Connie’s Comments (group member since Jan 20, 2016)

Connie’s comments from the Lifetime Classics Challenge group.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. 5 stars! Read 12/24/16

Terris wrote: "Connie wrote: "Terris wrote: "A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 4****s
Such a cute little book of Sara Crewe, whose father, stationed in I..."

When you're a kid, you can believe it could happen. :-)

Terris wrote: "A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 4****s
Such a cute little book of Sara Crewe, whose father, stationed in India, sends her to boarding sc..."

I read this about five times as a child and again as an adult. It was a huge part of my childhood thinking: the idea that someone's life could suddenly become so terrible but that difficulties could be overcome and wonderful, nearly magical things could happen too.

Beverly wrote: "
Embers by Sandor Marai
4 stars

What an interesting read. Two men who grew up as friends, as close as brothers, but haven't seen each other for 41 years. Now they will spe..."

Wow. I've never even heard of it! I'll add that to my list.

Terris wrote: "I just finished The Moon and Sixpence by Somerset Maugham, 4****s,
Goodreads: "Based on the life of Paul Gauguin, The Moon and Sixpence is W. So..."


Cool. Adding it to my list.

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
4.5 stars 11/11/16

I'd heard of Old Yeller forever, but was always afraid it would be too sad. What I didn't know was how comical Old Yeller could be or what an engaging voice Travis the narrator would have. His mother and brother Little Arliss are strong characters too, all wrapped up in the interesting life in the bush of 1860s Texas .

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. 4.5 stars. 10/19/16

Long ago, I watched the movie version of Fahrenheit 451 an it made quite an impression on me. It was not only my first dystopian glimpse at the future, but a world in which books are burned and free thought has disappeared. In fact, I waited so long to read it because I didn't want the film version distracting me. They are not the same, but the message and attitude was maintained in the film.

Compared to so many older sci-fi, this book holds up well, both the language and the concepts. Several aspects were disturbing because much of what Bradbury imagined in 1953 has come true, notably the live media chase.

I actually listened to Tim Robbins' audio version of this, not the hardback version. Well done.

You've inspired me. I'll try to get to it soon.

Terris wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Rebecca
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
5 stars

This was a reread for me but I was thrilled to be reading it again--it was almost like reading it for the first time. Suc..."


I want to reread it too. I loved it the first time, and that was decades ago. I started to listen to it this year and didn't like the narrator, so I'm going to try print next time.

Terris wrote: "Connie wrote: "Exactly...and many aren't THAT good, They aren't necessarily very readable even when they have merit."

You are so right! I feel terrible reading a long, boring book just to mark it ..."


Some really are outdated...just not relatable...

Exactly...and many aren't THAT good, They aren't necessarily very readable even when they have merit.

Yeah, I think I've only read SL5 and maybe cat's cradle by vonnegut...but I'm not in the mood right now for that unusual..
I would like to read 16 (my goal), but it's not looking good. The ones that appeal to me are so long that I just can't quite face them. I'm reading a Flannery O'Connor right now. Interesting characters, but odd story. we'll see how it ends..

Wow. You've been a classics monster this year. Look forward to seeing your reviews.

I suspect I would have a similar reaction. I decided to cheat and watch the movie, and I didn't connect to any of the characters. I could not understand Anna and I suspect there are 100s of pages about her isssues.

:-) I haven't been reading many classics lately...I've been trying to read books just for fun and haven't had so much luck with the classics being easy and fun. My goal was 16 and I'm only at 6. I've decided to focus on my Friends' Best of 2015 instead. Those have been fun!

Nice. By the way, I really like listening to Things Fall Apart. I'm not sure how good it would be if it were in print.

You're doing a great job of reading these serious books, Bev. This last one sounds really interesting to me too.

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
3 stars. 5/27/16

This is my first Agatha Christie in a long time; I forgot how different a Miss Marple book is from my usual police procedural or psychological thriller. It's still very clever and had smart twists and turns.

A young woman is found dead in the Bantry's library, and eventually the body leads back to a dancer at the Majestic Hotel. I could have guessed who the killer was, but I definitely didn't notice all the clues Miss Marple did.

It was a quick delightful read and I'm looking forward to reading more Agatha Christie mysteries soon.

A Fine Balance by Robinton Mistry. 5 stars

Terris wrote: "
Moby Dick by Herman Melville, 3***s
Finally finished!! Well, this was certainly a long and interesting book! It was very different than I expected, with ..."


Good job, Terri! This is one of those classics I should read but haven't gotten myself to do so.