Hi!

[Radar009]

Hey,

Been browsing the site for a little while now and thought it was about time I joined!

About 6 months ago I really started to enjoy reading. I am in my early 20's and the compulsory reading in school took away my desire to read novels which made me think too deeply lol. Funnily enough it took a novel I loathed in high school to turn me on to literature. The novel was 'Great Expectations'. In school we read it chapter by chapter and it felt like such a dull book. Re-reading it I found it enjoyable and made me use a part of me use a part of my brain that I hadn't used in a while.

Just finished 'Crime and Punishment' which I thought was superb and 'Making History' by Stephen Fry - a nice fun read.
Now I have a problem working out which book to start next. The choice is between - 'Lolita', 'Love in the Time of Cholera' or 'Anna Karenina'. Does any one have a strong recommendation?

I look forward to being a member on this site. Thanks for any recommendations.

[hoope]

I enjoyed readin GREAT EXPECTATION for Dickens..

hey wlc here & hope you'll have fun , meet friends & gain some more information.

see ya around:-)

[lupe]

Welcome to the forum. All three books are great and you should read them; maybe start with Lolita, to change completely atmosphere from your previous reads. Have fun!

[optimisticnad]

Hello!

You got my attention the minute you mentioned 'Great Expectations' - check out my blog, the angelina jolie post.

I'd start with Lolita out of the three you mentioned, Anna Karenina is a heavy read and Lolita is better than Love in the time of Cholera - i'd read one hundred years of solitude before you read love in the time of the cholera. Just read. Don't worry so much about which order etc.

Welcome aboard!

[JimmyRow]

I would also recommend 100 Years of Solitude before Love in the Time of Cholera, but you can't go wrong.

[Radar009]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I think I will start Lolita tonight.
Good to see some love for Great Expectations here. I liked your summary optimisticnad. Can I ask what the original ending was? I remember reading it but I can't remember what happens. I had to laugh when I read your blog about having all the books in a pile next to your chair. Something similar is the reason that I asked the question of which book to read. I can usually decide on which one to read next by reading the first line/paragraph and see which one hits me at the time. However with these three I couldn't.
I haven't got 100 Years in Solitude, is it worth putting off Love in the Time of Cholera until I've read it in the future? Are there some stylistic nuances or something to get used to with Marquez's writing or is it just that it's a better novel?

Thanks again for the tips