I recently discovered your channel and wanted to say how inspiring I find it. Your videos are wonderful to watch. I think you're such a great role model for so many young girls who want to get into art and literature. I have started reading a lot of your recommendations and am very happy that I did. There's a ton to learn from books. Great work on you're channel! :)
Yes it was!! Just wanted to add, that last month I read 'Wuthering Heights' for the first time and LOVED it as well. Which is what brought me to your channel. Because I am obsessed with 'All Things Bronte'. ♥ =D
I read my first Daphne du Maurier a week or so ago :D I actually started with the Penguin mini modern classic of The Breakthrough but I also have Rebecca (and two others) on my TBR. Having read the short story I'm now totally stoked to read Rebecca so I must get to it soon!
I have The Breakthrough to read too! I love the Penguin Moderns -- they're so handy if you want a good read but don't want to commit to a full-length novel. I think you'll like Rebecca! I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts. :)
I also read Rebecca recently and loved it. I want to read My Cousin Rachel too. I also have the continuation of Rebecca by Susan Hill called Mrs. de Winter on my TBR list for this year. And if you liked Rebecca you might like Diana Setterfield's Thirteenth Tale as well. Just saying. Love your videos, especially on classics, btw.
Rebecca is so good. It's been years since I've read it and I'm still in awe. I thought Oranges are Not the Only Fruit was okay but Winterson's Written on the Body is one of my all time favourites. Hope you manage to get to that one someday :D
I'll keep Written on the Body in mind -- thank you! I've read some of her other stuff before in extracts and liked it; I just didn't click with Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. Such a shame, but I won't give up on her just yet!
I love Thomas Hardys world too.Ive read a few of his books, and just finished reading Jude the Obscure.I really did not like the ending,but love the way Hardy writes.His way of teasing the reader with cliffhangers gets you to be glued to the book.I couldnt put it down!
I’ve only read My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier but definately recommend it. Glad to hear of someone else who didn’t really like Oranges Aren’t the only fruit, I read it expecting to love it because I know so many people do, but was underwhelmed. Looking forward to hearing what you read next xx
Underwhelmed is definitely the right word. I expected so much more from it. Hopefully not all of her books will be like that! You should read Rebecca! If you enjoyed My Cousin Rachel, I'm sure you'll enjoy it too. x
Rebecca is one of my favorites! Do read more Daphne du Maurier, she's fantastic!!!! I love your videos, your enthusiasm is infectious and you are so articulate!
When you were taking about The Waves, I love how you said- wait for The Waves to soak in- get it:) I'm not sure you realised the pun when you said it!:) Can't wait to read Rebecca! There's been so much love for Daphne de Maurier- I'm anxious to pick on up and discover what all the hype has been about and what I've been missing out on.
I think you will probably like My Cousin Rachel! That one and Rebecca are the only Maurier books I've read so far but I loved them both, Rachel possibly even more! If you are still curious about Winterson's writing, I would recommend looking at Winter Days (although probably later in the year), I have only read this of Winterson but I absolutely loved her short stories! To me, they were anything but boring, and quite magical. I've really enjoyed both A Study in Scarlet (mostly the first part of it) and The Hound of Baskervilles, I've actually found the short stories less memorable thus far but I haven't read them all. A lot of interesting reading you've been doing and I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on all of these!
Thanks for the Winter Days recommendation! Definitely one I'll keep on my radar for the end of the year -- I can see how Winterson's style really suits short stories. Glad you enjoyed it! x
You hit the nail on the head about how I felt about Oranges are Not the Only Fruit. I wanted to love it but really didn't. Everyone seems to love it so I was surprised at how bored and meh I felt about it.
I felt exactly the same about Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, and I was really disappointed that I didn’t like it. It just didn’t stick with me, or give me any strong emotional response. I would definitely recommend My Cousin Rachel, it’s so clever and the characters are fascinating, as well as just being a great mystery! I loved it so much I wrote my A level coursework on it this year, so I’ve read it a few times and every time I’ve got something new.
I read Rebecca for the first time about a month ago and loved it as well. Absolutely love all your videos, and have gotten so many great recommendations from you :) This isn’t bookish related exactly, but do you think you’ll ever do a room tour? I know you’ve done bookshelf tours in past but would love to see your room in whole and where you have all your books laid out and stashed ;)
I've never done a room tour before because... I am a VERY messy person. But I finally got a new shelving system that means everything is a lot more organised, so a room tour could definitely be done! I'll add it to my list. :)
Rebecca is one of my favorite books! And I think you did a great job at explaining the complex relationship between the narrator and Rebecca. My Cousin Rachel will be my next Daphne Du Maurier as well! I also read Dear Ijeawele, but I haven't read any of Adichie's full length novels either. I do have Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun on my shelves though so I should get around to those at some point.
It is so complex, isn't it? It was so difficult to talk about without spoiling anything, but also because it's such a personal feeling between the narrator, Maxim and Rebecca, even though she's dead. Not to mention Mrs Danvers! We shall have to compare notes after we've both read My Cousin Rachel!
You are my absolute favourite booktuber. I have been looking for someone who is as well read as you. I am just not a fan of YA at all and i adore classics!
all of these authors feel so 'you', I don't know how to describe it but you know, you're my classics gal :) happy reading this month, am looking forward to your April wrap-up!
haha, they do, don't they?! I thought that as I was filming and editing! My April wrap up won't be as classics-filled, sadly, because I've had to read LOTS of YA and middle grade this month, but I'm planning lots of other classics videos in the next few weeks, so I hope you enjoy them! x
I was planning on reading Rebecca next month and you've made me even more excited to read it now! I really love Jeanette Winterson so I hope you enjoy reading her fiction more but I guess you can't like everything and that's okay. Great wrap-up Lucy!
I really, really hope you love it as much as I did! I feel like I might enjoy her fiction more. Fingers crossed! I definitely won't dismiss her or her books. Even my favourite authors have books I don't love. :)
I picked up A Study in Scarlet in my recent Classics Haul and I’m mega excited to read it! I think the Sherlock stories are such fun. I read them in a really random order and I’d be interested to see how you get on with reading them in publication order 😄
I'm also reading through Sherlock Holmes this year and if you want to read them in publication order, the next one is The Sign of (the) Four, not The Hound of the Baskervilles (that might be the second one in chronological order, I'm not sure). I am about to pick up The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes and I have to say that I prefer the short stories to the novels (although A Study in Scarlet was quite good).
Yep, The Hound of the Baskervilles definitely isn't next -- that's my mistake! I realised right after I edited this video but by that point, it was too late because it was already uploading. Thanks for pointing it out to me! I'm looking forward to reading the short stories because every person I ask has answered differently to which they prefer, either the short stories or the novels. It will be interesting to discover what I think!
I haven't got to Rebecca yet but would highly recommend Frenchman's Creek. I picked up A Study in Scarlet during Victober and loved it! Though I wasn't as keen on The Sign of Four which was the next one I picked up. Glad you enjoyed it :)
Sherlock Holmes is my all time favourite classic character. The stories are just brilliant. Hound of the Baskerville is my favourite!in terms of structure, Hound of the Baskervilles remains in the present. Sign of Four is the second one I read after Study in Scarlet.
Sherlock Holmes is very easy to love. His characterisation is fantastic! Yep, Sign of Four is second -- I made a mistake in this video and didn't realise until after I'd uploaded it. :)
"The trumpet major" is definitely minor Hardy. I'm a Hardy fan too - and agree that if you like his work, everything is a win, but not one I would revisit.
Surprisingly, I think I would revisit it because I feel like there *must* be more to it than I got from the first reading. But it's definitely not as impressive as the others I've read of his!
I love Frenchman´s creek by Daphne Du Maurier. It was the first book from DDM and it was very lovely. Have you read Little Women/Good Wives by L.May Alcott? Love that book.
Frenchman's Creek sounds so good! I can't wait to read it. No, I haven't but I've been meaning to for a while! The problem is, I watched a Little Women adaptation over Christmas and I wasn't super keen, but I shall have to give the book a go soon. :)
The Waves by Virginia Woolf sounds so fascinating. I literally just went and downloaded the wisehouse classics edition onto my kindle. I'm going to start it tonight. I have a good feeling :)
I hope you enjoy it! And don't stress if you don't understand it right away -- it can be difficult but I find the best way is to power through and then you'll get used to it. :)
Zohal Arbabzada Did you read the books you downloaded? Just wondering since I just started reading THE VOYAGE OUT by her. I was curious as to how a Woolf novel appealed to you.I hope you answer this. Thank you.
Has Rebecca unseated Wuthering Heights as your favorite? I did a full immersion thing with Rebecca in January: I read the book, listened to it on CD, and watched the Hitchcock film. I also read a lot of additional items about the author. Very interesting woman with an interesting life. You would enjoy the back story to Rebecca. Apparently, the critics of the day thought of her book as female fluff that would have no staying power but clearly they didn't know what they were talking about. I was happy to discover that she has several other novels, although I think Rebecca is her most highly acclaimed.
I don't think so? I loved how Rebecca felt similar to Wuthering Heights, and yet I don't think anything could unseat my love for WH. I love them both in different ways!
Contains spoilers. Rebecca was published in 1938. I read it several times in high school many decades ago. I came to the conclusion that Rebecca was really the modern woman. She really hadn't done anything too terrible. At least not for the fate she was dealt. There was such a thing as divorce. The real villain in the piece was Maxim. He soured on the bargain he struck with her. I feel he planned what he was going to do because he came prepared. Maxim wanted his way without any mess. I certainly wouldn't have been comfortable as his 2nd wife. The question is, was the 2nd Mrs.DeWinter, a reliable narrator? We never get Rebecca's side of the story. In the morals of the day, Rebecca couldn't get away with stepping out of the conventional role of the faithful wife. Maxim was not fair to his new wife by withholding his past. He was a selfish, arrogant man who did not treat the new wife well. I read Jane Eyre many moons ago as well. The case is very similar to Rebecca. Jean Rhys wrote a book, Wide Sargasso Sea, from the point of Mr. Rochester's first wife. You get a totally different picture of Rochester and the wife's brother. Another case of a woman being punished because she wouldn't conform. I recommend The King's General by Daphne du Maurier, a chilling ending. Jamica Inn is also recommended.
Hi Lucy! I know you're obviously extremely busy with school and everything else, however it would be wonderful if you could start vlogging more in the future! I'd love to be inspired by your everyday life :)
Hi! I use a Canon 700D but I also know people on booktube who use their phones, so it's using whatever resources you have! Good luck with your channel!
It was an awesome month! I highly recommend you Americanah, by Chimananda. I want to read Rebeca, I love hoy passionately you talk about it. Hello from Spain, I love your videos and I practise my English listening to you. Thanks.
Hola! I really hope you enjoy Rebecca if you read it. And thank you for the Americanah recommendation! I'm so glad to hear you enjoy my videos -- I hope you continue to do so! x
I recommend “Half of a yellow sun” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It is set in the Biafra-Nigeria war. It has really stuck with me. I also recommend the audiobook narrated by Zainab Jah
lucythereader it was, and I’ve just started bleak house which will take a whiiiile to finish 😂 I love your videos, they were responsible for getting me into classics and honestly I’m so sad that I didn’t start reading them sooner!
