Tag: Classics

Review: Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

Posted July 3, 2016 by Charlotte in Reviews / 0 Comments
Review: Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann Published by Virago Modern Classics on June 30, 2016 Genres: Chick-lit, Classic, Fiction Pages: 417 Format: Paperback Source: Publisher Buy on Amazon Goodreads Before Jackie Collins, Candace Bushnell and Lena Dunham, Jacqueline Susann held the world rapt with her tales of the private passions of Hollywood starlets, high-powered industrialists and the jet-set. Valley of the Dolls took the world by storm when it was first published, fifty years ago. Never had a book been so frank about sex, drugs and show business. It is often sited as the bestselling novel of all time. Dolls – red or black; capsules or tablets; washed down with vodka or swallowed straight. For Anne, Neely and Jennifer, it doesn’t matter, as long as the pill bottle is within easy reach. These three beautiful women become best friends when they are young and in New York, struggling to make their […]

Pastime Pleasures #28- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Posted March 6, 2015 by Charlotte in Pastime Pleasures / 0 Comments
Pastime Pleasures #28- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Welcome to my  feature, Pastime Pleasures, posted every other Friday. Today is the turn of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Here I will look at books that have given me great pleasure in the past. These are books I can read over and over again. The only rule is that the book must have been published five or more years ago. This was one of the first classics I read when I was younger when I went through a faze of trying to read the classics. After attempting and failing at Dickens this was a welcome relief. Jane Eyre is beautiful. I love how there are different sections of the book. It is one of the few where I could pretty read from any page and instantaneously know where I am in the story and be fully emerged. I do not have to read the whole book, I can read sections, I can drop in when I feel like it.  And this is what makes it so good. Jane may be plain, but it is her qualities and her personality, her honesty […]

Pastime Pleasures #26- A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Posted February 6, 2015 by Charlotte in Pastime Pleasures / 0 Comments
Pastime Pleasures #26-  A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Welcome to my  feature, Pastime Pleasures, posted every other Friday. Today is the turn of A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Here I will look at books that have given me great pleasure in the past. These are books I can read over and over again. The only rule is that the book must have been published five or more years ago. A Little Princess was not only one of my favourite books growing up but also one of my favourite films. This is heart-warming as well as being heart-breaking at the same time, and it is so beautifully written that you cannot help but believe. Sara’s way in believing in magic is so strong that you cannot help but be sucked in. There is a heroine to root for and a hero to hate. There is hope and lost and pure joy. Sara is a a kind girl, who should really be extremely spoilt. She is kind to those less fortunate than herself and does her best to be generous to everyone. Even if she doesn’t particularly like them. […]

Pastime Pleasures #23 – Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier

Posted December 26, 2014 by Charlotte in Pastime Pleasures / 0 Comments
Pastime Pleasures #23 – Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier

Welcome to my  feature, Pastime Pleasures, posted every other Friday. Today is the turn of Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier. Here I will look at books that have given me great pleasure in the past. These are books I can read over and over again. The only rule is that the book must have been published five or more years ago. Mary Yellen arrives at Jamaica Inn to live with her Aunt and Uncle who have many secrets. Jamaica Inn is decrepit, with no guests, set in the wild and treacherous moors. There are smugglers, a horse thief, an albino vicar and a murder to solve. This book may start off slow but as the tension and suspense slowly builds up, more and more secrets are revealed. The tension and sense of foreboding are emphasized through Du Maurier’s use of the landscape surrounding Jamaica Inn. Mary may not be sure of what is happening at the beginning but soon her innocence is swept away as she gets more sucked into life at the Inn and the ramifications living there has. “Because I […]