I recently went book shopping for the first time in ages. The plan was to buy some easy summer reads, something a bit more contemporary maybe, mostly because of how long it was taking me to get through 'The Rainbow' by D.H. Lawrence (I found it super tedious) but the call from the classic fiction section was too strong and I came home with these instead and really, I'm very glad I did.
First of all I picked up this beautiful Alma Classics edition of 'Tender is the Night' by F. Scott Fitzgerald which I'm really enjoying so far. This version has a few inserts with photos of Scott and his family as well as some background on the book on the inside cover and a fairly extensive biography of Fitzgerald at the back which I thought was a nice touch. I would actually recommend this book for some summer reading since the story revolves around a young Hollywood actress holidaying in the south of France.
When I first had a look at 'A Room with a View' I had my eye on a different edition but decided to buy the Penguin English Library version instead since I already had their version of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' and thought I might as well start a little collection, plus they're a little bit cheaper than the normal Penguin classics and I do generally like their design.
Finally, I picked up another Penguin English Library edition of 'Emma'. I've never actually read any Jane Austen before so I thought it was finally time to give it a go. I'll let you know what I think!
Tender is the Night - F. Scott Fitzgerald
“You're the only girl I've seen for a long time that actually did look like something blooming.”
Emma - Jane Austen
“Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised or a little mistaken.”
A Room with a View - E.M. Forster
"It isn't possible to love and part. You will wish that it was. You can transmute love, ignore it, muddle it, but you can never pull it out of you. I know by experience that the poets are right: love is eternal."
Have you read any of these books before? If so, what did you think?
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I tried to read To Kill A Mockingbird once and I found it really boring so I tend to steer clear of classics! However I'd really like to know what you think of them because I recon some of them are really great xxxx
ReplyDeleteYeah some of them can be really boring for sure! I'm really enjoying Tender is the Night right now and loved the Great Gatsby when I did it for A Level so if you want to give classic fiction a go I'd def recommend F. Scott Fitzgerald, he's very clever and witty! xxxx
Deletei'm rubbish and i haven't read any of these books - love fitzgerald though! xx
ReplyDeleteWell so far neither have I completely so it's all good! :) But Fitzgerald is the man! xx
DeleteTender is the Night sounds quite fun, and I absolutely loved The Great Gatsby AND I'm going to the South of France at the end of August.. so maybe it's perfect for me! I've read Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion by Jane Austen and loved both of them, it can be a bit tricky to maintain your attention with Austen's way of writing, but overally they're great books, so Emma probably is too!
ReplyDeleteImogen x
It's proving to be a great holiday read for me so far for sure! Oh great, it's good to know you've enjoyed them! I'm going to start it very soon :) xx
DeleteTender is the Night is one of my ultimate favourite books, I hope you enjoy it! I have a soft spot for Emma too after studying it extensively at A Level, but I couldn't get into A Room With A View at all when I tried to read it, would love to hear how you get on!
ReplyDeleteBxx
b-jolly.co.uk
Yeah I'm finding it really difficult to get into ARWAV, it's hard work! I got it because apparently the film version with Helena Bonham Carter in it is really good. I'm really enjoying Tender is the Night though! xx
DeleteEmma is at the top of my reading list at the mo! Jane Austen is my fave! I love your blog Beth, so I've decided to nominated you for a Liebster award! More details on my blog xox
ReplyDeleteRoseanne xox
leblogderosy.blogspot.co.uk
Aw thank you so much for the nomination, Roseanne! I'll check it out :) xx
DeleteI'm a massive Austen fan, Emma is my second favourite book - Pride and Prejudice, my first :)
ReplyDeletewww.vvnightingale.blogspot.co.uk
Oh recently I have bought far too many books - and it's taking me a while to get through them, although I'm enjoying it! I love Emma, and Tender is the Night is sitting on my shelf waiting to be read! I love getting the really lovely covers too; I think my favourites are Penguins Modern Classics haha!
ReplyDeleteellenunderwater.blogspot.co.uk
Such pretty book covers!
ReplyDeleteCup of Loveliness
I absolutely love A Room With A View, it is definitely my favourite book. What did you end up thinking of it?
ReplyDeletewww.sweetserendipityblog.co.uk