Classics > E Classics > Jane Austen

Advantages: Witty, brilliant characters
Disadvantages: Quite lengthy, as predictable as any other love story

Emma makes for superb reading, better in my opinion than Austen's rather more popular Pride and Prejudice. Austen writes, as always, with great wit and puts forward a rather tongue-in-cheek insight into the life of a young woman, very conscious of social order and hierarchy, whose failed attempts at match-making and trying to understand the relationships between the people around her lead her to realise that she cannot ever comprehend the ways of ...
...Emma contains some excellent characters, my favourites being the talkative Miss Bates, who, although irritating is depicted as very worthy, humble and grateful to those of better social standing than herself and is overall a truly endearing character, and the repulsive Mrs Elton whose puffed up view of herself makes her perfectly detestable. I would always recommend Jane Austen as an excellent example of period romance writing, and Emma is the favourite ... Read review

Advantages: fantastic storyline
Disadvantages: none

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry" A story by John Steinbeck of friendship between 2 migrant ranch workers who have nobody but eachother, fighting to survive in great depression era California. Out on their own after having to leave their last home due to the accident proneness of Lennie Small, who, though extremely strong, has no way to control it, due to having a mental age of a young child. It is up to George, a quick witted ...
...for work for them to be able to live and eat. An apparent change of luck finds them with work and a roof over their heads but unfortunate events causes their luck to run out. An emotional tale with an ending to melt even the strongest of peoples hearts..... ... Read review

Advantages: Discover a great story of friendship and hardship
Disadvantages: Read it and you will know

...book is about the struggles of two very contrasting yet likeable charactors in the duo George and Lennie. They are two out of work and out of luck men in the depression period in the USA. They do everything together, work eat sleep everything. They even share the same dream of owning their own ranch where they can work for themselves. A thoroughly enjoyable book which I am glad that I bought, definitely surprised me more than once and especially ... Read review

Advantages: Interesting twists and turns in the plot
Disadvantages: Difficult to get into

...for the next chapter. Great Expectations: This was written in 1861, and has become known as one of the best novels of Dickens, with its strong characters such as Miss Havisham. Each installment of Great Expectations contained two chapters, and explains the crescendo's of climax found in the novel. Plot: THe story follows Pip from childhood to adulthood. At first, he is seen as an orphan, being brought up by his harsh sister and her gentle husband, ...
...deals with this. THoughts: Great Expectations is an interesting read in regards to atttitudes towards different classes, and for those who have interest in such history, there will no doubt be enjoyment from this novel. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book, and found it a captivating read, as you identify with the feelings of many characters; Joe's continuous kindness towards Pip, Pip's desire to be a genteman, and Miss Havisham's ... Read review

Advantages: Beautiful vivid descriptions, extremly developed characters
Disadvantages: Some may find it too detailed

...expressed in her writings. Although Rebecca is considered her masterpiece and has become a famous film, she wrote many other books such as Jamaica's Inn, My COusin Rachel and Frenchman's Creek which are less well-known. Rebecca: Rebecca was written in 1938, while Rebecca was unhappy at Egypt, where her husband was osted at the time. It is a story of a woman's first love, a story of mystery and a story of crime. As these different genres of the book ...
...to Maxim's first wife, Rebecca. Rebecca was a beatiful, sophisticated woman, with a high position in society, and was considered a social butterfly. In contrast to her, the new Mrs de Winter feels clumsy, ashamed and embarassed, and without her husband's suport, she is left to dream of Rebecca, and almost becomes obsessed with her. Rebecca had died at sea, and she feels that perhaps she is just a poor replacement of Rebecca, and under the constant ... Read review