Edward Maret – Classics Retold

Title: Edward Maret: A Novel of the Future
Author: Robert I. Katz
Source: bought on amazon
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review Summary: Although this re-telling lacked the complexity of the original, it was a well written, believable story and the world building was fantastic.

In this futuristic retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, Edward Maret is a happy man. He is engaged to a women he loves and destined to inherit a bountiful estate. Little does he know that he has enemies who are prepared to betray him because they covet what he has. Denounced as a revolutionary and condemned by a corrupt judge, Edward is turned into a mindless cyborg and sent to kill any who threaten his world. When he is eventually freed from the mind control, his first thought is of revenge…

The Count of Monte Cristo

Title: The Count of Monte Cristo
Author: Alexandre Dumas
Source: library
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review Summary: While not as well written as many classics, this was an exciting adventure with an intriguingly complex plot.

The Count of Monte Cristo is a classic story of betrayal and revenge. Edmond Dantes has it all: a father he loves, a pending promotion, and a beautiful fiance. Unfortunately, others envy him his good fortune and conspire to have him sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. When a fellow prisoner informs him of a treasure located on the Isle of Monte Cristo, he determines to escape and use that treasure to enact his revenge.

Sense and Sensibility – A Bookish Movie Review

I loved this movie, both as an adaptation and as an incredibly well done movie. In fact, I think I actually liked it better than the book. Obviously, in any movie adaptation there will be changes made to simplify the book into a two hour story. For the most part, I found the removed scenes in this book had adequate replacements. There were two small things that I felt changed essential things about the characters, but overall I thought the adaptation was quite faithful to the feel of the book.

Bookends About Jane Eyre

Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Brontë
Source: library
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review Summary: The plot was a little boring and unbelievable but the writing was so gorgeous I didn’t even mind!

Today I’m going to be sharing with you the goodreads summary of the book because I think it does a great job explaining not just the action of the plot, but the character development that is the most exciting part of the story. Orphaned into the household of her Aunt Reed at Gateshead, subject to the cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane Eyre nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity.  She takes up the post of governess at Thornfield, falls in love with Mr. Rochester, and discovers the impediment to their lawful marriage in a story that transcends melodrama to portray a woman’s passionate search for a wider and richer life than Victorian society traditionally allowed.

Bookends About The House of Mirth

Warning: this review does include some general spoilers.

Title: The House of Mirth
Source: library
Read for: Erin Read’s Reading Buddies
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Review Summary: An interesting story with intriguing characters, but the almost happy ending made me like it a lot less.

The House of Mirth is a “novel of manners” or a novel which focuses on social customs, often the customs surrounding marriage (think Jane Austen, for example).    This particular novel focuses on high society in New York during the early 1900’s, a setting very familiar to the author, and was intended to highlight what she saw as the complete lack of anything worthwhile in that society.  However, as the forward to my version pointed out, what still draws people to this book today is mostly the character of Lily Bart.  Throughout the book we follow Lily’s attempts to marry for money, culminating in her fall from society when she is accused of being a man’s mistress.