Strange to say, the book has some merit as a sensation novel, and, in spite of this puffery, will make its way. It is, in fact, just the sort of book to be read by everybody, – not too sentimental for a man’s requirements, nor too useful for a woman’s; having no end of plots and conspiracies for those who like plots, and plenty of light, easy, agreeable conversation for those who do not. Continue reading →.

Isolation is a topic that spans lifetimes and generations, an identifiable feeling that crosses cultures and continents. Monique Truong’s The Book of Salt is an effort to capture this feeling and describe it with a story. Truong’s novel follows the tumultuous life of Binh, a Vietnamese man who is ousted from his home country and … Continue reading →.

Edna Pontellier, the heroine of The Awakening, shocked readers in 1899 and the scandal created by the book haunted Kate Chopin for the rest of her life. The Awakening begins at a crisis point in twenty-eight year-old Edna Pontellier’s life. Continue reading →.

Though many who participate in the study of literature scoff at the literary merit of graphic novels, Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, offers a fresh and unique perspective on an historical subject. Chronicling her young life in Iran during the turbulent first years of the Islamic Revolution, Satrapi literally illustrates her … Continue reading →.

I simply had to share some recent news I’ve been reading on AustenBlog about the new Jane Austen movie, Becoming Jane. First is a great review by Anne Wagner of The Stranger: There isn’t one irritating thing about Becoming Jane, there are about fifty. Even if you don’t care that Anne Hathaway is way too … Continue reading →.

Jacob’s Room by Virginia Woolf may be downloaded for free from our ebook catalog. Her third novel published in 1922 centers around the life of Jacob Flanders. In an innovative style, Jacob is presented to the reader entirely through impressions of the other characters including the repressed upper-middle-class Clara Durrant and the uninhibited young art … Continue reading →.

Moving from regret to jealousy to acceptance, Anne experiences a far wider range of emotions than we see in other Austen characters. At 27, Anne is also far older and more mature in outlook. She hopes for a second chance at love, but is not expecting it. Continue reading →.

Jane Eyre may be downloaded for free from our ebook catalog. Jane Eyre might look like the typical high school required reading – a dry, slow, sleep-inducing novel. But don’t be fooled. It has all the elements of a modern-day soap opera or telenovela. While the reader might not be able to identify with the … Continue reading →.

An endearing quality about Wiggins’ writing is the wonderful detail with which she describes even the most minor of events. She is also very clever at describing the social milieu of the day, so clever that one would come to believe that she might be commenting on social realities such as class divisions. Continue reading →.

Sense and Sensibility may be downloaded for free in our ebook catalog. Also see our illustrated and annotated edition in the ebook store. The primary thing I took away from this book was what a great job Kate Winslet did with the character Marianne in Ang Lee’s film adaptation. She was spot on, and her … Continue reading →.