Howards End by E. M. Forster

Howards End by E. M. Forster

Publisher: MT Publishing Co. (2010)

339 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $0.99)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

(Sexual Topics are at times vaguely implied)

Summary:

Two artsy and philosophically inclined sisters, Margaret and Helen, met the Wilcox family while on holiday, and despite the unlikely connection of their dissimilar families, they keep meeting up with one another and find themselves becoming more permanently connected as time goes on, though a chance meeting with a poor clerk named Mr. Bast throughs a wrench in it all.

My Thoughts:

The contrast between the artistically inclined Schlegel family and the very practical and business-minded Wilcoxes permeate the book. Then there is poor Mr. Bast, wanting so badly to educate himself and attain all that he thinks that entails, while completely without the means of doing it, and the Schlegels wanting to help him in his education, but not knowing how to go about it. A great study of people, their actions and their intentions, as well as the things done that they wish they hadn’t done, as well as the particular endearing quality that certain places and/or houses have for some people. I’ve seen the movie many times, and always wanted to read the book. I’m so glad I did.

Edition Notes:

This Classic Literature ebook edition is a perfectly adequate reading copy and very reasonably priced. It contains only the text itself, with no introduction and no appendix of extra materials. This edition did contain a few editorial mistakes (misspellings and such), but it was still very readable and I wasn’t overly troubled by it. For the price, a good reading copy.

Quotes:

“It isn’t going to be what we expected. It is old and little, and altogether delightful—red brick.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“—life is sometimes life and sometimes only a drama, and one must learn to distinguish tother from which—“-E. M. Forster, Howards End

“What’s an engagement made of, do you suppose? I think it’s made of some hard stuff that may snap, but can’t break. It is different to the other ties in life. They stretch or bend. They admit of degree. They’re different.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“To trust people is a luxury in which only the wealthy can indulge; the poor cannot afford it.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“There had always been something to worry him ever since he could remember, always something that distracted him in the pursuit of beauty.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“It’s better to be fooled than to be suspicious—that the confidence trick is the work of man, but the want—of—confidence trick is the work of the devil.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“His mind and his body had been alike underfed, because he was poor, and because he was modern they were always craving better food.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“But after all—there’s never any great risk as long as you have money—money pads the edges of things—God help those who have none.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“It is thus, if there is any rule, that we ought to die—neither as victim nor as fanatic, but as the seafarer who can greet with an equal eye the deep that he is entering, and the shore that he must leave.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“—their hands were on all the ropes—“-E. M. Forster, Howards End

“Actual life is full of false clues and sign-posts that lead nowhere. With infinite effort we nerve ourselves for a crisis that never comes.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“—had risen out of the abyss, like a faint smell, a goblin football, telling of a life where love and hatred had both decayed.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“—wondered whether it paid to give up the glory of the animal for a tail coat and a couple of ideas. Culture had worked in her own case, but during the last few weeks she had doubted whether it humanised the majority, so wide and so widening is the gulf that stretches between the natural and the philosophic man, so many the good chaps who are wrecked in trying to cross it.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“But they to him were denizens of Romance, who must keep to the corner he had assigned them, pictures that must not walk out of their frames.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“No affection gathered round the card, but it symbolised the life of culture, that Jacky should never spoil.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“It is the little things one bungles at. The big, real ones are nothing when they come.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“Only some rubbish about furniture—it alone endures while men and houses perish, and that in the end the world will be a desert of chairs and sofas—just imagine it!—rolling through infinity with no one to sit upon them.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“—this outer life of telegrams and anger.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“The poor are poor, and one’s sorry for them, but there it is. As civilisation moves forward, the shoe is bound to pinch in places, and it’s absurd to pretend that any one is responsible personally.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“—the real thing’s money, and all the rest is a dream.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“—and had the sense of great things sweeping out of the shrouded night.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“—all the things and people for whom he had never had much use and had less now.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

“In that case he must pay heavily for his misconduct, and be thrashed within a inch of his life.” -E. M. Forster, Howards End

Movie Adaptations:

Howards End (1992)

Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham Carter

TV Rating: PG

My Rating: 5 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

Beowulf by Anonymous (Translated by Seamus Heaney)

Beowulf by Anonymous
(Translated by Seamus Heaney)

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (2001)

256 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $8.52)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

A king of old built a treasured hall, that was to be the most celebrated and decorative hall in all the world, but enjoyment of said hall was hindered by the monster Grendel, who came night after night and slaughtered those left overnight in the hall, until the king’s fighting force was severely weakened. Beowulf, a hero from across the sea, comes to fight the monster, and the king promises to give him treasure if he is victorious.

My Thoughts:

An epic poem with lots of dark, brooding imagery. When you look at the ending, it makes you wonder if Beowulf was pleased with his treasure in the end. Did he wish he had had a family instead? A main theme that is very evident is the contrast between heroic deeds and cowardliness. The vision of his men fleeing in his hour of need is something that has stayed with me, and it made me question, if Beowulf had been a better leader would they have stayed? A good warrior, doesn’t necessarily make a good leader, someone able to persuade others to follow them. Poor Beowulf.

Edition Notes:

This ebook edition is the New Verse Translation as is stated on the cover, not the Bilingual edition (despite the erroneous parenthetical labelling on the Amazon product page). So, if you are expecting the Old English text, you will not find it here. The New Verse Translation, however is very good on its own, and if you are just looking to read Beowulf and, not necessarily use this to study it, I believe this would be a very enjoyable reading copy, despite being a bit higher priced than some other translations available in ebook format. For a reader that is unfamiliar with the story of Beowulf, this translation provides summarial statements before each section of the story to further guide the reader in understanding the text, and I found them very helpful.

Quotes:

“—a prowler through the dark—” -Beowulf (Seamus Heaney)

“All were endangered; young and old were hunted down by the dark death-shadow who lurked and swooped in the long nights on the misty moors; nobody knows where these reavers from hell roam on their errands.” -Beowulf (Seamus Heaney)

“—until darkness gathered again over the world and stealthy night-shapes came stealing forth under the cloud-murk.” -Beowulf (Seamus Heaney)

“Grendel came greedily loping.” -Beowulf (Seamus Heaney)

“—all of us with souls—must make our way to a destination already ordained where the body, after the banqueting, sleeps on its deathbed.” -Beowulf (Seamus Heaney)

“It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning.” -Beowulf (Seamus Heaney)

“So the guardian of the mound, the hoard-watcher, waited for the gloaming with fierce impatience—“-Beowulf (Seamus Heaney)

“It was like the misery felt by an old man who has lived to see his son’s body swing on the gallows. He begins to keen and weep for his boy, watching the raven gloat where he hangs: he can be of no help. The wisdom of age is worthless to him. Morning after morning, he wakes to remember that his child is gone; he has no interest in living on until another heir is born in the hall, now that his first-born has entered death’s dominion forever.” -Beowulf (Seamus Heaney)

“As God is my witness, I would rather my body were robed in the same burning blaze as my gold-giver’s body than go back home bearing arms. That is unthinkable, unless we have first slain the foe and defended the life of the prince—” -Beowulf (Seamus Heaney)

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Publisher: Scribner (2012)

353 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $8.99)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

Lt. Frederic Henry is an American serving as an ambulance driver in the Italian army during World War I, who falls in love with Catherine, a British nurse, and they have a wartime love affair.

My Thoughts:

It’s probably just because it was also written in the 1920’s about a couple falling in love in Europe, while in service during World War I, but this story reminded me a lot of Simon Called Peter by Robert Keable. The story was interesting, a bit rambling at times, but the ending was really depressing. If you are looking for a happily ever after ending, you won’t find it here; though I think the outcome of Catherine giving Henry the St. Anthony medal foreshadows that clearly enough early on. For the most part the story details military life for an officer overseas during World War I, giving the reader a glimpse into the past. I wasn’t very impressed with Catherine’s determination to bear all the responsibility for the repercussions of their affair—she seemed almost desperate not to cause Henry any trouble with regard to their relationship—it was to be all fun, all the time for him. Henry seemed a decent enough guy and quite likable as a narrator. Did everyone in the 1910’s and 1920’s drink non-stop?

Edition Notes:

This is the only ebook edition available of this book, that I know of. It was organized very nicely and allowed easy maneuverability between sections. This edition contains the author’s 1948 Introduction, a foreword by Patrick Hemingway and an introduction by Sean Hemingway, as well as various appendices containing early drafts, alternate endings and a list of the author’s proposed titles that had been considered for the book. A very nice edition.

Quotes:

“—they did not bombard it to destroy it but only a little in a military way.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“He had always known what I did not know and what, when I learned it, I was always able to forget. But I did not know that then, although I learned it later.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“Evidently it did not matter whether I was there or not.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“The Italian salute never seemed made for export.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“I knew I did not love Catherine Barkley nor had any idea of loving her. This was a game, like bridge, in which you said things instead of playing cards. Like bridge you had to pretend you were playing for money or playing for some stakes. Nobody had mentioned what the stakes were.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“The wine was bad but not dull. It took the enamel off your teeth and left it on the roof of your mouth.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“There is a class that controls a country that is stupid and does not realize anything and never can. That is why we have this war.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“I am afraid of Him in the night sometimes.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“What you tell me about in the nights. That is not love. That is only passion and lust. When you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“I have noticed that doctors who fail in the practice of medicine have a tendency to seek one another’s company and aid in consultation.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“He was a legitimate hero who bored every one he met.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“We were all cooked.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“There was a great contrast between his world pessimism and personal cheeriness.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“I never think and yet when I begin to talk I say things I have found out in my mind without thinking.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“The questioners had that beautiful detachment and devotion to stern justice of men dealing in death without being in any danger of it.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“Anger was washed away in the river along with any obligation.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“—the things of the night cannot be explained in the day—“-Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“No, that is a great fallacy; the wisdom of old men. They do not grow wise. They grow careful.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“I so want to be a good wife and have this child without any foolishness.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Publisher: Top Five Books (2014)

545 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $0.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

Jane Eyre is an orphan, dependent on her aunt’s fulfilling a promise given to her husband on his deathbed that she would raise his niece as her own, but her aunt resents her presence and she is soon shipped off to boarding school where she endures hardships of another kind, and upon graduation takes a governess position in an isolated manor house with mysterious occupants and an intense master, Mr. Rochester.

My Thoughts:

The story of Jane Eyre is part coming-of-age story and part gothic romance. Jane struggles through so many hardships in her young life, and she just keep plodding along. The contrast between Jane’s two suitors, Mr. Rochester and St. John Rivers, and Jane’s two cousins, John Reed and St. John Rivers, was something that really captured my attention and it was fun to make the comparisons as I went along. I’ve read this story at least four times, and I had always questioned Jane’s decision to leave Thornfield, feeling the noble action unjustified, but this time through, I truly understood her reasoning, and consequently the story as a whole a lot better. Mr. Rochester's behavior had always baffled me as well, especially as concerns Miss Ingram, but I think I got that worked out this time around as well. Mr. Rochester is a bit of a dark character; brooding, enjoys playing cruel games with people, and he's prone to insecurity at times, but he's just the sort of tortured man that you have to love. The book ends with St. John and his fate, and it was interesting to compare how his ambitions and motivations compared to Jane’s, and his fate perhaps provided a glimpse of what may have become of Jane had she made different decisions. Great story, with such a complex and thought-provoking construction!

Edition Notes:

This Top Five Classics Illustrated Edition was nicely arranged for easy maneuverability within the text, included annotations at the end of each chapter for translations of any passages within the text written in French or German, and includes a biography of the author at the end of the text for those with an interest. This edition also includes the illustrations of M.V. Wheelhouse and Edmund Dulac. Great value for the price, and the best ebook edition of Jane Eyre that I’ve found!

Cover Art Favorites:

Quotes:

“The two ships becalmed on a torpid sea, I believed to be marine phantoms.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“I was conscious that a moment’s mutiny had already rendered me liable to strange penalties, and, like any other rebel slave, I felt resolved, in my desperation, to go all lengths.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“They will have a great deal of money, and you will have none: it is your place to be humble, and to try to make yourself agreeable to them.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“Say your prayers, Miss Eyre, when you are by yourself; for if you don’t repent, something bad might be permitted to come down the chimney and fetch you away.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“I felt an inexpressible relief, a soothing conviction of protection and security, when I knew that there was a stranger in the room—“-Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—such dread as children only can feel.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“I begged her to fetch Gulliver’s Travels from the library. This book I had again and again perused with delight. I considered it a narrative of facts, and discovered in it a vein of interest deeper than what I found in fairy tales: for as to the elves, having sought them in vain among foxglove leaves and bells, under mushrooms and beneath the ground-ivy mantling old wall-nooks, I had at length made up my mind to the sad truth, that they were all gone out of England to some savage country where the woods were wilder and thicker, and the population more scant.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“I was not heroic enough to purchase liberty at the price of caste.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—glancing round occasionally to make sure that nothing worse than myself haunted the shadowy room.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“Breakfast was over, and none had breakfasted.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—that wind would then have saddened my heart; this obscure chaos would have disturbed my peace! as it was, I derived from both a strange excitement, and reckless and feverish, I wished the wind to howl more wildly, the gloom to deepen to darkness, and the confusion to rise to clamour.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“It is far better to endure patiently a smart which nobody feels but yourself, than to commit a hasty action whose evil consequences will extend to all connected with you.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—it is weak and silly to say you cannot bear what it is your fate to be required to bear.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“If all the world hated you, and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved you, and absolved you from guilt, you would not be without friends.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—it agitated me to pain sometimes.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—you have rather the look of another world.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—you have secured the shadow of your thought.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“His changes of mood did not offend me, because I saw that I had nothing to do with their alternation; the ebb and flow depended on causes quite disconnected with me.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“‘Yes, there is your ‘boite’ at last: take it into a corner, you genuine daughter of Paris, and amuse yourself with disembowelling it—And mind—don’t bother me with any details of the anatomical process, or any notice of the condition of the entrails: let your operation be conducted in silence: tiens-toi tranquil, enfant; comprends-tu?’” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—he looked preciously grim—” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“I mentally shake hands with you for your answer—“-Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“A woman who could betray me for such a rival was not worth contending for.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—just one of your tricks: not to send for a carriage, and come clattering over street and road like a common mortal, but to steal into the vicinage of your home along with twilight, just as if you were a dream or a shade.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“It is always the way of events in this life—no sooner have you got settled in a pleasant resting-place, than a voice calls out to you to rise and move on, for the hour of repose is expired.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless?” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—don’t struggle so, like a wild frantic bird that is rending its own plumage in its desperation.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“You strange, you almost unearthly thing!” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“Come to me—come to me entirely now—Make my happiness—I will make yours.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“You, sir, are the most phantom-like of all.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“I lay faint, longing to be dead.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“Friends always forget those whom fortune forsakes.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—for never may you, like me, dread to be the instrument of evil to what you wholly love.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“And why cannot I reconcile myself to the prospect of death? Why do I struggle to retain a valueless life?” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“If he were insane, however, his was a very cool and collected insanity.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

Movie Adaptations: 

Jane Eyre (2011)

Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell

Movie Rating: PG-13

My Rating: 5 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

Jane Eyre (TV Mini-Series 2006)

Ruth Wilson, Toby Stephens, Lorraine Ashbourne

Movie Rating: NR

Jane Eyre (TV Movie 1997)

Samantha Morton, Ciaran Hinds, Gemma Jones

Movie Rating: NR

My Rating: 4 Stars

Jane Eyre (1996)

Charlotte Gainsbourg, William Hurt, Anna Paquin

Movie Rating: PG

The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Making of a Marchioness
by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Publisher: e-artnow (2013)

215 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $0.99)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

Emily Fox-Seton is a single young woman, fast approaching the age of spinsterhood, and cheerfully making her own way by doing little odd jobs and running errands for women of means, when by the stroke of fate, she draws the attention of Lord Walderhurst and finds her circumstances changed beyond her wildest dreams, only to have the heir apparent worry her with sinister motives while the Lord is away.

My Thoughts:

This story is presented in two parts: The Making of a Marchioness and The Methods of Lady Walderhurst (the second part being nearly three times the length of the first). This story is part Cinderella story, part Gothic Romance. The sinister motives of Captain Osborn haunt the heroine, nearly from the moment of her marriage, and when Lord Walderhurst leaves for India, Emily is left on her own in the large country mansion to deal with it all. The love story between Emily and Lord Walderhurst is so sedate and simple, that I couldn’t help but love it. They both went into the marriage with such realistic expectations and visions of duty, that it was a surprise to see anything else come of it. The threat of the Osborns turned out to be a little anti-climatic, I thought, but the ending was a little dark, and that made up for it, in my opinion. I so loved Emily! She is so genuine and tirelessly looking to do everyone else a good turn, that I don’t know how you couldn’t love her, but some more modern, feminist-minded people could potentially find her an annoyance, perhaps. Enjoyable read!

Edition Notes:

This e-artnow Unabridged Edition was an omnibus edition that included The Making of a Marchioness (Parts I & II) as well as The Shuttle. It has optimum organization, readability and maneuverability for ebook. It does not include the original illustrations, but is nonetheless a great edition for the price.

Quotes:

“Don’t thank me—don’t. Just let us enjoy ourselves.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“He felt the scent and the golden glow of the sunset light as intensely as he felt the dead silence which reigned between himself and Hester almost with the effect of a physical presence.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“The Lime Avenue was a dim, if lovely, place at twilight. When the sun was setting, broad lances of gold slanted through the branches and glorified the green spaces with mellow depths of light. But later, when the night was drawing in, the lines of grey tree-trunks, shadowed and canopied by boughs, suggested to the mind the pillars of some ruined cathedral, desolate and ghostly.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“—she wanted to feel herself surrounded by the soft blackness.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“As she sat in the darkness and felt the night breath of the flowers in the garden, she was thinking of all the murderers she had ever heard of. She was reflecting that some of them had been quite respectable people, and that all of them must have lived through a period in which they gradually changed from respectable people to persons in whose brains a thought had worked which once they would have believed impossible to them, which they might have scouted the idea of their giving room to. She was sure the change must come about slowly. At first it would seem too mad and ridiculous, a sort of angry joke. Then the angry joke would return again and again, until at last they let it stay and did not laugh at it, but thought it over.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“She was so good that she was almost silly.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“But some things were too bad.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“Most people know something of waiting for answers to letters written to foreign lands. It seems impossible to calculate correctly as to what length of time must elapse before the reply to the letter one sent by the last mail can reach one. He who waits is always premature in the calculation he makes. The mail should be due at a certain date, one is so sure. The letter could be written on such a day and posted at once. But the date calculated for arrives, passes, —the answer has not come.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“As he stood and watched her closed eyes, —nice, easily pleased eyes,—it was they themselves, closed on him and all prosaic things and pleasures, which filled him most strangely with the sense of her loneliness, weirdly enough, hers, not his. He was not thinking of himself but of her. He wanted to withdraw her from her loneliness, to bring her back.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

“And while Lady Walderhurst sat gazing at her with a paling face, she began quietly to eat the little buttered scone.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Making of a Marchioness

Movie Adaptations:

The Making of a Lady (TV Movie 2012)

Lydia Wilson, Linus Roache, James D’Arcy

TV Rating: TV-PG

My Rating: 5 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

Though I enjoyed the book, I actually liked the movie better. This adaption went a little heavier on the gothic element then the book dared to go, and made the story a bit more of a dramatic thriller. I thought the casting was perfect, and I particularly thought Linus Roache did an excellent job as Lord Walderhurst. Great movie!

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

The Scarlet Pimpernel 
by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
The Scarlet Pimpernel Series, Book 1

Publisher: Goldfish Classics Publishing (2012)

311 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $1.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

This story is part action/adventure, part mystery, and part romance. The French Revolution is in full swing in France, and the mysterious Scarlet Pimpernel is smuggling French aristocracy out of France and into England with the help of his league of faithful followers, but no one knows who he is. This is the original tale of a hero with a secret identity (the forerunner of Zorro, Batman and others).

My Thoughts:

I loved this book! I absolutely could not put it down! I don’t think it was much of a mystery, for the reader, who the Scarlet Pimpernel was, because I had it figured out almost immediately, but the mess with Marguerite just kept getting worse and worse, and the suspense regarding how it would all turn out was riveting. The cleverness involved in evading his adversaries and the elaborateness of his disguise made the Scarlet Pimpernel an entertaining hero. And though the romance was really a secondary concern, I thought its presence within the story really wrapped everything up so nicely. Great, action-packed read!

Edition Notes:

This Goldfish Classics edition was beautifully organized for maneuverability and readability, and included an author’s biography and other study materials at the end of the text for those with an interest. Excellent ebook copy for the price!

Quotes:

“A surging, seething, murmuring crowd of beings that are human only in name, for to the eye and ear they seem naught but savage creatures, animated by vile passions and by the lust of vengeance and of hate.” -Baroness Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Chapter I

“Sergeant Bibot especially at the West Gate had a wonderful nose for scenting an aristo in the most perfect disguise.” -Baroness Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Chapter I

“—the fond embrace of Madame la Guillotine.” -Baroness Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Chapter I

“It was asserted that these escapes were organized by a band of Englishmen, whose daring seemed to be unparalleled, and who, from sheer desire to meddle in what did not concern them, spent their spare time in snatching away lawful victims destined for Madame la Guillotine.” -Baroness Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Chapter I

“But Mr. Jellyband had a last succeeded on getting upon his favorite hobby-horse, and had no intention of dismounting in any hurry.” -Baroness Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Chapter II

“‘The Scarlet Pimpernel—is the name of a humble English wayside flower; but it is also the name chosen to hide the identity of the best and bravest man in all the world, so that he may better succeed in accomplishing the noble task he has set himself to do.’” -Baroness Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Chapter IV

“—we are a nation of sportsmen, you know, and just now it is fashion to pull the hare from between the teeth of the hound.” -Baroness Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Chapter IV

“—remember that, when France is in peril, it is not for her sons to turn their backs on her.” -Baroness Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Chapter VII

“—the few months of separation had already seemed to have built up a slight, thin partition between brother and sister; the same deep, intense love was still there, on both sides, but each now seemed to have a secret orchard, into which the other dared not penetrate.” -Baroness Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Chapter VII

“We seek him here, we seek him there, Those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in heaven? Is he in hell? That deemed, elusive Pimpernel.” -Baroness Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Chapter XII

“—there still lingered in her heart of hearts a vague, undefined hope that ‘something’ would occur, something big, enormous, epoch-making, which would shift from her young, weak shoulders this terrible burden of responsibility, of having to choose between two such cruel alternatives.” -Baroness Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Chapter XIV

“It is only when we are very happy, that we can bear to gaze merrily upon the vast and limitless expanse of water, rolling on and on with such persistent, irritating monotony, to the accompaniment of our thoughts, whether grave or gay. When they are gay, the waves echo their gaiety; but when they are sad, then every breaker, as it rolls, seems to bring additional sadness, and to speak to us of hopelessness and of the pettiness of all our joys.” -Baroness Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Chapter XXI

“The weariest nights, the longest days, sooner or later must perforce come to an end.” -Baroness Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Chapter XXII

Movie Adaptations:

The Scarlet Pimpernel (TV Movie 1982)

Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour, Ian McKellen

Movie Rating: NR

My Rating: 4 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

This adaption is based on a compilation of the books The Scarlet Pimpernel and Eldorado (a sequel to The Scarlet Pimpernel in which they attempt to rescue the Dauphin, among other things). Timelines are rearranged and other things are changed (Chauvelin is made to be a suitor of a yet unmarried Marguerite who is also being courted by Sir Percy). I wouldn’t say it is a particularly faithful adaptation, as far as following closely to the book, but it was very entertaining in its own right, and I thought the characters well-cast.

The Scarlet Pimpernel (TV Series 1999-2000)

Richard E. Grant, Elizabeth McGovern, Martin Shaw

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

Publisher: Seahorse Publishing (2013)

98 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $0.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

A young engineer new to town, finds himself drawn to Ethan Frome and the sad story of his life that surrounds him, and by piecing bits together here and there he begins to flesh out the story that everyone seems reticent to speak of.

My Thoughts:

Ethan’s story is one of dashed hopes, squandered dreams and the heavy burden of duty and responsibility. Ethan was a strapping young man of promise, pulled from his passion for his studies to care for parents and take over the farm, which led to a marriage entered out of a sense of being beholden to the woman that nursed his mother, which kept him apart from the woman he loved and led them to drastic measures that ended badly for all involved. This is such a sad, depressing story, but I like the mysteriously quiet character at the center of it all and the way the narrator goes about finding out about him. Many of us, at one time or other have seen someone and wondered how they came to be what they are, but few of us have had the time or inclination to find out. I’m usually not one for infidelity, but I think this story questions where that line is drawn, and what forms of happiness can be granted between two people restricted by society and duty.

Edition Notes:

This Seahorse edition is supposedly annotated according to its description, but I could find no evidence of it. It does contain an author’s biography at the end, but other than that it is just the main text. That said, if you don’t mind missing out on the annotations, this is a very good ebook edition, very well organized for maneuverability within the text and pleasingly organized. A decent reading copy for the price.

Quotes:

“Even then he was the most striking figure in Starkfield, though he was but the ruin of a man.” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Introduction

“He’s looked that way ever since he had his smash-up—” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Introduction

“That man touch a hundred? He looks as if he was dead and in hell now!” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Introduction

“Most of the smart ones get away—Somebody had to stay and care for the folks. There warn’t ever anybody but Ethan. Fust his father—then his mother—then his wife.” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Introduction

“Guess he’s been in Starkfield too many winters.” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Introduction

“I had been struck by the contrast between the vitality of the climate and the deadness of the community.” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Introduction

“—that’s what Ethan’s had his plate full up with, ever since the very first helping.” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Introduction

“He seemed a part of the mute melancholy landscape, an incarnation of its frozen woe, with all that was warm and sentient in him fast bound below the surface—I simply felt that he lived in a depth of moral isolation too remote for casual access—” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Introduction

“He was not the kind of man to be turned from his business by any commotion of the elements—“ -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Introduction

“—a flash of watery sunlight exposed the house on the slope above us in all its plaintive ugliness.” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Introduction

“Once or twice in the past he had been faintly disquieted by Zenobia’s way of letting things happen without seeming to remark them, and then, weeks afterward, in a casual phrase, revealing that she had all along taken her notes and drawn her inferences.” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Chapter 1

“Zeena herself, from an oppressive reality, had faded into an insubstantial shade. All his life was lived in the sight and sound of Mattie Silver, and he could no longer conceive of its being otherwise.” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Chapter 1

“The motions of her mind were as incalculable as the flit of a bird in the branches.” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Chapter 2

“It was formed of Zeena’s obstinate silence, of Mattie’s sudden look of warning, of the memory of just such fleeting imperceptible signs as those which told him, on certain stainless mornings, that before night there would be rain.” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Chapter 3

“It seemed to him as if the shattered fragments of their evening lay there.” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Chapter 4 

“But that had been out-of-doors, under the open irresponsible night. Now, in the warm lamplit room, with all its ancient implications of conformity and order, she seemed infinitely farther away from him and more unapproachable.” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Chapter 5

“When the door of her room had closed on her he remembered that he had not even touched her hand.” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Chapter 5

“She had taken everything else from him; and now she meant to take the one thing that made up for all the others.” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Chapter 7

“—and gathering up the bits of broken glass she went out of the room as if she carried a dead body . . .” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Chapter 7

“Must he wear out all his years at the side of a bitter querulous woman? Other possibilities had been in him, possibilities sacrificed, one by one, to Zeena’s narrow-mindedness and ignorance.” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Chapter 8

“—it was the most confusing hour of the evening, the hour when the last clearness from the upper sky is merged with the rising night in a blur that disguises landmarks and falsifies distances.” -Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Chapter 9

Movie Adaptations:

Ethan Frome (1993)

Liam Neeson, Patricia Arquette, Joan Allen

Movie Rating: PG

My Rating: 4 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

This adaption follows the book fairly closely, with a few exceptions; it replaces the engineer narrator with a minister and takes Ethan and Mattie’s relationship beyond the kissing that it had been limited to in the book. I think overall, it still does a good job at maintaining the spirit of the book, but I was a bit disappointed that it took the mostly innocent relationship between Ethan and Mattie and made it somewhat torrid. There were a few invented scenes and dialogue, but it was mainly in keeping with what had been in the book.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Publisher: Top Five Books (2014)

375 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $0.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

The arrival of a wealthy, young, single man and his friends into the neighborhood brings great excitement and anticipation for all, including the Bennets who have five daughters in need of husbands, but misplaced judgements, inaccurate information and a healthy dose of pride complicate Mrs. Bennet’s efforts to get her daughters married off.

My Thoughts:

Written with a witty, perceptive view of people and their interactions with others, especially between family and friends, Jane Austen weaves a great romance, while poking fun at society in general and, in her own quiet way, challenging the ideals of her time. This story is told largely through narration, a few letters, and only gives way to dialogue when there is something important to say. I found the preference for narration refreshing, the short chapters bite-sized, and enjoyed the all-inclusive viewpoint of being able to see the story from many characters point-of-view, here and there, in the course of the story, though for the most part it centered on Elizabeth’s point-of-view. A great story about the many ways in which first impressions are not always right, and the mixed blessings afforded by a close association with one’s family and residence in a small community.

Edition Notes:

This Top Five Classics Illustrated Edition is the best ebook version of Pride and Prejudice that I’ve found. It is organized for optimum maneuverability, boasts of adhering closely to the original 1813 text, is very readable, and includes 36 illustrations by the Brock brothers combining the illustrations from their 1898 and 1907 editions. For a standalone copy, this is it, but if you are looking for an ebook collection of Jane Austen’s novels, I’d recommend The Complete Illustrated Novels of Jane Austen by MobileReference.

Cover Art Favorites:

Quotes:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 1

“Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 5

“If a woman conceals her affection with the same skill from the object of it, she may lose the opportunity of fixing him; and it will then be but poor consolation to believe the world equally in the dark.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 6

“We can all begin freely—a slight preference is natural enough; but there are very few of us who have heart enough to be really in love without encouragement.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 6

“Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other, or ever so similar before-hand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always continue to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 6

“But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had hardly a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 6

“If my children are silly, I must hope to be always sensible of it.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 7

“He has always something to say to everybody.—That is my idea of good breeding; and those persons who fancy themselves very important and never open their mouths, quite mistake the matter.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 9

“I wonder who first discovered the efficacy of poetry in driving away love!” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 9

“‘Nothing is more deceitful,’ said Darcy, ‘than the appearance of humility. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast.’” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 10

“‘Nay,’ cried Bingley, ‘this is too much, to remember at night all the foolish things that were said in the morning.’” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 10

“—pride—where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 11 

“—though he belonged to one of the universities, he had merely kept the necessary terms, without forming at it any useful acquaintance.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 15

“‘I dare say you will find him very agreeable—Heaven forbid! That would be the greatest misfortune of all! To find a man agreeable whom one is determined to hate! Do not wish me such an evil.’” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 18

“—resignation is never so perfect as when the blessing denied begins to lose somewhat of its value in our estimation.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 20

“It is very often nothing but our own vanity that deceives us. Women fancy admiration means more than it does.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 24

“What are men to rocks and mountains?” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 27

“—not a day went by without a solitary walk, in which she might indulge in all the delight of unpleasant recollections.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 37

“There is but such a quantity of merit between them; just enough to make one good sort of man; and of late it has been shifting about pretty much—One has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 40

“Upon the whole, therefore, she found, what has been sometimes found before, that an event to which she had looked forward with impatient desire did not, in taking place, bring all the satisfaction she had promised herself.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 42

“—never had she so honestly felt that she could have loved him, as now, when all love must be vain.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 46

“—there is nothing so bad as parting with one’s friends. One seems so forlorn without them.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 53

“For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 57

Movie Adaptations:

Pride and Prejudice (TV Mini-Series 1995)

Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Susannah Harker

My Rating: 5 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

This mini-series comes very close to following the book exactly. There are a few changes in wording with some of the dialogue and some rearranging of the timeline of the story, but overall it is a very faithful adaption with excellent acting. A classic production of a classic work, and a must-see for anyone looking to see a movie adaption of this story.

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike

Movie Rating: PG

My Rating: 4 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

While this adaption stays close to the spirit of the book, it is fast-paced and a bit like an abridged version compared to the 1995 mini-series, and there are a few invented scenes. This version is visually luscious, but I didn’t care for a few of the casting choices, and the way in which some of the characters were portrayed I didn’t feel matched the representation in the book (in this adaption Bingley was a bit more of an air-head, Darcy more subdued, Jane more self-assured, and Mr. Collins more sympathy-inspiring). While different, this version is enjoyable in its own way, and well worth seeing, particularly if you are short on time and can’t spare the time for the mini-series.