Title: Persuasion
Author: Jane Austen
This is a lovely subltle story of an twenty seven year old girl, classed an old maid by her family and acquaintances. She feel in love deeply at nineteen, however she was persuaded to break of this engagement by her good friend/mother figure Lady Russell. She has since lost her bloom and been living a monotonous life with her superficial father and sister. Circumstances bring her back in contact with her true love and after some awkwardness they finally discover that their love never died. Anne Elliot is a completely loveable character without being trite and the other characters fully developed and showing an insight into the seemier side of human character.
Title: A Series of Unfortunate Events: A Bad Beginning
Author: Lemony Snickett
I love this little book and read it in an evening. I was first drawn to this series by the Beatrice letters as I have always loved "books with bits" and since examining the books have found even more to be enchanted by. Discounting the actual writing, these books are wonderfully presented from the hard cover (I am yet to see a soft cover) to the fact that each book in the series gets progressively larger to the illustrations and the ex libris plate in the front cover. The writing is equally as wonderful with more difficult words being explained with being patronising. The additional "character" of Lemony Snickett adds to the magic of this series.
Title: The Blue Castle
Author: L.M. Montgomery
Another story about an 'old maid' at twenty-nine. Valancy (how I love that dear girl) has been hen pecked by her cold mother and interferring extended family all her life. When she believes she is dying she finally rebels with fantastic results. This book along with Persuasion show that a good character can not be compromised and love will eventually conquer. Will this may not happen in real life (actually it is probably very rare), these books gave me a wonderful sense of happiness and hope.
Books finds;
Yesterday I found some lovely hard cover copies of Henry Fielding's Tom Jones: A Foundling, Anthony Trollope's The Claverlings and Louisa May Alcott's Little Men but the coup of the day was Jane Austen: In Style by Susan Watkins which is a comprehensive book on the fashions in clothing, architecture, interior design and even food of the era of Jane Austen and her novels. I love to get into the lives and times of authors I love from the past and this book gives an absolutely wonderful insight of the times.
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