastes here. I love Barchester Towers, Mr. Slope isn't he something, I always wish Mary Bold had a more significant story, I liked her a lot, and Signora Madeline Vesey Neroni, I love her. Cranford, Bleak House, Middlemarch all wonderful books.
Thanks Menolly!
almost clicked to order Mayor book til you said dramatic- I don't do good with edgy
You may want to skip Hardy - he’s REALLY dramatic. Beautiful but stressful.