Victober 2025

[Madeleine]

Is anyone doing this?  I'm gong to read The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell.

[lunababymoonchild]

I’m in. Now to choose …………

[lunababymoonchild]

The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins. Victorian, Gothic and suitably spooky in the spookiest month

[KEV67]

Go on then. I had just finished Villette by Charlotte Bronte, which I did not go a bundle on. Nevertheless, I invested in a copy of The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens. I am not going to try and complete it by the end of October, because I am a slow reader, and I am working through three other books at present. 

[lunababymoonchild]

18 minutes ago, KEV67 said:

Go on then. I had just finished Villette by Charlotte Bronte, which I did not go a bundle on. Nevertheless, I invested in a copy of The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens. I am not going to try and complete it by the end of October, because I am a slow reader, and I am working through three other books at present. 

Welcome! I was nearly late for an appointment this afternoon because I was reading The Woman in White. That’ll teach me !

[lunababymoonchild]

The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins, completed. It was excellent!

[lunababymoonchild]

Also reading some Victorian poetry from The Penguin Book of Victorian Verse. I doubt I'll read every single poem but I'll give it a good try.

[KEV67]

On 10/18/2025 at 2:37 PM, lunababymoonchild said:

The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins, completed. It was excellent!

That was quick.

[KEV67]

I started reading The Old Curiosity Shop. It starts with a gentleman walking the streets of London at night. That's what Dickens used to do himself, wasn't it. I was wondering if it were televised who they would cast as Quilp. He's a malignant dwarf. Peter Dinklage comes to mind. I wonder if he can do 19th Century London accents. Another good thing is the chapters are short, which means I can get through one at bedtime.

[lunababymoonchild]

19 minutes ago, KEV67 said:

That was quick.

I was utterly captured and anxious to find out what happened next.

[Hayley]

On 10/20/2025 at 9:52 AM, KEV67 said:

I started reading The Old Curiosity Shop. It starts with a gentleman walking the streets of London at night. That's what Dickens used to do himself, wasn't it. I was wondering if it were televised who they would cast as Quilp. He's a malignant dwarf. Peter Dinklage comes to mind. I wonder if he can do 19th Century London accents. Another good thing is the chapters are short, which means I can get through one at bedtime.

Quilp is such a good villain, I absolutely despised him.

 

On 10/20/2025 at 10:08 AM, lunababymoonchild said:

I was utterly captured and anxious to find out what happened next.

I feel that way about all the Wilkie Collins books I've read so far! If you haven't read No Name yet, I highly recommend it.

 

 

I really want to jump in to this challenge for the end of the month now... maybe with a short story.

[lunababymoonchild]

34 minutes ago, Hayley said:

I feel that way about all the Wilkie Collins books I've read so far! If you haven't read No Name yet, I highly recommend it.

On the list

[KEV67]

I am only on Chapter 11. It will be December before I finish it. So far, so good. What a silly old fool the old man was! 

[KEV67]

I am quite enjoying The Curiosity Shop. I wonder wherher the old man was going senile. It strikes me Little Nell could get a job as a maidservant if she were not lumberee with the old man. I reckon his best chance was with the workhouse. It is not exactly a spoiler, but I have heard it does not work out very well fpr Little Nell. I reckon she was let down by people who should have looked after her better. Perhaps her grandfather was going senile, but her brother was very selfish.

[Hayley]

On 11/13/2025 at 7:10 PM, KEV67 said:

I am quite enjoying The Curiosity Shop. I wonder wherher the old man was going senile. It strikes me Little Nell could get a job as a maidservant if she were not lumberee with the old man. I reckon his best chance was with the workhouse. It is not exactly a spoiler, but I have heard it does not work out very well fpr Little Nell. I reckon she was let down by people who should have looked after her better. Perhaps her grandfather was going senile, but her brother was very selfish.

I can't wait to see what you think of the ending! Nell definitely would have had a lot more options if she had been willing to leave her grandfather.

[KEV67]

On 11/17/2025 at 3:50 PM, Hayley said:

I can't wait to see what you think of the ending! Nell definitely would have had a lot more options if she had been willing to leave her grandfather.

I am still only half way through. I get the feeling it is going to turn bad for Nell. Her grandfather has just gambled all their money. Just when things were looking up.

Edited 23 hours ago by KEV67

[KEV67]

I was wondering the other day how many humourous books lasted the test of time. A lot of old comedies and comedians do not seem so funny any more. Maybe, I was not thinking very clearly at the time. True, most the Carry On films do not seem so funny as they did, and I find it hard to believe anyone ever laughed at the likes of music hall comedians such as Arthur Askey and Tommy Trinder. On the other hand, Larry Grayson was sort of music hall, and he was hilarious. Porridge and other 70s sitcoms still hold up. Book wise, Scoop and Lucky Jim are still very funny. It is a long way of getting around to the observation that Charles Dickens could be funny, and it still holds up. For example, in chapter 34 of The Old Curiosity Shop, Dick Swiveler has to agree terms with a new lodger in the room above his employers' office.

"Why, you see,' said Dick, 'my name's not Brass, and -'

'Who said it was? My name's not Brass. What then?'

'The name of the master of the house is,' said Dick.

'I'm glad of it,' returned the single gentleman; 'it's a good name for a lawyer. Coachman, you may go. So may you, sir.'