Category: Classic Literature

Review: Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

Brideshead Revisited was written during World War II by Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh. Brideshead reflects many aspects of his life, from experiences at Oxford, his friendships with the British aristocratic set, and his military service. He published his first novel in 1928 at the age of 25.  Also around that time he was married, then…

Review: Pride by Ibi Zoboi

I have a list of recent Austen adaptations I want to read, like Ayesha at Last, Unmarriageable, and Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors.  I’d seen great reviews of Pride by Idi Zoboi and was happy to find the audiobook narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo.  I thought her reading was terrific and I really appreciated Zoboi’s fresh look at…

Re-Reading Childhood Favorites: Heidi by Johanna Spyri

You might not expect Heidi to be one of my childhood favorites, but it is.  I tended to love books that were grittier and darker.  I preferred flawed or “prickly” characters (think Mary Poppins, Ramona, and Harriet the Spy) and I loved stories that scared me and those that had fantastic elements. Written in 1880,…

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

A Raisin in the Sun is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The New York Drama Critics’ Circle named it the best play of 1959. I read this powerful work for the Classics Book a Month challenge.   It’s the story of the Younger family, an African-American family living in…