Welcome to Litsy!

The original 1969 cover. A truly terrible cover for a great book. Required a much slower read than I expected, but worth the time for the social commentary and the low-key roasts Fowles delivers. Some of the most humorous character descriptions I‘ve read in a long time.

Not at all romantic and kind of offputting

"But I thank Mother Nature I shall not be alive in fifty years time. When a government begins to fear the mob, it is as much as to say it fears itself."

Page 45 and I already love it!!

Started off badly, just based on the cover – very creepy – a woman‘s eyes and top half of her face are whited-out and there are branches growing from her head. Anyway, when the first bit appeared to be a lot of description, I almost immediately lost interest. I did find, with this one, with about ¼ of the book left, I got more interested, most of the time. Cont in comments...

“The thin end of the sensible clothes wedge had been inserted in society by the disgraceful Mrs Bloomer a decade and a half before the year of which I write; but that early attempt at the trouser suit had been comprehensively defeated by the crinoline - a small fact of considerable significance in our understanding of the Victorians. They were offered sense; and chose a six-foot folly unparalleled in the most folly-ridden of minor arts.”

“He knew he was over-fastidious. But how could one write history with Macaulay so close behind. Fiction or poetry in the midst of the greatest galaxy of talent in the history of English literature?
...
You will see that Charles set his sights high. Intelligent idlers always have, in order to justify their idleness to their intelligence. He had, in short, all the Byronic ennui with neither of the Byronic outlets: genius and adultery.”

I‘m pretty much in love with this book.

Seriously fantastic, lush writing, unique narrative style, touching on all sorts of issues, and nearly impossible to put down. I‘m still not sure which choose-your-one adventure ending I‘m going to go with. So good.

I do not think this book is probably for everyone, and I get why, but it was certainly for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#1001books

When a fictional character from a novel (set in the 1860s and published in 1968) just completely gets me. 🙌🏻

Here‘s what I‘m #currentlyreading:

I had hoped to finish The French Lieutenant‘s Woman yesterday, but adulting got in the way.

I am started Dread Nation on audio... the first book from my #screamathon tbr for October.

What are you reading?

#31bookpics

Re-reading after many years and it‘s making this quiet, happy, sunny weekend even greater!

Bizarre reading rituals: I generally prefer dead tree books, but read on Kindle at night so I (a) don‘t have to wear my glasses and (b)can turn the lights off. I read with a very sharp ROUND pencil in hand (Mirado Black Warriors,) and I write allllllllll over my books. Sometimes I doodle in them. For illustrative purposes, naturally. #readerweirdness

As unimpressed as Stella is, this is actually a fabulous book, probably Fowles‘ best. #anglophilesoflitsy #dogsoflitsy

This wasn't written in the way I expected! I found it quite hard going at times but relished the social commentary which Fowles added. He writes it from a century later which added to my interest in his writing. Think I'll try The Collector soon.

Book club for March.
The prose us extremely detailed and I'm having to re read parts but that's not always a bad thing!
I'm enjoying the location as I grew up on the south coast and can picture parts of it clearly.
The character of Sarah is wonderfully strong externally but so forlorn and devastated :(

My latest reads! (I'm in love with this bookworm sticker)

The Friends by Kazumi Yumoto was just okay... I was expecting a fun, refreshing read (it is middle grade I would say) but it just felt...bland. ⭐⭐⭐ because I didn't dislike it but I wouldn't recommend.

TFLW by John Fowles was an absolutely amazing journey! Being a lit student and analyzing it in class made it all the more interesting 🤓 It's a masterpiece, no doubt! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is an exquisite work of literature 🤓 Sad I'm almost at the end...

"WE ALL WRITE POEMS; IT IS SIMPLY THAT POETS ARE THE ONES WHO WRITE IN WORDS."

I love this!❤

Also, I just wanted to share that instead of reading Fowles (as I should've been doing because I'm so behind for class -- and the book is really good!) and checking Litsy this weekend I was enjoying a healthy weekend of relaxation and taking in this beautiful scenery! So, worth it 😂😍
City life is starting to weigh me down. Anybody else feel the same?

“..if her God was watching, He must have wished Himself the Fallen One that night.”

Hi there precious 😍 Starting this for my post-modernism course, how cool is that?
Happy to have found this gorgeous edition at a used bookstore last year.

Flying to Edinburgh today . . . Is it ridiculous that Im super excited about all the reading I'll get to do on the plane? 😬

A novel set in the 1860s, written 100 years later. I really liked that. Fowles often interrupts the novel by adding his thoughts on his characters, the plot etc. This may sound irritating, but I thought this meta-fiction quite good. And then the characters and their Victorian surroundings and lifestyle! Sara appears to be the protagonist (that's what Fowles calls her), while Charles is in fact the one we follow. Highly original! #1001books

I love me a good #postmodern novel and this one is a favorite. An example of #historiographicmetafiction....I'd try and dazzle you with my knowledge of what that means but I'd have to go dig out an essay that I wrote in college 😂 All I know is this book and its intriguing narrative structure have stuck with me for many years. #publishedinthe1960s #aprilbookshowers

This was an interesting book to read. It challeged the preconceived notion of the stereotypical character roles of the gentleman and the fallen woman. It also was an educated and sometimes comically astute metahistory as well. The multiple endings was an interesting touch, and as I waited for the story to unfold I believe they added to its overall impact. I am pleased to have found this book, and to have added it to my collection.

Written in 1969, set in 1867, it is interesting how this particular quote is still so relevant, and thought-provoking today... 💙

Squee! Returned through the torrential downpour, but we hit a fabulous used bookstore next to the Free Library of Philadelphia, and I picked up this epic #bookhaul. Needed the bag to carry them all! #bookworm #happybirdie #TBR #LitsyAtoZ 😊📚🐛🐦😍💙💗💝 @BookishMarginalia

EDIT: Some are not in alphabetical order, but looked too good to pass by. The highest price paid was $3!!

There's a lot going on in this novel. It's a Victorian romance, a metahistory, and a look at cultural gender roles with a bit of feminism on the side. There are multiple endings and a narrator who may or may not be Fowles. I had no idea what I was in for with this classic. The unexpected humor and irony are the elements that I loved most. A must-read!

Holiday aftermath with The Great Pumpkin (sporting his Von Miller specs) #catsoflitsy
Enjoying this book. I wasn't expecting it to be humorous.

Lovely night in Los Angeles. We have real rain! Curled up with a blanket, Nespresso and a book. And this goof is enjoying his #secretsantagoespostal box.

Had to look this one up. Thanks to my Roomba, no one will ever mistake me for a slut!!!

Was going to start my 1970 #birthdaychallenge book, but now I'm looking at all these other books that I won't get to for months because of the way they fit into all these #readingchallenge themes. What's a reader to do?

Picked this up from the second-hand bookstore this afternoon! So excited I found this beautiful edition! 😍
I won't be getting much reading done this weekend because I need to focus on schoolwork but what are you all reading this weekend?? Any suggestions I should check out soon?

@LeahBergen 's post reminded me of another favorite #booksetbythesea, also in Lyme Regis. What can I say- how can a book be so wonderfully Victorian and thoroughly post modern? Fowles at his best.

Right about this time of year I always feel like reading a true classic. I didn't read a lot of them when I was younger, so I'm making up for it now. Please give me some inspiration and tell me which classics are your absolute favourites!!