Sara’s Comments (group member since Jul 20, 2015)

Sara’s comments from the Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) group.

Well, the will did not turn out as I had expected. (view spoiler)[I can see no way that Amy and Reardon can have any kind of reconciliation. How could he ever accept Amy's money? I feel she dealt very poorly with this situation and, while I understand her resistance to living in abject poverty, she never attempted to understand that instead of making things better for him, she made them worse by trying to insist that he do something creative that was, at least momentarily, beyond him.

Milvain and Marian have a much more honest understanding of one another, but even they are involved in a sort of dance that is dangerous. I'm not sure they are headed for happiness either. Her father is a despicable piece of work IMHO. He did not deserve any money from his brother and I hope Marian doesn't take her money and desert her mother (who might be the most mistreated person of all in this novel). (hide spoiler)]

We will be so happy to have you join in whenever and wherever you can, Julia. I know about having pressures in life, so the important thing is just to enjoy what you are reading and never let it add to the pressure.

I find this discussion of Bowen's style fascinating and so informative. When I first read her, I did not love her, and I suspect this was the reason. As I have read more of her, I have learned to love this subtle fuzziness. I think she is much like Woolf in that regard, her style is her own and you, as a reader, almost have to make a conscious decision to sit back into it and let it lead you wherever the author wishes to go.

My congratulations as well. I seem to read a lot when it gets cold and I can bury under a blanket with a cocoa and a cookie (and a cat). I always see a surge at the new year and a slacking off as the holiday season approaches. Such is life. I have learned that it is better to go with the flow than to fight against it! Dickens and Trollope will be there when you are ready.

Teri-K wrote: "I do think they seem like books that can be read in any order, but it really works better if you don't skip around. And I say that as someone who didn't love them all; I have to be in the right mood for them, myself.."

They certainly can be read out of order. I read Tinker, Tailor first and loved it. Then I went back and read the earlier books and when I got to Tinker, Tailor I adored it. Then, much later, I read the entire series again for good measure. They are candy for me, Teri. I could read them all again right now and be very happy doing so.

I absolutely adore that, Terris! I am putting this on the schedule for May and on my personal calendar as well. Very excited. Shawn--you are in a for a treat.

Greg, I think you might want to move this to the Spoiler thread.

Dang! GR has been finicky lately. I'm not rushing, but I do find that I now don't want to put it down. The plot is deepening and I think Gissing just needed to lay a lot of groundwork with these characters.

Don't blame me! I am thinking how much I would love to read this again and discuss it with you guys. I might have to do that...it is so good and I remember wanting to talk about it and not having anyone to talk to.

Yes, you might. I will be interested to know if you do.

Interesting. I am put out by Amy more than by Reardon. (view spoiler)[Every approach she takes is self-centered and unreasonable. Her mother is also part of the problem. They are full of pretense. I guess I can understand the need for being honest about the situation instead of pretending it doesn't exist. (hide spoiler)]

I cannot resist, so I am just going to say, that Tinker, Tailor is such a marvelous work if you read it in line with what goes before. Maybe you are right, you already have to love Smiley for it to have the proper effect, but I am betting that when you get to it the next time you will feel completely different toward it, Kathleen.

Bob, I know your tastes, and I can't imagine you're not loving these novels, but then sometimes what appeals to one of us just escapes the other!

I have reached Chapter 14: (view spoiler)[Goodness, I feel for Reardon and for Marian. He gets little encouragement or understanding from Amy and Marian gets none from her father. He treats her as if she is just a possession of his with no feelings of her own. Jasper is like a planet orbiting them all and adding discord to both households without meaning to.

Mr. Yule's dislike of Jasper is unfounded and unjust. He is insisting on blaming him for something he likely has no connection with at all. Fadge is, after all, the man in charge of the paper!

I'm almost worried that Reardon's one volume novel will be successful and he will be devastated because this will indicate to him that he is, indeed, nothing but a hack. I feel his pain, because he wants to write something of merit and he does not feel that the modern novel is that. I keep trying to figure out exactly which of these characters would be most in line with Gissing himself. I am sure most of this is extracted directly from life, either experienced by him or seen up close and personal.

I admit that I am finding it fascinating reading. I'm not sure it is as much about nothing as it sometimes seems. After all, there is a huge moral struggle going on inside of Reardon and, as a reader, I am asking myself who is right, Reardon who wants to produce something of value, or Milvain who merely wants some monetary value assigned to whatever he can produce. (hide spoiler)]

Terris, I will not be catching you any time soon, but the pace of the story has picked up considerably for me.

Guaranteed you have some fantastic reading ahead of you!

You might enjoy Little Women, Aisha, or one of the classic mystery writers like Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone. Whatever you choose, hope you learn to love Classics!

So glad you have read and enjoyed Angle of Repose. He is one of my favorite authors. I have loved everything of his I have read.

Always interesting to see tie-ins and influences between authors you like. Sometimes the connection is almost difficult to ignore. When I read The Distracted Preacher, I will try to keep your thoughts in mind.

Nice to have you, hamzah.

Not that far behind, Janelle. It is pretty smooth and easy reading for me, I just can't find any time to devote to it. Still, even with the interruptions, it has staying power.

Annette wrote: "I am only part way through chapter 5. I want to kick the men in the pants & tell them to grow up!"

LOL. I know what you mean!