The Mayor of Casterbridge

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) – This is a book worth reading! I was thoroughly entertained throughout and finished it quickly. The story seemed to start rather abruptly. It jumped right into what I thought was going to be the climax. But it just built upon that point as the background for the rest of the book. I liked that it moved along. There was never a dull moment where I wished it would just get to the next part. The characters were very interesting. They were easily depicted in the beginning and were very distinct in there character. One thing that I thought was interesting was that one of the main characters, Henchard, changed and matured through the story. I liked how that change came about from the different circumstances he was in. Granted he still wasn’t the best of people when the end came, but he did strive to improve although it seemed like so many were against him. There were many twists to the story as well. It was somewhat predictable in the turns it took, but they came about when they were least expected. That’s how it kept moving. The writing style was also very easy to read. I believe this was a cleaned up version so that it wasn’t in the older English that it was originally written in. But the flow of the language and the dialect used for the characters were easy to read and understand. I enjoy a book better when I’m not squeezing my brain to get it. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting an entertaining read.

The Portrait of a Lady

Henry James (1843-1916) – Well it took me forever to get through this little book. For one, it wasn’t very interesting. And secondly it didn’t go anywhere. I felt like there was no build up to a climax. I easily lost interest a few pages into the book. As I continued, hoping to find something to make the story worth my time, but I didn’t. It seemed to be well written. And I assume that is why it is deemed a classic. I just didn’t find the story line worth reading. I don’t like to read a book that I have to force my self to finish.