Classics Club: January Meme

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It's pretty embarrassing that I didn't get around to doing the Classics Club's January meme until the last day of January, but in my defense, I was busy!  Writing posts that will benefit Classics Clubbers for generations to come!  (Yeah, that's the ticket...)  So now I'm going to do it, only there are these tree-trimmers across the street making the most horrible noise....


What is the best book you’ve read so far for The Classics Club — and why? Be sure to link to the post where you discussed the book! (Or, if you prefer, what is your least favorite read so far for the club, and why?)

Oh wow.  That's a toughie.  I have loved a whole bunch of these books.  I've read 24 so far (out of probably 150 on my list now, which is completely out of control). Two of them are waiting for me to write them up.  And my favorite is one of them!  So...

My first pick is Anna Karenina.  I just read it this month and finished it maybe two weeks ago.  My friends, this is an amazing novel.  I will be reading it again!  I should not have put it off for so long.  It is, I'm pretty sure, the very best book that I've read for the Club so far.  I even like the farming bits that everyone complains about.

For my favorite that I can link to, I really can't decide between Doctor Zhivago and Madame Bovary.  I can't choose!  They were both just gorgeous, so beautifully written.  The better I like a book the less coherent I am about it, especially with these chainsaws and leaf blowers right outside my window, so I can't think of much more to say.  

My least favorite book is easy: The Communist Manifesto is hardly a good read.


Conclusion: why are all my favorite Classics Club books about adultery?  That's pretty weird.  I don't like adultery.  It's just that they're all so beautifully written, and they don't prettify the situations either; Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary are both pretty realistic about the damage that happens (Doctor Zhivago, taking place as it does in a war zone during WWI and the Revolution, separates everyone forever so it's a bit different).

Comments

  1. ArenelJanuary 31, 2013 at 4:28 PM

    Funny observation, that all your favourite books are about adultery =) Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary are also on my "favourite" list, but Doctor Zhivago... It was too inconsistent and meaningless to really enjoy it. I couldn't. Maybe translators have made it better?)

    ReplyDelete
  2. JeanJanuary 31, 2013 at 4:45 PM

    Ha! That would be funny, if it was great because the translators improved it. I don't know, I just really liked it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ruth @ with freedom and booksFebruary 1, 2013 at 7:07 AM

    AK was my best pick also. I enjoyed MB also, though the subject matter was difficult.

    ReplyDelete

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