Books more people should read (a work in progress)
Submitted by burneyfan on Tue, 08/28/2007 - 04:08
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- Belinda (Maria Edgeworth, 1801) -- Jane Austen fans, arise! Austen was a huge fan of Edgeworth (and another of my favorite authors, Fanny Burney). Belinda isn't Jane Austen, but it's one of the next best things.
- The Compleet Molesworth (yes, it really is spelled that way!) (Geoffrey Willans, illustrated by Ronald Searle, 1958) -- Nigel Molesworth is a creation of Willans and Searle; he is a delightfully horrid British schoolboy who goes to St. Custard's, a horrid prep school, and all of the Molesworth books are written as his diaries. Very, very funny. Single titles in the series include Down with Skool!: A Guide to School Life for Tiny Pupils and Their Parents ; How to Be Topp: A Guide to Sukcess for Tiny Pupils, Including All There is to Kno About Space ; Whizz for Atomms: A Guide to Survival in the 20th Century for Fellow Pupils, Their Doting Maters, Pompous Paters, and Any Others Who Are Interested; and Back in the Jug Agane . I still have yet to shake the phrase "utterly wet and a weed" from my vocabulary. Wiki, Google Nigel Molesworth for more info., whatever...he's worth tracking down.
- "Pigs is Pigs" (Ellis Parker Butler, 1905) -- Technically, this is a short story, but it was published in single-book format many times. It's a funny, quick little read about a shipment of two guinea pigs -- a little dated PC-wise, but still grin-worthy as a product of its time. I can't say more without spoiling things.
- Precious Bane (Mary Webb, 1924) -- Prue Sarn is a wonderful narrator and female character. This one is even more fun if you read Stella Gibbons' *fabulous* Cold Comfort Farm (1932) right after it. (Gibbons doesn't make the list herself, because a lot of my book-friends already worship her.)
- Small Island (Andrea Levy, 2004) -- I know it won the Whitbread Award (aka Costa Award), but almost none of the readers I run into have read it.
- Affinity (Sarah Waters, 1999) -- I'm hesitant about putting this one up here, because many readers who adored Waters' sensational, plot-thick novels Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet may be lukewarm about Affinity, but I really enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong: I absolutely loved Fingersmith, or pretty much anything else that carries off and twists the glories of nineteenth-century sensation fiction so successfully. For readers who like intricate plots, A.S. Byatt's nineteenth-century portions of Possession, the novels of Wilkie Collins or Mary Elizabeth Braddon, and a bit of erotic naughtiness thrown in, you can't go wrong with Fingersmith! I digress... :-) Affinity has the same exceptional nineteenth-century tone, but it's a quieter, slower-paced, subtler, darker novel than Fingersmith. The novel reminds me of Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace; the two novels are not the same by any means, but there are similarities beyond the fact that they're both set (partly) in a women's prison.
- Revolutionary Road (Richard Yates, 1961) -- RR has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years (hard to believe it was out of print for a while!), and I understand it's going to be a movie next year with some big names involved (Sam Mendes, Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio), so by this time next year, probably *everyone* will know this novel. At present, I'm still amazed by the number of bookworms who seem "a perfect match" for this novel, and yet haven't read it, or even heard of it. I wouldn't be a good librarian if I didn't caution: it's definitely a downer -- if you're looking for a lighthearted, feel-good romp, go pick up Three Men in a Boat or Cold Comfort Farm. If you're in the mood for a cold, hard shot of "real life," Revolutionary Road is one of the best "downers" I've read in a long time. Yates is astoundingly perceptive about rocky marriages, the downside of suburban life, and the (potentially) tough transition as one becomes "no longer young" -- the struggle for spontaneity while moving into the "daily grind." I found myself alternately wincing and widening my eyes because so much of it seemed so...real! The novel may be set in 1955, but so much of it is fresh and relevant that it's no wonder big names are interested in filming it. Betcha the book will be better than the movie, though...
I'm a bookworm librarian. When I talk to other bookpeople, we inevitably compare notes on books we've really loved. This list includes titles that (in my oh-so-high-and-mighty opinion) not enough people have read. I'll add titles as they cross my mind, or as I discover new finds.
Update 9/9/07: Added Affinity and Revolutionary Road.