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Victoria Waddle's avatar

Kudos on the books! I know everyone loves Elena Ferrante. Everyone except me. (Sigh)

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Abra McAndrew's avatar

I think her fans are very vocal, yes. Which ones did you read? This will be my first.

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Victoria Waddle's avatar

I listened to all four of the Neapolitan novels on audio because a friend in my book club loved them.

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Andrea Bass's avatar

I love seeing Rental House get a shoutout. I really liked that one!

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Abra McAndrew's avatar

It was wry and funny and cute. A palate cleanser after Anna Karenina!

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Plain Jane's avatar

Great list here. Thank you for the shout-out - and so glad you're reading along for Mansfield Park! Will look forward to hearing all your views along the way. 💮

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Abra McAndrew's avatar

I might not be doing this without your influence so thank you!

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MJ's avatar

I love when you do the rabbit hole menus! This theme in particular is catching my eye. A lot of these books have been on my radar and my mind is already churning with complimentary cinema to go with it, haha!

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Abra McAndrew's avatar

I need to see your list of films!

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Kolina Cicero's avatar

As always, I leave your posts with a few new books on my TBR. I have a library copy of North Woods on my desk and have been waffling. Should I read it?? Now I want to read Levy, and I still haven't read anything by Lacey, which is bizarre to me. I can't wait to hear what you think of TDOA. It's a slim volume but huge in terms of everything else (in my opinion). I won't be offended if you don't like it 🤣 Also thank you for shouting out My Brilliant Ferrante! I'm so grateful friends are sharing it and people are joining.

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Abra McAndrew's avatar

I have not started North Woods yet but maybe try a chapter and let me know what you think? I am excited to try my first Ferrante and glad to know I won’t lose your respect, no matter how it goes.

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•the point of singularity•'s avatar

I'm absolutely immersed listening & reading-- in the original Spanish--the unfortunately titled "Silence of the White City" Trilogy, by Basque optometrist turned lauded writer, Saénz de Urturi.

She is an amazing writer.

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Abra McAndrew's avatar

Sounds interesting. I do that too with books in Spanish sometimes, both listen and read a hard copy. I’ll look for that though I am always hesitant to start a series…

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•the point of singularity•'s avatar

I'm bilingual. But being born and raised Latina, I had to constantly check the RAE ( Diccionario de la Real Academia Española) as it's written by a Basque author in European Spanish. Thankfully, my daughter was married to a Basque has lived in Spain for 20 yrs so my ears are accustomed to the "thetheo" and their expressions. Last night I finished Los Señores del Tiempo, today I start that last one.

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•the point of singularity•'s avatar

Strangely it was the last book, the runt, or the PS, you may say that was recommended to me by my mentor, author, journo, professor of Urban Essays. Rafael Osío Cabrices, you see, it was the one he read. “El Libro Negro de las Horas” but I decided to start from the beginning. I’m trapped.

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Alter Kacker's avatar

I’m a big fan of The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy’s early 20th century trilogy about a “middle class” British family — what we would call wealthy, but not aristocratic or “landed gentry.” The central element of the multigenerational saga is a house: Soames Forsyte builds a new country mansion, but his wife Irene falls in love with the architect. Galsworthy won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1932.

One of my favorite features of my house is the built-in bookcases lining our dining room.

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Abra McAndrew's avatar

I have never seen that anywhere! I will keep my eye out for the first volume. I have a bit of a phobia about starting a book when I know it’s part of a trilogy or series, but it sounds like one to know.

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Alter Kacker's avatar

If you’re worried about the time commitment, it’s been done on Masterpiece Theater — TWICE! 1967 and 2002.

Volume One is appropriately titled “The Man of Property.”

If you read it, keep notes — there are a dozen Forsyte at the beginning, and names recur in successive generations. Not as confusing as “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” but still requires a good memory.

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