The result of the latest Classics Club Spin has been revealed today – and I’m pleased with the book I’ll be reading. It wasn’t one I was particularly hoping for, but it’s by an author I love and I think I’m going to enjoy it.
The idea of the Spin was to list twenty books from my Classics Club list, number them 1 to 20, and the number announced today (Friday) represents the book I have to read before 30th April 2018. The number that has been selected is…
3
And this means the book I need to read is…
Desperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy
From Goodreads: “Cytherea has taken a position as lady’s maid to the eccentric arch-intriguer Miss Aldclyffe. On discovering that the man she loves, Edward Springrove, is already engaged to his cousin, Cytherea comes under the influence of Miss Aldclyffe’s fascinating, manipulative steward Manston.
Blackmail, murder and romance are among the ingredients of Hardy’s first published novel, and in it he draws blithely on the ‘sensation novel’ perfected by Wilkie Collins. Several perceptive critics praised the author as a novelist with a future when Desperate Remedies appeared anonymously in 1871. In its depiction of country life and insight into psychology and sexuality it already bears the unmistakable imprint of Hardy’s genius.”
~
Have you read Desperate Remedies? Did you take part in the Classics Spin? What will you be reading?
She Reads Novels 
You know, I have not even heard of this Thomas Hardy novel. But he is always good, I think. Enjoy!
Thanks – I’m sure I will! I’ve liked everything else I’ve read by Thomas Hardy.
I’m pretty sure this is a Thomas Hardy I haven’t read – the description certainly doesn’t sound familiar – so I’ll be interested to find out what you think. I got The Crowded Street by Winifred Holtby and I’m pretty pleased with that as I’ve enjoyed several of her novels, including South Riding, and I’ve long been interested in her friendship with Vera Brittain.
The Crowded Street is great! I read it earlier this year and loved it. I could see the influence of Vera Brittain on the story and characters.
I’ve not heard of this Hardy novel either. I’ll be interested in your thoughts on it, Helen.
It’s quite an obscure one, I think, but I’m hoping to enjoy it.
I’ve never heard of this one either! I’ll be very interested to see what you think of it.
It doesn’t sound as though anyone has heard of it! I’m looking forward to it – Hardy is one of my favourite Victorians.
I’ve enjoyed some of Thomas Hardy’s books but I’ve not heard of this one. I hope you enjoy it. I’m reading Shirley by Charlotte Bronte.
Thanks. I’ve read all of Hardy’s better known books now, so I’m moving on to the more obscure ones. I hope you enjoy Shirley.
My mother was a Thomas Hardy devotee and she always said this book, was very different from other Hardy’s works and therefore even more unique! I have her copy some where and based on what you make of it, may get to it sooner than later!
Yes, it does sound very different from Hardy’s other books, more like something by Wilkie Collins. I’m looking forward to reading it and I hope you will try it one day too!
I haven’t read this one. It does sound different from his other novels – I hope you enjoy it. My Spin book is Little Dorrit – I’m hoping it will surprise me as I didn’t like the BBC version a few years ago.
This one does seem very different, but I like the sound of it and am looking forward to reading it. I couldn’t get into the BBC series of Little Dorrit, so I hope the book is better!
I haven’t read this one – or heard of it, in fact! – but I do like Thomas Hardy and think it will be intriguing to see how he started out. Hope you enjoy it! I shall be reading Gone with the Wind – fiddle-dee-dee!
I love Gone with the Wind so I would see that as a good result, but I can understand why you didn’t want to get such a long book! I’m really looking forward to reading Desperate Remedies and curious to see what it’s like, as it sounds so different from his other books.
Ooo I have not heard of this one before, but it does sound rather good. I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
Thanks. It seems to be one of his least well known books, but I’m intrigued by it because it was his first book and sounds so different from his others.
This is one of the few books by Hardy that I haven’t read, so I’ll be very interested to read what you think of it.
I’ve read about half of Hardy’s books, I think, and am working through the lesser known ones now. I’m looking forward to seeing what this one is like as it was his first published book.
That’s a lucky spin! I haven’t read this one, but I’d like to. I should spend a month this summer just reading Thomas Hardy! 🙂
I love Hardy so I’d be quite happy to spend a month reading his books! I hope you have an opportunity to read this one soon.
I look forward to reading your thoughts on Desperate Remedies, Helen! I’m way overdue for a Thomas Hardy read.
It’s been a while since I read any of Hardy’s books, so I’m very happy with my spin result!
Well you have a great sounding book although I wasn’t even aware of this book before you mentioned it – it sounds as though it is written in a similar vein to my number three, Lady Audley’s Secret.
Yes, this sounds like a similar sort of book to Lady Audley’s Secret. I hope we both enjoy our spin books!
Lady Audley’s Secret is wonderful — so much over-the-top drama. I hope you like it!
I’m sure I will
I think you’ll like that one. I got Le Morte D’Arthur.
Good luck with Le Morte D’Arthur. I’ve never tried to read it and wasn’t brave enough to put it on my Classics Club list, but I’m sure it will be an interesting read.
I think I attempted to read it back when I was a lit major.
I haven’t read Desperate Remedies but it does sound like fun, I love Victorian sensation novels. I had two novels by Hardy on my spin list (Under the Greenwood Tree and A Pair of Blue Eyes) but I didn’t get either of them. My pick is One Fine Day by Mollie Panter-Downes, I’m very happy with it.
I love sensation novels too and it’s been a while since I read one so I’m looking forward to Desperate Remedies. One Fine Day is a good result! I enjoyed Good Evening, Mrs Craven and would like to read more by Mollie Panter-Downes.
I hope you enjoy reading this novel. Looking forward to your review of it.
Thank you! I haven’t started it yet but am really looking forward to it.