period drama madness
May. 14th, 2009 08:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rosa_cotton*Final episode of Little Dorrit was amazing: secrets revealed, castles in the air crumbling, and a satisfying ending.
Holy smokes, Mr. Dorrit quoted Mr. Darcy! I could not pity him, even as he was declining. Uncle Fredrick shouldn't have died! He was the only person in the Dorrit family besides Amy who I really liked. Edmund Sparkler is like Mr. Rushworth (in the best sense). The reunion scene between Arthur and Amy was quite disappointing. I don't think Amy would have ever spoken so sarcastically, unkindly to the man she loved and respected. In fact, I thought Amy was a good bit un-Amy like in this episode; she was blank in some scenes where I expected her to react more or step in. I guess it was how the director wanted it, but it came across poorly. Once again my heart broke for John, and once again he stole the scene. FINALLY Arthur no longer in the dark! Rigaud must be some sort of magician to he able to get into the Marshalsea... Awww, loved the way Amy took care of Arthur, making it clear she would stay by him. THIS was the Little Dorrit I'd been missing. The whole scene between the two had me melting. The big climax scene was kind of confusing with information coming quickly (at times in french accents) and the intercuts of Tattycoram. Yes, Rigaud now dead, gone with the house; good riddance! "Will you share my fortunes with me?" SQUEE, they kissed! And there was the big wedding scene. That left me with a smile after everything that had happened.
Four out of five stars
*Tess of the D'Urbervilles. This was my first reading of Thomas Hardy. Man, that book was depressing! It was hard to root for anyone: Tess I never really grew to care for; Angel was disappointing with how he abandoned her; and Alec I despised completely from his first appearance. The story seemed to offer no hope. And I did not understand the ending. Not as bad as Atonement, but it doesn't make my favorite books list.
Two out of five stars
*Last week I read Charlotte, Julia Barrett’s continuation of Jane Austen's Sanditon and found it very disappointing. The plot (or lack there of) was all over the place once Barrett picked up the story. She did a great deal of explaining characters’ motives and mental states instead showing them really accomplish anything.
Here I did not get to know Charlotte as I had in Another Lady's Sanditon; she wasn’t a fully drawn character. And the romance between her and Sidney was a series of short encounters, and even shorter conversations…not much opportunity for the two to get to know each other very well and fall in love. (The end was disappointing with Sidney coming to see her and “had as much as an hour gone by, before his partiality for Charlotte was understood by every Heywood old enough to notice?” Surely we could been told a bit more about the meeting between the two, perhaps actually witness it?)
I was surprised by Clara Brereton longing for Sir Edward when in Jane’s fragment she seemed aware of his real character and had no interest in him. And he didn’t seem to be quite the cad he was supposed to be.
While we’ll never know just where Jane would have gone with this fragment, I have a hard time believing she would have made bootlegging and gambling major plot points in the story.
Two out of five stars
*I think I'm turning into a Dickens fan. Bleak House was brilliant. And Little Dorrit, which I finished today, was amazing!! I enjoyed it so so much, more than the miniseries. I understood the story better. I loved the characters more, and despised those who deserved it. Arthur and Amy were... *sigh* An excellent read.
Five out of five stars
*And to close this post: Dickensblog
Holy smokes, Mr. Dorrit quoted Mr. Darcy! I could not pity him, even as he was declining. Uncle Fredrick shouldn't have died! He was the only person in the Dorrit family besides Amy who I really liked. Edmund Sparkler is like Mr. Rushworth (in the best sense). The reunion scene between Arthur and Amy was quite disappointing. I don't think Amy would have ever spoken so sarcastically, unkindly to the man she loved and respected. In fact, I thought Amy was a good bit un-Amy like in this episode; she was blank in some scenes where I expected her to react more or step in. I guess it was how the director wanted it, but it came across poorly. Once again my heart broke for John, and once again he stole the scene. FINALLY Arthur no longer in the dark! Rigaud must be some sort of magician to he able to get into the Marshalsea... Awww, loved the way Amy took care of Arthur, making it clear she would stay by him. THIS was the Little Dorrit I'd been missing. The whole scene between the two had me melting. The big climax scene was kind of confusing with information coming quickly (at times in french accents) and the intercuts of Tattycoram. Yes, Rigaud now dead, gone with the house; good riddance! "Will you share my fortunes with me?" SQUEE, they kissed! And there was the big wedding scene. That left me with a smile after everything that had happened.
Four out of five stars
*Tess of the D'Urbervilles. This was my first reading of Thomas Hardy. Man, that book was depressing! It was hard to root for anyone: Tess I never really grew to care for; Angel was disappointing with how he abandoned her; and Alec I despised completely from his first appearance. The story seemed to offer no hope. And I did not understand the ending. Not as bad as Atonement, but it doesn't make my favorite books list.
Two out of five stars
*Last week I read Charlotte, Julia Barrett’s continuation of Jane Austen's Sanditon and found it very disappointing. The plot (or lack there of) was all over the place once Barrett picked up the story. She did a great deal of explaining characters’ motives and mental states instead showing them really accomplish anything.
Here I did not get to know Charlotte as I had in Another Lady's Sanditon; she wasn’t a fully drawn character. And the romance between her and Sidney was a series of short encounters, and even shorter conversations…not much opportunity for the two to get to know each other very well and fall in love. (The end was disappointing with Sidney coming to see her and “had as much as an hour gone by, before his partiality for Charlotte was understood by every Heywood old enough to notice?” Surely we could been told a bit more about the meeting between the two, perhaps actually witness it?)
I was surprised by Clara Brereton longing for Sir Edward when in Jane’s fragment she seemed aware of his real character and had no interest in him. And he didn’t seem to be quite the cad he was supposed to be.
While we’ll never know just where Jane would have gone with this fragment, I have a hard time believing she would have made bootlegging and gambling major plot points in the story.
Two out of five stars
*I think I'm turning into a Dickens fan. Bleak House was brilliant. And Little Dorrit, which I finished today, was amazing!! I enjoyed it so so much, more than the miniseries. I understood the story better. I loved the characters more, and despised those who deserved it. Arthur and Amy were... *sigh* An excellent read.
Five out of five stars
*And to close this post: Dickensblog
