My Favorite Victorian Novels | 2020 

Reading the woman in White during a hurricane is cool.

I’m currently 2/3 of the way through The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and oh my goodness I am LOVING it!

I just love how you talk about books 😍 You make the case for each book so compelling. We share so many favorites. I totally agree about Rochester being swoony! Would I want to be with him in real life? Nope but he makes suuuuuch a good male lead. Ahhh Great Expectations. That was a book that I immediately wanted to reread after finishing it. It's just a stunning interweaving of plots. Love your list!

I wish I could talk about books as eloquently as you do. This was such a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting video. It made me realise how I need to get stuck into Hardy and I loved hearing you talk so passionately about Great Expectations. I think about Joe Gargery all the time 😢

Ooh, great thoughts on Rochester--a good thought for rumination.🤔

Okay, I am obsessed with this video. I just got into Victorian novels and this is such a great guide. Funny enough, I started with Wuthering Heights before I ever knew about this channel. Totally love how you talk about each book so passionately.

Ahhh, A Tale of Two Cities... it was the best of books, it was the worst of books. 😂 Honestly, it's my favourite book in the world, but I totally get that. Parts of it are meh, but parts of it are GLORIOUS, and I will forever adore it and sob over that last passage. Great list!

Okay, apparently I need to read The Woman in White asap since it's the only book on your list I have yet to read and I agree with everything you said in this video 100% :)) As always, great video!!

Of course given its reputation I had Great Expectations when I began reading the novel and I have to say that I wasn't in any way let down. It is a complete masterpiece in every sense; one of the all time benchmarks in not just English literature but world literature period. It is one of the world's great landmarks in art. The story is brilliantly simple and complex at the same time. The characters are just wonderful and the writing is sublime. I can imagine for any aspiring novelists it must be pretty intimidating to see the levels that Dickens can reach.

Jane Eyre is smh all time favorite book of all time 🤍 I am currently re-reading it. I am currently reading The Woman in White! I started it last night with my book light and oh my did I get scared! 👻 so plain daylight for me 🙄

Hi Jennifer, I have right next to me A Tale Of Two Cities, and Great Expectations is on it's way to me, by tomorrow I should have it.

Sorry, still ranting! What about the things that were done TO Rochester?? An interesting discussion would be if, when you re-read this, take special note of the things that have been done TO Rochester that drove him into certain situations and actions. (And consequences). Does nobody enjoy a woman who is attracted to a broken sad man anymore?? How come everyone has to be so perfect in books these days and flawless and shallow? I think the shadows in the life of a character make the highpoints that much more poignant and beautiful and interesting - come on people! What happened to redemption and forgiveness and genuine reform? What happened to analysing the balance that was created between them - her clear vision full of light and his muddled and shadowy One - which is such a joy to see develop. I mean, if we had a Rochester who was squeakyclean throughout would there even be a story?? I guess I am passionate about Jane Eyre and all its characters…. 🤷‍♀️🤣🤣🤣. Thanks for your great discussion of a number of important books. You're beginning to make me want to give Thomas Hardy a second chance LOL! I'll give him a go this VicTober and see how I get on… 💕

Love your lacy shirt 😍 Your book flags look so nice lol Mine always look like a rat's nest 😂 Oh my goodness, I need me some Hardy. I love authors who understand human nature. MARY BARTON! I'm starting it tomorrow!! Rochester is possibly the most swoony man in fiction *sigh* And I think Jane is the best thing for him bc MY GOODNESS can she handle that man 😂😂😂 Oh my. The banter kills me lol Rochester needed Jane more than Jane needed Rochester; but as long as she's happy, I'm happy.

I have yet to read many Victorian novels. It takes me so long to get through them. One of my absolute favorites is Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. It's short, hilarious, and so heartfelt.

I once taught a class of sophomores in a classical homeschooling community, and one year in particular was memorable because of the way my class of 11students was so deeply and passionately divided over Mr Rochester. It made for some fantastic discussions followed by suberb papers.

Love the way you analyze and talk about classics, so eloquent and in a way that is so pleasing to my ears 😉 side note: love your lace blouse 😍

a lil encouragement for the Brontë reading "Shirley" is my personal favorite of Charlotte's books the character of Shirley references Emily Brontë herself as source material . Villette is probably more autobiographical for Charlotte Agnes Grey is the funniest and sweetest of the Brontë books very well written but not as harsh as the other novels.

Agree on Woman in White (I wrote a comp title for this one, in fact!) and Jane Eyre!! North and South to be read this month! 👒

I have been watching a lot of book reviews lately and have not enjoyed any of them even 10 per cent of how much i enjoyed yours. Geeetings from Estonia. Willie Collins IS one of my favourites too. And Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heihts Are good looks for me

Just found your channel, and I absolutely love the way you talk about books! So glad it is Sunday because I now need to go and watch all of your videos!! ❤️😀

This is such a great list! My favourite Victorian novel has to be Bleak House, which is the second Dickens I read after Great Expectations (which I also love). I'm currently reading Jane Eyre and The Moonstone, both of which are super enjoyable so far. Hoping to get to A Tale of Two Cities later in the month; the way you talk about it has me really curious to see what I will think of it myself. The Woman in White is also very high on my priority list.

I love this! I totally agree with you on Hardy’s characters. They do feel so real and fascinating. Great Expectations has always intimidated me a little, but your recommendation has me interested.

YES! This is the Victober content I am here for! Finding other people's favorites as I grow in my consumption of it as well! ❣️

I love this video. Your eloquent passion makes me want to read the seven I haven’t read immediately. Am a big Thomas Hardy Fan too so I think Return of the Native will be my next. Also loved TWIW. Aah Fosco, very memorable.

I am so compelled to get into my first Thomas Hardy. I love your videos so much

I always love listening to your thoughtful reviews and they always make me want to go and pick up another classic novel. On a side note because of you I am about to start Romantic Outlaws about Mary Shelley and Mary Wollstonecraft.

You hit it with how Thomas Hardy responds to how we really think and feel, as you said. Yes, " genuine." Like Two on A Tower I'm nearly done with. Life can be so awkward and coincidental and we do mull circumstances over as his male characters definitely do.

As always it's a pleasure to hear you talk bout classics! I'm sorry to say that I'm not a fan of either Great Expectations or Withering Heights. I mean they're all right, enjoyable Victorian novels, but they aren't books that stuck with me and I don't think I will reread them. I liked The Woman in White a lot, I agree that Marian Halcombe is a wonderful character but I was disappointed that she remains in the background during a part of a story. Jane Eyre and North and South (you're right, it's probably the best and most perfect love story. I'm re-watching the 2006 adaptation at the moment and loving it as much as ever) are definitely on my current favorites list, along with Wives and Daughters (have you read it?), Bleak House and a few novels by Anthony Trollope such as The American Senator.

I want to participate in Victober, but I haven't ever really read anything by Victorian authors outside of a few books. And I think it's too late to put in my TBR even though I am following Victober on Goodreads. This is a good list. Thank you for posting your video!

I enjoyed your commentary.

I haven't read "A TALE OF TWO CITIES" yet, though it's in my collection, but I think you gave quite a brilliant analysis of Charles Dickens writing style. In all his novels that I've read so far, there is one character on whom the story is based, but most of the other characters are just pieces set in place to help the story / plot to be driven as needed. In fact, I think this is Dickens weakness in his writing style, since he suddenly pulls out a character that hasn't appeared for 300 pages and makes him or her the center of a new plot twist. And another thing which bothers me is that Dickens frequently inserts "fluff chapters" where for about 14-18 pages we wade through material that simply is not germane to the story. There are many such chapters in "DAVID COPPERFIELD".

Really loved your list of Victorian books!! Loved this video!❤️❤️

A sensational novelist from America I've really gotten into recently is E D E N Southworth. I really enjoyed several of her books:) Also just listened to Far From the Madden Crowd and loved it! Happy reading 📚

This video reminds me of how much I loved 19th century novelists , and sadly , how little time I currently have for reading great lit

You have listed so many of my favourites.. Wuthering heights is probably my favourite book of all time and I also loved north and south and Jane eyre. I need to get to the woman in white sometime. It’s on my shelves

Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite books & I was really never into that era of writing at all but man, it opened me up for sure.

Great video! I NEED to pick up several of these and soon ahaha. But I do love me some Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, he's my favorite Victorian author.

I love Mary Barton and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall! Those are both books I want to reread within the next year. I personally didn't love The Professor or Villette, but I adored Agnes Grey. Did you know North and South was Gaskell's response to Mary Barton's critics? I love both novels so much! You have encouraged me to read The Woman in White sooner rather than later 😆

Girl, I vibe with Thomas Hardy too. 😂

Some great novels including two I used to enjoy teaching (and will teach again) being A Tale of Two Cities and Wuthering Heights. I remember looking up the word "Madding" in college and be driven nuts as I could not find it any dictionaries. I read Tess of the D'urberville's in college and enjoyed but would need to read it again as I only recall bits of it including the ending.

I’m reading Mary Barton right now and I’m going in totally blind! Love it.

Richard Marsh - The Beetle, is next on my list from the period.

I went through my Victorian period several years ago, I had to stop at Jude the Obscure, Thomas Hardy’s dark novel

I adore Jane Eyre and want to re-read it before too long! 🤓 Wuthering Heights is a book I have an odd relationship with, lol. While I was reading it, I had *so* many negative emotions, but once I finished it, I'll bet I thought about it at least once a day for 2 or 3 months! One day last week, I referred to someone as "a Heathcliff"! 😆 I have yet to read Tenant of Wildfell Hall but it's been on my Victober TBR for about 2 years! 🙄 So has North and South, for that matter. I do enjoy Elizabeth Gaskell - really liked Wives and Daughters and I thought Cranford was pure delight! I just finished The Moonstone yesterday and truth be told, I didn't enjoy it as much as I did The Woman in White. I enjoy Dickens, but I've only read 2 of his books - the ones you named: A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations; I've got A Tale of Two Cities on it's way to me as we speak. My favorite author (at this point) is Anthony Trollope. I loved The Warden and The Way We Live Now, especially. The American Senator is also good. I'm getting ready to dive into He Knew He Was Right and I'm *so* excited! Also...I'm never sure if Frankenstein 'counts' as a Victorian novel (I mean...technically, I don't really think it does but whatever, lol) but it's one of my all-time favorite books!

Try 'Cecilia', by Fanny Burney. It may be technically called Georgian, Since King George III was the sovereign then.

How can you possibly hate pip . Incredible.

Have you read Dombey and Son by Dickens?

Have you seen The Bridgerton Netflix series, It is awesome

What!!!? How can anyone hate Rochester!!!! Swoon swoon swoon. He paid for his sins. The rest is grace.

I hope you'll get round to Trollope and Thackeray eventually. ?

Thomas Hardy is a great writer. I have read a few of his , far from the Madding Crowd I did like but most are quite depressing. That is the kind of book I prefer not to read. Depressing one's I mean.

Let's talk about Rochester: people who don't like him don't get him! And yes he is very swooney … I totally think she based him on the professor that she was in love with in real life. I think he is not only wonderfully sympathetic in the cycle he goes round but he is an important type of character! I mean he was a filthy rich Victorian man who owned half the world and yet he repented of his past and of many of the values that were in power in his world! Come on people - - - wake up! Sorry for the rant!! 💕💕

Of course Wuthering Heights is a romance; it's just not romantic in the more modern idea of the term. It's all brooding, emotional, windswept & full of woe. The location and landscape are a character all in themselves, which is a very romantic trope. Nature in all it's wild, stormy, weather-beaten dreariness, and it's stark beauty? That's romantic. I mean I absolutely hate the book, but I just had to say that romantic is definitely the right term for it.

Jennifer, where do you live in America.

wish you add Quran to your reading plan cuz the author is the one who created us the one who knows us more than we know our selves so yeah this book is the best book I read it in my whole life even when I read it over and over it is just like I read it for the first time ..this book is deffrent from bible cuz no one change a word or add something it is a porsonla message from our creato to us there is a chapter called joseph it is about his story the true one from the one who know everything @ you can listen fore more here it is really gonna touch your heart @nSurah/videos

It's really a sorry thing that you don't ever read a book without a predetermined view of only caring about the "female". You miss almost all the real significance of these books. Listening to your reviews is like listening to a pre schooler