New to your channel, and LOVE it. You have a fantastic way of explaining and bringing humor to your recaps. I look forward to diving into many of your recommendations.
I did recognize that Villette was the masterpiece as I was reading it, but oh! It caused me so much pain. Her description of the deep loneliness Lucy endured that summer when she alone was left at the school was scarring. Mary Barton I loved, but had to take reading breaks to give my emotions a chance to recover in between all of the drama. When Mary's mother died, I think her father spoiled her a wee bit. She suffered from a lack of guidance, but in the end came to see her faults. Sanditon I have yet to read! Thanks for your insights, I enjoyed walking through the novels with you.
Villette is a STUNNER! You Make me want to reread it haha. Yes! Mary Barton was intense! Sanditon is a must for all Austen fans! I wish she had been able to finish. And thank you!
Mary Barton has definitely been on my radar! I've already read North and South and Wives and Daughters, but I haven't yet gotten to Mary Barton despite the plot really interesting and several recommendations by people to give it a read. Thank you Alana for bringing it to my attention once again. I adored the novels from Gaskell I've read so far so I have high hopes for Mary Barton. Also, I'm LOVING those Penguin English Library editions you've got there. I did have Sanditon but I passed it along without reading it. It wasn't grabbing my interest at that moment but I'd love to give it another try.
Ah you're welcome! I hope you get to read it soon. I still need to read Wives & Daughters. Haha I purchased all of these when I was in my PEL phase. I think Sanditon ended right before it was going to get juicy😭
Great video! I'm a fan of Dickens so Mary Barton is the one that piques my interest the most. When you're reading Sanditon - does it end after a few chapters? I tried to watch the show with my wife and it didn't capture our interest either.
Thank you! I'm a fan of Dickens as well, so Mary Barton was a fun read for me. Yes, Sanditon ends after a few chapters so anything after the first episode or two isn't what Austen wrote.
I've recently been scouring some 19th-century novelists' works, especially authors I've never read, tryingt o find a gem by each, so thanks for the guidance here. Villette has always sounded good to me, so nice you have confirmed its excellence! Still working on which Gaskell to read, too.
@@alanaestelle2076 Just did my Gaskell "review" (more like preview). Looks like I'll start with Mary Barton and a novella called Cousin Phillis. You had it right in this video for sure!
Villette is sitting on my shelf waiting for her turn. I don't need sweet and happy. Give me the depressing books. 🤣 Note: read Mary Barton first. I read Lady Susan back in July. That woman!!! 🤦♀️. I definitely have plans to read all of JA. Great video! I love this series! I added the books from your first installment back when the video came out.
Kate, at Books and Things, often talks about Villette, and perhaps would share your assessment were her favorite novel something other than Jane Eyre. She has a great channel, even if she did once excoriate me for suggesting that Gaskill was obscure (a faux pas I shan't repeat anytime soon - lol). Her first novel is published and will be available early next year. So, there's a good fit for you who is interested in new releases. As for the Austen, I joined a book club - sometime in the late 80s or early 90s - and the introductory gift was a boxed set. So, I read them all in two weeks while on vacation, but I was drunk at the time : (
Hahahaha! I can see how Gaskill can be obscure. There were spots in North and South that were more dense than they needed to be. LOOOL! Have you ever reread Austen?
Villette is my next Bronte read and Mary Barton is my next Gaskel. Both next year. I struggle a bit with Austen although I have read 5 of her novels leaving Emma still to read. I do have Sandston on the self but I'm not super eager to get to just because I do struggle with her writing. I usually have to read paragraphs a few times before I can partially grasp what is being said. I have in no way given up on her just takes me longer to get through them. Enjoyed the video!
I get what you mean - Austen is a genius but for some reason, she's not one of my favorite writers. I do have to be in the mood to read her, which is why I've put Mansfield Park off for so long HAHA.
I just finished North and South and it was wonderful! It was almost like Jane Austen characters were dropped into a Zola novel, and what a combination. I feel so defensive of the Brontes.
The profound sense of loneliness in Villette can be overwhelming. I wrote down so many quotes from that book. So beautiful. Also, reading Mary Barton is so worth it alone for the high-speed action nautical chase ending.🤣
Villette is my favorite, so I am right with you, I have not read Gaskill, not that I don't want to I just have not got to her yet. I will read that book, I promise. Now, Sandington, I have read the beginning of the book, but I didn't get into and because of that I have not watched the PBS series and i was thinking i should at least try it so i will want to read it hopefully i will read it soon😊
@@alanaestelle2076 I bought Cranford (because I loved the series,) and her book about Charlotte Bronte. Not sure which one I will read first. I am very curious about both. I think I will read the book of Sandition, the series is on Season 3 already and I don't have the time for that at the moment. I have it in a penguin classic with Lady Susan too. I read that but I don't remember it so I may re-read it too. Thank you for your lovely vlogs.
A lot of people say Austen is funny. And they love her. I never found the humor and never "got it." I kept trying - I've read them all, except Sanditon. I've read Cranford by Gaskell and found it cozy and amusing. Something I can recommend to any grandma. I especially love the part about the cow - had me hooked on page 10! And the peas. My thoughts on Villette: You should know how to read French, or have a printed version that translates all the French. Otherwise, skip reading this book. I am reading a Penguin version. While this may be a direct word-by-word publication of the text, I wish that it had every French phrase translated. There are paragraphs and pages of French; and not just in the beginning but throughout the novel down to the last chapter. I know I am missing details by skipping these parts, but I am not about to learn French just to read a book. Some of us studied languages other than French; the publisher should have accounted for that, with footnotes. So back to how to rate this one? I am obviously perturbed by the French (and amount if it). It seems like the author was not content with a few mere phrases. Was she trying to flaunt her knowledge of French, or trying to inculcate us to feel what Lucy Snowe might have French being a supplanted English person in a French neighborhood? Or, perhaps her intended audience was, at the time, the upper echelon of English folk who all had a liberal education that included French. It's hard to tell. Sometimes I think it is more of the pat on her own back than a literary device. Regardless of the intent, without footnotes of translation, this drops a notch in my estimation. However, what I read in English is often superb, given the appropriate Victorian Bronte lens, especially in the first 100-150 pages. There are often brilliant phrases or descriptions, such as: "It was wet, it was wild, it was pitch-dark.. I could not go in: too resistless was the delight of staying with the wild hour, black and full of thunder, pealing out such an ode as language never delivered to man - too terribly glorious, the spectacle of clouds, split and pierced by white and blinding bolts." - Charlotte Brontë, Villette, chapter The Casket, p109 I won't say there are witticisms, but there are some clever turns of phrases, like this one: "The terms were precisely such as Rosine - a young lady in whose skull the organs of reverence and reserve were not largely developed - was in the constant habit of using." - Charlotte Brontë, Villette, Chapter M. Paul, p 362
My sister would agree with you about Austen’s novels haha. It’s been a while since I’ve read any Gaskell but Cranford and cozy grandmas is the perfect match. I can’t remember if my edition of Villette has the French translations in the back. I need publishers to start putting translations in the footnotes because ain’t nobody got time to be learning all the languages 🤣 I have a darker sense of humor so … perhaps I should admit that I laughed during parts of Villette 😮💨
I love emo Lucy Snowe! Please read "Lucy" by Jamaica Kincaid. Bronte was Kincaid's favourite author. "Lucy" acts as a postcolonial reworking of "Villette". I'd love to hear your opinion.
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New to your channel, and LOVE it. You have a fantastic way of explaining and bringing humor to your recaps. I look forward to diving into many of your recommendations.
Thank you so much! ❤️❤️❤️
Patty-I feel many people don't know or have read Anne Bronte. I love Agnes Gray. I have Villette on my shelf. I think I'll try this.
I did recognize that Villette was the masterpiece as I was reading it, but oh! It caused me so much pain. Her description of the deep loneliness Lucy endured that summer when she alone was left at the school was scarring.
Mary Barton I loved, but had to take reading breaks to give my emotions a chance to recover in between all of the drama. When Mary's mother died, I think her father spoiled her a wee bit. She suffered from a lack of guidance, but in the end came to see her faults.
Sanditon I have yet to read!
Thanks for your insights, I enjoyed walking through the novels with you.
Villette is a STUNNER! You Make me want to reread it haha.
Yes! Mary Barton was intense!
Sanditon is a must for all Austen fans! I wish she had been able to finish.
And thank you!
Mary Barton has definitely been on my radar! I've already read North and South and Wives and Daughters, but I haven't yet gotten to Mary Barton despite the plot really interesting and several recommendations by people to give it a read. Thank you Alana for bringing it to my attention once again. I adored the novels from Gaskell I've read so far so I have high hopes for Mary Barton. Also, I'm LOVING those Penguin English Library editions you've got there. I did have Sanditon but I passed it along without reading it. It wasn't grabbing my interest at that moment but I'd love to give it another try.
Ah you're welcome! I hope you get to read it soon. I still need to read Wives & Daughters. Haha I purchased all of these when I was in my PEL phase. I think Sanditon ended right before it was going to get juicy😭
Great video! I'm a fan of Dickens so Mary Barton is the one that piques my interest the most. When you're reading Sanditon - does it end after a few chapters? I tried to watch the show with my wife and it didn't capture our interest either.
Thank you! I'm a fan of Dickens as well, so Mary Barton was a fun read for me. Yes, Sanditon ends after a few chapters so anything after the first episode or two isn't what Austen wrote.
I just posted a video with Villette in it! I will definitely be pushing it up on my TBR now (also I'll quit stalking your page now hahaha)
LOOOOL! Thanks for watching! 🤣
I've recently been scouring some 19th-century novelists' works, especially authors I've never read, tryingt o find a gem by each, so thanks for the guidance here. Villette has always sounded good to me, so nice you have confirmed its excellence! Still working on which Gaskell to read, too.
Villette really is brilliant! And Gaskill often feels like a balance between Dickens and Austen.
@@alanaestelle2076 Just did my Gaskell "review" (more like preview). Looks like I'll start with Mary Barton and a novella called Cousin Phillis. You had it right in this video for sure!
Villette is sitting on my shelf waiting for her turn. I don't need sweet and happy. Give me the depressing books. 🤣
Note: read Mary Barton first.
I read Lady Susan back in July. That woman!!! 🤦♀️. I definitely have plans to read all of JA.
Great video! I love this series! I added the books from your first installment back when the video came out.
Oh agreed - depressing books reign supreme!😂
Lady Susan is THE WORST!
And thank you!!
Kate, at Books and Things, often talks about Villette, and perhaps would share your assessment were her favorite novel something other than Jane Eyre. She has a great channel, even if she did once excoriate me for suggesting that Gaskill was obscure (a faux pas I shan't repeat anytime soon - lol). Her first novel is published and will be available early next year. So, there's a good fit for you who is interested in new releases. As for the Austen, I joined a book club - sometime in the late 80s or early 90s - and the introductory gift was a boxed set. So, I read them all in two weeks while on vacation, but I was drunk at the time : (
Hahahaha! I can see how Gaskill can be obscure. There were spots in North and South that were more dense than they needed to be.
LOOOL! Have you ever reread Austen?
@@alanaestelle2076 No, not really: I have some familiarity with P&P but some of that is from watching films, and reading opinions here, on RUclips.
Sylvia lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell is so underrated too!! Interesting fact she actually dedicated this book to her husband
I need to read that one! I've heard Ruth is good too, but I haven't read that one yet either.
Villette is my next Bronte read and Mary Barton is my next Gaskel. Both next year. I struggle a bit with Austen although I have read 5 of her novels leaving Emma still to read. I do have Sandston on the self but I'm not super eager to get to just because I do struggle with her writing. I usually have to read paragraphs a few times before I can partially grasp what is being said. I have in no way given up on her just takes me longer to get through them. Enjoyed the video!
I get what you mean - Austen is a genius but for some reason, she's not one of my favorite writers. I do have to be in the mood to read her, which is why I've put Mansfield Park off for so long HAHA.
I just finished North and South and it was wonderful! It was almost like Jane Austen characters were dropped into a Zola novel, and what a combination.
I feel so defensive of the Brontes.
Hahaha that's a good comparison!
Yes, I also feel a bit defensive about the Brontes, especially Anne.
Villette is one of my favourites. But i still have to read the Jane Eyre that's sitting on my tbr 😅
Villette is stunning! AAH - so excited for you to read Jane Eyre!!!
Hi Alana, I’m new to your channel and you’ve quickly become my favourite booktuber :) I’m just wondering if you have a goodreads?
Hi Danielle! Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! :) I don't have a Goodreads. I tried at one point but didn't use it.
The profound sense of loneliness in Villette can be overwhelming. I wrote down so many quotes from that book. So beautiful. Also, reading Mary Barton is so worth it alone for the high-speed action nautical chase ending.🤣
Yes! I really want to reread Villette because I know I missed some really good quotes! LOL that scene was epic!! 🤣
Villette is my favorite, so I am right with you, I have not read Gaskill, not that I don't want to I just have not got to her yet. I will read that book, I promise. Now, Sandington, I have read the beginning of the book, but I didn't get into and because of that I have not watched the PBS series and i was thinking i should at least try it so i will want to read it hopefully i will read it soon😊
Villette is brilliant! Gaskill is also good fun. The PBS series doesn’t really do Sanditon Justice 😅
@@alanaestelle2076 I bought Cranford (because I loved the series,) and her book about Charlotte Bronte. Not sure which one I will read first. I am very curious about both. I think I will read the book of Sandition, the series is on Season 3 already and I don't have the time for that at the moment. I have it in a penguin classic with Lady Susan too. I read that but I don't remember it so I may re-read it too. Thank you for your lovely vlogs.
A lot of people say Austen is funny. And they love her. I never found the humor and never "got it." I kept trying - I've read them all, except Sanditon.
I've read Cranford by Gaskell and found it cozy and amusing. Something I can recommend to any grandma. I especially love the part about the cow - had me hooked on page 10! And the peas.
My thoughts on Villette: You should know how to read French, or have a printed version that translates all the French. Otherwise, skip reading this book. I am reading a Penguin version. While this may be a direct word-by-word publication of the text, I wish that it had every French phrase translated. There are paragraphs and pages of French; and not just in the beginning but throughout the novel down to the last chapter. I know I am missing details by skipping these parts, but I am not about to learn French just to read a book. Some of us studied languages other than French; the publisher should have accounted for that, with footnotes. So back to how to rate this one? I am obviously perturbed by the French (and amount if it). It seems like the author was not content with a few mere phrases. Was she trying to flaunt her knowledge of French, or trying to inculcate us to feel what Lucy Snowe might have French being a supplanted English person in a French neighborhood? Or, perhaps her intended audience was, at the time, the upper echelon of English folk who all had a liberal education that included French. It's hard to tell. Sometimes I think it is more of the pat on her own back than a literary device. Regardless of the intent, without footnotes of translation, this drops a notch in my estimation. However, what I read in English is often superb, given the appropriate Victorian Bronte lens, especially in the first 100-150 pages. There are often brilliant phrases or descriptions, such as: "It was wet, it was wild, it was pitch-dark.. I could not go in: too resistless was the delight of staying with the wild hour, black and full of thunder, pealing out such an ode as language never delivered to man - too terribly glorious, the spectacle of clouds, split and pierced by white and blinding bolts." - Charlotte Brontë, Villette, chapter The Casket, p109 I won't say there are witticisms, but there are some clever turns of phrases, like this one: "The terms were precisely such as Rosine - a young lady in whose skull the organs of reverence and reserve were not largely developed - was in the constant habit of using." - Charlotte Brontë, Villette, Chapter M. Paul, p 362
My sister would agree with you about Austen’s novels haha.
It’s been a while since I’ve read any Gaskell but Cranford and cozy grandmas is the perfect match.
I can’t remember if my edition of Villette has the French translations in the back. I need publishers to start putting translations in the footnotes because ain’t nobody got time to be learning all the languages 🤣 I have a darker sense of humor so … perhaps I should admit that I laughed during parts of Villette 😮💨
@@alanaestelle2076 LOL!
I love emo Lucy Snowe! Please read "Lucy" by Jamaica Kincaid. Bronte was Kincaid's favourite author. "Lucy" acts as a postcolonial reworking of "Villette". I'd love to hear your opinion.
Lucy is such a great character! I haven’t heard of that book, I’ll have to look into it! Thanks!
That book has been on my tbr forever. I didn't even know about the connection to Villette. Now I want to read it sooner.
There you go again convincing me to read everything 😂 I've never heard Vilette described as Charlotte's masterpiece!
I have no regrets!😂 Villette is just... so good! The writing style alone is worth the read.
Seems your enthusiasm was at an eleven on this one. Heave it at us.
LOOOL