The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
The thing I wish I had known about this book before I read it? That the narrator is not supposed to be likeable. In fact, the narrator is supposed to evoke anger in the reader more so than any kind of pity.
Edwardian Era
The Edwardian era covers the period right after the Victorian era until the end of World War I. It begins with the reign of Edward VII in 1901 and continues after his death.
Edwardian works are more than just life at Downton Abbey or a glamorous evening on the Titanic. Many of them deal with the changes brought on by the suffrage movement, the sudden changes brought about by the public availability of electricity and technological advances. In the Edwardian era, war became more brutal and more advanced. Human rights became a topic of interest and change. Class differences became sharply evident.
A lot of societal changes that happened in the 20s and 30s and 40s had their roots in Edwardian thinking and Edwardian issues.
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Dolce Domum (Mole’s Christmas)
I decided to review not the entire Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame but, instead, focus on an excerpt of one particular chapter — ‘Dolce Domum’. Or, as I affectionately refer to it, Mole’s Christmas — based on the animated special ITV put out sometime in the 1990s which I watch on Youtube every year to start the holiday season.
Ethan Frome
Ethan Frome is one of the shortest classics you can read. My Penguin Classics edition clocks in at only ninety-nine pages. However, despite the length it is a powerful and sharp narrative full of symbolism, depth, and atmosphere.
The Phantom of the Opera
The real shining piece of this book is the ghost and the setting. The whole world of the opera house comes alive as the ghost wrecks havoc and extracts vengeance. This is a review of Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera (Le Fantôme de l’Opéra).
Thirty Hours with a Corpse and Other Tales of the Grand Guignol
I’m sure you’ve heard of the term ‘Grand Guignol’ as it is used as a description for a modern film or novel. It was actually a theatre in Paris. This is a review of Maurice Level’s Thirty Hours with a Corpse.
They
I found this copy in the antiquarian section of a used bookstore in a nearby city and it was a surprise. I’d never heard of the story before, but I couldn’t resist the beautifully bound book, with gold lettering, and a generous amount of very lush colour plates. This is a review of Rudyard Kipling’s They.
A Lame Dog’s Diary
I actually found this book in a used bookstore’s bargain bin and as such I wasn’t expecting much. But I was surprised both by the quality of the writing and the insight of this novel, especially considering when it was written. This is a review of Sarah Broom Macnaughtan’s A Lame Dog’s Diary.
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge
I’ve never really been one for poetry when it comes down to it. Occasionally there are exceptions to this rule. I enjoy Pushkin and Tennyson, but it’s rare that verses move me the way that novels do. This is a review of The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge.