This is a painful confession for me. For the last month and a half I've tried to fall in love with Tess of the D'Urbervilles again. When I read her (it's a her for sure) almost ten years ago, I had to do it in less than a week in order to discuss her in class and write a paper. I underlined passages and dog-eared the page so I could find the treasured words again. I spoke up in class with my deep understanding. Sigh.Now I skim through lengthy descriptions of Angel Claire's love for Tess. (Angel Claire? Why not Perfect Claire? Bleh.) And the trio of not-too-bright, lovesick (for Claire) milkmaids who aren't Tess? Crying into their pillows because they love him so and he loves Tess? Touching Tess's arms because they've been near Claire. Puke.
Then there is Tess. The 21st century woman in me cannot handle dozens of pages full of Tess's hand-wringing melodrama over not being worthy of Angel Claire because of "the incident." She didn't do anything wrong. Tell him. Don't tell him. I am halfway through this book and I don't care about anyone in it anymore.
So before I lose the will to live, I'm putting Brother Hardy back on my bookshelf tonight, half finished. What should I read next? I need something I can finish quickly and that won't put me to sleep, but also something that won't make me neglect my child. Before anyone suggests anything by Stephanie Meyer or Anita Stansfield, I would like you to reread the first eight words of this paragraph.
8 comments:
My last book clube book, The Year of Living Biblically, was super entertaining and fascinating. You should give it a try!
Awww, that's too bad. Honestly, I haven't read Tess in years either -- I wonder if I would have a similar reaction now? I loved it madly the first time around (and also the A&E movie version of it -- that actress, whoever she is, embodied Tess perfectly in all her tragicrazy glory).
As for something different to read, have you ever tried Flannery O'Connor? The Complete Stories is (are? lol) great for bite-sized reading, and as I recall she manages to be both acerbic and poignant all at the same time ... not at all Meyersesque (I hear you on that one, sistah). I haven't read her in ~10 or 15 years, either, but I can't imagine she wouldn't hold up over time. Plus there's the fun hidden cliché to find in each story (in A Good Man Is Hard to Find, for instance, Grandma "lets the cat out of the bag").
Sorry Thomas Hardy let you down! :-P
THERE'S A MOVIE?!
(Excellent suggestions so far, btw. I remember really liking Flannery O'Connor.)
It is hard to give up on a book, isn't it? I always feel like I've failed. The best book I've read so far this year is "Widow of the South" by Robert Hicks. It's beautiful. Deep, but not too heavy, not a difficult read. And the characters are fascinating. I think you should try it.
Have you read the Rest of the Story books by Paul Harvey. They are little unknown stories about famous people. Easy to read every 10 minutes and put down. It doesn't give you that I have just read a major novel and loved it satisfaction, but I am not a deep reader at this stage of my life. More for entertainment. Might I add to stay away from the Jane Clayson book. So dumb!
i am so sorry that you were bored with tess. i felt utter sympathy for her because she was trapped in that particular world where such "innocence" was abhorred. it usually takes you less than a week to finish a book, so you must have just been laboring through it.
THERE'S A MOVIE?! i will hunt it down.
i have no suggestions. you are my source for suggestions, dontchyaknow.
"These is My Words" and "Sarah's Quilt" by Nancy Turner. Just finished 20 minutes ago. Excellent reading, heart wrenching. Harmony Hatch lent me her copies.
I haven't touched this book since AP English... not sure if I would like it, since I'm not sure I did then. :) I skimmed through it fast so I could find out what was going to happen and then failed all of my essays. I had to find out the hard way it was filled with symbolism...
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