Being indecisive.

[Adagio]

You wonderful people pick my next read.

I have read works by all the authors. I have Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd and Tess under my belt. Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment. Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath.

[wessexgirl]

No question, Jude every time.

[mal4mac]

I'd even choose Jude above "Brothers" and C&P.

[Red-Headed]

I'm with The Idiot! (:lol:) (read Jude next though)

[Jozanny]

Ok, I'll play but went with East of Eden because if I have my memory plugged into the title correctly, this is Steinbeck's least beloved novel, and a sympathetic reviewer's attempt to rescue it made me curious.

I had a bad experience with The Idiot, and much of my hate-the great Russian whom I shouldn't hate comes from this novel, though The Double runs a close second; most of the Russians annoy me, with the possible exception of Turgenev, but I am on less familiar terrain with the man who dared quarrel with Tolstoy.

[Red-Headed]

I had a bad experience with The Idiot,

It wasn't the dreadful Eva M. Martin translation was it?


, with the possible exception of Turgenev, but I am on less familiar terrain with the man who dared quarrel with Tolstoy.

You'd have thought Tolstoy would have been grateful to Turgenev for discovering him in the first place. I don't think that they actually went through with the duel though. ;)

[Jozanny]

It wasn't the dreadful Eva M. Martin translation was it?

Possibly, but I definitely had a few bad days with the Gutenberg e-text:p. Gladys tried to rescue it for me but alas. The discussion molders to this day in the authors' list... I am a bit too buzzed from no sleep from prepping a submission and racing to get my angry cats breakfast, to deal with Dostoevsky, and the elder of my pet children got really pissed, which is unlike him.

[Red-Headed]

Possibly, but I definitely had a few bad days with the Gutenberg e-text:p.

Well, if you ever fancy having another stab at it I recommend the David Magarshack translation. Dostoyevsky stated that The Idiot was his personal favourite of his own novels. I believe him.

[dfloyd]

you should read all of them. But which one first? It depends on your reading background. If you haven't read much Seinbeck, East of Eden isn't the first you should read. Same with Jude. This is not the one to start with ...Far from the Madding Crowd or The Return of the Native are better starters. Reading any Dostoevsky is a pleasure. So The Idiot is as good as any to start with. I have read The Brothers K, Crime and Punishment, The Possessed, The Idiot, and The Gambler all twice. The Only Dostoevsky I wouldn't reread is A Raw Youth. I unequivocally love the Russians. I only need to read Gogol's Dead Souls and some Pushkin to have at least a taste of all. Currently finishing up Tolstoy with Resurrection.

[Adagio]

I have read works by all the authors. I have Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd and Tess under my belt. Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment. Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath.

So have no worries about introductions to the writers; I'm just an indecisive git sometimes. :)

[kelby_lake]

The Idiot is a really good novel. I read it when I was 13 and apart from the normal problem you get reading Russian novels- the names- I found it fine.

[Red-Headed]

This is not the one to start with ...Far from the Madding Crowd or The Return of the Native are better starters.

Personally I would start with Under the Greenwood Tree or The Wessex Tales. Maybe The Mayor of Casterbridge if you are more familiar with the earlier works of Hardy.

[mal4mac]

He has already read Far from the Madding Crowd and Tess. I can see no reason not to read Jude next. I *would* recommend reading "Schopenhauer" by Bryan Magee. It throws great light on Hardy's negative world view & it's relation to Schopenhauer's philosophy. A good one to read between Tess and Jude!

[kasie]

...... I'm just an indecisive git sometimes. :)

Then let Fate decide for you: place all three books on the table; close your eyes; shuffle the books around (no trying to remember which book is which!); take your hands off the books, turn round three times (actually this bit isn't necessary, but it does mean you can't remember which book is where); pick a book; open your eyes and begin reading. Stick to Fate's choice, no thinking, 'Oh I wish it had been....' - it works for me. :nod:

[Dimitra]

I voted East of Eden!The only one I haven't read.
I REALLY didn't like Jude [was my first and only Hardy though] and the Idiot is heartbreaking.

[Idril]

Both Jude the Obscure and The Idiot are incredibly depressing, not that that should discount them, but...just so you know. :p I haven't read East of Eden so I can't speak of that one but between the two depressing ones, I think The Idiot is the better novel.

[Kafka's Crow]

My teacher rated The Idiot above even Karamazov. I don't know if he was right but it is one hell of a great book in its own right. Between Dostoevsky, Hardy and the American fellow (I failed to read both The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men beyond first ten pages), I would not even think about a comparison. The Russian is a God, my God, One True God, while other two mere mortals.

[Janine]

Personally I would start with Under the Greenwood Tree or The Wessex Tales. Maybe The Mayor of Casterbridge if you are more familiar with the earlier works of Hardy.

I would probably vote for "Jude", but understand that was his last published novel and many thought it was problematic. One either loves it or hates it. I happen to like it very much, but it's quite a leap from his other novels in my own opinion. I agree with you, Read-Headed; mostly likely, I would recommend "Mayor of Casterbridge" next. I have read nearly all of Hardy's work. If you liked the other two you mentioned, mal4mac, I can assure you, you would love this novel. After this one, I would venture onward to "Jude". All of Hardy's novels are masterpieces, in my opinion.

[Voivod30]

I started reading the copy of Jude I owned about a year ago. I was really enjoying it and going through swiftly when I spilled water on it and completely destroyed a number of pages, I was probably about 2/3's of the way through when this happened and like I alluded to above really engrossed to a degree that I hadn't experienced with my reading time for at least six months. Any way, I live in the heart of the middle of no where (aka costal Maine) and only get to a bookstore a couple of times a month at most. By the time I'd purchased another copy I realized that I'd pretty much forgotten every nuance and as of yet have not started reading it from the beginning. As for the question posed I'm only familiar with Jude but I've read a small amount of Dostoevsky (Crime & Punishment, Notes From The Underground) and an even smaller amount of Steinbeck (Of Mice & Men at least fifteen years ago as a freshman in high school) and for what it's worth the amount of Jude The Obscure that I did read was more enjoyable than the works I've read by the other two in question.

[Mariamosis]

All of those books are wonderful and I really don't think it makes a huge difference what order you read them, because you will love every one.

Nevertheless.... I voted for "Jude".