Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

This book surprised me.  I have read a few books by Edith Wharton, and they were all set among New York high society.  This book is set in rural New England and deals with very poor people, which was a big change.  The narrative set-up of the story felt very awkward to me.  The narrator is a visitor to the town who meets the older Ethan Frome and tells the story that happened many years earlier as he learned it.  It doesn't feel like a realistic device as it is never clear how he could possibly have learned the story he tells.  The story is about Ethan Frome, who married a "sickly" woman who is tyrannical in her bad humor and her sickness.  She has a distant cousin who has come to help take care of her, who is a charming, happy young girl.  Ethan falls in love with her, and she with him.  (This reads strangely, since Frome wonders and worries about whether she feels the same about him in one chapter, and then in the next it seems their relationship is a foregone conclusion.)  The wife seems to suspect them, but regardless of what she knows, she makes it so the cousin has to leave.  Ethan wants to leave with her but doesn't feel he can.  On their way to the train station, they detour to take a ride on a sled.  The girl suggests they kill themselves by crashing into a tree on the sled, which they try.  Instead they are horribly crippled.  In the end of the story, they all three still live together in the same house, and the wife and young girl are both querulous invalids, although the wife improved after the accident.  

Obviously, it is a very depressing story!  Wharton loves to write about forbidden love, which she usually does in an interesting way, even if it isn't my favorite topic.  I felt like she wasn't as aware of her characters and their lives as she usually is in her society settings.  And I really didn't like the conclusion.  It's really short, though, and an easy read, so it is probably still worth the short amount of time it takes just for its classic aspects.

McTeague by Frank Norris

I didn't like this book.  I found it interesting at the beginning but then it got long and kind of boring.  And then it ended in a very unpleasant manner!  It tells the story a small-town dentist who is happy with his simple life.  He marries a miserly wife and they struggle financially.  Everything just goes downhill.  McTeague ends up beating his wife to death.  At the end of the book, McTeague is handcuffed to the dead body of the man who was a rival for his wife's affections.  He is in the middle of the desert without any water and no way to escape.

It took me a very long time to read, partly because for a large part of it, I didn't want to read it.  It is a sad story as McTeague degenerates from the dull-witted but simple man he was into a criminal.  This book isn't worth the large amount of time it takes to read it.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Dickens is always lengthy and wordy, so it takes a pretty big time commitment to get through one of his novels.  Great Expectations isn't my favorite but it is good.  I don't like the heroine in the story, which is probably why it isn't my favorite.  If you don't dislike Estella, this could easily be one of your favorite Dickens books.  The hero, Pip, has some really whiny moments when it's hard to like or even understand him.  I'm sure some of that is his reactions belong in a different time and society situation that we don't understand in this day and age.  As usual for Dickens, there are many fabulous side characters including the marvelously memorable Miss Haversham.

It is an enjoyable read and is very well written but be prepared to spend a lot of time because it takes a long time to get through it.

Lay Down My Sword and Shield by James Lee Burke

James Lee Burke is an excellent writer.  His prose is descriptive and poetic.  However, his characters tend to have tragic flaws, often stemming from alcoholism.  This early Burke story tells of the young adulthood of  Hackberry Holland, the sheriff in Rain Gods.  I found the first part of the book hard to handle as Mr. Holland drank constantly and engaged in stupid behavior.  And what I really struggled with was that he seemed to think his behavior was good and appropriate and continued to think so even at the end of the story when he is making better choices.  I still enjoyed the story because of Burke's writing, and he manages to make his very flawed characters sympathetic and even admirable as they try to be heroic and do the right thing in spite of their weaknesses. 

This book is shorter than many of Burke's works, so it reads pretty quickly.  I preferred Holland in Rain Gods and would recommend the Dave Robicheaux novels to new readers of Burke rather than either of the Holland books, but this one is still worth the time.

Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

This book surprised me.  It was awfully realistic for a novel by a Bronte sister!  Like Jane Eyre, it is the story of a young woman, Agnes Grey, who becomes a governess in Victorian England.  She works for two different families during the story and struggles with the resulting experiences.  She ends up starting a school with her mother.

I enjoyed this book.  The prose is simple and straightforward.  Sometimes it is clever and witty.  It is a fairly long book but reads really easily, so it goes quickly.  It is worth the time.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain

I have seen so many different film adaptations of this story that I felt pretty confident I already knew how the book was going to go.  It was still something of a revelation, though, as there are many details that I hadn't ever seen before.  And the original ending of the book isn't usually copied in the more modern versions.  Twain focuses a great deal on the nature of Hank, the main character who is an engineer from New England.  He is transported back in time where he uses his knowledge of modern technology to portray himself as a magician.  He is eventually prosecuted by the Catholic church because of his power.  Merlin casts a spell on him that makes him sleep for a millenia and return to his own time.

It certainly isn't Twain's best book, but it is interesting.  It has Twain's signature satirical humor in larger quanities than Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn, but I didn't find the story nearly as entertaining as those other novels.  It is worth the time if you're a fast reader and can get through it quickly, but if you're a slower reader who will have to labor through it, it probably isn't worth it.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

I love Jane Austen, but this is one of my less favorite of her books.  It is a spoof on the Gothic romance novel genre that was popular while Austen was writing her books.  Catherine Moreland, a "heroine in training" visits Bath with family friends and receives an invitation to visit an abbey that belongs to Henry Tilney, her romantic interest.  Since she is a big fan of the gothic novel, she expects the abbey to be exciting and imagines many dark and dramatic scenarios involving the Tilney family, which as you'd imagine is not very popular with the Tilney family.  There is enough actual drama in the story without Catherine imagining more as she is pursued by two suitors, and her brother's fiance carries on a flirtation with Henry's dissolute older brother.  Things turn out all right in the end.

Catherine has likeable moments; i.e. calling herself a "heroine in training" and being charmingly naive about improper behavior, but a lot of the time her imagination and gothic obsession make her a bit annoying.  Northanger Abbey was Austen's first completed novel and in spite of many revisions before its publication, it shows that Austen was less experienced at the time and hadn't really developed her distinct humorous style.  It's a quick easy read that is still probably worth the time, but if you're new to Austen, read a different book first.

Old Goriot by Honore de Balzac

I am not a Balzac fan in general, and this book was no exception.  It is very long and quite often boring.  It's also very sad as Goriot, the father of two girls, sacrifices and scrapes for his two daughters who are ungrateful and leave him all alone in squalor.  Balzac usually likes to punish the bad female characters in his books, but apparently these two girls aren't the right kind of bad for that, and they get off almost completely unscathed.  I felt very sorry for the poor old man!  Obviously, once I got far enough into the story, I became involved in the lives of the characters and cared what happened to them, so that was nice.  But it was a long road to get to that point.  Not worth the time.

A Passage to India by E. M. Forster

This was a strange but interesting book.  It made me glad I was never in India during the British reign.  The "Anglo Indians" seem to behave badly as a matter of course, and the Indians in the story behave in incomprehensible ways, at least to my mind.  It tells the story of a young lady who goes to India with Mrs. Moore whose son works in the government there.  Miss Quested is going to see if she wants to marry the son.  Dr. Aziz becomes involved with the women through a chance meeting with Mrs. Moore in a mosque.  They take an excursion to some caves for a picnic.  Miss Quested accuses the doctor of attempting to assault her in the cave.  Fielding, an Englishman, supports Dr. Aziz against his own race.  It is unclear what happened to Miss Quested, although her subsequent behavior would seem to indicate it could have been an hysterical reaction.

I enjoyed the first part of the story, although it wasn't very exciting.  Then the cave episode occurs, and I didn't really like it anymore.  I didn't like that most of the characters seem to behave badly.  Miss Quested falsely accuses Dr. Aziz, the British leaders try to railroad Dr. Aziz in his trial.  Dr. Aziz doesn't really behave badly, but he is mercurial and seems to lie as a matter of course without considering it to be untruthful.  Fielding is really the only one who behaves admirably in a consistent manner.  The very end was also disappointing when Fielding and Aziz decide they can't be friends until the British leave India and India becomes a sovereign nation. 

I did like seeing India through a different perspective.  I found it well-written and interesting even when I didn't like the actual story line.  It took me a long time to read because it didn't hold my attention, and I didn't read it very often.  It is still worth the time but don't plan to zip through it.  It is easier if you read it a little bit at a time.

Silas Marner by George Eliot

This is my favorite George Eliot book I've read.  I had previously seen the Steve Martin movie, A Simple Twist of Fate and was surprised to realize it was based on this book!  Silas Marner tells the story of a miserly bachelor who adopts a young girl and develops a great attachment to her.  It is a very entertaining read.  The story is full of coincidences that somehow don't feel completely unrealistic but instead seem inevitable with Eliot's story construction.  It's a good read and definitely worth the time.

Villette by Charlotte Bronte

This book didn't make a big impression on me, although I enjoyed reading it.  It tells the story of Lucy, a young lady who seeks employment at an all-girls' boarding school after a family tragedy.  It is interesting that this main character conceals things she knows, even from the reader.  At the boarding school, she becomes embroiled in the lives of others.  She eventually forms a romantic attachment to a fellow teacher.  The people surrounding them conspire to separate the two of them.  The ending is unclear, although the reader is left with the impression that her lover dies on his ocean voyage back to Lucy from the West Indies.  As is typical for the Bronte sisters, it is a very dramatic story with high emotions and unusual situations (like a ghost and a man living in disguise).  It is entertaining and worth the time, but don't expect it to change your life.

Homicide for the Holidays by Jane Rubino, Kathleen Anne Barrett, & Fred Hunter

This book is a collection with a story by each of the three authors.  My assumption when I started Fruitcake by Jane Rubino was that they were three novellas relatively equal in length.  I kept thinking, "this is way too much background info. and extraneous information for a novella!"  The first story ended up being a full length novel (317 pages), so I suppose all there was room for all that information.  I don't know if it's because I was expecting something different and disliked the beginning, but I never really got into the story and loved it.  It felt unreal and a little pointless.  I had a hard time liking the main character, Cat, a 40-something widow with two kids who works as a freelance journalist and comes from a family of cops.  She seemed over-sensitive, obsessed with quoting authors and correcting grammar, and I just couldn't relate to her. 

The second story in the book, Milwaukee Winters Can be Murder, is by Kathleen Anne Barrett and is a quick, amusing read.  It's predictable and you'll know the murderer pretty early, but I didn't mind that in this case.  I am actually interested to read a novel featuring this debut character. 

A Perfect Time for Murder is a short story by Fred Hunter and ends the collection.  I didn't love it, but it was all right.  It was immediately clear where the story was going, which was a little disappointing.  I like a clever twist in my short stories (That's why O'Henry is the master of the genre!), and this story didn't have one.

Emma by Jane Austen

Since I completely love Jane Austen, I of course love this book as well.  It is a Regency-era novel that tells the story of Emma Woodhouse, a wealthy socialite who likes to interfere in the lives of those around her.  She fancies herself a matchmaker after the marriage of her governess to a neighbor.  Her matchmaking skills are very lacking and comedy ensues.  Eventually everything ends up happy, which I generally prefer.  Emma isn't the most likeable of Austen's heroines, but she does gain the readers' sympathy, and she makes changes and progress as most of Austen's main characters do.  I always enjoy Austen's clever and witty dialogue and the amusing foibles of the characters who people her books.  Emma is written in the formal, old-fashioned manner of Regency novels, which I enjoy, but I know some people don't.  Emma is definitely worth the time.

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

This is a charming book.  It is sub-titled "A Proper Romance," and it certainly is.  Donaldson is a fan of Austen and Heyer, and it comes through in her writing.  (Not that I would ever compare anyone to the great Jane Austen, but you can tell she's a fan.)  This book tells the Regency-era story of Marianne Daventry, who has been sent to live with her grandmother in Bath following the death of her mother.  She is completely bored there and is tired of dealing with an amorous, slobbery, middle-aged man.  She accepts an invite to spend time with her twin sister at an estate at the invitation of an old friend of her mother's.  A mishap with a highwayman on the way there starts a romantic adventure (Don't worry.  It isn't so cliche as to be with the highwayman!) that is both clever and clean.  The dialogue is modernized and the plot is quicker than an actual Regency story if you find Austen and Heyer too "old-fashioned."  (I never could, but I know some people do!)  It was a pretty quick read that was definitely worth the time.  I enjoyed it so much I stayed up way too late and read it in one sitting!

Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe

It took me ages to finish this book.  I'm afraid I'm not a big fan of Thomas Wolfe.  I really struggled for the first 250 pages.  Then it caught my interest more, and I enjoyed most of the rest, other than a long seemingly pointless chapter about the "Younger Set" that listed names of all sorts of characters who had nothing to do with the story and who never appeared again.  Wolfe has frequent sections that don't seem to apply to the story, but this is the longest I remember.  Look Homeward, Angel tells the story of the dysfunctional Gant family.  It particularly focuses on the youngest son, Eugene Gant, an isolated introvert who feels lonely and separate from his family, except maybe his brother Ben.  After a traumatic experience, he becomes increasingly focused on his inner life and seems to be very narcisstic.  I didn't enjoy the end of the story as I couldn't understand 'Gene's behavior and it seems so strange to me.  Then the story didn't really resolve and ended with a dream sequence that didn't mean much to me.  I'm sure it was loaded with symbolism if I took the time to find it, but I couldn't get past the "ghost" and the moving marble monuments.  This isn't a book I would recommend, but if you read it, don't get too discouraged by the first half.  The second half is better!

Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

This book is the sequel to Alice in Wonderland.  It continues with the nonsense in the first book, although it's also a bit darker.  I like it better in some ways with its unusual twists and fantastical story line.  It's a quick easy read, so it's easily worth the time.  It's another good choice for young readers as well.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

There are very few children's books on the best books list, so Alice in Wonderland is in rare company.  It is, of course, full of nonsense and silliness, but it wouldn't be Alice in Wonderland if it wasn't!  It is also very entertaining.  At least some of the nonsense is tongue-in-cheek, which makes it more amusing for the older reader.  I am not a fan of the rather long story of the oysters that is told by Tweedledum and Tweedledee.  I really like the Mimsy were the Borograves poem.  It is a quick easy read that is worth the time.

The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

This isn't a book I loved, although it does make an impression.  It tells the story of a brother and sister, Maggie and Tom.  Mostly it follows Maggie.  It starts when she's a young girl.  The family faces bankruptcy and loses their mill and possessions.  Their father dies.  Maggie grows up and experiences romantic relationships with two different men, neither of whom her family approves.  She is briefly exiled from home.  She hurries home when the area floods.  Maggie and Tom are killed together in the flood.  Very depressing!  It seems strange to me, too, that her brother seems to be the only real relationship she ever has.  It's sad that her intellect is neglected, and her life is also very limited.  I wouldn't choose to read it again now that I know what to expect.

The Ambassadors by Henry James

This is a very complex story about Lewis Strather whose elegant, shallow fiance sends him to Paris to fetch her wayward son, Chad.  The middle-aged Lewis first stops in England.  He meets an American expatriate who has lived for years in Paris.  She surprises him with her cynical wit and makes him question what he's getting into.  When he arrives in Paris, he meets a lovely woman and her young daughter.  At first he is unsure which of the two women Chad is interested in.  Lewis quickly becomes interested in the mother and gains greater perspective.  He also learns to judge situations individually and on their own merit.  Chad's mother sends more "ambassadors" to get Chad to come home.  Lewis runs into Chad and the mother at an inn and realizes they are the two that have a romantic relationship.  Lewis advises Chad to stay in Paris, but he returns to America.  Henry James always writes with sophistication and elegance.  I found this particular book to be more interesting than some of James' others.  It still takes some time and commitment to read it all.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

The Bronte sisters can always be counted on for very dramatic, somewhat dark romantic novels.  Wuthering Heights goes along with this reputation.  It tells the dramatic story of the brooding Heathcliff and his great love for Catherine that extends even beyond the grave.  It wasn't really my cup of tea.  I don't love the overly-dramatic.  As is also usual for the Bronte sisters, Emily overcomes the limitations of the outlandish story and still gains the readers attention and entertains them.  The first time I read this book, I was a teenager and had a very hard time getting past the (spoiler alert!) digging up and hugging the body of his dead wife.  It's now safe again.  It really is a small part of the story, though, and this book is a great example of its kind.  It's worth the time if you like high drama and great romance.  Avoid it if you like your fiction to read like real life.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

This is Austen's last completed novel.  I love Jane Austen, so I have read all her works multiple times.  Persuasion is the story of Anne.  At the beginning of the novel, she is a young woman who wants to marry a navy man with no real prospects.  Her mother has passed away, but her mother's friend guides her in deciding against marrying him.  Nine years later he again appears in their lives, having had success in the navy and becoming a marriageable prospect.  This isn't my favorite Austen novel, although I do enjoy it.  Anne is less perfect and insipid than some of Austen's other heroines, and it is nice to read a story about an older and more mature woman than most of Austen's books feature.  It is definitely worth the time, but if you're new to Austen, read Pride and Prejudice, by far her best book.

In the Moon of Red Ponies by James Lee Burke

James Lee Burke is a great writer.  He creates picturesque vistas and poetic thoughts.  This book has those aspects, but it still isn't a favorite of mine.  I prefer his Dave Robicheaux novels.  This book is about Billy Bob Holland, another tortured soul who used to be in law enforcement.  Now he works as a defense lawyer in Montana.  In this story, he is dealing with a conspiracy that involves law enforcement, the public prosecutor, a senator, and many criminals.  The conspiracy is never very clear, and is greatly confusing for most of the book.  The resolution isn't very satisfying.  If you've read Burke's books before and enjoy his writing style, this book is worth your time.  If you're new to Burke, I would recommend reading a Dave Robicheaux novel instead.