At the DIckens Universe one year a speaker was going to appear who was an expert on Trollope. Professor Jordan learned that he was going to jokingly ask the audience how many of us had read all forty-six of his novels, so when the speaker asked us, we all raised our hands. It was hilarious. I’ve found the Barchester series very surprisingly engaging. I have read four of them so far, about to start the next. The language is so beautiful. As to Dickens, I’d like to call particular attention to Miriam Margoyles’ recording of Bleak House - I think she has a diff ent voice for a hundred characters. My favorites are Little Dorris and Our Mutual Friend.
I actually started with The Pickwick Papers as my first Dickens. I loved it and thought it was hilarious in its episodic nature. I have also read Bleak House, which I thought was brilliantly written, but not as much fun or as entertaining. You have convinced me to try Great Expectations again, as well as David Copperfield and Dombey & Son. I also read Cranford first and loved it. I haven’t read anything else by her, yet. I guess I did this all backwards! 😂😂
I highly recommend all of them! I adore Cranford and The Pickwick Papers too - I just know a lot of people who were a bit thrown by their structures at first.
My Victorian Lit professor's needed this video because Mill on the Floss, Jude the Obscure, and Tess d'Urbervilles were all required for the two into classes I took. 😂
_Ease yourself in to the misery of Hardy._ Brilliant! I have Far From the Madding Crowd sitting on my shelf, unread, so I will start there. Thank you for this fantastic information!
Also I know that you’re English, But if you like Jane Eyre I highly recommend you read Nathaniel Hawthorne. His books are extremely Gothic and follow the same tone. He’s a very underrated author.
I'm dropping this comment here (but it could easily have been anywhere else on your channel) just to say that the enthusiasm with which you talk about (Victorian) books motivates me to read more and generally to gravitate around books all the time - and especially now, during these trying times, your videos really are a balm for frayed nerves. Greetings from a fellow reader and literature student in Romania! ^_^
I enjoyed this video a lot, thank you! Our tastes don't seem to differ that much, so I've made note of a couple of books that I hadn't really thought about before: "The Moonstone", "The Way We Live Now" and "Odd Women" definitely sound like novels that I might enjoy. Thanks again! 🙂
Yes. Very useful. Held my breath waiting for the verdict on the two Elizabeth Gaskell books not to start out with, and hoping one of them wasn't "Mary Barton"(As I am reading that.). Thank you!
I hadn't heard of Poor Miss Finch but I'm interested in it now. I'm reading Great Expectations at the moment and I have to agree with it being very accessible, I've only read A Christmas Carol before this but have tried several of his books without being able to get into them so it's been a joy to finally find a Dickens I can get stuck into.
My first Hardy was, in fact, “Jude the Obscure” and I was thoroughly depressed while reading it. I’ll definitely have to check out “Far From the Madding Crowd” next. Thanks for the recommendations!!
Jane Eyre is my favorite book, so elegantly written and so gothic. The book made me cry due to its unusual love story, a lot like beauty and the beast.
I clearly like George Eliot a lot more than you do, and I also really like the Mill on the Floss - I think the childhood of Maggie Tulliver is fascinating and brilliantly described. I think the only thing I really don't like about it is the sudden ending which feels a bit... deflating. I feel like Silas Marner might be a good starting point for Eliot - it's fairly short, and I found it quite gripping in a way that Eliot often isn't, though maybe you would say that Silas Marner is not typical of the rest of Eliot, because it feels more like a fairy tale or a parable than real life. I also found that I really enjoyed Adam Bede, which for me is more of a typical Eliot read, but being her first full length novel she hasn't got her craft totally down yet - which I think is interesting if you begin with Adam Bede and move on from there rather than starting with Daniel Deronda which is her final completed work.
Your videos are just great, you give so much information and the passion you have for victorian literature really shines brightly. I started reading george gissing through your rccmandation(I am italian so the less well known authors really don't get much attention over here) and he quickly became one of my favorite victorian authors, so I am immensely thankful!
Excellent recommendations! I agree with so many of these. A ton of these books are my favorites. The only exception is Great Expectations, which I have never liked. Plenty of people love it though, and I agree that it's a good idea to start with a first-person narrative in Dickens.
Thanks :) :) So interesting that you don't love Great Expectations, as I know what a Dickens fan you are! Does Pip annoy you? He does sometimes frustrate me a lot! (I'm sure I'll have seen you talk about this before on your channel, but I have such a bad memory!)
Absolutely brilliant. this list will definitely help me read more classics. And thank you for all your time and effort in making Victober so much fun for so many of us. I've hesitated in the past , but got swept up in all the enthusiasm for Victorian literature so got on board this year it has even affected alot of my recent viewing choices as well.
This is such a great idea. Always love some Thomas Hardy, I've been reading The Mayor of Casterbridge for Victober this year and I'm loving it so far :) I want to try and pick up some H.G. Wells next year as I've never read any of his books.
Loved this video Katie, thanks for the great recommendations! Didn't love Middlemarch, but you've conviced me to give Daniel Deronda a go. I also actually really loved Cranford as an introduction to Elizabeth Gaskell! But you've reminded me to get on to the rest of her work, I've been wanting to read North and South for ages :)
Such an informative video that’s so needed! I’ve put off attempting more classics not for years but for decades because I wasn’t drawn to those I tried. I wish I’d seen your recommendations before the book sales as there was a box of Trollope’s there and I hadn’t heard of most of them. I did, however, score Dr Wortle(!), Nina Balatka, Miss Makenzie, Kept In The Dark, Cousin Henry, and Sir Henry Hotspur of Humblethwaite.
Great video Katie and I second the praise for Libby too. I must admit that out of the four Eliot books I’ve read- which doesn’t include The Mill on the Floss, Daniel Deronda was the hardest to get into it, I think because of all the discussion of religion, plus I felt it should have been renamed Gwendolen but that’s another subject 😊. I would say Silas Mariner is more accessible if only for its length but it’s a pretty straightforward story too. Thank you for the warning about the Wilkie Collins novel to avoid and the tips on Trollope, I loved The Way We Live Now and although I’ve read the first books in both series, I definitely feel more inclined towards his standalones.
Thanks! I'm surprised you say Daniel Deronda was hardest to get into for you - that's the only Eliot I've ever truly got into! But then I'm not a typical Eliot reader, so I will be the first to admit that I'm not an expert on her. I have read Silas Marner but a very long time ago - at the time I didn't really enjoy it and now I barely remember it at all!
Very useful video! I agree with what you say about Dickens. Oliver Twist is also my least favorite. And a reader must stay focused due to the many story lines. His novels can seem confusing until you get used to his style. But so well worth the effort!!
Your suggestions make me realise my secondary school was easing me into reading Victorian novels, because quite a few of them were on our syllabus. Maybe it's why I've always enjoyed them.
Thank you for making this !! I am early doors with a few of these authors so it's nice to have the stepping stones kind of map as to where to go next❤️ 😘❤️
I loved this so so much. I started Gaskell this Victober with North and South and I agree, it was a fantastic introduction to her writing. I am reading Dr Wortles School at the moment for your Victober challenge and really enjoying it. It is very typical of his writing which is fab! Never apologise for a long Dickens tangent 😀 it was really interesting. I just finished Hard Times this Victober and enjoyed it but not one of my fave Dickens. I just adore David Copperfield and Jane Eyre! I have been very tempted by Gissing recently but not known where to start so it was great to hear about The Odd Women 😀👍🏻📚
I'll have a think about what there is! It's set around the Gordon Riots of the 1780s (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Riots), which I knew nothing about before reading the book, so that can make it a little confusing. It's a great book, just I think a Dickens one to approach later!
Thanks for the recommendations. They are very helpful - especially the ones for Anthony Trollope (I'm impressed you remembered my comment from a while ago about not being able to find Dr Wortle's School, you must be super organised!)
This is so helpful, thank you. I will give hardy another go and read far from the madding crowd.. I have loved Anthony Trollope and now know where else to go which is great 👍 😊
I've read books by six of the authors and started with your recommendations for 3 of them(Jane Eyre, adventires of SH and time machine). My first George Eliot was Silas Marner which has the advantage of being short and when it comes to Hardy and Dickens I read those you wouldn't recommend starting with. Tess was fine and I'm quite interested in reading more Hardy, but after reading Oliver Twist I felt compelled to never try Dickens again. Only your constant praise for him made me pick up some of his other works afterwards. I do have The Moonstone and North and South on my TBR and hope they'll be good starting points for me:)
@@katiejlumsden I've read David Copperfield last Victober and A Christmas Carol for Christmas. I own Martin Chuzzlewit but haven't managed to read it for Victober this year
I am glad to hear your comment about The Mill on the Floss. I am trying to read it for the second time and I just can't get interested in the story. It is the third Eliot book for me and while Middlemarch took a while to get into, eventually I loved it. I was hoping TMotF was slow like that and would get better but maybe I should DNF it and move on to another of her books.
Thank you for your recommandations Katie! Having only read Tess, Far from the madding crowd and Under the Greenwood Tree by Hardy I wasn't sure which of his novels to read next and I'll probably go for The Return of the Native. I watched the Jude the Obscure film and was horrified by the story so I don't plan to read the book in the near future: it feels like the novels by Emile Zola are much lighter compared to some of his works. I think Wives and Daughters is also a good book to start with Gaskell, it's perhaps easier to read than North and South although I absolutely love both (and am currently enjoying every moment of my reread of the latter).
I really do recommend The Return of the Native. I absolutely love Jude the Obscure, but it is very dark. Wives and Daughters is a fantastic Gaskell starting point too - although I think sometimes the length and the unfinished ending can put people off. North and South was my first Gaskell so it always has a special place in my heart!
I agree that Rachel Ray is a great place to start with Trollope. I read it first, followed by The Warden. (Strangely, I really loved the quiet little character study of The Warden, even though I know it is usually seen as the just-meh start of the much greater series.)
Thanks for the recs.I have read all of Charlotte Brontes books and I just discovered in my used bookstore a book by her called The Green Dwarf.It is her juvinelia apparently.I bought the book for a dollar and have it on my tbr.I wonder if youve read it?
The Return of the Native was my first Hardy, and it was several decades before I read another. I thought so much tragedy could have been avoided if the characters had talked to each other at several points in the story, and thought that was so close to my own family I didn't need to read about it. I agree with you about the Mill on the Floss (though hate is a bit strong) but many people think that book is brilliant and a good place to start reading George Eliot, so I'm adding that here. I don't think I'd start with Daniel Deronda - Silas Marner or Middlemarch or Adam Bede might be more accessible. I agree on where to start with Dickens.
I feel like Mill on the Floss is so decisive it's best to avoid starting with! I recommended Daniel Deronda because it's the only George Eliot I've actually enjoyed on a first reading - so much more compelling to me than the rest!
@@katiejlumsden I know, but you're weird about George Eliot! :) My first was Silas Marner, which I liked so much I immediately went to Middlemarch and The Mill on the Floss. While I don't like the MIll very much, Middlemarch quickly became one of my security blanket books, so it's very much a matter of taste. I know many people who swear by the writing about Maggie's childhood in Mill.
I hadn’t heard of Poor Miss Finch, but after loving The Woman in White I’m excited to read it. I was actually going to start The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes today. I didn’t mind the layout of A Study in Scarlet, but I think I’m in the minority on that.
I know quite a lot of people who don't mind the format of A Study in Scarlet - I think it's more that it's not quite what you're expecting if you're a first time Sherlock Holmes reader, which makes it feel weirder?
I finaaly got domby and son on wedesday at my library! so i am reading that.also i got a book of short stories by Anthony Trolleppe ,they are short and different scenes through victorian life.
Such great recommendations! I will have to try Dr. Wortle's School. I attempted the Warden a little while ago and just didn't feel like I was ready to commit to a series so I think that sounds perfect.
Great video as always ... I love the way you talk about Gierge Eliot ,I personally love her works ,but even though you don't like her much you still recommend her to readers .....
Thanks :) She's a key Victorian author and I sort of admire her even though I don't enjoy very many of her works, if you see what I mean, so I do try and recommend her still.
I'm ready to start reading some Anthony Trollope. I think i would like to read six books that make up the Chronicles of Barsetshire. Is it best to read them in order? I've heard the Warden, which is the first book is a little boring, but I also don't want to miss any key plot developments. In another video of yours, you said you liked The Small House at Allington the best. Should I start with that one and then go back? Thanks for your help!!
It is indeed best to read the Chronicles of Barsetshire in order. They can be understood alone but you'll spoil the impact of the earlier books when you go back to them later if you start with one nearer the end of the series. I'd recommend starting at the beginning and working through - but perhaps read The Warden and Barchester Towers back to back, as the best place to start. Personally I do really like The Warden, and Barchester Towers, the second book in the series, is a real favourite of mine.
@@katiejlumsden Thanks for the insight Katie! I'll proceed in order then. You didn't steer me wrong on North and South or Martin Chuzzlewit, you are my go to on all things Victorian Lit!
I really enjoyed listening to this and debating if I agree with where to start with some of the authors I'm more familiar with. My first George Eliot was Middlemarch and my first Hardy was Jude the Obscure, so not exactly your recommended order lol. I'm surprised that you didn't mention A Woman in White for Wilkie Collins. I feel like that's a good place to start (though I haven't read any others by him, so it's not exactly like I can definitively say there isn't a book that would be better to read first). There are a lot of books on this list that I hope to get to eventually: The Odd Women, The Moonstone, Daniel Deronda, David Copperfield, The Time Machine, The Return of the Native.... yea I'll stop before the list gets out of hand XD
@@katiejlumsden Gotcha. That makes sense then why you'd mention The Moonstone, but not The Woman in White. I really need to read The Moonstone. I think I had the end spoiled for me in something, but I barely remember it.
Hey I wanted to know what is the name of the edition of the books that you own. Maximum of the books you recommended in this video are from a common collection. I absolutely loved it.
So I mostly have Penguin Black Spines and the Collector's Library editions (they have new covers now and are under Pan Macmillan, but they're still little and pretty.)
I'm reading " Tess of the D'urbervilles" and, so far, I absolutely hate it. I'm going to finish it just so that I can say I've read it. I've read "Desperate Remedies." I liked it a lot, even though it's not as famous as some of Thomas Hardy's other books. 📚 📖
I'm listening to The Way We Live Now on audiobook. I've listened to about 2 hours. So far Trollope has mainly provided backstories for a bunch of characters in long expositions. Does Trollope usually rely on info dumps or does he eventually get to more character interaction?
Ha they're brilliant books, just a little more . . . miserable . . . than some other Hardys. I started with Tess and didn't love Hardy until I read Far From the Madding Crowd.
Well, I’m listening to Adam Bede and I must say I’m finding it a bit tough going. I find all the issues you have with George Eliot are mine as well. I just watched your video, Goodbye George Eliot, today. I am going to continue with it. I can barely stand Elizabeth, Adam and Seth’s mother and cringe whenever she appears. I think Seth should be nominated for sainthood for the kindness and understanding he showers upon her. I must admit that so far I find the schoolmaster amusingly pompous and have to laugh at his opinions on womanhood. Surely he’s some kind of symbol or something! I’m reading Jude the Obscure for your prompt. I know it’s not the best Hardy to start with, but it was the one I had on my shelf. I am very intrigued to read some of your suggestions. Thanks so much for this great video!
I agree with you about poor Seth. He is lovely and patient and kind. No one gives him any attention or credit. I am in the closing act of the book when everything has hit the fan. I really hope that by the end of the book something good happens for Seth and he can have some happiness and a moment to shine.
I definitely like Seth more than Adam! One of the main issues I have with Eliot is that she always follows the characters I don't like and neglects the ones I like! Jude the Obscure is actually my favourite Hardy, so I hope you do like it - it just is the heaviest of his books, so comes with a little warning :)
I remember reading Jude the Obscure and thinking "please kill yourself, so I'm spared the agony of finishing this book." Agree you really need to work up to that level of misery.
I don't think I'd recommend Daniel Deronda as a place to start on Eliot. It's too variable in quality - like most critics, I think Gwendoline's storyline is done much better than the Jewish part. I'd probably recommend starting with Middlemarch - start with the best, even if it's long (so is Daniel Deronda, for that matter). Silas Marner could be an option for those who want to start short and sweet. Or even Felix Holt - her most plot-driven novel, with an exciting, almost sensational storyline (perhaps you would like it more than the rest of Eliot, given your fondness for plot-driven novels?). P.S. Did you know it will be the 200th anniversary of the birth of George Eliot on 22 November?
I haven't read Felix Holt - but to be honest I don't think I'll be reading any more Eliot. She's not really for me, so I'm definitely not an authority on her - Daniel Deronda is the only one of her books I've got into and enjoyed on a first reading, which is why I tend to recommend it. Silas Marner I've read but didn't enjoy and have completely forgotten now - it was a good 12 years ago now!
He was a contemporary and dear friend of Dickens. I’ve read his two most famous works - The Moonstone and The Woman in White. I’m surprised Katie didn’t mention TWIW in the video tbh. It’s a great read with one of the best villains in literature, imo
Also I know that you’re English, But if you like Jane Eyre I highly recommend you read Nathaniel Hawthorne. His books are extremely Gothic and follow the same tone. He’s a very underrated author.
Also I know that you’re English, But if you like Jane Eyre I highly recommend you read Nathaniel Hawthorne. His books are extremely Gothic and follow the same tone. He’s a very underrated author.
Also I know that you’re English, But if you like Jane Eyre I highly recommend you read Nathaniel Hawthorne. His books are extremely Gothic and follow the same tone. He’s a very underrated author.
At the DIckens Universe one year a speaker was going to appear who was an expert on Trollope. Professor Jordan learned that he was going to jokingly ask the audience how many of us had read all forty-six of his novels, so when the speaker asked us, we all raised our hands. It was hilarious. I’ve found the Barchester series very surprisingly engaging. I have read four of them so far, about to start the next. The language is so beautiful. As to Dickens, I’d like to call particular attention to Miriam Margoyles’ recording of Bleak House - I think she has a diff ent voice for a hundred characters. My favorites are Little Dorris and Our Mutual Friend.
Trollope and Thomas Hardy my favourite..
I actually started with The Pickwick Papers as my first Dickens. I loved it and thought it was hilarious in its episodic nature. I have also read Bleak House, which I thought was brilliantly written, but not as much fun or as entertaining. You have convinced me to try Great Expectations again, as well as David Copperfield and Dombey & Son. I also read Cranford first and loved it. I haven’t read anything else by her, yet. I guess I did this all backwards! 😂😂
I highly recommend all of them! I adore Cranford and The Pickwick Papers too - I just know a lot of people who were a bit thrown by their structures at first.
My Victorian Lit professor's needed this video because Mill on the Floss, Jude the Obscure, and Tess d'Urbervilles were all required for the two into classes I took. 😂
Haha very true!
_Ease yourself in to the misery of Hardy._ Brilliant! I have Far From the Madding Crowd sitting on my shelf, unread, so I will start there. Thank you for this fantastic information!
Thanks :)
Also I know that you’re English, But if you like Jane Eyre I highly recommend you read Nathaniel Hawthorne. His books are extremely Gothic and follow the same tone. He’s a very underrated author.
I'm dropping this comment here (but it could easily have been anywhere else on your channel) just to say that the enthusiasm with which you talk about (Victorian) books motivates me to read more and generally to gravitate around books all the time - and especially now, during these trying times, your videos really are a balm for frayed nerves. Greetings from a fellow reader and literature student in Romania! ^_^
Thank you so much! This is a very lovely comment to recieve.
I enjoyed this video a lot, thank you! Our tastes don't seem to differ that much, so I've made note of a couple of books that I hadn't really thought about before: "The Moonstone", "The Way We Live Now" and "Odd Women" definitely sound like novels that I might enjoy. Thanks again! 🙂
Excellent! Thank you!! Have a blessed week!!🥰
Yes. Very useful. Held my breath waiting for the verdict on the two Elizabeth Gaskell books not to start out with, and hoping one of them wasn't "Mary Barton"(As I am reading that.). Thank you!
I hadn't heard of Poor Miss Finch but I'm interested in it now. I'm reading Great Expectations at the moment and I have to agree with it being very accessible, I've only read A Christmas Carol before this but have tried several of his books without being able to get into them so it's been a joy to finally find a Dickens I can get stuck into.
I'm glad you're enjoying Great Expectations - such a great book!
My first Hardy was, in fact, “Jude the Obscure” and I was thoroughly depressed while reading it. I’ll definitely have to check out “Far From the Madding Crowd” next. Thanks for the recommendations!!
I highly recommend it :)
Jane Eyre is my favorite book, so elegantly written and so gothic. The book made me cry due to its unusual love story, a lot like beauty and the beast.
I clearly like George Eliot a lot more than you do, and I also really like the Mill on the Floss - I think the childhood of Maggie Tulliver is fascinating and brilliantly described. I think the only thing I really don't like about it is the sudden ending which feels a bit... deflating.
I feel like Silas Marner might be a good starting point for Eliot - it's fairly short, and I found it quite gripping in a way that Eliot often isn't, though maybe you would say that Silas Marner is not typical of the rest of Eliot, because it feels more like a fairy tale or a parable than real life. I also found that I really enjoyed Adam Bede, which for me is more of a typical Eliot read, but being her first full length novel she hasn't got her craft totally down yet - which I think is interesting if you begin with Adam Bede and move on from there rather than starting with Daniel Deronda which is her final completed work.
Your videos are just great, you give so much information and the passion you have for victorian literature really shines brightly. I started reading george gissing through your rccmandation(I am italian so the less well known authors really don't get much attention over here) and he quickly became one of my favorite victorian authors, so I am immensely thankful!
I had a similar reaction to A Study in Scarlett. I thought something had gone wrong with the free download on Project Guttenberg.
Excellent recommendations! I agree with so many of these. A ton of these books are my favorites. The only exception is Great Expectations, which I have never liked. Plenty of people love it though, and I agree that it's a good idea to start with a first-person narrative in Dickens.
Thanks :) :) So interesting that you don't love Great Expectations, as I know what a Dickens fan you are! Does Pip annoy you? He does sometimes frustrate me a lot! (I'm sure I'll have seen you talk about this before on your channel, but I have such a bad memory!)
Absolutely brilliant. this list will definitely help me read more classics. And thank you for all your time and effort in making Victober so much fun for so many of us. I've hesitated in the past , but got swept up in all the enthusiasm for Victorian literature so got on board this year it has even affected alot of my recent viewing choices as well.
Thanks :) I highly recommend all of these!
This is such a great idea. Always love some Thomas Hardy, I've been reading The Mayor of Casterbridge for Victober this year and I'm loving it so far :) I want to try and pick up some H.G. Wells next year as I've never read any of his books.
Hardy is amazing! I do really recommend H.G. Wells :)
Loved this video Katie, thanks for the great recommendations! Didn't love Middlemarch, but you've conviced me to give Daniel Deronda a go. I also actually really loved Cranford as an introduction to Elizabeth Gaskell! But you've reminded me to get on to the rest of her work, I've been wanting to read North and South for ages :)
Thanks Lauren! Gaskell is so great - I highly recommend North and South :)
Such an informative video that’s so needed! I’ve put off attempting more classics not for years but for decades because I wasn’t drawn to those I tried. I wish I’d seen your recommendations before the book sales as there was a box of Trollope’s there and I hadn’t heard of most of them. I did, however, score Dr Wortle(!), Nina Balatka, Miss Makenzie, Kept In The Dark, Cousin Henry, and Sir Henry Hotspur of Humblethwaite.
Sounds like a good haul!
Great video Katie and I second the praise for Libby too. I must admit that out of the four Eliot books I’ve read- which doesn’t include The Mill on the Floss, Daniel Deronda was the hardest to get into it, I think because of all the discussion of religion, plus I felt it should have been renamed Gwendolen but that’s another subject 😊. I would say Silas Mariner is more accessible if only for its length but it’s a pretty straightforward story too. Thank you for the warning about the Wilkie Collins novel to avoid and the tips on Trollope, I loved The Way We Live Now and although I’ve read the first books in both series, I definitely feel more inclined towards his standalones.
Thanks! I'm surprised you say Daniel Deronda was hardest to get into for you - that's the only Eliot I've ever truly got into! But then I'm not a typical Eliot reader, so I will be the first to admit that I'm not an expert on her. I have read Silas Marner but a very long time ago - at the time I didn't really enjoy it and now I barely remember it at all!
Wonderful video! Really happy you made this as it narrowed down where to start in the sea of classics from these authors
Thanks!
Very useful video! I agree with what you say about Dickens. Oliver Twist is also my least favorite. And a reader must stay focused due to the many story lines. His novels can seem confusing until you get used to his style. But so well worth the effort!!
Thanks :) I love Dickens but there are definitely better places to start than Oliver Twist.
Your suggestions make me realise my secondary school was easing me into reading Victorian novels, because quite a few of them were on our syllabus. Maybe it's why I've always enjoyed them.
Maybe! I studied a couple of these in school, but not that many.
Thank you for making this !! I am early doors with a few of these authors so it's nice to have the stepping stones kind of map as to where to go next❤️ 😘❤️
Thanks Charlie :)
I loved this so so much. I started Gaskell this Victober with North and South and I agree, it was a fantastic introduction to her writing. I am reading Dr Wortles School at the moment for your Victober challenge and really enjoying it. It is very typical of his writing which is fab! Never apologise for a long Dickens tangent 😀 it was really interesting. I just finished Hard Times this Victober and enjoyed it but not one of my fave Dickens. I just adore David Copperfield and Jane Eyre! I have been very tempted by Gissing recently but not known where to start so it was great to hear about The Odd Women 😀👍🏻📚
Sounds like you've had a great Victober - I'm excited for your wrap up :)
I'm stunned. Truly stunned to hear that there are classic books you do not like. 😁 This is a very helpful video. Thank you~
Yep, quite a few out there XD
Would be cool to maybe have a video on stuff you should know before Barnaby Rudge.
I'll have a think about what there is! It's set around the Gordon Riots of the 1780s (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Riots), which I knew nothing about before reading the book, so that can make it a little confusing. It's a great book, just I think a Dickens one to approach later!
Thanks for the recommendations. They are very helpful - especially the ones for Anthony Trollope (I'm impressed you remembered my comment from a while ago about not being able to find Dr Wortle's School, you must be super organised!)
I have a huge document of video plans and ideas :) I hope you manage to find some other Trollope to start with!
This is so helpful, thank you. I will give hardy another go and read far from the madding crowd.. I have loved Anthony Trollope and now know where else to go which is great 👍 😊
I really do recommend Far From the Madding Crowd!
Books and Things thank you will try that
I've read books by six of the authors and started with your recommendations for 3 of them(Jane Eyre, adventires of SH and time machine). My first George Eliot was Silas Marner which has the advantage of being short and when it comes to Hardy and Dickens I read those you wouldn't recommend starting with. Tess was fine and I'm quite interested in reading more Hardy, but after reading Oliver Twist I felt compelled to never try Dickens again. Only your constant praise for him made me pick up some of his other works afterwards.
I do have The Moonstone and North and South on my TBR and hope they'll be good starting points for me:)
Oliver Twist is my least favourite Dickens by a long way - I really do recommend the rest of his work :)
@@katiejlumsden I've read David Copperfield last Victober and A Christmas Carol for Christmas. I own Martin Chuzzlewit but haven't managed to read it for Victober this year
Thank you, this was so helpful! Will definitely be following several of your tips 😊
Thanks!
I am glad to hear your comment about The Mill on the Floss. I am trying to read it for the second time and I just can't get interested in the story. It is the third Eliot book for me and while Middlemarch took a while to get into, eventually I loved it. I was hoping TMotF was slow like that and would get better but maybe I should DNF it and move on to another of her books.
Yeah, the Mill on the Floss is a bit of a love/hate book - I really do recommend Daniel Deronda if you haven't read it :)
Thank you for your recommandations Katie! Having only read Tess, Far from the madding crowd and Under the Greenwood Tree by Hardy I wasn't sure which of his novels to read next and I'll probably go for The Return of the Native. I watched the Jude the Obscure film and was horrified by the story so I don't plan to read the book in the near future: it feels like the novels by Emile Zola are much lighter compared to some of his works.
I think Wives and Daughters is also a good book to start with Gaskell, it's perhaps easier to read than North and South although I absolutely love both (and am currently enjoying every moment of my reread of the latter).
I really do recommend The Return of the Native. I absolutely love Jude the Obscure, but it is very dark. Wives and Daughters is a fantastic Gaskell starting point too - although I think sometimes the length and the unfinished ending can put people off. North and South was my first Gaskell so it always has a special place in my heart!
Thanks for making this good to know where to start with some authors I wasn’t sure on where to start on .
Thanks :)
I agree that Rachel Ray is a great place to start with Trollope. I read it first, followed by The Warden. (Strangely, I really loved the quiet little character study of The Warden, even though I know it is usually seen as the just-meh start of the much greater series.)
Good advice :) I love the Warden too, but I know so many people who struggled with it that I don't always recommend it as a good starter novel.
Thanks for the recs.I have read all of Charlotte Brontes books and I just discovered in my used bookstore a book by her called The Green Dwarf.It is her juvinelia apparently.I bought the book for a dollar and have it on my tbr.I wonder if youve read it?
I haven't read it, I don't think, though I have read some of her early works.
The Return of the Native was my first Hardy, and it was several decades before I read another. I thought so much tragedy could have been avoided if the characters had talked to each other at several points in the story, and thought that was so close to my own family I didn't need to read about it. I agree with you about the Mill on the Floss (though hate is a bit strong) but many people think that book is brilliant and a good place to start reading George Eliot, so I'm adding that here. I don't think I'd start with Daniel Deronda - Silas Marner or Middlemarch or Adam Bede might be more accessible. I agree on where to start with Dickens.
I feel like Mill on the Floss is so decisive it's best to avoid starting with! I recommended Daniel Deronda because it's the only George Eliot I've actually enjoyed on a first reading - so much more compelling to me than the rest!
@@katiejlumsden I know, but you're weird about George Eliot! :) My first was Silas Marner, which I liked so much I immediately went to Middlemarch and The Mill on the Floss. While I don't like the MIll very much, Middlemarch quickly became one of my security blanket books, so it's very much a matter of taste. I know many people who swear by the writing about Maggie's childhood in Mill.
I hadn’t heard of Poor Miss Finch, but after loving The Woman in White I’m excited to read it.
I was actually going to start The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes today. I didn’t mind the layout of A Study in Scarlet, but I think I’m in the minority on that.
I know quite a lot of people who don't mind the format of A Study in Scarlet - I think it's more that it's not quite what you're expecting if you're a first time Sherlock Holmes reader, which makes it feel weirder?
This was super helpful! I'll definitely be returning to this video once I start reading the authors on this list that I haven't read yet.
Thanks Meghan :)
I finaaly got domby and son on wedesday at my library! so i am reading that.also i got a book of short stories by Anthony Trolleppe ,they are short and different scenes through victorian life.
Yay I really hope you like Dombey and Son!
yes i will enjoy it katie :)
Such great recommendations! I will have to try Dr. Wortle's School. I attempted the Warden a little while ago and just didn't feel like I was ready to commit to a series so I think that sounds perfect.
Thanks :) I really do recommend Dr Wortle's School.
Great video as always ... I love the way you talk about Gierge Eliot ,I personally love her works ,but even though you don't like her much you still recommend her to readers .....
Thanks :) She's a key Victorian author and I sort of admire her even though I don't enjoy very many of her works, if you see what I mean, so I do try and recommend her still.
I'm ready to start reading some Anthony Trollope. I think i would like to read six books that make up the Chronicles of Barsetshire. Is it best to read them in order? I've heard the Warden, which is the first book is a little boring, but I also don't want to miss any key plot developments. In another video of yours, you said you liked The Small House at Allington the best. Should I start with that one and then go back? Thanks for your help!!
It is indeed best to read the Chronicles of Barsetshire in order. They can be understood alone but you'll spoil the impact of the earlier books when you go back to them later if you start with one nearer the end of the series. I'd recommend starting at the beginning and working through - but perhaps read The Warden and Barchester Towers back to back, as the best place to start. Personally I do really like The Warden, and Barchester Towers, the second book in the series, is a real favourite of mine.
@@katiejlumsden Thanks for the insight Katie! I'll proceed in order then. You didn't steer me wrong on North and South or Martin Chuzzlewit, you are my go to on all things Victorian Lit!
I really enjoyed listening to this and debating if I agree with where to start with some of the authors I'm more familiar with. My first George Eliot was Middlemarch and my first Hardy was Jude the Obscure, so not exactly your recommended order lol. I'm surprised that you didn't mention A Woman in White for Wilkie Collins. I feel like that's a good place to start (though I haven't read any others by him, so it's not exactly like I can definitively say there isn't a book that would be better to read first). There are a lot of books on this list that I hope to get to eventually: The Odd Women, The Moonstone, Daniel Deronda, David Copperfield, The Time Machine, The Return of the Native.... yea I'll stop before the list gets out of hand XD
So, I have read The Woman in White, but I remember absolutely nothing! The Moonstone I don't remember super well but I certainly remember it better XD
@@katiejlumsden Gotcha. That makes sense then why you'd mention The Moonstone, but not The Woman in White. I really need to read The Moonstone. I think I had the end spoiled for me in something, but I barely remember it.
A very good video! It's a good thing to spread the love of 19th c. literature.
Thanks :)
Hey I wanted to know what is the name of the edition of the books that you own. Maximum of the books you recommended in this video are from a common collection. I absolutely loved it.
So I mostly have Penguin Black Spines and the Collector's Library editions (they have new covers now and are under Pan Macmillan, but they're still little and pretty.)
Very helpful, thank you!
Thanks :)
every month is Booktober
I'm reading " Tess of the D'urbervilles" and, so far, I absolutely hate it. I'm going to finish it just so that I can say I've read it. I've read "Desperate Remedies." I liked it a lot, even though it's not as famous as some of Thomas Hardy's other books. 📚 📖
Great video!!
Thanks :)
I'm listening to The Way We Live Now on audiobook. I've listened to about 2 hours. So far Trollope has mainly provided backstories for a bunch of characters in long expositions. Does Trollope usually rely on info dumps or does he eventually get to more character interaction?
I would say his books often start off with a bit of backstory before he gets into the action.
This is of great help !!🥰
Thanks!
So informative. Great!!! 👍🏻
Thanks!
Thank you, it was very useful! I really want to start reading classics again =)
Thanks :)
“Don’t start with Jude the Obscure”
“Don’t start with Tess of the D’Urbervilles”
I had just ordered both before watching this video 😂😭
Ha they're brilliant books, just a little more . . . miserable . . . than some other Hardys. I started with Tess and didn't love Hardy until I read Far From the Madding Crowd.
Well, I’m listening to Adam Bede and I must say I’m finding it a bit tough going. I find all the issues you have with George Eliot are mine as well. I just watched your video, Goodbye George Eliot, today. I am going to continue with it. I can barely stand Elizabeth, Adam and Seth’s mother and cringe whenever she appears. I think Seth should be nominated for sainthood for the kindness and understanding he showers upon her. I must admit that so far I find the schoolmaster amusingly pompous and have to laugh at his opinions on womanhood. Surely he’s some kind of symbol or something! I’m reading Jude the Obscure for your prompt. I know it’s not the best Hardy to start with, but it was the one I had on my shelf. I am very intrigued to read some of your suggestions. Thanks so much for this great video!
I agree with you about poor Seth. He is lovely and patient and kind. No one gives him any attention or credit. I am in the closing act of the book when everything has hit the fan. I really hope that by the end of the book something good happens for Seth and he can have some happiness and a moment to shine.
I definitely like Seth more than Adam! One of the main issues I have with Eliot is that she always follows the characters I don't like and neglects the ones I like! Jude the Obscure is actually my favourite Hardy, so I hope you do like it - it just is the heaviest of his books, so comes with a little warning :)
Imagine my disappointment when my [ usually ] good 2nd hand bookshop had only 1 Trollope novel ! The owner told me nobody reads him now...
There are a handful of us on the internet! Quite a few people on Booktube have been reading the Barsetshire and Palliser series recently.
I remember reading Jude the Obscure and thinking "please kill yourself, so I'm spared the agony of finishing this book." Agree you really need to work up to that level of misery.
I love Jude the Obscure a lot - but it's not the best place to start . . .
Do I spy Fry behind your right shoulder ? :-O ♥
Got to read Dostoyevsky
I've read Crime and Punishment before, which I did quite enjoy.
I don't think I'd recommend Daniel Deronda as a place to start on Eliot. It's too variable in quality - like most critics, I think Gwendoline's storyline is done much better than the Jewish part. I'd probably recommend starting with Middlemarch - start with the best, even if it's long (so is Daniel Deronda, for that matter). Silas Marner could be an option for those who want to start short and sweet. Or even Felix Holt - her most plot-driven novel, with an exciting, almost sensational storyline (perhaps you would like it more than the rest of Eliot, given your fondness for plot-driven novels?).
P.S. Did you know it will be the 200th anniversary of the birth of George Eliot on 22 November?
I haven't read Felix Holt - but to be honest I don't think I'll be reading any more Eliot. She's not really for me, so I'm definitely not an authority on her - Daniel Deronda is the only one of her books I've got into and enjoyed on a first reading, which is why I tend to recommend it. Silas Marner I've read but didn't enjoy and have completely forgotten now - it was a good 12 years ago now!
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Katherine Mansfield
With respect,may I suggest that you work on your elocution skills.In particular- voice tone and speech speed.
In the sixties every high school drama department did Oliver Twist... Always butchered...
Wilkie Collins??? I'll skip Two Destiny's.. Thanks.. I'm so ignorant.. Never heard of him...
He was a contemporary and dear friend of Dickens. I’ve read his two most famous works - The Moonstone and The Woman in White. I’m surprised Katie didn’t mention TWIW in the video tbh. It’s a great read with one of the best villains in literature, imo
Also I know that you’re English, But if you like Jane Eyre I highly recommend you read Nathaniel Hawthorne. His books are extremely Gothic and follow the same tone. He’s a very underrated author.
Also I know that you’re English, But if you like Jane Eyre I highly recommend you read Nathaniel Hawthorne. His books are extremely Gothic and follow the same tone. He’s a very underrated author.
Also I know that you’re English, But if you like Jane Eyre I highly recommend you read Nathaniel Hawthorne. His books are extremely Gothic and follow the same tone. He’s a very underrated author.