VICTOBER 2025 discussion

A place to discuss my challenge to read a Victorian novel with a proper noun in the title.

I just got my gorgeous Collectors Library edition of the Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and I can't wait to read it for this. It's one of the older ones, with the pinstripe covers.

Whitney, I have Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights in those editions and love them!

I have read nothing by Mary Elizabeth Braddon and I feel like reading a Victorian bestseller so I’ll read Lady Audley’s secret.

MaJesu I’m so excited you’re reading it! It’s one of my favorite Victorian novels and a delight from start to finish.

Cranford is the name of a place, so i think it is a good book for the challange ;)

MªJesús wrote: "I have read nothing by Mary Elizabeth Braddon and I feel like reading a Victorian bestseller so I’ll read Lady Audley’s secret."

She seems to be a very underrated author, i wonder why o_O

I'm not sure. I am such a slow reader that I really need a book that is somewhat short AND can knock out at least 3 challenges at once, especially if I want to try to join the read along...which I do. Hmmmm...Agnes Grey maybe???

Angela wrote: "I'm not sure. I am such a slow reader that I really need a book that is somewhat short AND can knock out at least 3 challenges at once, especially if I want to try to join the read along...which I ..."

Agnes Grey would knock out four challenges: Host's favourite author (since, according to Kate, Ange can't choose between Thomas Hardy & Anne Bronte), A book with a proper noun in the title, a book published in the first decade of the Victorian era, and finally, a book by a female author published under a pseudonym. So you're good to go :D

I am going to read Jill by Amy Dillwyn (1884) & The Beth Book by Sarah Grand (1897)

MaJesus - My theory is that she wrote sensation novels so is taken less seriously.

My choice for this challenge are Dracula and Silas Marner. They both fulfill other challenges me and I need the overlap. ;-) Dracula by Bram Stoker is fulfilling the last ten years challenge and Silas Marner, the written by a woman or a woman under a pseudonym.

My pick for this one is Martin Chuzzlewit by Dickens. I've heard so much about his biting commentary on America in this book and being an American, I look forward to seeing it.

I'll be reading Villette in my Spanish edition. I read Jane Eyre and Shirley some years ago, and it seems to me that it is time for me to read this one as well.

Juliana wrote: "I am going to read Jill by Amy Dillwyn (1884) & The Beth Book by Sarah Grand (1897)

"

I'd be really interested to know how you get on with the Dillwyn. There are so few Welsh novelists by comparison with Scotland, England and Ireland. My understanding is that it's because there has been so little money that very few people would have had the resources to be able to devote themselves to writing, so a short story tradition has grown up because it was initially much more accommodating to the common financial experience in Wales. Don't know if that's entirely accurate, but it sounds plausible.

I’m reading Middlemarch by George Eliot. I just discovered Victober!

Lady Audley's Secret sounds like such a wonderful read, It will be hard to wait till Victober to peek into this book. :)

I'm also going to be reading Lady Audley's Secret for this. :)

By Berwen Banks by Allen Raine ( a Welsh author, woman writing under a man’s name). I would also like to read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde if I get chance

Antía wrote: "hi, can you tell me if there has to be a fiction book to fit the challenge? I'm thinking of getting a copy of Gaskell's biography of Charlotte Brontë. Has anyone read it - do you recommend?"

:-D I was planning to read that one as well for this challenge.

Antía wrote: "hi, can you tell me if there has to be a fiction book to fit the challenge? I'm thinking of getting a copy of Gaskell's biography of Charlotte Brontë. Has anyone read it - do you recommend?"

Absolutely you can read a non-fiction book :) I've read the Gaskell's biography of Charlotte Brontë - it's very interesting, sort of more of a collection of annotated and edited letters with context (I'd say at least 60% of the book is letters from or about or to the Bronte sisters), more than what we'd recognise as a biography today, but it's really, really interesting and definitely worth a read.

Katie wrote: "Antía wrote: "hi, can you tell me if there has to be a fiction book to fit the challenge? I'm thinking of getting a copy of Gaskell's biography of Charlotte Brontë. Has anyone read it - do you reco..."

Now I'm even more excited to read the biography. Annotated and edited letters with context, sounds like my cup of tea :-)

I am going to listen to a Wilkie Collins story called "Mrs. Zant and the Ghost." It is narrated by Gillian Anderson, so I am excited about that.

For this challenge, I am going with Anne Brontë and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. If there is any time left towards the end of the month, I also want to read Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon.

I've got several books for this one, most of them double dipping into the other categories.

Rachel Ray by Anthony Trollope
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
Marcella by Mrs. Humphrey Ward
The Beth Book by Sarah Grand

For this I am going to read Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. I have yet to read anything by her, and it is high time I do so!

Starting with the brilliant Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Hoping to squeeze in Nicholas Nickleby as well if there's time (which overlaps with another challenge!) Happy reading all. x

I finished "Mrs. Zant and The Ghost" today and I was disappointed. Gillian Anderson did a lovely reading of it though.

Lindsey wrote: "For this I am going to read Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. I have yet to read anything by her, and it is high time I do so!"

Just in case you don't know, Rebecca is not Victorian - it was published in 1939! It is an amazing novel though :)

A few moments ago I completed "Shirley" by Charlotte Bronte, and I have to say that it's probably one of the saddest books I've ever read. I love the story and the characters BUT it was so sad! There were many moments where I could absolutely relate to Lina, especially her darker moments! Now I want to fly to England and visit the Yorkshire Moors :) I think, I now should read something that'll sheer me up.

Francesca wrote: "Starting with the brilliant Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Hoping to squeeze in Nicholas Nickleby as well if there's time (which overlaps with another challenge!) Happy reading all. x"

Two amazing books! Wish I hadn't read them already, it's such a nice feeling to read a story for the first time. How do you like them so far?

For Kate's challenge I have chosed "Agnes Grey" by Anne Bronte.
Really enjoyed "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" last year and so far I'm enjoying this one too.

Margaret wrote: "For Kate's challenge I have chosed "Agnes Grey" by Anne Bronte.
Really enjoyed "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" last year and so far I'm enjoying this one too."

Same here! I do wish Anne had written more novels. It's a shame we only have two

Just started reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for this.

Kate's challenge has been met as I just finished Agnes Grey.
The author certainly gave us a look at her own life and what a difficult time she had when she was a governess.
If only she could have met and married her own Edward Weston.

For Kate's Challenge, I'll be rereading Jane Eyre. Something I've been meaning to do. It was a hard toss up between Agnes Grey, but I have Jane Eyre on my shelf and ready to go.

Juliana wrote: "I am going to read Jill by Amy Dillwyn (1884) & The Beth Book by Sarah Grand (1897)

"

I saw the cover to Jill and thought "that's super gay" and then I read the summary and thought "it's canon super gay" so uhh.... it's been added to my TBR. Along with Carmilla, I'm gonna have some good Victorian wlw content this month.

I finished Nicholas Nickleby by Dickens for Kate’s challenge. It didn’t change my negative opinion of Dickens. I just don’t have any patience with the melodrama, the coincidences, the sudden side trips into material not strictly related to the plot. On the other hand he strongly criticizes the mistreatment of children. As someone noted on another thread corporal punishment didn’t seem bad to all Victorians. He creates wonderful comic characters and scarily evil characters. The ending is truly heartrending, along with some happy resolutions. My conclusion is that if you are a Dickens completist or want to read something less well known persevere.

I listened to the audiobook of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland read by Scarlett Johansson. Despite knowing the story so well from the Disney films etc I’m not sure I’ve ever actually read the original text. I liked it but found it a bit silly, I think it’s one I would have liked more as a child. The audiobook was really well done

Reading Wessex Poems and Other Verses by Hardy.
Enjoying them.And trying to figure out which poem gave rise to which books..some of them did so,it seems.

I’ve just finished The Lady Audley’s secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon and I didn’t think I was going to like it so much!!

I am reading Jane Eyre. I have this cute very small copy which I have had for a LONG time. It will fit in my purse. I realized it fits in four challenges!! I am not trying to be lazy, since I have already read one Victorian novel this month.

Kristin wrote: "I am reading Jane Eyre. I have this cute very small copy which I have had for a LONG time. It will fit in my purse. I realized it fits in four challenges!! I am not trying to be lazy, since I have ..."

In fact, Jane Eyre can fit in the five challenges, if you see any of the movie or tv adaptations.
If you like the book, the 2006 miniseries for the BBC, definitely worth a try.

Agnes Grey really has been my book of choice for this Victober!! Fits for all 3 of the host challenges!

I finally picked one for this challenge. There are so many options it can get a bit overwhelming. I finally chose “Trilby” by George du Maurier, who I think was related to Daphne Du Maurier. So far it’s about English bohemian artists living in Paris. Trilby is an artist model with perfect feet. There is also a character named Svengali, I think it might be the original; so that’s interesting.

Hi, folks, I enjoyed my pick for this challenge - Jill, by Amy Dillwyn (1884), which I reviewed on my blog: https://theblankgarden.com/2018/10/16...

Just finished “Great Expectations”and I was blown away with Dickens’ mastery of language, plots, and character development. I have tremendous admiration and appreciation for this writer after reading this book. He knows human nature intricately and the themes in this book are universal. You will not be disappointed with this read.

I read Diana Tempest by Mary Cholmondeley. It's a lovely mix of sensation novel, new woman novel and saga/romance. It's not the author's best work - Red Pottage is her masterpiece, I think - but it's well worth reading and I loved what she had to say.

So “Trilby” turned out to be a disappointment. It’s a frustrating book because it does have some promising ideas and the characters of Trilby and Svengali are interesting enough that they’ve entered into the popular consciousness; but the author doesn’t capitalize on the better parts and instead chooses to focus Little Billie who is one of the most punchable characters I’ve ever encountered in fiction. As it is, Trilby is barely in the novel, showing up in the beginning to charm all the characters and the audience only to disappear for almost a hundred pages then reappear at the end as a successful singer who dies tragically of “Unnamed Victorian Illnesses Number 11.” She is beautiful, saintly, and completely lacking in any agency; she makes no independent decisions and eventually becomes a living puppet for Svengali. This has all the elements of a first rate horror story but instead we spend all of our time with Little Billie and his bohemian art bros. The look at a mid-nineteenth century bohemian artist’s life actually might have been interesting if the artist in question had been anyone but Little Billie. I hated this character and was happy when he finally died. Also, super racist. All in all a mixed bag.

Today I finished my proper noun challenge and final book for Victober, Black Beauty. It was only a 2 star read for me, but it was a quick read and now I don't have it sitting on my shelf unread.