Kylie
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Posts posted by Kylie
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Fair comment, although it does look a little dated these days.
Ooh, I just realised. Were you referring to the 1980s BBC TV version or the 1960s Hollywood movie? I was talking about the 1950s movie version as being the one that I love.
I saw the BBC TV version recently and I have to say that it does look very dated (more so than the 1960s version!), although that might be my dislike of anything 1980s shining through
The BBC version is much more in accordance with the book, but I can't help preferring the movie version 
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Do you have any favourite authors or books?
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There again do I really want to see Johnny Depp playing Bill Masen?
Welcome to the forum, by the way!
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I never saw this thread before, and I wish I had read it before I read the book! I have to agree with everything the original poster said.
It's a book that some people will love, and others will hate.
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The Day of the Triffids is probably overdue for a remake but I don't mind too much if they don't do it because I love the original!
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I think it is a little slower as well, but it picks up a bit later on!
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I found one on my bookshelf last night that I'd forgotten about:
Time's Eye by Arthur C Clarke
It's the first of a trilogy (the last one is due out later this year), but you don't need to read them all; this one can work as a standalone, albeit with a lot of questions left unanswered.
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I loved Of Mice and Men, although it was the ending that made the story for me.
I agree on Lord of the Flies though. I didn't enjoy that a great deal. Like you, I saw the message, but just wasn't thrilled with the story.
Are you planning on updating this list ii because I'd love to see your progress and hear your thoughts. I'm interested in reading a lot of these books as well.
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I know The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde has a small element of time-travel in it, but I haven't read the rest of the series so I'm not sure if it's something that is explored more in future books. Maybe someone else could shed some more light on whether they're worth pursuing.
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Maybe The Princess Bride? It was published in 1973, but it might suit your needs.
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But...being a 21st century gal, I had trouble with anyone being named after a front bottom.
Yeah, it did take a bit of getting used to 
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Hi Leeanne and
I haven't read The Three Musketeers but I'm looking forward to getting into it one day. Have you read any other Dumas, because if not, I can highly recommend The Count of Monte Cristo. It's very long but well worth the read!
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Jane Austen
Rating: 8/10
Published: 1814
Number of pages: 492
Summary (taken from blurb):
Fanny Price has always felt like an outsider. She was adopted by her uncle as a child and now lives in luxury at Mansfield Park, but doesn't fit in somehow. Shyer and much sweeter than the glamorous cousins she has grown up with, she feels she can only stand by and watch from the sidelines, never living her own life.
Fanny won't admit - even to herself - who she really loves. Her uncle conducts the search for a husband as if it were a business deal, and when the time for Fanny to marry comes, will she be handed over on a handshake? Or will she have the strength to make her own mistakes - and finally find true happiness?
Comments:
Another brilliant offering from Jane Austen, although I have to say that it's probably my least favourite of the four I have read so far. I found all of the characters hard to sympathise with, although I did like Fanny. I can understand why people would think she is a weak character and dislike her because of it, but she reminds me quite a lot of myself, and I don't necessarily see myself as weak - I can probably understand her motives and feelings a bit better.
As usual, Austen's writing is beautifully lyrical throughout the book, and interspersed with subtle humour and irony. Another thing I keep forgetting with her books is that everything gets resolved in the last few pages, and they're usually rapped up very quickly and with little dialogue. Sometimes it's a little disappointing and you wish she would give as much time and care to the end of the book as she did to the rest.
Nevertheless, a brilliant read and highly recommended.
Started: 3 May 2008
Finished: 14 May 2008
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OK, I've finished the book and I'll have a go at the questions, although I can't promise great answers because I'm neither eloquent nor very good at thinking deeply on the books I've read.
1. Fanny Price is the heroine of Mansfield Park and her character is the source of great debate between academics and fans of Jane Austen. She divides opinion. Do you like her? Why? Do you think Jane Austen liked her? What about Mary Crawford? Do you think Jane Austen liked her as well? Discuss the differences in the characters and how Jane Austen wanted us to see them; and how they seemed to you.
I think Jane Austen would have liked all her characters in one way or another. Personally, I liked Fanny - she reminds me a lot of myself
I think she's a lot stronger than people give her credit for. (The following spoiler relates to the end of the book: ) She showed her strength in rejecting the continual and very flattering attentions of Mr Crawford.
She stuck by her morals and high standards throughout the book.
I couldn't make up my mind about Mary Crawford. Sometimes I liked her and sometimes I didn't. I believe her heart was in the right place but her earlier upbringing resulted in her placing the important things in life in a different order to the Bertram family.
2. On first publication Mansfield Park was acclaimed for its ‘high moral tone’; but several others, including Jane Austen’s mother, found its heroine ‘insipid’ and therefore unsympathetic. Do you agree? Do you think this is a ‘moral’ book?
Yes, I think it's a moral book. The immoral decisions of some characters, and moral decisions of others certainly led them down different paths of life. The good characters eventually fared better than those that didn't have such good hearts.
3. It has been said that Mansfield Park is about society – the rich and the poor, at all ends of the scale. Do you think the portrayal of the wealthy and those struggling to survive is accurate, or do you think Jane Austen was only scratching the surface of conditions in Regency England? How important is wealth and social standing to the characters in the book?
Possibly the strongest theme that underlies all of Jane Austen's books is the theme of class and social standing. A great deal of importance is always placed on the characters' standing in society. It seems strange that Fanny was treated so differently to her cousins when she was a direct relation - just because her mother married below her - but I guess that's how it was.
However, I like that there are always some characters who don't place such importance on this issue. Examples of these characters in Mansfield Park are Edmund and Henry, and Fanny herself (for the most part - after all, she does seem quite horrified by her family when she reunites with them). It also works conversely - William and Susan, despite coming from a poor family, have such good manners that they are well-liked and respected by the Bertrams, whereas I'm sure a lot of people from the lower classes would have been just as contemptuous of the upper classes as vice versa.
Not being from Regency England myself, I can't say for certain, but it seems that Jane Austen has a pretty good grasp of the suffering of the lower classes and easier lives of the upper classes. I think she was a very intelligent woman.
I liked that the Bertrams' opinion of Fanny gradually changed during the book, and they came to realise what an asset she was to their family.
4. Did you want Fanny to accept Henry Crawford, or did you want her to wait for Edmund?
I know that ultimately she made the right decision in waiting for Edmund, but when Crawford was courting her, I really hoped she would go with him. When he went off with Maria, I thought it was all a misunderstanding and refused to believe otherwise until the end of the book. Mary had said it was a misunderstanding in her letter to Fanny! How disappointed I was when I found out it was true! I thought Crawford was a much more interesting character.
5. How do men and women interact? Which interactions in particular did you find interesting and why? How do these relationships and interactions compare to engagements and marriages today?
Lazily copying my answer from Sense and Sensibility: Obviously their behaviour towards each other is much more conservative than our behaviour today is (I often wonder what Jane Austen would think of today's society - then I get depressed for her sake and stop wondering). Relationships tend to move along much more quickly these days (and end almost as quickly!)
6. Are the characters in Mansfield Park conventional in their thoughts and actions according to the time in which the novel is set? In what ways do they conform (or not) to conventions? What is expected of them and how do they react to those expectations?
Fanny doesn't react conventionally when a certain someone becomes romantically interested in her! This is evidenced by the surprise and anger shown by most of the other characters. Otherwise, I think they're fairly conventional when considered during what time they lived (not taking into account the shameful family incident near the end!).
7. Who was your favourite character and why?
Probably Fanny, although I admired Crawford for his persistence and I actually enjoyed how ridiculous Mrs Norris was - it makes for some light-hearted moments.
8. Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?
(Spoiler relates to end of book: )
I wish she had gotten together with Crawford, rather than Edmund suddenly realising he was in love with her on the second-last page or something.
9. Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?
This is the fourth Jane Austen I've read and I can't wait to read the last two later in the year!
10. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?
I know it was a common and accepted thing back then, but falling in love with your cousin? Naughty, naughty!
11. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?
Absolutely! I wouldn't expect anything less from Jane Austen.
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I'm glad you enjoyed The Looking Glass Wars, Louise! I also picked it up recently based on a recommendation from here, but I haven't read it yet. I'm looking forward to it even more now!
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I'm 26
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Nearco! I'm sure you'll get a lot of great recommendations here!
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I like poetry as well! I won't bore you by starting another list - but I do write my own poetry (not seriously) more like nonsense-on-the-spot poetry, mainly for amusement's sake.
What are your favourite books? And...does this forum have a functioning IRC channel?
I have a whole heap of favourite books, a couple of which are To Kill a Mockingbird and Pride and Prejudice.
We have a writer's section if you'd like to share some of your poetry! Doesn't matter what type!
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I've read 15. I'm more of a man than you are Prospero!
(Wait, is that something I should be bragging about?) I have quite a few more on my TBR pile.I think the lists are a little pointless too, but that doesn't stop me poring over every single one I come across. I just love adding up my numbers to see how many I've read
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Jaya! Nice intro My Mum loves Freecell and is working her way through all numbers, starting from the end. Should keep her busy for a while.
I love young adult fiction as well. There is some excellent stuff out there. I have His Dark Materials and The Phantom Tollbooth on my wish list. Can't wait to read them.
Plays absolutely count here! We discuss poetry as well, and pretty much any writing that takes our fancy. What sort of plays do you like?
I love drooling over photos of other people's bookcases. Thanks for posting yours!
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Tinymoz! I'm sure you'll receive more book recommendations than you'll know what to do with!
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I like London as a setting, especially in older novels. The place just has so much history, which I think really adds to the atmosphere.
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Yet more books added to my wish list. My complete wish list can be found here.
John Brunner: The Jagged Orbit
John Brunner: The Shockwave Rider
Harry Harrison: Make Room! Make Room!
Gabriel Garcia Marquez: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Tom Wolfe: The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
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John Steinbeck - 'The Grapes of Wrath' 10/10 (actually said 'wow' when I finished)
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - '100 Years of Solitude' 10/10 (didn't want that dream to end)
Mikhail Bulgakov - 'The Master and Margherita' 10/10 (brilliant, funny and bizarre)
Jack Kerouac - 'On the Road' 10/10 (cliche to say, but it changed my life)
Kurt Vonnegut - 'Slaughterhouse 5' 10/10 (read it in school -didn't get it, re-read it couple of years ago and cursed my previous stupidity)
Ken Kesey - 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' 10/10 (Kesey is a legend -I was born to the wrong generation) -Influenced my next choices.
Tom Wolfe - 'Electric Cool-aid Acid Test' 10/10 (yeah man, pass the joint)
Hunter S. Thompson - 'Hells Angels' 10/10 (Sociology when it's interesting)
Except for Marquez and Wolfe, I have either read these books and loved them, or have them on my TBR pile. Seeing as our tastes seem pretty similar, I'm going to add both missing books to my wish list.
Oh, wow! I was just checking out this Wikipedia article about The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test and the book mentions many of my favourite bands/singers and authors. This one's going straight to the top of my wish list! It sounds awesome. I don't know how I've missed it until now! Thanks Horsecorset!
John Wyndham
in Horror / Fantasy / SF
Posted
That is a nice cover, Gyre. Mine is the Penguin Modern Classics version with a close-up pic of a triffid.
I'd really like to track down a copy of Chocky - it sounds really good.