Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

1899 and earlier
Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos READ 06/02/19
The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Le anime morte by Nikolai Gogol

1900-1999
Rinascimento privato by Maria Bellonci READ 11/05/2019
Moi qui ai servi le roi d'Angleterre by Bohumil Hrabal READ 17/03/2019
A Quoi Rêvent Les Loups? by Yasmina Khadra READ 18/05/2019

My Wild Card Six
La Vie Heureuse by Nina Bouraoui READ 17/08/2019
Out by Natsuo Kirino READ 01/03/2019
Il meccanico delle rose by Hamid Ziarati READ 31/03/2019
The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham READ 10/02/19
Un bûcher sous la neige by Susan Fletcher READ 18/04/2019
Il fiero pasto: Antropofagie medievali by Angelica Aurora
Montanari

Alternates
Tropique du Cancer by Henry Miller
Le vieil homme et la mer by Hemingway READ 08/04/2019

I'm reading Out at this moment. It's wonderful. I'm really enjoying the way the story is being laid out (I'm about 60 pages into it right now).

Nice list, Stefania.

Petra wrote: "I'm reading Out at this moment. It's wonderful. I'm really enjoying the way the story is being laid out (I'm about 60 pages into it right now)."

Added that one to my TBR list for 2019.

I have enjoyed all that I have read by Maugham, Painted Veil is no exception, it's very good. Good luck!

Thank you everybody, I’ll tell you my feelings on my readings!

Petra wrote: "I'm reading Out at this moment. It's wonderful. I'm really enjoying the way the story is being laid out (I'm about 60 pages into it right now).

Nice list, Stefania."

Yes, Kirino's wonderful. Her Grotesque is also good.

Aubrey wrote: "Yes, Kirino's wonderful. Her Grotesque is also good. ..."

Thank you. I'll check out her other works. Out is great.

Just finished Les Liaisons dangereuses. It is a perfect picture of a period and of libertinism. Now I would like to see Forman's film, I am curious to find out how much he managed to be faithful to the book.

Bob wrote: "I have enjoyed all that I have read by Maugham, Painted Veil is no exception, it's very good. Good luck!"

I've just started it and it catchs me.....I go on!

Just finished The Painted Veil, 5 stars!! So beautiful....nothing more to say...

Have you read any more books by Maugham? I think he is a fantastic writer. I am glad you enjoyed The Painted Veil.

I'm glad you liked The Painted Veil. Another of his that is good is The Razor's Edge

Rosemarie wrote: "Have you read any more books by Maugham? I think he is a fantastic writer. I am glad you enjoyed The Painted Veil."

No, Rosemaire. It was the first, I read it in english and it was a good idea. I'm sure it was the first not the last!

Bob wrote: "I'm glad you liked The Painted Veil. Another of his that is good is The Razor's Edge"

Thanks Bob, it is in my TBR list now!

I've finished Out. I had read very positive reviews everywhere. I'm not so enthusiastic. I really appreciated the crude and merciless description of the Japanese society. The violence of the world of work, the role of the woman who is continually humiliated. Humiliated at work, humiliated in machist family relationships in which she is reduced to servant. The madness of men who live between prostitutes and gambling. All this in a dry language that reflects the content.
However, a psychological depth is lacking. The characters look like characters in a movie script, but without the actor's interpretation. The lack of depth disappointed me.

I've finished I Served the King of England by Bohumil Hrabal. The begginning was hard, I couldn't find any continuity . The only constant presence was the principal caracther's need of money. The end is great, everything find its place and take a different meant. It was in any case a difficult reading for me.

It looks like I can easily walk away form Out and leave it on the shelf, but I Served the King of England sounds interesting, Thanks!

Congratulations on another one finished Stefania!

Thanks Sue! And now I've finished Il meccanico delle rose by Hamid Ziarati. It's a beautiful story, nice stars and more if possible. Ziarati tels the story of Reza, an Iranian boy growing up under the gouvernement of Shah and becoming a men under revolution. Reza is never the principal caracther. Ziarati tels the story of people relating to Reza. And so you discover Reza from multiples points of view. It's a pity that it hasn't been translated, it's really a master piece. Hard, strong and delicate at the time.

Another one finished! It was a shame, I'd never read Hemingway....done and I appreciated.

Stefania wrote: "Another one finished! It was a shame, I'd never read Hemingway....done and I appreciated."

I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

Stefania wrote: "Just finished The Painted Veil, 5 stars!! So beautiful....nothing more to say..."

What a nice list and you are making good progress. I agree that the Painted Veil was a very good book! I read it a couple of years ago before joining this group. Glad you liked it.

I'm not a huge Hemingway fan, but I loved The Old Man and the Sea.

I've read Corrag by Susan Fletcher. I was immediately propelled into Scotland of the XVII century. The story of Corrag, a witch waiting to be burned on the log is also the story of the Jacobites and the story of the betrayal that led to the Macdonald's clan massacre.
But it's mostly the story of Corrag, a little woman who takes a look full of love to nature. Thanks to her, we discover the sound of falling snow, we marvel at the wind and enjoy the rain. It is a sensory journey that changes forever the way we look at what surrounds us. I recommend it!

I am in the middle of a trilogy about Scotland of just a few centuries later (Willam the Wallace, Robert the Bruce, and Andrew can't remember his name right now), by Jack Whyte. Your book sounds like something I'd like to read after I finish!

MK wrote: "I am in the middle of a trilogy about Scotland of just a few centuries later (Willam the Wallace, Robert the Bruce, and Andrew can't remember his name right now), by Jack Whyte. Your..."

I hope you'll read it and I hope you'll enjoy it. I wait for you to tell me your feelings!

TY, Stefania ! :)

Just finished Wolf Dreams by Yasmina Khadra. A really good book but hard. It tells the story Nafa, a young Algerian dreaming a carrer as movie acteur, becoming a terrorist of GIA during Algerian revolution. I can't understand or appreciate Nafa, because of his choices but it's interesting to follow the decline of human being into madness of violence.

That sounds like a disturbing & interesting story, Stefania. It must twist one's mind to live a life as a terrorist.

Petra wrote: "That sounds like a disturbing & interesting story, Stefania. It must twist one's mind to live a life as a terrorist."

Absolutely disturbing but interesting because it shows well how certain decisions taken and once entered the armed way, the exit door becomes impossible to find.

I've finished La Vie Heureuse by Nina Bouraoui. Excellent writing, you are exactly in the head of a teenager, you can follow her thoughts, her feelings. Amazing

That sounds like an interesting book, Stefania. Nice reading.