Sara's Nearly Impossible Old & New Classic Challenge

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Johanna wrote: "Great list! I loved The Moon and Sixpence!"

Thanks, Johanna. I think I might have a winning list this year. I am excited about reading every one of these books.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

One of my major tomes, War and Peace is completed. I enjoyed it and I'm glad to finally be able to say I have read it. I think it has been on my "going to read" bookshelf for some 20 years. For anyone who is daunted by its length and the subject of the war, I can say that it is much more readable than I had anticipated.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Sara wrote: "One of my major tomes, War and Peace is completed. I enjoyed it and I'm glad to finally be able to say I have read it. I think it has been on my "going to read" bookshelf for some 20 yea..."

Oh wow! Great job on reading that -- it still intimidates me and I just haven't every gotten very far into it.

[Cosmic]

Way to go! I remember reading War and Peace and feeling I had past a hurdle. To do it in less than a month is impressive!

[Dave]

Too bad we're not playing book scrabble Sara, War & Peace would surely be a triple book score!

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Dave wrote: "Too bad we're not playing book scrabble Sara, War & Peace would surely be a triple book score!"

Oooh, never played book scrabble before...sounds like fun. BTW, I love your snoopy.

Cosmic wrote: "Way to go! I remember reading War and Peace and feeling I had past a hurdle. To do it in less than a month is impressive!"

I devoted a lot of my time to it so that I could have it read before the series aired. It wasn't too difficult, though, because I became immersed in the story.

Kathy wrote: "it still intimidates me and I just haven't every gotten very far into it."

It is worth finishing, Kathy. Try again.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

My third completion of the challenge: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Interesting read. I did truly enjoy it when I was reading and felt a little decompression when it ended. Gave it 3.5, rounded to 4.

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

A great story until the end, such a disappointment, those last 50 pages took the completely out of my sails. It was 5 star till the end.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

The same for me, Bob. It was 5-stars for such a lot of the novel that I was sorry to close the book and feel like I had to debate between 3 and 4.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Completed A Wrinkle in Time today.
I think I would have appreciated this story as an 8-10 year old. Wonder how I missed it. It has an interesting story line and was a quick read...with an uncurrent of meaning that made it quite readable for an adult.

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

Sara wrote: "Completed A Wrinkle in Time today.
I think I would have appreciated this story as an 8-10 year old. Wonder how I missed it. It has an interesting story line and was a quick read...with..."

I agree, that's why I kept my copy so I can give it to my grandkids. I still liked the story, a lot.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Nice to have someone to pass it on to, Bob. I would give mine to a child in a moment. It would be a good book to read together as well, so that you could reinforce some of the ideas L'Engle is addressing. I wonder if they teach this in school. I think it would prompt a great discussion for middle school kids.

[Leni]

Sara wrote: "One of my major tomes, War and Peace is completed. I enjoyed it and I'm glad to finally be able to say I have read it. I think it has been on my "going to read" bookshelf for some 20 yea..."

Wow! I haven't read it yet, but my partner did. Took him something like six months and he kept complaining that most of the book was people he couldn't remember the identity or significance of snidely commenting on each other's outfits.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Leni wrote: "most of the book was people he couldn't remember the identity or significance of snidely commenting on each other's outfits."

I really enjoyed it, Leni, but it did take me a few chapters and some going back at times to get all the characters straight. I think it is the Russian names that tend to throw us. It starts at a party and lots of characters introduced all at one time and lots of social small talk. I found it easy going once the characters were doing something and treated as individuals.

[Leni]

Sara wrote: "Leni wrote: "most of the book was people he couldn't remember the identity or significance of snidely commenting on each other's outfits."

I really enjoyed it, Leni, but it did take me a few chapt..."

Maybe it's actually easier to read over just a few weeks instead of several months. Less risk of forgetting who was doing what. I'll bear that in mind, because I do intend to read it at some point.

[Kathleen]

Sara wrote: "Leni wrote: "most of the book was people he couldn't remember the identity or significance of snidely commenting on each other's outfits."

...I think it is the Russian names that tend to throw us"

War and Peace is one of my favorite books, and I'm so glad you enjoyed it Sara. You're so right about how many characters are introduced at the beginning, and I'm also one who has difficulty with the names. Whenever I start a Russian novel, I keep a list of names and who they are close by. The nicknames are what put me over the edge in remembering them, so I include those too!

[Bat-Cat]

Sara, congratulations on your accomplishment - War & Peace is major! I read it about 10 years ago and, like Kathleen, have counted it as one of the best books I have ever read... and favorite. I found that the book itself was not as difficult as I thought it would be but that the quantity of characters was the big challenge. Everyone had at least a few names and then some nicknames on top of that (and all in Russian). And there were, it felt like, thousands of them (just a slight exaggeration). But, the solution, for me as well, was to keep a list of everyone, including all their names, nicknames and connections, and that made the book SO much easier and as a result, SO much better. I also found that after the first hundred pages or so I became familiar with most of the characters and my list served as an occasional reference.

I have always wanted to reread this book - it was that good. Highly recommended.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

I read it without any major interruptions and I do think that helps. The list is also a good idea. I thought keeping people straight would be very difficult because there were so many introduced together in the beginning, but I found that once I was invested in the story there wasn't as much trouble as I had anticipated.

To anyone who is afraid of W&P, I would say "don't be". It is not as formidable as you might think and the story is one of the best you will come across. Tolstoy is considered a master for good reason--he is one.

[Laurie]

I agree that WP is really not a daunting novel other than the length. There is a handy list of the characters as well as a diagram of the family trees on Wikipedia. A few of the character descriptions have some mild spoilers, like person A marries person B after the death of person C. But I found the list helpful if necessary.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Completed Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner today. I don't even have the words to say how much I loved this book. It was beyond phenomenal.

[Susie]

Looks glike a good one...it's on my tbr list now!

[Laurie]

I really liked Crossing to Safety too. It is much better than Angle of Repose in my opinion.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Laurie wrote: "I really liked Crossing to Safety too. It is much better than Angle of Repose in my opinion."
Have Angle of Repose sitting on my bookshelf. I will work it in as soon as I can. I was hoping it would be equally wonderful, especially since it won all the awards.

Susie wrote: "Looks glike a good one...it's on my tbr list now!"
I think you will enjoy it, Susie.

[Laurie]

Angle of Repose is a great novel. I just didn't like as much. The amazing depth of the relationships wasn't as strong, I thought. And that was the real strength of Crossing to Safety.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

At last another entry for this challenge. The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham. I love Maugham's writing and this did not disappoint.

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

Sara wrote: "At last another entry for this challenge. The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham. I love Maugham's writing and this did not disappoint."

I agree Maugham in a terrific writer. I haven't read Moon and Sixpence, but I plan on it. Have you read The Razor's Edge or Cakes and Ale? If not both are worthwhile reads.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Have read The Razor's Edge and really loved it. Cakes and Ale is my next Maugham on the list. I have not come across anything that he wrote that hasn't impressed me so far.

[[deleted user]]

Great list Sara! And you're progressing along very well! Bravo :) Very chunky books on your list too! Quite a few books that you've read on there that I'd like to read :)

Looking forward to our buddy read of Fahrenheit 451!

Also, I'll be keeping an eye out for when you read Heart of Darkness and might pick it up at the same time since it's a short read :)

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Thanks, Nargus. Let me know when you are ready for Fahrenheit 451 and Heart of Darkness. Great to know I will have a reading buddy for both of them!

[[deleted user]]

Sara wrote: "Thanks, Nargus. Let me know when you are ready for Fahrenheit 451 and Heart of Darkness. Great to know I will have a reading buddy for both of them!"

Yay! We've put down June for a buddy read of Fahrenheit 451 - there's a nice few of us interested in reading it together :) (check out the Buddy Reads thread).

Annd... Heart of Darkness, let me know when you feel like reading it? I'm flexible :)

[Sara, Old School Classics]

It's very short. Let's schedule it for June as well, if that works for you. We'll add it to the buddy read thread and see if others want to join us.

[[deleted user]]

Sara wrote: "It's very short. Let's schedule it for June as well, if that works for you. We'll add it to the buddy read thread and see if others want to join us."

Great :)

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Just finished The Forsyte Saga and have to say the feeling I had when I finished this book is what has kept me reading for a lifetime. I was staggered by how good it was and so happy that I put it on this challenge list instead of letting it gather any more dust on my bookshelf.

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

Seven finished and a couple of those were huge. I guess you can see light at the end of the tunnel, I'm still in the middle looking for the end. Your doing great.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Thanks, Bob. Still several hefty books in the list, but if they are as easy to read and enjoyable as the last one, I will be A-OK.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Ta-Da. After having failed to read Daniel Deronda as planned in 2015, I am happy to say I can cross it off my challenge list at last.

My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I liked it, but it was not my favorite Eliot by far.

[Andrea AKA Catsos Person]

What a great review.

After Middlemarch, I was disappointed in this book.

Though Gwendolen was an unlikable spoiled girl at the outset, I thought she was a more interesting character than Daniel himself.

I've read Hardy's "Far from the Madding Crowd" and "Return of the Native."

Your comparison of Gwendolen as a Thomas Hardy-like character is spot on.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Thanks Andrea. My favorite Eliot is still Mill on the Floss. I hope to re-read it soon, it has been years. I agree that without Gwendolen this one would have been a bust.

[Andrea AKA Catsos Person]

I intend to read "Mill on the Floss."

I'm going to try to read with the " Serial Reader" app that has been praised by some members of this group.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Never heard of that. Might check it out. There is a group read in June, but I'm not sure I can fit it in that soon. If I don't, maybe we can buddy-read it later in the year?

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Andrea (Catsos Person) is a Compulsive eBook Hoarder wrote: "I intend to read "Mill on the Floss."

I'm going to try to read with the " Serial Reader" app that has been praised by some members of this group."

Good idea. That might be my next one.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Just finished The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton and completed by Marion Mainwaring. Terrific read. Going to be hard for anything to beat it for me this month.

[Andrea AKA Catsos Person]

How was the part written by Mainwaring?

I'm strongly attracted to the subject matter, but Ive been afraid to read it since EW died before she finished it

[Sara, Old School Classics]

I thought Mainwaring did a good job and she certainly handled the transition well...you cannot tell where her writing takes up and Wharton's ended, she understands Wharton's style. I'm not sure Wharton would have ended it exactly as she did. I base that on my knowledge of other Wharton books, but Mainwaring gave it a satisfactory ending for me.

There was a PBS mini-series back in the 1990's that had a quite different ending. It was definitely an ending and an insertion of subject matter that was NOT Wharton. Again, it was well done, but just not true to Wharton at all. Mainwaring did a better job. I did not feel cheated.

Read it, Andrea. I would personally love to know what your reactions are.

[Andrea AKA Catsos Person]

Thanks for telling me about it Sara.

I'll put it on my list of potentials for bingo 2017.

[[deleted user]]

There was a PBS mini-series back in the 1990's that had a quite different ending. It was definitely an ending and an insertion of subject matter that was NOT Wharton. Again, it was well done, but just not true to Wharton at all. Mainwaring did a better job. I did not feel cheated...."

Oh, wow! I was unaware that Edith Wharton had died before finishing the book, and also unaware that the PBS miniseries wasn't true to the book. I really enjoyed the miniseries, all the same. I'd really like to read the novel at some point. Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Sara.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

I enjoyed the mini-series as well, MMG. They supplied the missing parts, as did Mainwaring, but Mainwaring did it from notes left by Wharton and she is also a Wharton scholar...so, more true to what Wharton had intended. The mini-series went in a totally different direction and one that I'm sure Wharton would never have gone, just not her style. Still, it worked and was well done and I think there is latitude since it is an unfinished novel so either way you are getting someone else's ending and not Wharton's.

[[deleted user]]

Sara wrote: "I enjoyed the mini-series as well, MMG. They supplied the missing parts, as did Mainwaring, but Mainwaring did it from notes left by Wharton and she is also a Wharton scholar...so, more true to wha..."

Good points, and good to know. I'll look forward to reading the Wharton/Mainwaring original. It's been a while since I've seen the miniseries, so I don't think having seen it will spoil the novel for me.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

It was the same for me. I had seen the mini-series back in the 1990s, so the book was like a brand new experience....and the things I did remember were completely different in the book. I'll be interested in seeing what you think of it.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Just finished Bleak House and had a wonderful 5-star experience. Two more to read and I will have completely my choices plus my two alternates.