1. Did you enjoy reading this style of novel in the form of letters?
Yes I did; at first I found it difficult to be sure who was writing, but soon got to know the "voices" of the characters and enjoyed the letters. 2. Were you engaged immediately with the story, or did it take you a while to get into it?
I was engaged with the story very quickly and didn't find it hard to get into
3. There are a lot of characters referenced mostly by their title instead of their name, did you find it difficult to remember who all the characters were?
I quite often find it hard to remembers characters in books, and did have to remind myself quite often who was who (not often enough to spoil the story for me, though).
4. Did you have a favourite character? And a least favourite?
Not really, I liked the baddies and the goodies quite equally!
3. Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest?
No, I enjoyed the story as a whole, I can't say that one part stood out for me more than the rest. I enjoyed the intertwined intrigues that continued the whole way through it.
5. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?
No, I enjoyed the whole book. I do remember feeling it had flagged slightly at one point but can't now remember what point that was, so it obviously didn't bother me too much.
6. Do you think the Marquise and the Vicomte deserved the fates they were given at the end of the story?
No, I don't think I would look at it that way. There would have been no story without them! (Well, maybe there would, but it would have been a bit dull I think.)
7. We've already had some discussion on the differences a good translation can make, which edition and translation of the book did you read, and what did you think of the translation?
My edition is a second-hand Folio Society hardback, with the translation by Richard Aldington; I certainly got on fine with it. It had wood-engraving illustrations, which aren't my favourite type, but It was a nice book to handle with a pretty cover and slipcase and nice quality smooth paper which all added to the reading experience.
8. Have you watched any film/television/theatre adaptations of this story? How successfully do you think they were?
I have seen the Glenn Close/John Malkovich/Michelle Pfeiffer film from the late 1980s a couple of times, and reading the book has made me want to watch it again. I hadn't read the book at the time and can't remember now exactly how closely the story matches, but I did think it was a good film.
9. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?
Yes, it was, I did enjoy it a lot.
10. Would you recommend the book to others
I would probably recommend it to others on BCF if I thought it would interest them, but I don't really know many people that read much, and certainly not more classic novels like this