What a fantastic TBR you have! I am very interested in Walking the Invisible and looking forward to your review of Tenant, I loved it. Jill seems to be popping up a lot for this Victober too. Very exciting time of the year and very excited about your choices.
So glad to hear you loved Tenant! I too have been both surprised and excited to see Jill get so much attention this Victober. The fact that I think it meets all 5 prompts for me is a plus!
Oh, my ears and whiskers! You will LOVE "Portrait of a Lady." It is a wonderful book. Henry James is very smart about people and there are so many fabulous moments and scenes. If you're into to subtlety and nuance, he's your guy. It also has the great forward "The House of Fiction." It includes that wondeful line "The writer is one on whom nothing is lost." And by the way the "ears and whiskers" quote is one of my favorites (from Edmund Crispin) and there are so few opportunites to use it. Great video, Hannah.
What a great and interesting TBR you have put together! I love it! Jill seems very interesting and exciting tto me. I think I have to find a copy of that novel and read it .after this Victober ended.
Hi Hannah, George Gissing is my favorite Victorian writer and so glad you will be reading The Odd Woman. I read it many years ago and I loved it and will be eager to hear what you have to say. And I also read Gissing's New Grub Street a few years back and loved that novel just as much. For this Victober I am planning to tackle Moonstone and Charlotte Mary Young who I keep hearing about but never read. I love Autumn and Victober makes it so much more special. Happy Reading!
Oh how wonderful to hear your excellent opinion of Gissing! I‘ve been intending to get to New Grub Street sometime soon, too. I haven’t read Moonstone in absolute ages, but my husband read it about five years ago and enjoyed it very much. I hope you will, too!
I too have 'Walking The Invisible' on my TBR (I have it on my Kindle so it's easy to forget/overlook when there are so many, many other titles I have nestling in there). And again, like you, I have held off on 'The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall' because of how much 'Wuthering Heights' disappointed me, after falling so much in love with 'Jane Eyre', so perhaps I need to make it a priority this year and just take the plunge!
You have trimmed this down to a really balanced list. We have Jill and The Odd Women in common. Reuben Sachs sounds intriguing. I am sure you will love The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Portrait of a Lady is on my "can't believe I haven't read this" list. Maybe next year. I should buy Walking the Invisible for Tilly for Christmas as she lives nearer Haworth than me and then I can borrow it back to read.
Oh yes for the book for Tilly! That might be perfect (at least if the book isn’t horrendous…). I’m thrilled that we have a couple of books in common. If I don’t get to the James, perhaps we can read it together at some point.
What an interesting list, Hannah. Most of them are unknown to me which makes me all the more curious about what you’re going to tell about them. Happy Victober and travel safe, Hannah. I hope you are doing as well as can be in this hard time for you.
I loved Tenant when I picked it up a couple years ago - I hope you will too. Anne has fast become my favorite Bronte, though Jane Eyre is by far my favorite of their novels. I don't care for the other things Charlotte wrote as much. I have had the Dress Diary on hold as well. Mine has not come in as yet. What a month we have ahead 🥰 Looking forward to hearing more about your travels and the books you chose for that also.
I’m so thrilled to hear that Anne is your favorite! I hope you get Dress Diary in-and that we both have time to read it the month-so we can compare notes!
“The Tenant of Wildfell” is, for me, the most realistic of the Bronte novels. While Anne Bronte was serving as a governess for the wealthy Robinson family Branwell also worked there as a tutor. He had been romantically involved with Mrs Robinson and was booted out. Branwell was also a substance abuser who became very ill with TB (?). Anne was very involved in caring for him. Tenant was published a few months before he died. All these experiences seem to be some degree reflected in the story she tells in Tenant. The novel is one of my favorites. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. I finally read “A Portrait of a Lady” this summer. I really liked it. Not as easy a read as Tenant, but that’s James. His prose tends to be dense. It’s interesting how he creates characters that are so skilled at manipulating each other. Hazel Stackpole, one of the secondary American characters, could certainly fulfill the “new woman” prompt. I hope you enjoy your Victober reading🍂🍁🍂🍁📚👀.
I'll have to watch the video again to catch some of the novel titles again. I'm so tired. The one about Jews in America sounds good. Kate Strasdin's book sounds wonderful. I've never participated in Victober before. Maybe I'll try her book.
I have to remember to hold the books closer to the camera! My apologies. Instead of watching again, you might look in the description box which has all the books listed by name. I hope you will at least dip your toe into Victober!
Thanks, Hannah🌷I read and also listened to the audiobook of Daniel Deronda earlier this year, and I’m now intrigued by Reuben Sachs. I’m actually almost all set for Victober, missing only Katie’s prompt (Amy Levy’s The Romance of a Shop may be the solution to that😊), but comparing Amy Levy’s depiction of the Jewish community in the UK with George Eliot’s is actually irresistible!
I’m really excited about it-although I may find myself swallowed up in Daniel Deronda again-a book that always fascinates me… I am eager to hear what you come up with!
@@HannahsBooks Hi Hannah, I’ve downloaded a sample of Rueben Sachs on my kindle, and was so curious that I started reading straightaway. I must say that I’m rather shocked by Amy Levy’s stereotyped description of her main character: “… his figure was bad and his movements awkward; unmistakably the figure and movements of a Jew.” So I looked up some comments on the internet and noticed that some write of her as an “antisemitic Jew”. I’m horrified and intrigued at the same time. I’m very much looking forward to your review in October.
What a wonderful tbr! I love the sound of all your non-fiction choices & so great to see POALady one of my favourites 🥰 James is not one of the most well loved Vic Authors here on yt but i just adore him 😍 Fingers crossed i hope you love him too 🤗☺
I'm so glad to hear you say great things about Portrait of a Lady! I think I might not read it during October, but it is remaining near the very top of my reading list. (I'm thinking of putting it off briefly in order to do it as a buddy read with a friend.)
@@HannahsBooks If indeed you end up enjoying /liking it there is a *wonderful* lecture (there will be spoilers) by 'Professor Robert B. Pippin Portrait of a Lady' here on yt. I *highly* reccomend. He's wonderful 💖 Happy reading / Victober! 🤓☺
I love the richness of the language of Victorian literature. I'm there and can visualise the scene. I must confess I haven't read much written by women,but have enjoyed a couple you have mentioned. Thank you for another "easy" listen!
This sounds great, every book is interesting and will look forward to what you make of them. Am now really curious to know where you are travelling to - but that leaves something to look forward to, at a later date. A fiction and a nonfiction book for a locale sounds wonderful - there's a great basis for an original video/tag someday.
Have you ever done a reread of Wuthering Heights? I haven’t read it since college but I remember really liking it. I find it intriguing how it is such a divisive classic - so many strong feelings on both sides of the argument.
I did--during one of my early Victobers after starting a channel. I liked it, and was really fascinated by how it worked structurally, but for me it just couldn't match Jane Eyre. People seem to strongly prefer one or the other!
I couldn't find a copy of Reuben Sachs when I was looking for an Amy Levy a few years ago. Tenant is so much better than Wuthering Heights. I hope you will love it, despite its differences from Jane Eyre. The Dress Diary sounds unique - would love to see your review.
I’m so relieved to hear from so many of you that Tenant may be a better fit for me than Wuthering Heights! (Your Shakespeare tag is on my watch list for this evening. Yay!)
I have also spent years looking at Portrait of a Lady sitting on my shelf. One day! I really enjoyed The Tenant of Wildfell Hall so I'm adding Agnes Grey to my Victober line up. I love your sweatshirt!
The shirt is just a long-sleeve tee, which means I can wear finally wear it here. I hope we will eventually get to sweatshirt weather, but not yet... I'm so glad you enjoyed Tenant. Agnes Grey is quiet and lovely, especially if you're interested in the early ways women found independence during the VIctorian period. I'm eager to hear what you think!
Ha! Then a “state of mind” will have to do. I don’t want to oversell Agnes Grey. It is just a slip of a thing without some big compelling plot-but if you can get interested in the theme, it can be quite enjoyable. (And if not, at least it will soon be over…)
I'll include my love for Tenant with other commenters. I read Jill last year and I liked it, but the love interest in the story wasn't quite what I expected after reading the description. I hope to read The Odd Women this year, but my tbr is also too ambitious so we'll see.
I'm so excited for Victober, too! I need to pick up The Portrait of a Lady. I recently read Washington Square and really enjoyed that one, so I want to try another by Henry James soon. I found The Tenant of Wildfell Hall such a layered one with a lot to discuss, so I look forward to hearing your thoughts on that one. I've never heard of Walking the Invisible, so I'm adding that one to my wishlist. Happy Victober, Hannah!
I've only read some of James' shorter works--but I'm eager to read The Bostonians at some point--espeically since it apparently has a meeting between a southerner and a northerner as a major plot point. (I'm from the eastern part of the Carolinas, but I married a New Yorker...)
I'm coincidentally halfway through David Copperfield, but I think it will probably take up all of my October reading time! Nevertheless, I, too, have put The Tenant of Wildfell Hall on my TBR after watching the Victober announcement videos. And thanks for the recommendation of Walking the Invisible--sounds interesting!
I *love* The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and for me, it's right up there with Jane Eyre. I really hope you enjoy it! 📚 I was also considering The Portrait of a Lady, but as usual, my pile of Victorian books has become a bit cluttered, so I doubt it will happen this year. Your non-fiction picks sound so interesting! Thank you for sharing.
I am SO glad to hear you love Tenant! So many people who also love Jane Eyre agree with you, so I have very high hopes. Yes, I am trying to prioritize my own reading for the month and deciding what to hold for last, just in case I don't get to it... Yikes.
I read The tenant of Wildfell Hall last year and enjoyed it. I think Villette is still my favorite Bronte novel though. The three non fiction books interest me very much, especially The Dress Diary❤️
Lovely video, Hannah! I’ve been meaning to read The Odd Women for years. I loved New Grub Street, and I think I’ll join you in this challenge. Happy autumn!
Wonderful! Thank you so much. Can't wait to hear what you think of Odd Women, if you get to it. New Grub Street is on my list to get to sometime soon; so many of my favorite readers love it.
Dress Diary makes me think of the much more contemporary memoir Love, Loss and What I Wore, which used drawings instead of swatches to explore favorite outfits worn during key life events by the author Ilene Beckerman, and later turned into a play by the Ephron sisters.
Great picks (but you can't really go wrong in Victober, can you!) I'm on the Odd Women train as well. I read Reuben Sachs a couple of years ago; not as good a storyline as Romance of the Shop, but fascinating insights into Jewish life & perception of Jews in 19th c. London. I actually liked it better than Romance of the Shop because of that. Another Jane Eyre devotee here that scratched her head after the first reading of Wuthering Heights. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is not as wonderful as Jane Eyre, but it's packed with insights on women, marriage, education, etc. if you look for them. You can feel Anne's anger in this book, but it is not vengeful, like WH.
_Tenant_ was my favorite of the Brontes, but I only read one by each (you can guess which). And I DNF’d _Agnes Grey_ real quick. I’m no fan of Henry James. I read that and some others for a detested class in college. But just coming off of three by Wharton, I find myself waxing curious about him.
I'm fascinated that so many of my favorite male readers have chosen Tenant as their favorite! (Plenty of women do too, but not by such a high percentage.) Which 3 Whartons? AoI, HoM, and maybe CotC? Love them all. I'm trying to talk myself into trying Ethan Frome--which I detested in high school--this winter, perhaps during our first snowstorm if we get one this year...)
Ooh, I see that it was Ethan Frome--and that you see links between the Age of Innocence and the plot of Ethan Frome. It has been so long since I read Frome that I did not realize that at all!
You have so many fantastic books on this list.
You’ve steered us well! I’m almost certain I first heard about three of the authors from you!
Sending you a virtual cup of tea with the Super Thanks. 🤩✌️
♥️♥️♥️
Thanks!
This is very kind of you! Thank you.
@@HannahsBooks my pleasure. You are a breath of fresh air.
@@bradykelso8682 🧡
I’ve bought a new Victorian top every year for the past four Victobers. Year round attire for me because I love them.
Oh, I love this!!
What a fantastic TBR you have! I am very interested in Walking the Invisible and looking forward to your review of Tenant, I loved it. Jill seems to be popping up a lot for this Victober too. Very exciting time of the year and very excited about your choices.
So glad to hear you loved Tenant! I too have been both surprised and excited to see Jill get so much attention this Victober. The fact that I think it meets all 5 prompts for me is a plus!
Looking forward to your thoughts on Tenant and The Odd Women
Your words about Tenant are definitely one of the things that most makes me want to read it!
Oh, my ears and whiskers! You will LOVE "Portrait of a Lady." It is a wonderful book. Henry James is very smart about people and there are so many fabulous moments and scenes. If you're into to subtlety and nuance, he's your guy. It also has the great forward "The House of Fiction." It includes that wondeful line "The writer is one on whom nothing is lost." And by the way the "ears and whiskers" quote is one of my favorites (from Edmund Crispin) and there are so few opportunites to use it. Great video, Hannah.
Thank you so much! I can’t believe I’ve read as little James as I have so far. The “ears and whiskers” quote is perfect!
What a great and interesting TBR you have put together! I love it! Jill seems very interesting and exciting tto me. I think I have to find a copy of that novel and read it .after this Victober ended.
I’m so excited this year to get to these books! If you do read Jill at some point, I would love to hear what you think.
Hi Hannah, George Gissing is my favorite Victorian writer and so glad you will be reading The Odd Woman. I read it many years ago and I loved it and will be eager to hear what you have to say. And I also read Gissing's New Grub Street a few years back and loved that novel just as much. For this Victober I am planning to tackle Moonstone and Charlotte Mary Young who I keep hearing about but never read. I love Autumn and Victober makes it so much more special. Happy Reading!
Oh how wonderful to hear your excellent opinion of Gissing! I‘ve been intending to get to New Grub Street sometime soon, too. I haven’t read Moonstone in absolute ages, but my husband read it about five years ago and enjoyed it very much. I hope you will, too!
Hi Hannah, I am also reading the Anne Bronte's book, which I have never read.
Wonderful! We'll have to share notes a bit!
I too have 'Walking The Invisible' on my TBR (I have it on my Kindle so it's easy to forget/overlook when there are so many, many other titles I have nestling in there). And again, like you, I have held off on 'The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall' because of how much 'Wuthering Heights' disappointed me, after falling so much in love with 'Jane Eyre', so perhaps I need to make it a priority this year and just take the plunge!
Oh- I have The Odd Women that I was going to try to read this month but it might need to roll over to Victober. What a great list, Hannah!
I’m still thinking about reading it as my crossover book!
You have trimmed this down to a really balanced list. We have Jill and The Odd Women in common. Reuben Sachs sounds intriguing. I am sure you will love The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Portrait of a Lady is on my "can't believe I haven't read this" list. Maybe next year.
I should buy Walking the Invisible for Tilly for Christmas as she lives nearer Haworth than me and then I can borrow it back to read.
Oh yes for the book for Tilly! That might be perfect (at least if the book isn’t horrendous…). I’m thrilled that we have a couple of books in common. If I don’t get to the James, perhaps we can read it together at some point.
@@HannahsBooks great idea. I'd love that.
I am very much looking forward to hearing what you think of Reuben Sachs! I hope it's a wonderful Victober for you!
Have you read it already? I should go peek through your archives!
@@HannahsBooks I haven't! I've only read her The Romance of a Shop.
What an interesting list, Hannah. Most of them are unknown to me which makes me all the more curious about what you’re going to tell about them. Happy Victober and travel safe, Hannah. I hope you are doing as well as can be in this hard time for you.
I loved Tenant when I picked it up a couple years ago - I hope you will too. Anne has fast become my favorite Bronte, though Jane Eyre is by far my favorite of their novels. I don't care for the other things Charlotte wrote as much.
I have had the Dress Diary on hold as well. Mine has not come in as yet.
What a month we have ahead 🥰
Looking forward to hearing more about your travels and the books you chose for that also.
I’m so thrilled to hear that Anne is your favorite! I hope you get Dress Diary in-and that we both have time to read it the month-so we can compare notes!
Happy almost Victober ! You have a great selection of books there. I'm still not sure of what i'll be reading
I’m getting more and more excited. Today is a cool day (due to the tropical storm), and I’m having trouble not just going ahead and getting started!
You are going to love Portrait of a Lady. I know you love Dorothea Brooke. You’re going to find Isabel Archer delightful! Cheers from California!
Well now, that is the perfect recommendation!
“The Tenant of Wildfell” is, for me, the most realistic of the Bronte novels. While Anne Bronte was serving as a governess for the wealthy Robinson family Branwell also worked there as a tutor. He had been romantically involved with Mrs Robinson and was booted out. Branwell was also a substance abuser who became very ill with TB (?). Anne was very involved in caring for him. Tenant was published a few months before he died. All these experiences seem to be some degree reflected in the story she tells in Tenant. The novel is one of my favorites. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
I finally read “A Portrait of a Lady” this summer. I really liked it. Not as easy a read as Tenant, but that’s James. His prose tends to be dense. It’s interesting how he creates characters that are so skilled at manipulating each other. Hazel Stackpole, one of the secondary American characters, could certainly fulfill the “new woman” prompt.
I hope you enjoy your Victober reading🍂🍁🍂🍁📚👀.
Thank you especially for your insights into how Branwell might have influenced the plot of Tenant. Fascinating.
I'll have to watch the video again to catch some of the novel titles again. I'm so tired. The one about Jews in America sounds good. Kate Strasdin's book sounds wonderful. I've never participated in Victober before. Maybe I'll try her book.
I have to remember to hold the books closer to the camera! My apologies. Instead of watching again, you might look in the description box which has all the books listed by name. I hope you will at least dip your toe into Victober!
Thanks, Hannah🌷I read and also listened to the audiobook of Daniel Deronda earlier this year, and I’m now intrigued by Reuben Sachs. I’m actually almost all set for Victober, missing only Katie’s prompt (Amy Levy’s The Romance of a Shop may be the solution to that😊), but comparing Amy Levy’s depiction of the Jewish community in the UK with George Eliot’s is actually irresistible!
I’m really excited about it-although I may find myself swallowed up in Daniel Deronda again-a book that always fascinates me… I am eager to hear what you come up with!
@@HannahsBooks Hi Hannah, I’ve downloaded a sample of Rueben Sachs on my kindle, and was so curious that I started reading straightaway. I must say that I’m rather shocked by Amy Levy’s stereotyped description of her main character: “… his figure was bad and his movements awkward; unmistakably the figure and movements of a Jew.” So I looked up some comments on the internet and noticed that some write of her as an “antisemitic Jew”. I’m horrified and intrigued at the same time. I’m very much looking forward to your review in October.
Great selections. I have Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Jill on my list too. And maybe The Odd Women if I have time.
Oh, wonderful! What fun it is going to be having so many informal buddy readers!
This was great. I loved that you talked about a bunch of Victorian era books that I've never heard of before.
Thank you so much. I originally learned about the first three authors completely because of booktube!
@@HannahsBooks That's so cool. I love all the new reading ideas I get hanging out here on TH-cam.
What a wonderful tbr! I love the sound of all your non-fiction choices & so great to see POALady one of my favourites 🥰 James is not one of the most well loved Vic Authors here on yt but i just adore him 😍 Fingers crossed i hope you love him too 🤗☺
I'm so glad to hear you say great things about Portrait of a Lady! I think I might not read it during October, but it is remaining near the very top of my reading list. (I'm thinking of putting it off briefly in order to do it as a buddy read with a friend.)
@@HannahsBooks If indeed you end up enjoying /liking it there is a *wonderful* lecture (there will be spoilers) by 'Professor Robert B. Pippin Portrait of a Lady' here on yt. I *highly* reccomend. He's wonderful 💖 Happy reading / Victober! 🤓☺
@@melissahouse1296 Fantastic! Thank you!
I love the richness of the language of Victorian literature. I'm there and can visualise the scene. I must confess I haven't read much written by women,but have enjoyed a couple you have mentioned. Thank you for another "easy" listen!
Thank you so much for dropping by! Yes-that rich language is such a draw, isn’t it?
This sounds great, every book is interesting and will look forward to what you make of them. Am now really curious to know where you are travelling to - but that leaves something to look forward to, at a later date. A fiction and a nonfiction book for a locale sounds wonderful - there's a great basis for an original video/tag someday.
It is not a wildly exciting location-just a calm and quiet place where I will get to spend time with good friends. 💜
to be honest, that sounds terrific to me, better than climbing the Matterhorn with strangers@@HannahsBooks
Have you ever done a reread of Wuthering Heights? I haven’t read it since college but I remember really liking it. I find it intriguing how it is such a divisive classic - so many strong feelings on both sides of the argument.
I did--during one of my early Victobers after starting a channel. I liked it, and was really fascinated by how it worked structurally, but for me it just couldn't match Jane Eyre. People seem to strongly prefer one or the other!
I couldn't find a copy of Reuben Sachs when I was looking for an Amy Levy a few years ago.
Tenant is so much better than Wuthering Heights. I hope you will love it, despite its differences from Jane Eyre.
The Dress Diary sounds unique - would love to see your review.
I’m so relieved to hear from so many of you that Tenant may be a better fit for me than Wuthering Heights! (Your Shakespeare tag is on my watch list for this evening. Yay!)
I have also spent years looking at Portrait of a Lady sitting on my shelf. One day!
I really enjoyed The Tenant of Wildfell Hall so I'm adding Agnes Grey to my Victober line up. I love your sweatshirt!
The shirt is just a long-sleeve tee, which means I can wear finally wear it here. I hope we will eventually get to sweatshirt weather, but not yet... I'm so glad you enjoyed Tenant. Agnes Grey is quiet and lovely, especially if you're interested in the early ways women found independence during the VIctorian period. I'm eager to hear what you think!
@@HannahsBooks Agnes Grey sounds even better now. And cooler weather is still nothing but a dream in South Texas. Victober will be a state of mind.
Ha! Then a “state of mind” will have to do. I don’t want to oversell Agnes Grey. It is just a slip of a thing without some big compelling plot-but if you can get interested in the theme, it can be quite enjoyable. (And if not, at least it will soon be over…)
I'll include my love for Tenant with other commenters. I read Jill last year and I liked it, but the love interest in the story wasn't quite what I expected after reading the description. I hope to read The Odd Women this year, but my tbr is also too ambitious so we'll see.
How wonderful to hear another voice in support of Tenant! I think it and The Odd Woman may be my first two picks. What else do you have on your list?
I'm so excited for Victober, too! I need to pick up The Portrait of a Lady. I recently read Washington Square and really enjoyed that one, so I want to try another by Henry James soon. I found The Tenant of Wildfell Hall such a layered one with a lot to discuss, so I look forward to hearing your thoughts on that one. I've never heard of Walking the Invisible, so I'm adding that one to my wishlist. Happy Victober, Hannah!
I've only read some of James' shorter works--but I'm eager to read The Bostonians at some point--espeically since it apparently has a meeting between a southerner and a northerner as a major plot point. (I'm from the eastern part of the Carolinas, but I married a New Yorker...)
I still have not read Tenant either. But alas I don’t think it will happen for me this Victober. Have a great Victober!
If for some reason I don’t get to Tenant, perhaps we can read it together at some point!
Hope you enjoy The Tenant of Wildfell Hall as much as I did.
I’m so glad to hear you loved it! Thanks, Alba.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and The Odd Women are two of my favorite Victorian novels, can't wait to hear what you think about them!
It is so wonderful to have so many of you share your love for these titles! Thank you!
I'm coincidentally halfway through David Copperfield, but I think it will probably take up all of my October reading time! Nevertheless, I, too, have put The Tenant of Wildfell Hall on my TBR after watching the Victober announcement videos. And thanks for the recommendation of Walking the Invisible--sounds interesting!
I *love* The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and for me, it's right up there with Jane Eyre. I really hope you enjoy it! 📚 I was also considering The Portrait of a Lady, but as usual, my pile of Victorian books has become a bit cluttered, so I doubt it will happen this year. Your non-fiction picks sound so interesting! Thank you for sharing.
I am SO glad to hear you love Tenant! So many people who also love Jane Eyre agree with you, so I have very high hopes. Yes, I am trying to prioritize my own reading for the month and deciding what to hold for last, just in case I don't get to it... Yikes.
I read The tenant of Wildfell Hall last year and enjoyed it. I think Villette is still my favorite Bronte novel though. The three non fiction books interest me very much, especially The Dress Diary❤️
I’m eager to pick up Villette again. Definitely time for a reread!
Lovely video, Hannah! I’ve been meaning to read The Odd Women for years. I loved New Grub Street, and I think I’ll join you in this challenge. Happy autumn!
Wonderful! Thank you so much. Can't wait to hear what you think of Odd Women, if you get to it. New Grub Street is on my list to get to sometime soon; so many of my favorite readers love it.
Dress Diary makes me think of the much more contemporary memoir Love, Loss and What I Wore, which used drawings instead of swatches to explore favorite outfits worn during key life events by the author Ilene Beckerman, and later turned into a play by the Ephron sisters.
Oh yes! I hadn’t thought about that connection! 🤓
Great picks (but you can't really go wrong in Victober, can you!) I'm on the Odd Women train as well. I read Reuben Sachs a couple of years ago; not as good a storyline as Romance of the Shop, but fascinating insights into Jewish life & perception of Jews in 19th c. London. I actually liked it better than Romance of the Shop because of that. Another Jane Eyre devotee here that scratched her head after the first reading of Wuthering Heights. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is not as wonderful as Jane Eyre, but it's packed with insights on women, marriage, education, etc. if you look for them. You can feel Anne's anger in this book, but it is not vengeful, like WH.
What an excellent comment-especially about AB’s anger without vengeance. I’m looking forward to talking about Odd Women together in the future!
_Tenant_ was my favorite of the Brontes, but I only read one by each (you can guess which). And I DNF’d _Agnes Grey_ real quick. I’m no fan of Henry James. I read that and some others for a detested class in college. But just coming off of three by Wharton, I find myself waxing curious about him.
I'm fascinated that so many of my favorite male readers have chosen Tenant as their favorite! (Plenty of women do too, but not by such a high percentage.) Which 3 Whartons? AoI, HoM, and maybe CotC? Love them all. I'm trying to talk myself into trying Ethan Frome--which I detested in high school--this winter, perhaps during our first snowstorm if we get one this year...)
Ooh, I see that it was Ethan Frome--and that you see links between the Age of Innocence and the plot of Ethan Frome. It has been so long since I read Frome that I did not realize that at all!
I even reread _Tenant,_ which is something of a rarity for me; but I couldn’t say exactly why I liked it best. It’s a good question.
@@HannahsBooks: Yes, and lines can be drawn from the plot of EF to the unhappiness of Wharton’s crumbling marriage at the time she wrote it.
Ah yes! I had wondered about that with Age of Innocence! I really need to pick up Hermione Lee’s biography.