Tilly's Shelf
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Victober 2024 Wrap Up
The Doctor's Wife - Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Little Dorrit - Charles Dickens
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
After Dark - Wilkie Collins
London Assurance - Dion Boucicault
#victober
Переглядів: 95

Відео

Short Review: Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
Переглядів 17214 днів тому
One of my #victober reads for 2024
Review: There Are Rivers In The Sky by Elif Shafak
Переглядів 204Місяць тому
This month with Ros @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711 I read There Are Rivers In The Sky by Turkish author Elif Shafak, published 2024. Apologies for occasional distracting noises in the video. Next month we're reading Night Bloom by Peace Adzo Medie
Framed: Three Gardening Books
Переглядів 972 місяці тому
In this video I review three Gardening books, three new ones and an old favourite. How to Grow Plants for Free by Simon Ackroyd (2023) Rebel Gardening by Alessandro Vitale (2023, UA-cam channel Spicy Moustache) Veg in One Bed by Huw Richards (2019, UA-cam channel Huw Richards) I'm tentatively linking this to Framed in September, a readathon of art-related books hosted by: Elisabeth @bouquinsboo...
Women in Translation: Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Céspedes
Переглядів 1642 місяці тому
This year for Women in Translation Month I read Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Céspedes, published in book form in 1952 and translated by Ann Goldstein in 2023. I also mentioned My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrate, published 2012 also translated by Ann Goldstein.
Jane Austen July Wrap Up
Переглядів 2323 місяці тому
Jane Austen July was co-hosted by Katie @katiejlumsden Marissa @BlatantlyBookish and Claudia @SpinstersLibrary. Books and adaptations mentioned (* read or watched, others referenced for context): Emma by Jane Austen * Emma 2009 miniseries with Romola Garai and Johnny Lee Miller * Pride and Prejudice 1996 miniseries with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth Jane Austen's Letters edited by Deirdre Le Fa...
Pregnancy in Jane Austen's Novels
Переглядів 4113 місяці тому
This #janeaustenjuly I have found myself searching for references to pregnancy and early motherhood throughout Jane Austen's novels and letters. Books mentioned: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (chapters 26, 31, 36, 37, 43) Emma by Jane Austen (chapters 6, 12, 17, 18) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (chapters 57, 60) Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (chapter 1) I didn't identify any ongoin...
Short Review: The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub
Переглядів 1614 місяці тому
For this #janeaustenjuly I was lucky enough to stumble upon this fantasy retelling of Pride and Prejudice. If you like mixing up your Regency balls with a soft magic system and a few ancient legends then this might be a good one to try.
30 Picture Books in 30 Minutes #picturethis2024
Переглядів 1626 місяців тому
Thanks to #picturethis and a good charity bookshop I ended up massively expanding my picture book collection this month. The hosts are: @Shellyish @spreadbookjoy The prompts are: Joy Night Peach Nature Blue Change I also mentioned @ChattieTheMadChatter, The Bookish Type bookshop in Leeds and #peopleapril The books: Paddington by Michael Bond/RW Alley Peepo by Janet and Allen Ahlberg Nora's Wond...
Sagalong 2024: The Saga of the Volsungs
Переглядів 2277 місяців тому
This year, join us to read the Saga of the Volsungs (Volsungasaga). My Penguin edition was translated by Jesse L. Byock. Co-host this year are: Mark @richardsonreads573 Vin @revenantreads Mark @BookTimewithElvis Steve @saintdonoghue Shawn @ShawnDStandfast Jack @ramblingraconteur1616 Potential crossover events include: People April Spring Into Adventure Historathon
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
Переглядів 1647 місяців тому
For our March buddy read, Ros from @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711 and I picked Happiness Falls by Angie Kim (2023), after reading a fascinating interview with her which you can find here: www.theguardian.com/books/2024/jan/27/nonverbal-people-deserve-a-voice-angie-kim-on-why-she-wrote-a-novel-about-a-boy-with-severe-autism Ros is contending with a broken arm, and I was battling nausea during t...
London BookTuber Meet-Up: Did I Read It?
Переглядів 2558 місяців тому
Last summer a group of UK BookTubers met up in London, organised by Katy at Books and Things. I showed little to no restraint and went home with eight books - but did I ever finish them?
Short Review: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka (2022)
Переглядів 2959 місяців тому
This is a short review of the Booker Prize winning novel, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka. This journey into the afterlife during Sri Lanka's civil war was compelling and also darkly humorous. I compared it briefly to Penguin Lost by Andriy Kurkov.
Short Review: Yes Sister, No Sister by Jennifer Craig, 2002
Переглядів 709 місяців тому
A short review of Yes Sister, No Sister by Jennifer Craig (2002, this edition 2010), a memoir of nurse training in 1950s Yorkshire. I briefly compared this to A Very Private Diary by Mary Morris.
Short review: Matrescence by Lucy Jones (2023)
Переглядів 1429 місяців тому
A short review of Lucy Jones' 2023 memoir of pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood. I listened to this as an audiobook narrated by Jones herself, and briefly compared it to Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn.
Short Review: Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn, 2023
Переглядів 2759 місяців тому
Short Review: Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn, 2023
The Victorian Literature Journey Tag
Переглядів 1,1 тис.Рік тому
The Victorian Literature Journey Tag
My Shakespeare Journey Tag
Переглядів 190Рік тому
My Shakespeare Journey Tag
My Victorian Literature TBR Pile
Переглядів 1,3 тис.Рік тому
My Victorian Literature TBR Pile
Tilly, Shawn and Ros chat about Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah
Переглядів 96Рік тому
Tilly, Shawn and Ros chat about Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah
Review: Summer of Secrets (Northanger Abbey)
Переглядів 124Рік тому
Review: Summer of Secrets (Northanger Abbey)
Review: The Doctor Will See You Now by Dr Amir Khan
Переглядів 114Рік тому
Review: The Doctor Will See You Now by Dr Amir Khan
Review: The Monk by Matthew Lewis
Переглядів 1,1 тис.Рік тому
Review: The Monk by Matthew Lewis
Ranking Mansfield Park Adaptations
Переглядів 714Рік тому
Ranking Mansfield Park Adaptations
Ranking Jane Austen's Manipulative Mothers
Переглядів 352Рік тому
Ranking Jane Austen's Manipulative Mothers
Jane Austen July - Catch Up
Переглядів 452Рік тому
Jane Austen July - Catch Up
June Wrap Up: Mysteries and Histories
Переглядів 189Рік тому
June Wrap Up: Mysteries and Histories
Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag
Переглядів 265Рік тому
Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag
Short Review: They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie
Переглядів 514Рік тому
Short Review: They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie
Short Review: The Trumpet Major by Thomas Hardy
Переглядів 224Рік тому
Short Review: The Trumpet Major by Thomas Hardy

КОМЕНТАРІ

  • @novellenovels
    @novellenovels День тому

    I think we felt the same about the group book. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I loved lady audleys secret. I’m not great at short stories

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf День тому

      I don't think I'll be reading Lady Audley's Secret for a few years based on my experience with this one, although everyone seems to say it's better.

    • @novellenovels
      @novellenovels День тому

      @ it was loads better than this one

  • @AaronReadABook
    @AaronReadABook День тому

    I agree Sherlock Holmes is better in short stories, I re-read Study in Scarlet and really noticed how weak it is compared to the later stuff. I agree with your thoughts on The Doctor's Wife, I haven't read Madame Bovary so any references to that went over my head, but I would like to read more Braddon.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf День тому

      Madame Bovary is much more predictable in terms of the ending and I found it frustrating. It wouldn't be one I'd leap to recommend. I'm tempted to reread the long Holmes stories every now and then, but I get so much more out of the shorter works - and there are more of them!

  • @kathleencraine7335
    @kathleencraine7335 День тому

    You deserve a special Victober award for completing all the prompts AND producing multiple videos with a newborn! Well done! 🏆👏 I have one comment on Little Dorrit and religion. For me the most important religious aspect of Little Dorrit is Mrs Clennam's strict religious/moral code which permeates the entire story. It is how Arthur was raised (those dreaded Sundays) and why his real story is unknown to him; it keeps Mrs Clennam distant from her son; it keeps Mrs Clennam a "prisoner" of her own guilt; it is why Mrs Clennam hires Little Dorrit, which then brings Little Dorrit to Arthur's notice and sets that storyline going. And finally I believe Dickens was making a strong comment on this type of fanatic religious righteousness by the fate of the (physical) House of Clennam at the end.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf День тому

      Thank you! Victober brought such joy to my month and I had a lot of support. That's such a good point about Mrs Clennam. I just didn't think of her when I was putting the video together - blame lack of sleep? But her role in manipulating the characters' fates is vital.

  • @betinaceciliafeld9854
    @betinaceciliafeld9854 День тому

    Congratulations on your guest for this video! 😊 I love the way you still can find joy even on those books you didn't loved. I'm currently reading Little Dorrit, it wasn't planned for this Victober but I watched the miniseries and got all excited for it. Until that point I was reading a lot of different things for all the challenges but then Dickens took the center of the scene, as he usually does 😅. Overall, I enjoyed my readings a lot. Oh, except for Sibyl by Benjamin Disraeli, I DNFed that one. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of your reading year!

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf День тому

      Thank you! Yes Dickens has a way of taking over. I watched the miniseries years ago when it first came out, hoping to rewatch soon now I've read the book. Enjoy the rest of it if you haven't finished already!

  • @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711

    This was a nice surprise and took me back to Victober pleasures. Good point about livelier women in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Love the imposed sudden ending 😂

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 2 дні тому

      The video was long enough already to be fair!

  • @susan3037
    @susan3037 7 днів тому

    Interesting posting. My grandchild and I just finished studying Mesopotamia and the Assyrians as part of our homeschooling . You have piqued my interest. And it was wonderful to hear the comments of the new generation! I’m certain that you will have another wonderful reader in your family. Congratulations and much happiness to you all!

    • @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711
      @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711 3 дні тому

      Lucky grandchild studying that with you. And yes Tilly is reading to him already.

    • @susan3037
      @susan3037 3 дні тому

      @@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711 Such a wonderful joy!

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf День тому

      What a great topic to be doing in your home schooling. Better than going over the same old Romans etc. Thank you,he will struggle to escape being a reader I think!

    • @susan3037
      @susan3037 День тому

      @@tillysshelf 🥰

  • @susan3037
    @susan3037 7 днів тому

    A lively and interesting review. I have never read Little Dorrit, but you’ve intrigued me enough to give it a try. I have a definite fondness for Great Expectations. It’s like a cup of warm milk for me to revisit that world.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf День тому

      Well I hope if you go for it, you do enjoy it! Most of Dickens is a cup of warm milk, particularly the reliable endings where everything is right with the world, for his characters at least.

  • @NedkaRokonokova
    @NedkaRokonokova 9 днів тому

    I love Maria Edgeworth. Her works are more of the socio-political insight that I want in fiction. I have to replace my copy of Belinda to re-read. In the meantime, I read the "Absentee" for the first time. In my culture (Native American), names are crucial. I bring this into my own writing. With that said, I find your insight into her use of names to be invaluable because I don't have a deep understanding of the background for many of the names I've come across. Perhaps you (or anyone) can shed some light on one this, from the "Absentee." What does Colambre mean? He's the Irish hero of the story, son of lord Clonbrony.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf День тому

      Thanks for your comment! She does make more of an effort to include socio-political commentary than other similar authors. I haven't read Absentee as yet and unfortunately can't shed any light on that name!

    • @NedkaRokonokova
      @NedkaRokonokova 15 годин тому

      No worries. Thanks for answering. Now I'm reading "Madame de Fleury" from Tales of Fashionable Life. It's much more preachy than other stories, but I appreciate her mission. I would not have expected this one with her "fashion" but more with her "morals." At any rate, I think it's pretty funny how I'm neck deep in the French Revolution while I was trying to escape the current political storm over here.

  • @P.EnglishLiterature
    @P.EnglishLiterature 10 днів тому

    Hi, Tilly. Its nice to discover your channel. I'm excited to be here. I will be checking through your other videos. New sub here

  • @sm-k5513
    @sm-k5513 13 днів тому

    I seem to remember reading that several of Jane Austen's sisters-in-law died during or after childbirth. Like you said, there was a great danger attached to things going wrong during a woman's first confinement, but for women who had child after child the risks seemed to go up again with later pregnancies. This was a very interesting topic. I came upon it months after Jane Austen July, but really enjoyed it!

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf День тому

      Another big factor in safety was spacing of children (as it still is today without birth control access). Women getting pregnant soon after previous births faced higher risks. Glad you enjoyed the video!

  • @BasictoAdvanceEarning
    @BasictoAdvanceEarning 13 днів тому

    Your video is very nice, I really like it. But I don't feel good because the views and subscriptions are very low in such beautiful videos. Can I see what could be the cause of low views, subscriptions? 😃

  • @AbiofPellinor
    @AbiofPellinor 14 днів тому

    I read Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, and A Tale of Two Cities this year and it's been so interesting diving into so much Dickens at once. This one also sounds fascinating and I think I might need to add it to the list!

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf День тому

      Wow, that was a big Dickens month! And all quite different I would say, from different eras of his work. Which was your favourite?

  • @royreadsanything
    @royreadsanything 15 днів тому

    How interesting that it was published as a freestanding serial! Great video, thanks

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf День тому

      Yes that surprised me. Thanks!

  • @kathleencraine7335
    @kathleencraine7335 15 днів тому

    I've read Little Dorrit several times and I think Flora improves upon acquaintance. If you listen between the lines (like with Miss Bates) you can hear the real (insecure) woman come through, no thanks to her awful father. I think Dickens is very aware of Little Dorrit's capabilities, but it is the ignorance of everyone else that he emphasizes. And it mirrors Arthur's cluelessness about Amy. Until of course her Uncle explodes at the family and Young John explodes at Arthur. I personally have trouble with Tattycoram's portrayal, particularly at the end.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf День тому

      Yes I agree Tattycoram is a difficult character. Her plotline is perhaps not developed enough. With Flora, I could see the real woman there but felt how Dickens dealt with her was uncharitable perhaps.

  • @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711
    @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711 16 днів тому

    I really enjoyed hearing you talk about this. Generous is a great way to describe Dickens' prose. He can be cruel about older women sometimes. I must get to Little Dorrit but I think Dombey and Son is my next Dickens.

  • @royreadsanything
    @royreadsanything 24 дні тому

    Sounds good - Jennie has this one on her list and likes the author

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 24 дні тому

      Yes she's an interesting author with quite a few books out now

  • @AbiofPellinor
    @AbiofPellinor 29 днів тому

    I've been meaning to pick up something by Elif Shafak for so long!

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 29 днів тому

      I preferred this one to The Bastard of Istanbul which is the other one of hers I've read. Nice to meet you on Saturday!

    • @AbiofPellinor
      @AbiofPellinor 29 днів тому

      @@tillysshelf it was lovely to meet you too!

  • @jf8559
    @jf8559 Місяць тому

    Congratulations Tilly! Loved hearing those baby cooing sounds. And best to Ros on her new grandparenthood!

  • @harmonyln7
    @harmonyln7 Місяць тому

    In a fair amount of historical fiction as well as actual diary entries from the time, the term "being in a delicate condition" or the word condition seems to be used a lot to talk about regnancy. I also read that there was a lot of expectation that men were somehow more intelligent than women by default, especially once they were married. Actually it was thought to be dangerous if a woman was seen as too intelligent, so some would pretend they knew nothing. One account of a woman who used to to be a teacher before she married and had her first child, says that the woman even asked the nurse looking after the child how often the clothes needed changing or how often to bath the child etc. It seems to have gone in something of a cycle, because as you said, in previous centuries only women were allowed at the birth then male doctors and midwives maybe, but since the newer medical systems and practices came in we ended up with again only women working in maternity wards and units. I read something from the 1950s or 1960s that was a list of things for the expecting mother to take to a maternity unit. At the bottom it even said that only the husband was allowed to visit, so I assume there was some kind of policy in that particular place of no other visìtors allowed at all.

  • @CharlieBrookReads
    @CharlieBrookReads Місяць тому

    Love the cute little noises 🥰 It was interesting to hear your guys thoughts on this.

  • @lindysmagpiereads
    @lindysmagpiereads 2 місяці тому

    I enjoyed your rant about the Rebel Gardener 😁 When I downsized my library before a big move last year, the only garden-related book I kept is Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs, which has information about growing the plants as well as using them.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 2 місяці тому

      That sounds like an interesting one. I have another one called The Garden Apothecary which has some historical medicinal uses and a recipe for each plant listed. It's more pretty than practical, though.

  • @AaronReadABook
    @AaronReadABook 2 місяці тому

    I really want to get into gardening when I've moved out of London, I loved my granddad's garden, but I can't even keep basil alive, I could write How to Kill Plants for Free. Maybe I should buy Rebel Gardening and grow an orchard on my balcony.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 2 місяці тому

      I could also contribute to How to Kill Plants for Free - house plants are my nemesis. I have a lot more success sticking stuff in the ground and seeing what will survive with whatever the sky provides than trying to keep tender things watered and mollycoddled.

  • @heathergregg9975
    @heathergregg9975 2 місяці тому

    Oh yes, definitely, gardening is an art! In fact, Scottish poet Ian Hamilton Finlay treated his (large) garden as poetry, with various areas hedged off into little "rooms" or poetry pieces/stanzas. He called his house "Little Sparta" and you can find videos/books on it. He carved words into a path of stepping stones, painted words on white wooden beehives... and through looking into this, I gathered (can't remember source) that in the 18th century in Europe, the way your garden was laid out was a political statement understood in society. Plus gardening is the start of many traditional arts: there is the beauty of flower arrangements and how much of our interiors in textiles and wallpaper are based on flower patterns. Perfume making began and is still grounded on, the scent of flowers. The garden gave herbs, vegetables and fruit for the art of cooking and the beginning of medicine. Thank you for sharing your gardening books - and cautions against one! - it strikes me that your gardening books will probably produce more longlasting results than many of the books I read about art history!

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 2 місяці тому

      I like the concept of garden rooms - have been to one lovely National Trust house called Standen which follows the same principle. And Capability Brown style landscaping is art on a huge scale, not to mention creating a setting for smaller works of art within it. But my own garden doesn't quite live up to that!

    • @heathergregg9975
      @heathergregg9975 2 місяці тому

      @@tillysshelf Well, the kind of gardens you are talking about would have teams of full-time gardeners maintaining them, so no need to get into comparison! (Unless, of course, you have 16 strong-armed landscapers reporting for duty every day at 6 am and toiling until nightfall on your garden.)

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 2 місяці тому

      @@heathergregg9975 If only... Though they would run out of tasks pretty quickly in my little patch!

    • @heathergregg9975
      @heathergregg9975 2 місяці тому

      @@tillysshelf 😀

  • @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711
    @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711 2 місяці тому

    I like the argument for gardening as art. Vita Sackville West would have agreed wholeheartedly.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 2 місяці тому

      I was thinking of the Arts and Crafts movement

  • @fatemaAkter-s8i
    @fatemaAkter-s8i 2 місяці тому

    You really expressed everything I loved about this book.I noticed your UA-cam channel and I'm really impressed with the content you're creating - it's engaging and insightful!

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 2 місяці тому

      Thank you! I did love this book.

    • @fatemaAkter-s8i
      @fatemaAkter-s8i 2 місяці тому

      @@tillysshelf Have you ever thought about exploring new strategies for channel growth? I'd love to chat and share some ideas with you.

  • @mame-musing
    @mame-musing 2 місяці тому

    A few months ago I read about this book finally being released in English. The article might have been an interview with Anne Goldstein. I added it to my ever growing book wish list so, I am really glad to hear you enjoyed it. You are the first book tuber I have heard review it. I hope to read it early in 2025. I do hope you get an opportunity to read “My Brilliant Friend”. It’s the best of the Neapolitan Quartet.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 2 місяці тому

      I do plan to read it soon, I was just worried that I would be interrupted partway through with things I have coming up in September and not finish it again. I'll take it on a holiday one day so that I can give it the focus it deserves! I hope you get the chance to read Forbidden Notebook, it's a new favourite for me.

  • @readandre-read
    @readandre-read 2 місяці тому

    I just read this last week. The growing tensions, Valeria's personal and family conflicts, it was all so fascinating. Great review!

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 2 місяці тому

      Yes exactly. It completely drew me in.

  • @ariannefowler455
    @ariannefowler455 2 місяці тому

    I read this last year, and you summed up everything I felt about the book. I thought the writing was beautiful and I'd like to read more of her work. I know there is at least one more that has been translated to English. There may be more, but I'm certain of one other.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 2 місяці тому

      Yes I think it's Her Side of the Story or something similar. I really hope that more of her work gets translated in time.

  • @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711
    @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711 2 місяці тому

    You really expressed everything I loved about this book. I felt like I lived with her for the time the book covered.

  • @actual-spinster
    @actual-spinster 3 місяці тому

    this made me realise how completely i missed pregnant women in austen's novels !! this was so interesting ty :)

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 2 місяці тому

      I know, they are easy to miss but they're in there somewhere! I even missed one or two.

  • @AaronReadABook
    @AaronReadABook 3 місяці тому

    I watched the S&S mini series in July and enjoyed it but I love the film. I feel like Austen adaptations are so divisive, no one can agree on their favourites, apart from everyone seems to hate the Mansfield Park film which I haven't seen. The Susan Allen Ford book sounds really interesting. I did buy the Letters edited by Deirdre Le Faye this year and have only dipped in thus far, it would be a long read in one go as you say.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      Maybe I should give the film another try, but I remember disliking how the characters were portrayed. I guess these things are personal! The MP that you mention I think is an alright film for anyone who doesn't actually care about Jane Austen, but an absolute travesty for those who do (unless you mean the Billie Piper TV film - that is unredeemable in every way). Yes the letters are a long project - but there will always be another Jane Austen July!

  • @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711
    @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711 3 місяці тому

    I am looking forward to borrowing What Jane Austen's Characters Read and Why.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      I think you will enjoy it as much as I have.

  • @kathleencraine7335
    @kathleencraine7335 3 місяці тому

    Yep, JA = Comfort! Just yesterday on the radio I heard the Beethoven Andante (from the 1995 "The Look" scene with Georgiana at the piano while Lizzy turns pages) and the music alone made me sigh with comfort! The new book on JA & reading sounds fascinating. I only enjoyed 1 book from that series with J Trollope's S&S-- it was by Alexander McCall Smith & based on Emma. He didn't try to be Austen; if you like his style, you'll enjoy his take on Emma.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      I've never read anything by Alexander McCall Smith but it sounds like that could be one to try.

  • @betinaceciliafeld9854
    @betinaceciliafeld9854 3 місяці тому

    That analysis about what Jane Austen's characters read is fascinating! I can't remember if John Mullan talks about it in his work about Austen too but in any case, this book sounds like a great addition to my TBR 😊 I tried A Woman of Colour a couple of years ago and I must confess I found it kind of boring towards the middle part so I DNFed it. Perhaps I should try it again, at a different time as I often feel the preasure to complete the prompts before the end of the month during Jane Austen July.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      I think John Mullan certainly touches on it - particularly regarding Fordyce's Sermons as some of that seemed familiar (although that chapter was originally published in a JA journal a good few years ago so may have read that at some point). But Ford has so much more space to go into depth about it. Yes I did find The Woman of Colour was not the most gripping read. I wasn't sure how much of that was that I already knew the plot, and how much was my irritation with Olivia's constant bible quoting.

  • @gracetaylor7351
    @gracetaylor7351 3 місяці тому

    Thank you Tilly loved your thoughts on the books you read enjoy listening to their .❤

  • @JosephFrancisBurton
    @JosephFrancisBurton 3 місяці тому

    I am still embarrassed that I have never read a single word of Jane Austen, nor have I watched a single minute of any Jane Austen adaptation. OK, not that embarrassed ...

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      I think you might be one of the rare people that I would recommend to start with Mansfield Park. Definitely to read, not to watch an adaptation of.

  • @barbarahelgaker390
    @barbarahelgaker390 3 місяці тому

    So agree, that the Emma adaptation you watched is the best! And my favourite S&S is also the BBC series with Hatty Morahan etc. So good!

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      Yes, those two and the 1995 P&P are really the best adaptations that we have. And maybe the Northanger Abbey film with I think Felicity Jones.

  • @spreadbookjoy
    @spreadbookjoy 3 місяці тому

    Sounds like a fascinating book on books and reading in Austen. My favourite narrator for Austen has to be Juliet Stevenson - she is wonderful!

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      It really is, a perfect JAJ find. Will look out for her versions next time! I thought I would be safe with Rosamund Pike as her Sense and Sensibility was good, but honestly don't know what possessed her with some of these voices.

    • @kathleencraine7335
      @kathleencraine7335 3 місяці тому

      Oh yes, Stevenson is wonderful! Her reading of Persuasion has a tinge of melancholy & she brings out the wit in Northanger Abbey. And her Mrs Bennet is not over the top.

  • @katiejlumsden
    @katiejlumsden 3 місяці тому

    This was amazing! Fantastic video. I read an interesting diary of a pregnant woman from the 1830s a while back, where she wrote about her feeling unwell, but never wrote down in her diary that she was pregnant. When she wrote about doing knitting for her baby, she left the word baby as a blank. I don’t know how much of that was superstition and how much delicacy, but I found that fascinating.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      Thank you! That does sound interesting - and I'd be inclined to think superstition? It must have been an anxious time for a woman and hard not to be able to discuss that openly.

  • @katiejlumsden
    @katiejlumsden 3 місяці тому

    This sounds super fun!

  • @BlatantlyBookish
    @BlatantlyBookish 3 місяці тому

    This is such an amazing video Tilly! This theme actually caught my attention a bit this year when reading about Mrs. Palmer in S&S, and I started wondering about it in Austen's other books. I somehow never paid much attention to Mrs. Weston's pregnancy. I can't wait to reread Emma and pay more attention to her. A fun and rather tangential fact, some of my hair that I lost postpartum is growing back in those weird regency curls that frame the face. I considered showing them off for JAJ, but I was too lazy to change into a regency style dress and just pinned them back instead.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      Yes it was rereading S&S that really brought it forward for me. I was amazed when I thought about the actual calendar and saw how she must have been more or less in her third trimester already. Interestingly in Emma, we see so much more of Mrs Weston but her pregnancy is so much more disguised. I forgot to mention that even at the ball (when she was maybe 7 months pregnant) no one seems to know about it. I haven't fully reread Emma that recently, but I will definitely look out for earlier clues next time. Your curls sound delightful. My hair has been exceptionally problematic throughout pregnancy, so I think losing a chunk postpartum and having it regrow will probably be good for it!

  • @kompas29
    @kompas29 3 місяці тому

    Wonderful, informative video! Thank you! Re other pregnancies we hear about the late stages of pregnancy and confinement of Mrs Wallis in Persuasion. Mr and Mrs Wallis are great friends of Mr Elliot the heir. Mrs Wallis and Mrs Smith, the school friend of Anne, share a nurse, Mrs Rooke, who is an important source of gossip and allows Anne to find through Mrs Smith that her engagement to Mr Elliott is considered as a certainty in the society. It is also bizarre by modern standards that Mrs Rooke is not exclusively a natal nurse but can attend a newborn and adults with various illnesses at the same time. Again,thank you for your research, its was really insightful. Hope you enjoy the summer in your situation:)

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      Thank you! And I can't believe I forgot about Mrs Wallis - although having had a skim through today, we never meet her in person, we're only told that she's "in daily expectation of her confinement" and being attended by Nurse Rooke, so I guess she has less impact on the story. I have no idea whether nurses focused on different phases of life, though I do suspect that most private nurses simply went where they could find employment. However, I would say that it seems that Nurse Rooke is attending Mrs Wallis, rather than her baby, from the way that it is described. She is also (it seems) not paid to treat Mrs Smith, but assists her informally as her sister is Mrs Smith's landlady and she then helps her with her knitting business.

  • @archervine8064
    @archervine8064 3 місяці тому

    If she were alive today, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jane Austen was consciously childfree. She’s happy to have little nieces and nephews and cousins and wishes the pregnant women in her circle well, but if she really wanted to have and rear children and that was super important to her, she had opportunities and turned them down. This was an interesting and unexpected choice of topic. I don’t think I have seen any analysis of this topic before, let alone in the depth you’ve gone to here. Well done!

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      It's an interesting suggestion, but I don't think we have enough to say one side or the other. If her preference against matrimony was due to wanting to maintain her career and independence, that would apply less today, and if she was afraid of being a mother due to the risks involved (which is what I have seen suggested due to comments in her letters) that again would be lessened today. But on the other hand, there would be less social pressure to conform to marriage and children. It's something we can never know. Thank you and glad you enjoyed it - I did find a few scattered blog posts about the topic, but they tended to focus more on her letters rather than what happened in the books so I felt there was something to add.

    • @archervine8064
      @archervine8064 3 місяці тому

      @@tillysshelf oh, absolutely - that’s why I said I wouldn’t be surprised if, not that I think she would be. And, you definitely succeeded!

  • @gracetaylor7351
    @gracetaylor7351 3 місяці тому

    Thank you Tilly I enjoy this very interesting to listen to .❤

  • @cathrussell2426
    @cathrussell2426 3 місяці тому

    So very interesting. Thank you!

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      Glad you found it interesting!

  • @betinaceciliafeld9854
    @betinaceciliafeld9854 3 місяці тому

    Another excellent video! ❤

  • @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711
    @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711 3 місяці тому

    Brilliant. I had really not paid attention to this in the novels so it is wonderful to have you draw out all these "situations" for me. Can't imagine why you are interested in this topic this year 😅

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      Yes, so strange that I suddenly felt drawn to this topic... And feel very sympathetic towards Mrs Weston being tired!

    • @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711
      @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711 3 місяці тому

      @@tillysshelf I managed to ignore the fact she was heavily pregnant that day.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      @@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711 What's surprising is that her character is so present throughout the book, but until then we have no indication of her pregnancy. Even at the ball, which takes place in May, Mr Elton suggests dancing with her - she declines, but just by saying that she could get him a better partner. So it seems that even at 7 months pregnant among her closest neighbours it's simply not common knowledge at all.

    • @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711
      @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711 3 місяці тому

      @@tillysshelf I suppose the dress styles helped.

  • @ElliesCozyChronicles
    @ElliesCozyChronicles 4 місяці тому

    Thanks so much for this review! I would love to read it soon!

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      I hope you enjoy it if you do!

  • @KierTheScrivener
    @KierTheScrivener 4 місяці тому

    I really enjoyed this one! I especially like Kitty as her familar I thought that was clever.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      Yes me too. It fitted very well and explained Kitty's general lack of character development in the original!

  • @AaronReadABook
    @AaronReadABook 4 місяці тому

    An entire novel from the perspective of Lydia would be very silly even without magic added to it 😆Sounds fun.

    • @tillysshelf
      @tillysshelf 3 місяці тому

      It's definitely a silly book, but Lydia herself gains some seriousness with her magical powers - not a lot, but some.