Why So Serious?
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week they post a new topic/top ten list and invite everyone to share their own answers. I'm so obsessed with lists - so it makes perfect sense that I'd love this feature!
Okay, so I don't think I really read that many books that deal with tough subjects. And the ones that I have will probably make an appearance on everyone else's list today so.... I decided to mix it up and do something unexpected with this prompt. Hope you enjoy!
Top Ten Books Dealing with Tough Subjects
1. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - The Reign of Terror, the threat of the guillotine, political prisoners, that girl will never love you... It doesn't get tougher than that!
2. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy - Lose your virtue, your baby, the man you love... Let's just say that's serious business back in the day. It's a line you aren't supposed to cross, and it's even sadder when it isn't your choice.
3. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - A war, going hungry, no new dresses, can't have the man you want, and your city is burning. In Scarlett's eyes, it doesn't get much worse.
4. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - You're poor and your dad's an alcoholic. But at least you've got your imagination (like that's any consolation)!
5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - You thought you found happiness, but what you really found were the skeletons in the closet. Also, your childhood really sucked.
6. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - You cut off your hair for money, your sister burns your manuscript, and everyone knows you end up with the wrong guy. That's rough.
7. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier - You basically live in a haunted house. Woo! It's Halloween every day at Manderly.
8. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - You hate your husband, so you have an affair. And at what point did you think that was going to end well?
9. Persuasion by Jane Austen - You lost your mom, and your dad and one sister don't like you. The other sister is a pain. Oh, you also rejected the only man you ever loved. Regrets? You've got them.
10. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - Falsely imprisoned and lose everything. So, is anyone really shocked when you come for your revenge?
P.S. I legit like all of these classics - just in case my descriptions lead you to think otherwise.
Jane Eyre! Be still my heart! Love! I love the creative take you ALWAYS have in your post. Seriously. You rock something fierce and you (AGAIN) have inspired me to read all those classics I so often put off :)
ReplyDeleteI mean seriously, how can I not adore you when you tell me I rock something fierce? Hello, friend. I'll pay you to keep those kind of compliments coming! And yay for inspiring you to read more classics :)
DeleteAre you sure you like classics? I'm not sure if you do. xo I really have to get my butt into gear with my self-inflicted classic challenge. I will be texting you when the time comes. Lovely post as always!
ReplyDeleteHaha! Hope you really do text me when that time comes - love talking classics :)
Delete"Bye Bye Hair" That made me laugh. Out loud.
ReplyDeleteHaha SUCCESS!
DeleteI adore Little Women!
ReplyDeleteMy Top Ten
Me too! Me too!
DeleteLittle Women is fab! I love your list. Very different!
ReplyDeleteThanks :) I like trying to mix things up sometimes!
DeleteThis list is seriously fab.
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
DeleteHahah best list ever!! Jane Eyre and Tess are two of my all-time faves.
ReplyDeleteMy Top Ten
I need to re-read Tess. I didn't love it, but I think it's because of the class I had to read it for. I adored the mini-series with Gemma Arterton and Eddie Redmayne.
DeleteI like your descriptions. It's like the saying I use "you make fun of the things you love." I haven't read any of these except Persuasion, but that is a good one. I like how you switched up your list.
ReplyDelete-lauren
Thanks! Love that saying - and glad you liked my take on the topic!
DeleteYour captions are HILARIOUS. I am highly impressed with your classic liticism. (I made that word up. I like it.)
ReplyDeleteGlad I could make you laugh! And thanks for the compliment :) Also, totally like your new word.
DeleteTHIS IS A WONDERFUL LIST! Ahh, you have no idea. Monte Cristo is probably my most favorite novel ever, and Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Gone with the Wind, and Persuasion (!!!) are riiiight behind it. <333
ReplyDeleteThanks Renae! LOVE finding more lovers of the classics :)
DeleteI'm proud to say that I've read Gone With the Wind, Persuasion and Jane Eyre on your list. I really have to make myself read classics (they're hard, man!). But you did a wonderful job with the list. Way to go =D
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! You're doing awesome, lady. And yes, they are definitely hard. I haven't read many recently - I go through phases and read more when I was in college for all the English electives I took.
DeleteAll classics.
ReplyDeleteThe only one I've read is Jane Eyre.
The others I've only seen either the movie or tv adaptations. Tess of the D'Urbervilles is just depressing, every horrible stuff happened to her.
I love seeing movie/TV adaptations of classics! And yes, Tess is definitely a depressing read.
DeleteAwesome list and fabulous captions! I'm a fellow classics-lover. I'm sitting here chuckling to myself over "Say no to trains", since my friend and I just watched the most recent Anna Karenina film on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteHahaha yay for a) loving classics and b) loving my captions! Appreciate it very much :)
DeleteI adore how you formatted this! And also your choice to list only classics. I keep saying that I'll read more classics eventually, and your list has reminded me of a bunch that I need to read. A Tale of Two Cities was definitely depressing. At least Persuasion ends on a happy note! And I definitely think Les Mis should be counted on here, being an "everybody dies" book, after all.
ReplyDeleteThanks Amanda! I like trying to mix things up sometimes just to be different - so I'm really glad you enjoyed the fact that it was all classics. Les Mis could DEFINITELY have made the list! It's depressing because everyone dies AND because it takes ages to read all those pages. Haha!
DeleteWow you picked a lot of classics I will most likely never read.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: http://rachaelc94.blogspot.com/2013/05/top-ten-hard-books.html
Haha!
DeleteI have to say, your post title now has me singing "So raise your glass if you are wrong in all the right ways..." ;)
ReplyDeleteSUCCESSSSS!
DeleteA great list - The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favs!
ReplyDeleteYes, soooo good!
DeleteCan we seriously blame Edmond for going just a wee bit crazy? I found him strangely attractive nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteNo, we can't blame him. I think I'd go a wee bit crazy too :) (Have you seen the movie? LOVE IT. Not a ton like the actual book but dude major attractiveness going on there.)
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