Silas Marner - May June 2018 Classic Group Read

[Alannah]

The winner of our May/June classic read is Silas Marner by George Eliot.

[Chrissie]

YAY! Come on all of you; now let's read it.

[Alannah]

I'm looking forward to this; I had the chance to read George Eliot during my Victorian module in university and enjoyed it. I read a couple more as soon as I finished university but can't believe I haven't read much by her since. Thank you, Lalitha for the suggestion.

[Lalitha]

Yes!! let's read :)

[LauraT]

I'll start it half May, coming back from my tripp to Ireland!

[Chrissie]

Thanks, Laura, for telling us. Have tons of fun in Ireland.


When do others plan on starting?

[Alannah]

Chrissie wrote: "Thanks, Laura, for telling us. Have tons of fun in Ireland.


When do others plan on starting?"

Unsure, I normally am bit relaxed with the classic reads because they last for two months instead of one. I'm making it my mission to read White Teeth in the readathon this weekend so it depends on how far I get with that.

[Lalitha]

I will probably start on 1st May. How about the others?

[Chrissie]

Lalitha, I read one book at a time and I read a lot. I have to make sure I do not read it before everyone else. That is boring. For this reason I do not think I should start before the middle of May?????

[Lalitha]

Sure. The book is small too. We can start on 15th?

[Chrissie]

Lalitha wrote: "Sure. The book is small too. We can start on 15th?"

Yeah, I will say around then. I will have to finish the book I happen to be reading right before. I will probably finish Marner in a few days. I know, I know, I am an incessant reader. I do NOT look at TV; I read.

Laura, will this work for you? What about you, Alannah?

[LauraT]

That'd be perfect for me. Thanks!!!!

[Chrissie]

LauraT wrote: "That'd be perfect for me. Thanks!!!!"

Laura, great! Then you can also tell us about your trip to Ireland!

[LauraT]

I will!!!!!!

[Chrissie]

LOTS of people voted for this..... and may I remind you that if you vote for it you are supposed to really intend to read it.

Please join us and please state when you intend on reading it. The best is if we hear MANY people's point of view.

SORRY for being so blunt!

I am just a group member like all of you.

[Alannah]

Around the 15th works for me too.

[LauraT]

Good!

[Jenny]

and for me :)

[LauraT]

Even better!

[Chrissie]

Alannah, great. We were writing at the same time. I was writing message 15. I am trying to get people to participate. It is more fun then.

[Chrissie]

Jenny. yay!

[Alannah]

Chrissie wrote: "Alannah, great. We were writing at the same time. I was writing message 15. I am trying to get people to participate. It is more fun then."

I agree I hope to try and get more people involved, that's why I sent out the message about this book winning and if they might not fancy this one, then give the link where they can suggest more classics in the future.

[Chrissie]

Alannah, hope it works.

[Kelly]

I just got it free on Kindle!
It will probably be at least a week before I will start this book.
Looks like mostbwill start around middle of May. Sounds good to me!

[Travelin]

Silas Marner. I didn't vote and wouldn't have had time to join in anyway. But I have to say that this would be the point when a democratic vote would begin to seem like terrible dictatorship to me. Wasn't the monograph "Giant clam shells explained" available?

[Alannah]

Travelin wrote: "Silas Marner. I didn't vote and wouldn't have had time to join in anyway. But I have to say that this would be the point when a democratic vote would begin to seem like terrible dictatorship to me...."

Sorry, you feel that way, but the choices in our poll were put forward by other members in our suggestions thread before I set up the poll,

[Janet M]

Eagerly looking forward to reading it for the 2nd time; it's been many years since I've read this and my rating may totally change, lol. Have 2 books to finish first, should be ready by the time we start.
Thanks, Alannah!

[Chrissie]

Janet, very promising that the first time you gave it five stars. For me Victorian novels are a stretch. I try to go into every novel hoping for the best.

[Janet M]

Read it in high school when I gave most all classics high ratings. :o)

[Alannah]

Janet wrote: "Eagerly looking forward to reading it for the 2nd time; it's been many years since I've read this and my rating may totally change, lol. Have 2 books to finish first, should be ready by the time we..."

That's great, look forward to seeing if your thoughts change after rereading it. I often find that happens to me particularly with Victorian Literature.

[Chinook]

Tempted to join. I’m trying to read a book by each author attending Comic Con in the next month and a half, but this is short and I had contemplated Middlemarch this year, so his might be a nice warm up...

[Petra]

I'm looking forward to reading this with everyone. I'll start sometime in the last half of May, I think. Probably not before then.

[Cathie]

I'm tempted to join too. I shall see if I can join! Looks like the 15th the reading begins - which may work if I get copy in hand. My youngest graduates from Pharmacy the 12th!

[Rudolph]

Looking forward to reading it with everyone. Will start from 15 as per popular opinion.

[Alice]

This was one of my favorite high school reads.

[Tamara]

I'll be reading this with the group. I'll start around mid-May with everyone else. Looking forward to it.

[Chrissie]

I am happy many will be reading this by the middle of May.

[[deleted user]]

I’m glad to see everybody looking forward to this one. I don’t think I will be joining you but if I see lots of positive comments I may get sucked in!

[Travelin]

https://www.theonion.com/freshman-ter...

[Leslie]

I read this a few years ago so I might join the discussion but I won't be rereading it.

[Bear]

I may kick off a little earlier than the 15th but happy to be part of the discussion.

[Lalitha]

Glad to see many interested!

[Chrissie]

I ditto Lalitha's sentiment.

[Joan]

Warning to all audiobook listeners - if you can, avoid the Naxos version read by Freda Dowie.
It’s very poorly abridged, cutting out most of Eliot’s power and art. It’s like a CliffsNotes study guide version (at least that’s what we call them in the U.S.)

I wonder if it was done by people who hate classics and simply wanted to provide the parts needed for high school exams.

[Joan]

I didn’t vote for this one; I wasn’t going to read it ...BUT
now I am really enjoying it.
Thank for picking it.

I’m listening to the Dreamscape version narrated by Gordon Griffin.

[Rudolph]

That’s wonderful Joan!

[Chrissie]

Joan, make this smile :0) 100 times bigger, and thanks for the warning.

It sounds like it will be a heartwarming story and in this cold spring I would not mind that.

Any impressions so far?

I went and checked my audiobook version. I will be listening to one at Audible narrated by Anna Bentinck, I have enjoyed this narrator previously.

[Janet M]

Chrissie wrote: "Joan, make this smile :0) 100 times bigger, and thanks for the warning.

It sounds like it will be a heartwarming story and in this cold spring I would not mind that.

Any impressions so far?

I..."

Chrissie, my last reading of this was by audio about 5-6 yrs ago by a gal with British accent, wonder if that was Anna. I think it was on Librivox.

Added some of Eliot's rather profound quotes ((from the book) to my profile; don't remember those from high school. Or from the audio. Audio is great when knitting or driving, but seems I don't retain as much. and my mind wanders more...

[Chrissie]

Janet, I take notes as I listen to audiobooks. This keeps me awake and writing stuff down helps me fasten info into my head. I rarely read what I jot down, Often much is undecipherable to me later.The Mill on the Floss

I am being brave by reading this. I gave George Eliot's The Mill on the Floss one star. I detested the ending.

I dare because I DO like how she uses words. One bad book by an author doesn't mean all of them are bad.

[Janet M]

Hi Chrissie -- I had forgotten that about The Mill on the Floss. Loved the story but then the ending ruined the whole book for me too. Lol, looks like I need to review some of my ratings of books read in my youth -- which I entered on here based on a faint memory.

I didn't like the 800+ page Middlemarch; way too much dialogue for my taste. Couldn't stick with it, added it to my Abandoned list. But my book club loved it.

I think you will enjoy Silas Marner I did love the Librivox audio version, all b/c of the narrator (which makes all the difference!) I think her name actually began with an "L".
Will be interested in hearing how you like Anna B.