Isabel

I read this when I was doing my French A level, and it has always stuck in my mind. Your post has given me a nudge to read it again with a few more decades under my belt. Thanks.

Thanks 'Books do furnish..' I'll definitely try 'Drood'. Always looking for something new.

I used to be a 'Richard and Judy' type of girl, but now I've become addicted to the classics, and nothing else seems to be quite good enough. Give me a Galsworthy, Steinbeck, Waugh or Somerset Maugham any day of the week.

Just finished Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh (Very different to his other novels but it really grew on me)Now ploughing through Wolf Hall. Jury still out but this too is a grower.

Very interesting to read people's thoughts on this book. I have been reading it for about a week and I agree that the writing style appears to be confusing, but somehow the meaning seems to come through. It does need very careful reading, but the character list is an invaluable help. Its not my style or type of book at all but its really intriguing me and I can't put it down. I would definitely recommend giving it a try.

I thought Wilkie Collins would write in a similar style to Charles Dickens as they were the same era, but how wrong I was! I have read the Haunted Hotel, The Woman in White and the Moonstone. I particularly enjoyed TWIW, and found it a real 'page turner', a bit like a vintage Colin Dexter! I was also very interested in the reactions the book got when it was first published-all very shocking! However, I found the Moonstone to be much of a muchness, and all the twists and turns were obvious once you were used to his style. Can anyone recommend any of his other books?

I very much agree that a classic is something with permanent value. A book that that becomes part of the culture of society. It must therefore take time to be called a 'classic', but I also agree that it is very subjective. As an avid reader, I may read a book that in my opinion will be a classic, but this may or may not happen. However, can the book be considered a classic by myself only, or does it need the approval of society at large? I suppose my thoughts are that it needs to be recognised by society as something of definite cultural value.

Hi. As a newbie to these boards, can I ask a daft question? How do you define a classic for this forum? Is it age, quality or lasting popularity?

Hi. Thanks for your replies. Volume 3 is Maid in Waiting, Flowering Wilderness and Over the River and concludes in the 1930's. My husband is on nights tonight so I'm going to settle down with a glass of wine and watch the DVD series that was made more recently with Daniel day Lewis. It was a toss up between buying that or the black and white one, maybe ill watch that next!

Hi. This is my first post. Apologies if I'm in the wrong forum, but has anyone tackled all three tomes of the Forsyte novels? I have just read the first trilogy and although it was slow going at times I got totally involved in it. I have become very fond of Soames despite all his shortcomings. Has anyone read them all? Are they as good as each other?