Next Book...Hmmm

[hawthorns]

Hello all,

Well, I just finished A Remembrance of Things Past. Now I'm in that depressive funk that so often accompanies the close of a novel you wish could never end. Anyway, I'm looking for something with that same delicious writing and wondered: Has anyone here read Brideshead Revisited or the Forsyte Saga? I ask because those BBC productions were incredible, and wondered how they compared with the books. Very sad though, so not sure that's what I want after ROTP. Others I'm thinking about but not sure:

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Middlemarch
East of Eden
Madame Bovary

Thanks for anything you can throw my way :smile5:

[Charles Darnay]

Forsyte is a great story, but nowhere near Proust in writing.

As for your list, I'd give a positive review to any of them, but single out Steinbeck if you are looking for something special in terms of writing

East of Eden is a great read

[Seasider]

I really loved Brideshead Revisited when I was 20. Don't know how I'd react now. I would recommend The 12 novels of Anthony Powell collectively called A Dance to the Music of Time There is a constant narrator but the cast lists varies from book to book. . The narrative stretches from the First World War to the late sixties. I think he is a Proustian writer. One character is certainly unforgettable...the dreadful Widmerpool.

[Alexander III]

I would surley recomend East of Eden and Brideshead Revisted, both are worthy sequels to ROTP

[Charles Darnay]

I really loved Brideshead Revisited when I was 20. Don't know how I'd react now. I would recommend The 12 novels of Anthony Powell collectively called A Dance to the Music of Time There is a constant narrator but the cast lists varies from book to book. . The narrative stretches from the First World War to the late sixties. I think he is a Proustian writer. One character is certainly unforgettable...the dreadful Widmerpool.

A Proust-like series, but larger in magnitude. My "to read" list just grew by potential magnitudes.

[hawthorns]

That Powell series sounds familiar. I'm going to look into that. Agree about Steinbeck--incredible writer.

Many Thanks!

[dfloyd]

However, If you are looking for a long series like Proust, try Powell. The Folio Society just published a great edition in four volumes so it is available in the US and GB. but after that, read all on your lst. I have always put off reading Proust, but I have a new six volume edition so you have prompted me to start it.

[Charles Darnay]

Based on this thread, I started to read Powell - I was in a used bookshop and "A Dance to the Music of Time" jumped out at me, so I picked up the first one (and it was 5$ so who could argue?) It is indeed, quite good.

[osho]

If you really want me to suggest it is the Brothers Karamazov. His books are extraordinarily provocative and deep, psychological. I read the Brothers Karamazov two times and I again need to read a third time to understand the depth of this book. This is an insuperable book and something we have from a great mind. His was a fine mind and inimitable and his posture in literature unmatched.

If you really want to enjoy philosophy, literature, theological questions, and psychological penetration in one book you go for the Brothers Karamazov, I strongly recommend

[cafolini]

Dostoievski was a great historical event. BK is perhaps his best show of the inquisition. Good stuff that gave way to a lot of what came later, including Nietzsche. Have you read The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes?

[hawthorns]

If you really want me to suggest it is the Brothers Karamazov. His books are extraordinarily provocative and deep, psychological. I read the Brothers Karamazov two times and I again need to read a third time to understand the depth of this book. This is an insuperable book and something we have from a great mind. His was a fine mind and inimitable and his posture in literature unmatched.

If you really want to enjoy philosophy, literature, theological questions, and psychological penetration in one book you go for the Brothers Karamazov, I strongly recommend

Yeah The Brothers is a given; it's been on my list for a while now. Crime and Punishment was amazing and I'm eager to read more from him. Ironically, I started with B.Revisited but found nearly every line was utilized in the brilliant BBC adaptation. That haunting music is still stuck in my head. I already know I like Steinbeck and Faulkner. I'm halfway through Portrait of the Artist currently. Enjoying it a lot more than anticipated. Online analysis helps though...

[english_rose]

Madame Bovary was...effective. But, I found the book hard to finish because I hated the character so much.

[hawthorns]

Madame Bovary was...effective. But, I found the book hard to finish because I hated the character so much.

Oh my, me too. Very much enjoyed the writing and his precise use of words, but for some reason was put off by several of the characters--especially the doctor's wife. I quit halfway through...

[JuniperWoolf]

I did not like Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, but I loved East of Eden.

[mal4mac]

I'm reading the Pevear & V translation of Dostoevsky's "the Idiot" at the moment, and am very much enjoying it. It reminds me of "Remembrance", but I prefer it, and it's not quite so long, so I might actually finish it! There is a lot of intrigue between aristocratic types and "nothing much happens" in terms of external action and plot, but the internal ruminations and conversations are very interesting.

Do you mean the *ITV (Granada)* production of Brideshead revisited with Jeremy Irons? BBC don't do *all* the costume drama! That was great, but so is the novel. Definitely add it to the list...

You get through Proust but can't complete Madame Bovary? I also found the characters in Bovary pretty awful... but intriguing. Certainly intriguing enough to complete the novel, and (unlike Brideshead...) it gets better as it goes on. So persevere! It's not very long...

But if you must have "likeable" then definitely read "The Idiot". The "Idiot" himself might be the most likeable character in fiction. "Prince Christ" was Dostoevsky's own succinct summary of his character...

The main problem I had with Remembrance was that I just couldn't get interested in the characters ... and certainly not at that length - I gave up half way through the cycle...