In April 2021, I wrote about BBC’s list of The 100 greatest British novels and selected seven books to read from the list. By now – two years after 🙄 – I’ve finished the seven books. Let’s see how it went.
[23] Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy, 1895. I just knew, this would be a hit.
[4] Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, 1861. Adored it – my favourite Dicken’s
[2] To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, 1927. It took two attempts, but I ended up loving it.
[9] Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, 1818. Took me by surprise, really enjoyed it.
[15] Atonement by Ian McEwan, 2001. Clever and intellectually stimulating.
[39] The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, 2011. A lot to admire, but not unequivocally successful.
[32] A Room with a View by EM Forster, 1908. Preferred the film adaptation.
Sucess rate: Out of the seven novels, two were 5★ reads and two were 4★ reads. My lowest rating was 3★. I am not overly generous with my ratings, so that is actually quite impressive.
Ranking: I’ve listed the novels in my order of preference. As you can tell, I don’t fully agree with the ranking on the list, although there is some degree of correlation. With my love of miserable books, it isn’t surprising that I ranked Jude the Obscure higher than the list.
Surprises: Seeing that I’ve had mixed experiences with Dickens, but loved Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway, it is surprising, that I preferred Great Expectations over To The Lighthouse. I felt sure, EM Forster would appeal to me, so a moderate 3★ for A Room with a View was disappointing. However, I will reserve judgement until I’ve tried more of his novels.
What is next?
Seeing that my first selection from the list was quite successful, I want to continue with another batch. Similar to before, I won’t set a deadline, so it may be another two years before my next update. Anyway, here is my selection:
[7] Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, 1847
[16] The Waves by Virginia Woolf, 1931
[17] Howards End by EM Forster, 1910
[45] The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, 2009
[63] The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark, 1961
I have my doubts about Wuthering Heights, but it’s such a well-known classic, so I will give it a try and allow myself to DNF, if I don’t get along. The Waves will be my next novel by Viginia Woolf, who is still on course to become a favourite author. EM Forster gets his second chance with Howards End. If my response is lukewarm, I may give up on him. Finally, Sarah Waters and Muriel Spark have been residing for a while on my list of authors, I want to try.
It may not be the most daring selection, but all are books, I genuinely want to read. And isn’t that the most important thing?
Have you read any of these? Any views or recommendations?
My goodness, I’ve only read three from your first selection, and three from your second. Must Try Harder.
It isn’t a competition! In any case, I’m sure you’ve read a lot more of the British books than I have, since you grew up here. For me it’s a great way of exploring some of the British classics which aren’t part of the curriculum in Denmark, where I grew up..
I’m so impressed with your knowledge of our classics. I haven’t knowingly read any book by a Danish author yet.
There aren’t that many famous Danish authors, I suppose. Maybe you’ve come across a fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen? Or if you are interested in philosophy, you may have heard of Søren Kierkegaard.
Yes to both those of course. But straight-down-the-line good fiction, no.
Hmm, I really ought to write about Nordic authors once in a while. Many people – also outside Denmark – seem to like Tove Ditlevsen. And in the more experimental department, there is something like Olga Ravn (she was longlisted for the international Booker with The Employees).
Tanks. Noted – and please do a post or two. I’m sure it would attract interest.
Will see what I can do – I try not to overpromise (and underdeliver 🙄) but I would like to write more about Nordic literature, since it’s rather niche (except perhaps Scandi crime, which is quite popular…).
What a sensible way to approach that list. I’ve read 4 from your first selection. The biggest surprise for me was Atonement which I absolutely loveddespite professing not to like McEwan’s writing 🤔 I’m currently listening to a collection of short stories by Julian Barnes which is my first experience of him. So far, I can admire the writing but I’m really not enjoying the stories. Good luck with your second collection. There are two there which I know. One I gave up on, the other I finished but really couldn’t find anything to love despite truly wanting to like it. I’ll look forward to hearing your experiences with this group 😊
Your response to Julian Barnes sounds quite similar to mine. I could see, why he has won prizes and I admired what he did in A Sense of An Ending. But I didn’t particularly enjoy it.
Now you’ve made me curious about which ones you’ve read from my second selection. 😊Based on your comments, it doesn’t sound too promising? Was one of them Wuthering Heights? Ah well, I may get on better than you did. And I will go into all of them with an open mind. Update will follow (sooner or later…).
Two from your first and two from your second. I love this idea and am already looking forward to seeing how you get on with the second selection.
Thanks Rose! I look forward to see how I get on with the second selection as well. Fingers crossed, it will be as successful as the first selection!
Coincidentally, I’m reading Frankenstein right now. I’m about halfway through it. It’s wordy, as is to be expected, but I like it.
I am glad you like it. Many people (including me) tend to get surprised. The story has very little to do with the monster we know from pop culture.
Good for you.
Thanks, I am quite enjoying it. 🙂
I love Great Expectations too. Not a fan of Jude however – I find him such an irritating character. .
I wonder, if I will ever find another Dickens novel, which can match Great Expectations. I hope so. Haha, I don’t remember being annoyed with Jude, but another commenter seem to feel the same way as you.
Great project! I actually enjoyed a lot Wuthering Heights, a few decades ago though
That is good to know. I’ve heard rather mixed opinions on Wuthering Heights, but I look forward to see how I get on with it.
After your thoughts on Great Expectations, I’m sure to get around to that sooner rather than later. I’m definitely curious about your thoughts about Wuthering Heights, when you get around to it. I’ve been told countless times to check it out hahah Happy reading!
I think Great Expectations is a good way to start with Dickens. It is long, but not overly long and it has amazing characters and a gripping story. Haha, I have a feeling it could end badly with me and Wuthering Heights, but only one way to find out!
I read Frankenstein some years ago and was surprised at what a thoughtful novel it was. Hollywood missed a lot. Of course, it’s a downer. I could not finish Jude the Obscure. I can’t put my finger on exactly why, other than I spent a lot of time want to backhand Jude.
Exactly, the novel doesn’t have a lot to do with the Hollywood versions of Frankenstein. But the concept behind Frankenstein’s monster is so intriguing, so I can easily see how Hollywood would be tempted to adapt the idea into a more popular horror version. Interesting about Jude. Another commenter said something similar. I don’t remember feeling like that.
Not everyone is going to react to a book the same way, I don’t think. One book I cannot stand is Turn of the Screw. Most people I know love it. I loved the books A Christmas Carol and A Canterbury Ghost. They’re much darker than their adaptations, but, I think, much richer. Most people find them depressing, if they’re read them.
I do sometimes love a film adaptation more than the book, but most often it’s the other way around. I guess you can get more depth into the book, which – as you say – make it feel richer.
IMseldomHO, books are always better.
I’m impressed with both your bunch of picks. Still trying EM Forster I see. And wow I was surprised that Woolf’s novel was #2 on the critics list of 100. I have read and appreciated Mrs. Dalloway but that was my only read of Woolf. Her stream of consciousness writing I find takes much concentration to know what she’s saying or what’s going on. I find her tough to read but also elegant perhaps. Also a bit surprising is Sarah Waters at #45. I have read a couple of her novels which were likable in a popular read way — but not that particular book. It’s a little odd when a contemporary kind of popular author is mixed in with classic greats such as Dickens and Hardy etc. Some writers perhaps can hold up … while others can’t compare. Ha. But this is a good way to find out …
A Room with a View was one of EM Forster’s earlier novels (he started writing it when he was very young). I could imagine some of the later novels, when he matured more as a writer will appeal more. Let’s see. Woolf is one of the few authors, where I think it’s worth making an effort. I struggled a lot with the stream of consciousness style to begin with, but I persisted and found it rewarding in the end.
Yeah the list is a mix of classics and more recent novels. I don’t know if Sarah Waters can compete with Dickens and Hardy, but I am curious about her books. I guess we will have to wait to see if her works can stand the test of time.
I hadn’t come across this list, thank you! I’m amazed The Little Stranger is included along with Woolf, Dickens etc. but may be that’s a good thing!
There are several more recent novels on the list. I haven’t read anything from Sarah Waters, but I will tell you if I feel she belongs on the list, when I get through my next selection.
Oh HAPPY reading! Jude is my favourite Hardy, Wuthering Heights is my favourite book in the world, I love To the Lighthouse, The Little Stranger is just brilliant and clever. Bliss!
Thanks Julia! Good to see some praise for Wuthering Heights. I’ve come across quite a few, who didn’t get on with it. I can’t wait to read The Little Stranger. A lot of people seem to love Sarah Waters’ books. 😊