Even though he isn't included here, shoutout to Gabriel García Márquez who's written plenty of legendary opening lines. I mean, _“Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.”_ Iconic.
ugh! yes! btw, Netflix is doing a movie of this. there is a teaser trailer that basically just shows you what the landscape will look like. but I was SQUEALING lol
I agree that Lolita's writing is so beautiful. I tried to push through just for that reason but being a new mom to a daughter, I unfortunately could just not stomach the subject. Maybe in the future ill give it another try.
@@chaparra217 I agree it’s definitely a book that is not for everyone Navokov is an amazing writer if you don’t want to miss out on his talent you should check out his other works , i think that’s what helped me
@@chaparra217 there’s a shorter novel of his less than 200 pages it’s called “Despair” it’s a tale about a man who believes he found his double and it leads to some crazy events .. that’s the other work i’ve read but his other ones sound intriguing as well like Pnin and Pale Fire. i hope that helps
i didnt rank them all because my brain is melting but I was most intrigued by anna karenina, great expectations, and metamorphosis (SURPRISINGLY?? after I paused the video and reread it 50 times)
One of my favorites is from Moby Dick: "Call me Ishmael. Some years ago-never mind how long precisely-having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world." Of course it's the first two sentences, but I love it!
I’m from Russia and it’s so nice seeing people around the world reading Russian literature. Our books are definitely not the easiest and happiest ones, though could be good and touching if you’re in the mood
You have a good list here! For Lolita I recommend reading the whole first paragraph - not really anything quite like that opening. Anna Karenina is about LIFE! Just like War and Peace it holds all of humanity within its pages! Happy classics reading 😀
I love the contrast between the excruciatingly long opening sentence of Oliver Twist and the two word first sentence of A Christmas Carol. Dickens is so me
Same, I read it last year and think about it at least once a day. I can't concentrate at work because I'm too busy analysing the characters in my head lol.
Same here! Ive had my eye on it for a while since I love Chinese history but now want to read it immediately. I have read Anna Karenina and loved it so I'm sure Bella will too.
Did I just put Metamorphoses on my tbr for the opening line, even though all it contains is the theme of the book? Yep! The writing sounds absolutely stunning
I haven't read Grapes of Wrath but that opening line's imagery is top notch, classic Steinbeck! I can already tell that he's gonna use color in such an interesting way throughout the whole book to discuss the themes. If you're not ready to commit to Grapes of Wrath bc of first line I highly recommend The Pearl to get a taste of his writing. It's barely 100 pages long & I think you'll really enjoy it!
Machado de Assis - The Posthumous Memories Of Bras Cubas: "To the worm who first gnawed on the cold flesh of my corpse, I dedicate with fond remembrance these Posthumous Memoirs" (Portuguese: Ao verme que primeiro roeu as frias carnes do meu cadáver dedico com saudosa lembrança estas Memórias Póstumas).
You should read East of Eden for you first Steinbeck. It was a banned book so you know its good (lol). Its about how history repeats itself in families, and there’s a murderous sociopathic woman in a brothel in it :D
Interesting order, it's nice to see which books make you happy & good luck XD. I'm currently reading Metamorphoses. Sometimes the notes at the back and the general context can help when you read it but it's not necessary to understand the stories. Reading the introduction of the books gives an overview of the plot so depending on your views on that you can skip it or read it after you've finished a book section. I have the paperback but I'm reading the ebook so reading the notes is easier. The first line you read includes the invocation/asking for inspiration from the gods and explaining that the theme that is used in the following stories is one of transformations. Starting from the origin myths that explain the world until more recent myths from Ovid's time. The thread is like the stories' thread that Ovid follows. After the beginning the stories are generally easier to follow (and less abstract) and are divided into different myths and different books (15 books of about 30 pages). Personally for this book I choose to read a book (~30 pages) a week. The book can be dark, poetic, gory and tragicomic depending on the story. There can be lines like: "'No need for a rambling explanation,’ she said to the goddess. ‘Consider your orders done.'" and "Tisiphone wasted no time. In ruthless pursuit of her object she seized a torch she had steeped in gore, she dressed in a red robe dyed in a stream of blood, and girdled this with a writhing snake as she left the house." or "Do realize we didn’t prefer him to you but to certain death." and "But since we are subject to destiny’s laws, you can only survive in my heart, be recalled in the words of my lips. Your name will resound in the music I play, in the songs that I sing. My sighs shall be imaged in you and scored in the marks on a new flower."
I loved "The Brother's Karamazov" opening line. I have also read Crime and Punishment, like you. And loved it. This makes me really want to read Karmazov
Anna Karenina is easily my favourite but Lolita is a close second simply for the shivers and emotions behind the line, so simple and sweet until you know the background. Going into it without knowing what the book is about it seems like an innocent line, going back after reading it is chilling
I'm spending March and April reading every single classic I've ever had interest in because, just like you, I have so many it's overwhelming. But it feels so good working through all these books I've been meaning to read for so long. I heard someone say recently that Karenina was basically JUICY DRAMA (like historical gossip girl) and since that, I've been super excited to read it. From your ranking, my top three would've been Anna Karenina, Three Kingdoms, and Brothers Karamazov. Bottom would've been Lolita and North and South. I really liked Grapes of Wrath's opening with the "scarred earth".
Watching this channel has been my turning point,, I'm enjoying myself reading classics, ANNOTATING my books and feeling like a genius, reading Manga,,this year I'm doing things which I normally don't gravitate towards...thanks to you, Bella. Also I started bullet journalling this year and I'm enjoying it. Can you talk about your way of journaling just curious. Love you, 💌💖. Back to the video 😇🤗
The Romance of the three Kingdoms!! OMG as a Chinese i must say: this book is so good!! You must read it and you won‘t regret any minutes on it, TRUST ME!
the first line of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall sounded so good I had to add it to my tbr! I haven't read a classic yet, I still need to read Dorian Gray but phewww that one line got me
I'm currently graduating with latin with the subject being the metemorphoses and i can tell you that even tho the writing can be intens, the stories are soo fun!! All the stories involve a metamorphoses of people that turn into stones, birds, weasels etc. Maybe that makes the first line a little bit more understandable?! I hope you like it!!🥰
Jack says "Light of my life, fire of my loins" to Wendy as he's trying to kill her; also directed the film of Lolita. James Mason played Humbert, and visited the set of The Shining with his daughters, who inspired the ghostly twins.
Love this idea! I loved the opening line to Grapes of Wrath so interesting that it's your least... also I laughed out loud when you said Pip seems happy and playful, just you wait 😂
💫no because this looks so fun!! 👀 💫here’s my ranking: 1. Metamorphoses (= transformation, hence the change of shapes 😇) also I have that edition too and indeed it’s stunning!! 2. The romance of the three kingdoms (chaos) 3. Anna Karenina (iconic) 4. Great expectations (Pip) 5. Lolita (yes writing, but pls don’t context?) 6. Grapes of wrath (it’s the mention of gentle rain for me) 7. The tenant of wildfell hall (autumn) 8. The brothers Karamazov (murder) 9. A Christmas Carol (Christmas time!) 10. North and south (Edith!) 11. Oliver Twist (my brain cell abandoned me in this one)
1. The Romance of Three Kingdoms- I love this so much! 2. Anna Karenina- would pick it up based on opening line alone 3. The Brothers Karamazov- murder murder murder! 4. The Tentant of Wildfell Hall 5. Great Expectations 6. Lolita 7. Oliver Twist- why is it so long?? 8. The Grapes of Wrath- I like the writing already sue me 9. A Christmas Carol- I didn't understand half of what was said 10. Metamorphoses- what? 11. North and South- no. The amount of times I had to go back to re-listen to an opening line while ranking 😭 Anyways, great video
Also for John Steinbeck, imo East of eden is his best and the best place to start. The Grapes of Wrath has great ideas and is technically great, but the plot is very simple and long whereas East of eden is a retelling of cain and abel, enough said
I discovered your channel a few days ago and I'm so happy about it! ❤ I love the vibe of your videos and above all you motivate me to read more. 📚 You also arouse my curiosity about the classics. could you make a video about the classes you have already read and how you liked them? 😮
Here's my rank: 1- The tenant of wildfell hall 2- The romance of the three kingdoms 3- Anna Karenina 4- The brothers Karamazov 5- Metamorphoses 6- North and south 7- A christmas carol 8- The grapes of wrath 9- Lolita 10- Great expectations 11- Oliver twist Looking at this, maybe Charles Dickens is not for me😅 Creo que voy a poner todos los clásicos que quiero leer y hacer esto, se ve genial.
Wow, What a perfect timing that RN Im actually trying to read, to start reading classic books but I'm still working on eliminating my intimidation towards classics. This is helpful! Thank u Ms. Bella.
1. Gaskell 2. Lolita 3. The Brothers Karamazov 4. Great Expectations 5. anna Kerenina 6. the tenant of wildfell hall 7.oliver twist 8. grapes of wrath 9. a christmas carol 10. the romance of the three kingdoms 11. metamorphoses
hihi classics masters student here, i just wanted to say a few words in defence of ovid cause the beginning of the metamorphoses is pretty amazing. basically, every ancient poem starts with an invocation of the gods to ask for the aid in this daunting task, in this case the one to narrate stories of transformations (changes of shapes into new forms). spinning a thread is a typical metaphor to say writing so basically ovid is asking the gods to unravel the story from the beginning to the end, untying the metaphorical knots of the stories (by showing how the protagonists of the tells turn into something new) thus transforming the artwork itself 🥹 idk its pretty cool i guess
The romance of Three Kingdoms and Anna Karenina Lowkey took my BREATH AWAY. Also! Since you've been really getting into Russian lit, a shorter novel you might like would be Hadji Murád by Tolstoy. It's under 200 pages and I had a professor that would say it was his best novel.
1. the romance of the 3 kingdoms - she came at the last minute and took the trophy 😅 2. Lolita 3. anna karenina 4. metamorpheses 5. the tenant of wildfell hall 6. The brothers karamazov 7. the grapes of wrath 8. great expectations 9. oliver twist 10. a christmas carol 11. north and south
Yes was hopping someone would do this lol. I’m one who judges a book by it’s cover lol. I love a book with a good dust jacket. I’m attracted to that pop that draws you in and love it when the book cover actually stands for the story inside. Also I’m attracted to old books w vintage art or coloring so it’s not necessarily has to be new. Don’t get me wrong I do give others a second chance or third sometimes to get into the reading but nothing beats a great cover and I also love those first couple line to grab you. Also when I’m buying a book I will randomly open it to any page and read a little to see if that catches my eye as well.
0:05 Woow 😂😂 3:25 yeap, *uncomfortable* 6:18 JAJAJ omg, I loved that 😂😂 7:21 I didn't know the Last Hours was based on this one!!! Now, I'm intrigued 17:41 That's a yes from me
So, Metamorphosis is transformation; the changing of shape. Ovid is retelling all the Greek stories of people who changed into xyz. E.g, Daphne into a tree, Zeus into a swan and so on and so forth!
This is an amazing idea! I'll do it with my own classics!! Btw here's my ranking The romance or the three kingdoms Anna karenina Great expectations The brothers karamasov Other christmas stories The tenement of wildfelt hall Oliver twist Lolita Metamorphoses North and south The grapes of wrath
Im reading one Christmas story by Charles Dickens a year until I have finished them all. It's been really good so far. I loved the first sentence of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, thats number one for me. Then the rest I agree with you, Anna Karenina, Tennant of Wildfell Hall (read and enjoyed both of these)
Rankings 1. The Romance of the three Kingdoms 2. Anna Karenina 3. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall 4. Great Expectations 5. The Brothers 6. Metamorphosis 7. A Christmas Carol 8. Lolita 9. Oliver Twist 10. Grapes of Wrath 11. North and South Btw, Bella, Cassandra Clare is the reason I wanted to read Great Expectations in the first place. So, no shame in that. Also, my copy of Anna Karenina arrived today so talk about a good sign.
Im reading the Brothers Karamazov and that book has me on a chokehold! Its consumed my mind and the characters live in my head rent freeee. I love how you read the first lines cus that line for brothers k is particularly haunting me 😅 Why is Aleksey mentioned randomly without talking about him??? 😭
i dont usually comment but i love 'first/last lines from books' challenges soo much ! so i'm gonna partecipate ofc 1. lolita (i love this first line but i actually had to dnf this when i first picked it up bc it was just making me so uncomfortable😭 ik it's the whole point of the book but still, it was too much for me) 2. grapes of wrath (that's gorgeous, omg ?! simple but beautiful, i've never wanted to read this book but now i kind of do..) 3. metamorphoses 4. the tenant of wildfell hall 5. the romance of the three kindoms 6. anna karenina 7. the brothers karamazov 8. a christmas carol 9. great expectations 10. north and south 11. oliver twist (that was so boring omg, i preferred edith to this)
What I would rank- 1) The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (because duh I got you that book, and I flipping love it) 2) Anna Karenina 3) Great Expectations 4) North and South (to be fair though Edith is a rather pretty name and that BBC show of this is imprinted on my soul) 5) The Brothers Karamazov 6) Oliver Twist 7) A Christmas Carol and other Christmas tales 8)The Romance of the Ten Kingdoms 9) The Grapes of Wrath 10) Lolita Also, I would recommend reading poetry as a palate cleanse between classics. For starters The Broken Wing by Khalil Gibran is so heartaching beautiful, and last time I checked, it was like 40 pages. Anyway, we got your back, delve in, and have fun!
the only book I’ve read from this list is grapes of wrath and it is one of my favourite classics it made me so insane i will wait patiently for you to get to it here is my rank! this was super fun three kingdoms anna karenina the tenant metamorphoses lolita grapes of wrath great expectations brothers karamazov dickens christmas oliver twist north and south also love that you keep wearing the strawberry earrings I’m still obsessed with them my major read rn is don quixote and I’m so obsessed with it I’m 98% confident it’s going to be my monte cristo
This is a great idea!! 4:06 I'll never get tired of this 😂😂😂 1. North and South ( just kidding lol) 1. Anna Karenina 2. The romance of the three kingdoms 3. The tenant of wildfell hall 4. The brothers karamazov 5. Great expectations 6. Lolita 7. A Christmas Carol 8. The grapes of wrath 9. Oliver twist ( that was wayyy too long) 10. Metamorphoses( too complicated for me!:() 11. North and South (obviously)
Definitely read Lolita and Anna Krinenna ❤😊 Edit: also about memophasis almost every ancient Greek story starts by the author/ artist calling on a muse to help inspire them.
☕i love this idea! 😍 1. anna karenina, i loved this ngl 2. the tenant of wildfell hall, sounds mysterious and i like it 👀 3. the brothers karamazov, murder mystery? me likey 4. the romance of the three kingdoms 5. metamorphoses, i dont understand i but i like the sound of it 6. the grapes of wrath 7. north and south 8. great expectations 9. lolita, it gave nothing 10. oliver twist, i got out of breath while you read it 11. a christmas carol, too many big brain words we started the same and ended really different 😂i believe in you reading anna karenina 🕴 *in mushu's voice* VENGEANCE WILL BE MINE
1. Anna Karenina. I don't remember this being so good, I might reread it soon. 2. Lolita. Romance lines always get me. 3. The romance of the threr kingdoms. I love facts and history. 4. Great expectations. Cute. 5. The tenant of wildfell hall. Love it. 6. The brothers Karamazov. Death? Mystery? I'm in. 7. Metamorphosis. Sounds poetic. 8. A Christmas Carol. I hate Christmas, thank you very much. 9. The grapes of wrath. I loved the part "scarred Earth" but it's not enough. 10. North and South. Edith. 11. Oliver Twist. That's too much for my brain's capacity of retention😰
“i read war and peace, but i don’t talk about it that much,” we love a humble queen😏 also, the chaos of starting out with lolita is everything i needed this stunning wednesday morning🫡😂
Here’s my ranking from best to least liked Tenant Ovid Romancé Anna Karenina Lolita The brothers Great Expectations North & South Christmas Time! Grapes of Wrath Oliver Twist
Ok I did my homework 😜 1. Anna Karenina (I read it years ago, it's one of my favourite books of all time, you're gonna LOVE it). Loved your reaction when seeing the Bible reference on vengeance. You're gonna annotate the crap out of this book hahaha 2. Great expectations 3. The romance of the three kingdoms (thank you so much for this, I had never heard of it!) 4. Oliver twist (the first line hooked me,I loved this book) 5. A Christmas Carol (actually you read the first line of another short story/tale, but you would LOVE the first line of A Christmas Carol: "Marley was dead, to begin with". When I read it I couldn't put it down til I finished it!) 6. The brothers karamazov 7. The tenant of wildfell hall (also already read this one, it's really great and unique, the Brontë sisters are just the best) 8. The grapes of wrath 9. North and South 10. Lolita 11. Metamorphoses (still don't get it, but truly admire your taste for challenge!)
i've always been too intimidated by classic literatures too, and in the past, have tried unsuccessfully in my attempts to read them (yes, even jane austen) but my top 4 do be getting my interest, and maybe, i'll give jane austen another go.. maybe.. 1. Anna Karenina - will this rip my heart out, or will this give me unhinge vibes, i'm intrigued 2. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - same, take me back to autumn 1827, i'm ready to read about it right now, that's my favourite writing style (give it to me straight) 3. The Romance of The Three Kingdoms - I'm Chinese so I'm biased (i don't even need to read the first line, just give it to me) 4. The Brothers Karamazov - I love fishy deaths .. 5. The Great Expectations - I also just wanted to continue reading the rest of the book, oh, Pip 6. North and South - Edith.. (somehow, Edith be piquing my interest) 7. The Grapes of Wrath - as u said, it truly wasn't giving, but i'm not mad about the writing style, so maybe.. 8. A Christmas Carol - call me the Grinch, but. . I'm not a big fan of Christmas themed anything.. 9. Oliver Twist - I have tried reading this book. . and my opinion of it hasn't changed since then (not interested) . . 10. Metamorphoses - perhaps, i just don't have the intelligence to decipher this book, and i just wouldn't have fun. . reading it at all (my system shut down the moment i saw the page) 11. Lolita - absolutely not interested.
I TOO LOVE FISHY DEATHS!!! you should definitely give classic literature another try, not all of them are going to be to your liking but there will definitely be at least ONE that will have you spiraling (in the best way possible) and reevaluating your life. Also I can't believe you're an Edith apologist I will never forgive you for this
1 Anna Karenina, so iconic, waiting for the vlog 2. the tenant of wildfell hall, when a bronte has failed? never 3. the romance of three kindoms, let the disaster begin!! 4. lolita, that is so gorgeous, so sad u are talking about a 12 years old 5. the brothers karamazov, why u like 10000 pages? 6. north and south, edith u deserve more babe 7. metamorphoses, at least it sounded poetic(? 8. the grapes of the wrath, underrated oklahoma king 9. great expectations, just because i know the opening line in spanish ahahahah 10. oliver twist, that is a whole chapter boy hahahaha 11. a christmass carrol, thats why i don´t read in english LOVEEED this video queen, i really like reading opening lines of books always, i can spend a whole hour trying to decide what to read cus of that
1. Anna Karenina (simple & the most relatable; heaviest emotional pull) 2. Metamorphoses (really pretty opening, a story about stories!) 3. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (beautiful, powerful, and made me feel excited) 4. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (intriguing) 5. The Brother’s Karamazov (intriguing but not as much) 6. The Grapes of Wrath (“the last rains came gently” just strikes me as pretty and peaceful for some reason) 7. Great Expectations 8. North and South (Not much to judge off of) 9. Oliver Twist (the roundabout way to say “Oliver was born” was annoying and off putting. But also mildly humorous, I’d have to continue to see which tone/vibe I get more frequently) 10. A Christmas Carol (I love Christmas but the opening sentence just says everyone should like Christmas. Idk it just seems odd to rank this book amongst others with its holiday focus lol) 11. Lolita (I cannot take “fire of my loins” seriously. It sounds incredibly juvenile, and reading it makes me cringe. It just sounds like bad writing, and you already have to ignore the older-man-child underage-girl relationship which makes the book that much worse.)
I agree with everything else, but I disagree so much with your take on lolita. I think she should've read the other 2 lines as well to get the full effect because it is truly poetry. It has one of the best openings for a book! If you found the fire of my loins cringe, it's kind of a peek into what kind of a (delusional) guy our narrator is! Again, one of the best unreliable narrator books out there and you are not really supposed to root for that relationship you know! But the beauty of the book is, the narrator is so good at trying to convince you that he is not a bad guy at all, just a victim of his circumstances, and his biggest weapon he uses to do so are his words and his prose to make his case. It's so paradoxical, because the prose is so stunning, yet it is probably describing something awful, it feels like constant literary whiplash. I never comment but I also cannot see lolita out of everything being called bad writing lmao.
@@trishareddy562 I saw other comments saying she should have read further as well, so I even went back and paused the video to read as far as she showed. I still do not see what others are enjoying in the writing; it’s really not that spectacular in my opinion. The next few lines just discuss the pronunciation of the word lolita, and I don’t really find it that poetic or moving. Sure, the word choice does add a bit of rhythm to the sentence, but that isn’t impressive to me? I feel like it’s a commonly used skill throughout plenty of writing. I don’t mean to be rude, people can enjoy what they enjoy and it is still a beloved book by many and has many people applauding it for its writing. I just don’t think it’s that well written from what I have seen of it. (Not that I am the final judge on what good writing is, it’s just my opinion) I just didn’t want you to think that I judged the book purely off of the MC’s obsession with the girl. I was just trying to say that bad writing + an unappealing plot has me rank it low for my tastes. (I also know that the book is more about his unreliable narration but again that still doesn’t interest me.)
@@trishareddy562 I did see some perspectives online that the writing isn’t necessarily meant to actually be well written, but that it is Nobakov writing as HH the character who himself is perhaps narcissistic and believes his writing to be the work of a genius, and I do agree that would be impressive for Nobakov to write from the perspective of an overly confident writer, especially since English wasn’t his first language. So I can respect it in that manner. :)
would you ever give reading a maurus jokai book a chance? he is a great hungarian writer who is famous for his beautiful topography. people often compare him to dickens and queen victoria herself was a big fan of his work. i really recommend The Heartless Man's Sons
Even though he isn't included here, shoutout to Gabriel García Márquez who's written plenty of legendary opening lines. I mean, _“Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.”_ Iconic.
One of my favorite books !! it’s too good
100 years of solitude ❤❤
ugh! yes! btw, Netflix is doing a movie of this. there is a teaser trailer that basically just shows you what the landscape will look like. but I was SQUEALING lol
Love the first line❤
I'm currently reading it and enjoying it so much! ❤
Lolita’s first line never fails to send shivers down my spine such amazing writing . I hope you enjoy the writing it’s really good !!
I agree that Lolita's writing is so beautiful. I tried to push through just for that reason but being a new mom to a daughter, I unfortunately could just not stomach the subject. Maybe in the future ill give it another try.
Reading it rn. Yeaaaa… some parts are 🤢, but the writing at times makes me feel like whoa that was good.
@@chaparra217 I agree it’s definitely a book that is not for everyone Navokov is an amazing writer if you don’t want to miss out on his talent you should check out his other works , i think that’s what helped me
@@stephanievillot21 do you have any recommendations on his other works?
@@chaparra217 there’s a shorter novel of his less than 200 pages it’s called “Despair” it’s a tale about a man who believes he found his double and it leads to some crazy events .. that’s the other work i’ve read but his other ones sound intriguing as well like Pnin and Pale Fire. i hope that helps
Lolita's opening line is actually perfect. It tells you everything you need to know with just one line.
Anna Karenina's opening line is impeccable, i love it so much!
i didnt rank them all because my brain is melting but I was most intrigued by anna karenina, great expectations, and metamorphosis (SURPRISINGLY?? after I paused the video and reread it 50 times)
I have Anna Karenina haven read yet
One of my favorites is from Moby Dick: "Call me Ishmael. Some years ago-never mind how long precisely-having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world." Of course it's the first two sentences, but I love it!
i need to read moby dick!!
All I can think of is Matilda lol
@@aboocantread Yeeaaaahhhh!!
@@throneofpages PLEASE DO-
Yes. I agree!
Okay but "Christmas time!" lowkey ate😭
Fr fr 😩✊
I’m from Russia and it’s so nice seeing people around the world reading Russian literature. Our books are definitely not the easiest and happiest ones, though could be good and touching if you’re in the mood
You have a good list here! For Lolita I recommend reading the whole first paragraph - not really anything quite like that opening. Anna Karenina is about LIFE! Just like War and Peace it holds all of humanity within its pages! Happy classics reading 😀
agree and agree haha, Anna Karenina can change your life.
I’m livinggg for this classics era of yoursss, super motivating
I love the contrast between the excruciatingly long opening sentence of Oliver Twist and the two word first sentence of A Christmas Carol. Dickens is so me
I read The Brothers Karamazov like 3 years ago but I still can't stop thinking about it. It's so good!
Same, I read it last year and think about it at least once a day. I can't concentrate at work because I'm too busy analysing the characters in my head lol.
I didn't rank them but I loved 'The Romance of the Three Kingdoms' but you're excitement to read Anna Katernina is unmatched
hopefully that excitement transforms into me actually picking it up 😭🤡
Same here! Ive had my eye on it for a while since I love Chinese history but now want to read it immediately. I have read Anna Karenina and loved it so I'm sure Bella will too.
Anna Karenina is arguably my favourite book, the opening line is simply iconic, a literary masterpiece on its own.
I moved to the kindle because when you touch on the word the definition is shown. Game changer!
Did I just put Metamorphoses on my tbr for the opening line, even though all it contains is the theme of the book? Yep! The writing sounds absolutely stunning
I haven't read Grapes of Wrath but that opening line's imagery is top notch, classic Steinbeck! I can already tell that he's gonna use color in such an interesting way throughout the whole book to discuss the themes. If you're not ready to commit to Grapes of Wrath bc of first line I highly recommend The Pearl to get a taste of his writing. It's barely 100 pages long & I think you'll really enjoy it!
does Steinbeck's The Pearl have any connection to the movie that recently came out? 👀
Machado de Assis - The Posthumous Memories Of Bras Cubas:
"To the worm who first gnawed on the cold flesh of my corpse, I dedicate with fond remembrance these Posthumous Memoirs"
(Portuguese: Ao verme que primeiro roeu as frias carnes do meu cadáver dedico com saudosa lembrança estas Memórias Póstumas).
You should read East of Eden for you first Steinbeck. It was a banned book so you know its good (lol). Its about how history repeats itself in families, and there’s a murderous sociopathic woman in a brothel in it :D
Eden is fantastic
@@JulEnglefaris isnt it?! I hadn’t been expecting it to be so good.
Interesting order, it's nice to see which books make you happy & good luck XD. I'm currently reading Metamorphoses. Sometimes the notes at the back and the general context can help when you read it but it's not necessary to understand the stories. Reading the introduction of the books gives an overview of the plot so depending on your views on that you can skip it or read it after you've finished a book section. I have the paperback but I'm reading the ebook so reading the notes is easier.
The first line you read includes the invocation/asking for inspiration from the gods and explaining that the theme that is used in the following stories is one of transformations. Starting from the origin myths that explain the world until more recent myths from Ovid's time. The thread is like the stories' thread that Ovid follows.
After the beginning the stories are generally easier to follow (and less abstract) and are divided into different myths and different books (15 books of about 30 pages). Personally for this book I choose to read a book (~30 pages) a week. The book can be dark, poetic, gory and tragicomic depending on the story.
There can be lines like: "'No need for a rambling explanation,’ she said to the goddess. ‘Consider your orders done.'" and "Tisiphone wasted no time. In ruthless pursuit of her object she seized a torch she had steeped in gore, she dressed in a red robe dyed in a stream of blood, and girdled this with a writhing snake as she left the house." or "Do realize we didn’t prefer him to you but to certain death." and "But since we are subject to destiny’s laws, you can only survive in my heart, be recalled in the words of my lips. Your name will resound in the music I play, in the songs that I sing. My sighs shall be imaged in you and scored in the marks on a new flower."
I loved "The Brother's Karamazov" opening line. I have also read Crime and Punishment, like you. And loved it. This makes me really want to read Karmazov
Shot every time she says "it's giving"
you have single-handedly sparked my courage and determination to read classics.
I seriously cannot wait till you read Anna Karenina because it's one of my favorite classics of all time 😩 and the first line literal masterpiece
Anna Karenina is easily my favourite but Lolita is a close second simply for the shivers and emotions behind the line, so simple and sweet until you know the background. Going into it without knowing what the book is about it seems like an innocent line, going back after reading it is chilling
i'm such a sucker for the opening line of lolita like WHAT a way to introduce your story
This is such a cute idea I love it!! I think based on what you've read I loved Great Expectation and Anna Karenina the most!
I'm spending March and April reading every single classic I've ever had interest in because, just like you, I have so many it's overwhelming. But it feels so good working through all these books I've been meaning to read for so long.
I heard someone say recently that Karenina was basically JUICY DRAMA (like historical gossip girl) and since that, I've been super excited to read it.
From your ranking, my top three would've been Anna Karenina, Three Kingdoms, and Brothers Karamazov. Bottom would've been Lolita and North and South. I really liked Grapes of Wrath's opening with the "scarred earth".
historical GOSSIP GIRL????? 🏃♀️💨💨
THE METAMORPHOSES OPENING LINE IS STUNNING I WANT IT
oh my gosh your metamorphosis book first line reaction was hilarious
“The Romance of three kingdoms”catches my attention 😳✨big yes for Lolita the fact that I read it at my 20 😂
Watching this channel has been my turning point,, I'm enjoying myself reading classics, ANNOTATING my books and feeling like a genius, reading Manga,,this year I'm doing things which I normally don't gravitate towards...thanks to you, Bella. Also I started bullet journalling this year and I'm enjoying it. Can you talk about your way of journaling just curious. Love you, 💌💖. Back to the video 😇🤗
hii i'm so happy you enjoy 🥰🫶 i don't journal actually 👉👈
The Romance of the three Kingdoms!!
OMG as a Chinese i must say: this book is so good!! You must read it and you won‘t regret any minutes on it, TRUST ME!
the final results were really interesting to me cause I watched this video while literally taking a snack break while reading Anna Karenina jskskks
the first line of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall sounded so good I had to add it to my tbr! I haven't read a classic yet, I still need to read Dorian Gray but phewww that one line got me
8:48 the book name "metamorphoses" itself gives the idea of "the changes of shape"
anna karenina's was definitely my favourite! i also loved the romance of the three kingdoms
I'm currently graduating with latin with the subject being the metemorphoses and i can tell you that even tho the writing can be intens, the stories are soo fun!! All the stories involve a metamorphoses of people that turn into stones, birds, weasels etc. Maybe that makes the first line a little bit more understandable?! I hope you like it!!🥰
graduating with latin!! that sounds amazing 😭
@@throneofpages thankss🥰 the translating is hardddd tho haha
Your hair looks so good bestie!! Seeing a video from you always brightens my day : )
Thank you so much!!
Jack says "Light of my life, fire of my loins" to Wendy as he's trying to kill her; also directed the film of Lolita. James Mason played Humbert, and visited the set of The Shining with his daughters, who inspired the ghostly twins.
Love this idea! I loved the opening line to Grapes of Wrath so interesting that it's your least... also I laughed out loud when you said Pip seems happy and playful, just you wait 😂
Agree about Grapes of Wrath opening line.
💫no because this looks so fun!! 👀
💫here’s my ranking:
1. Metamorphoses (= transformation, hence the change of shapes 😇) also I have that edition too and indeed it’s stunning!!
2. The romance of the three kingdoms (chaos)
3. Anna Karenina (iconic)
4. Great expectations (Pip)
5. Lolita (yes writing, but pls don’t context?)
6. Grapes of wrath (it’s the mention of gentle rain for me)
7. The tenant of wildfell hall (autumn)
8. The brothers Karamazov (murder)
9. A Christmas Carol (Christmas time!)
10. North and south (Edith!)
11. Oliver Twist (my brain cell abandoned me in this one)
regarding the metamorphoses DUUUH i can't believe i didn't connect the dots 😭😭 thank you!!
EDITH!!
1. The Romance of Three Kingdoms- I love this so much!
2. Anna Karenina- would pick it up based on opening line alone
3. The Brothers Karamazov- murder murder murder!
4. The Tentant of Wildfell Hall
5. Great Expectations
6. Lolita
7. Oliver Twist- why is it so long??
8. The Grapes of Wrath- I like the writing already sue me
9. A Christmas Carol- I didn't understand half of what was said
10. Metamorphoses- what?
11. North and South- no.
The amount of times I had to go back to re-listen to an opening line while ranking 😭
Anyways, great video
Also for John Steinbeck, imo East of eden is his best and the best place to start. The Grapes of Wrath has great ideas and is technically great, but the plot is very simple and long whereas East of eden is a retelling of cain and abel, enough said
East of Eden goes so hard
great expectations is my fav classic. I love miss haversham and estella!
I discovered your channel a few days ago and I'm so happy about it! ❤ I love the vibe of your videos and above all you motivate me to read more. 📚 You also arouse my curiosity about the classics. could you make a video about the classes you have already read and how you liked them? 😮
Here's my rank:
1- The tenant of wildfell hall
2- The romance of the three kingdoms
3- Anna Karenina
4- The brothers Karamazov
5- Metamorphoses
6- North and south
7- A christmas carol
8- The grapes of wrath
9- Lolita
10- Great expectations
11- Oliver twist
Looking at this, maybe Charles Dickens is not for me😅
Creo que voy a poner todos los clásicos que quiero leer y hacer esto, se ve genial.
Wow, What a perfect timing that RN Im actually trying to read, to start reading classic books but I'm still working on eliminating my intimidation towards classics. This is helpful! Thank u Ms. Bella.
First of your videos I watched. Was not ready for the end card music to shatter my heart 🙃
1. Gaskell
2. Lolita
3. The Brothers Karamazov
4. Great Expectations
5. anna Kerenina
6. the tenant of wildfell hall
7.oliver twist
8. grapes of wrath
9. a christmas carol
10. the romance of the three kingdoms
11. metamorphoses
Anna Karenina is fantastic! You will absolutely love it
hihi classics masters student here, i just wanted to say a few words in defence of ovid cause the beginning of the metamorphoses is pretty amazing.
basically, every ancient poem starts with an invocation of the gods to ask for the aid in this daunting task, in this case the one to narrate stories of transformations (changes of shapes into new forms). spinning a thread is a typical metaphor to say writing so basically ovid is asking the gods to unravel the story from the beginning to the end, untying the metaphorical knots of the stories (by showing how the protagonists of the tells turn into something new) thus transforming the artwork itself 🥹 idk its pretty cool i guess
OMG !! I love all your videos ❤! It's because of you I started a classic shelf now !! Thank you ❤️
I'm so glad! 💗
I only have Lolita and haven't read it yet but the first line of Anna Karenina really deserves the top spot.
The romance of Three Kingdoms and Anna Karenina Lowkey took my BREATH AWAY.
Also! Since you've been really getting into Russian lit, a shorter novel you might like would be Hadji Murád by Tolstoy. It's under 200 pages and I had a professor that would say it was his best novel.
Not surprised that Anna Karenina ended up the first! This line is famous
omg this is such a fun idea! hope you have a great day bella, love ya!
1. the romance of the 3 kingdoms - she came at the last minute and took the trophy 😅
2. Lolita
3. anna karenina
4. metamorpheses
5. the tenant of wildfell hall
6. The brothers karamazov
7. the grapes of wrath
8. great expectations
9. oliver twist
10. a christmas carol
11. north and south
Yes was hopping someone would do this lol. I’m one who judges a book by it’s cover lol. I love a book with a good dust jacket. I’m attracted to that pop that draws you in and love it when the book cover actually stands for the story inside. Also I’m attracted to old books w vintage art or coloring so it’s not necessarily has to be new. Don’t get me wrong I do give others a second chance or third sometimes to get into the reading but nothing beats a great cover and I also love those first couple line to grab you. Also when I’m buying a book I will randomly open it to any page and read a little to see if that catches my eye as well.
Anna Karenina sounds so interesting and I´m here for it
0:05 Woow 😂😂
3:25 yeap, *uncomfortable*
6:18 JAJAJ omg, I loved that 😂😂
7:21 I didn't know the Last Hours was based on this one!!! Now, I'm intrigued
17:41 That's a yes from me
Now I need a video where you rank those books after reading them 😂
So, Metamorphosis is transformation; the changing of shape. Ovid is retelling all the Greek stories of people who changed into xyz. E.g, Daphne into a tree, Zeus into a swan and so on and so forth!
Great Expectations slapssss. We love little orphan pip
Omg that is the most fun book-tube video I’ve seen in a while. Loved how you went to reboot on Metamorphosis, cause same! 😅
This is an amazing idea! I'll do it with my own classics!! Btw here's my ranking
The romance or the three kingdoms
Anna karenina
Great expectations
The brothers karamasov
Other christmas stories
The tenement of wildfelt hall
Oliver twist
Lolita
Metamorphoses
North and south
The grapes of wrath
Im reading one Christmas story by Charles Dickens a year until I have finished them all. It's been really good so far.
I loved the first sentence of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, thats number one for me.
Then the rest I agree with you, Anna Karenina, Tennant of Wildfell Hall (read and enjoyed both of these)
Rankings
1. The Romance of the three Kingdoms
2. Anna Karenina
3. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
4. Great Expectations
5. The Brothers
6. Metamorphosis
7. A Christmas Carol
8. Lolita
9. Oliver Twist
10. Grapes of Wrath
11. North and South
Btw, Bella, Cassandra Clare is the reason I wanted to read Great Expectations in the first place. So, no shame in that. Also, my copy of Anna Karenina arrived today so talk about a good sign.
Im reading the Brothers Karamazov and that book has me on a chokehold! Its consumed my mind and the characters live in my head rent freeee.
I love how you read the first lines cus that line for brothers k is particularly haunting me 😅 Why is Aleksey mentioned randomly without talking about him??? 😭
i dont usually comment but i love 'first/last lines from books' challenges soo much ! so i'm gonna partecipate ofc
1. lolita (i love this first line but i actually had to dnf this when i first picked it up bc it was just making me so uncomfortable😭 ik it's the whole point of the book but still, it was too much for me)
2. grapes of wrath (that's gorgeous, omg ?! simple but beautiful, i've never wanted to read this book but now i kind of do..)
3. metamorphoses
4. the tenant of wildfell hall
5. the romance of the three kindoms
6. anna karenina
7. the brothers karamazov
8. a christmas carol
9. great expectations
10. north and south
11. oliver twist (that was so boring omg, i preferred edith to this)
What I would rank-
1) The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (because duh I got you that book, and I flipping love it)
2) Anna Karenina
3) Great Expectations
4) North and South (to be fair though Edith is a rather pretty name and that BBC show of this is imprinted on my soul)
5) The Brothers Karamazov
6) Oliver Twist
7) A Christmas Carol and other Christmas tales
8)The Romance of the Ten Kingdoms
9) The Grapes of Wrath
10) Lolita
Also, I would recommend reading poetry as a palate cleanse between classics. For starters The Broken Wing by Khalil Gibran is so heartaching beautiful, and last time I checked, it was like 40 pages. Anyway, we got your back, delve in, and have fun!
the only book I’ve read from this list is grapes of wrath and it is one of my favourite classics it made me so insane i will wait patiently for you to get to it
here is my rank! this was super fun
three kingdoms
anna karenina
the tenant
metamorphoses
lolita
grapes of wrath
great expectations
brothers karamazov
dickens christmas
oliver twist
north and south
also love that you keep wearing the strawberry earrings I’m still obsessed with them
my major read rn is don quixote and I’m so obsessed with it I’m 98% confident it’s going to be my monte cristo
This is a great idea!! 4:06 I'll never get tired of this 😂😂😂
1. North and South ( just kidding lol)
1. Anna Karenina
2. The romance of the three kingdoms
3. The tenant of wildfell hall
4. The brothers karamazov
5. Great expectations
6. Lolita
7. A Christmas Carol
8. The grapes of wrath
9. Oliver twist ( that was wayyy too long)
10. Metamorphoses( too complicated for me!:()
11. North and South (obviously)
Now I have to read Anna Karenina. That’s no. 1 for me.
Definitely read Lolita and Anna Krinenna ❤😊
Edit: also about memophasis almost every ancient Greek story starts by the author/ artist calling on a muse to help inspire them.
happy to say i've read Lolita, Anna Karenina AND metamorphoses!
You make me want to read my classics again. 🤗😎
I honestly have given up on reading classics because I usually dont understand any of what's going on but I loved this video nevertheless !! 💕
☕i love this idea! 😍
1. anna karenina, i loved this ngl
2. the tenant of wildfell hall, sounds mysterious and i like it 👀
3. the brothers karamazov, murder mystery? me likey
4. the romance of the three kingdoms
5. metamorphoses, i dont understand i but i like the sound of it
6. the grapes of wrath
7. north and south
8. great expectations
9. lolita, it gave nothing
10. oliver twist, i got out of breath while you read it
11. a christmas carol, too many big brain words
we started the same and ended really different 😂i believe in you reading anna karenina 🕴
*in mushu's voice* VENGEANCE WILL BE MINE
i really thought we we're going to have the same ranking and then everything is different halfway through kdjfh 🤡 NOT LOLITA GIVING NOTHING 💀💀
Lolita’s first line being one of my favourite Lana Del Rey lyric makes me want to read it immediately 😞
Be a good baby, -do what I want- read Lo-li-ta 😅
based off your vibe i think you will lovee anna karenina.
what's my vibe 👀👀👀
1. Anna Karenina. I don't remember this being so good, I might reread it soon.
2. Lolita. Romance lines always get me.
3. The romance of the threr kingdoms. I love facts and history.
4. Great expectations. Cute.
5. The tenant of wildfell hall. Love it.
6. The brothers Karamazov. Death? Mystery? I'm in.
7. Metamorphosis. Sounds poetic.
8. A Christmas Carol. I hate Christmas, thank you very much.
9. The grapes of wrath. I loved the part "scarred Earth" but it's not enough.
10. North and South. Edith.
11. Oliver Twist. That's too much for my brain's capacity of retention😰
“i read war and peace, but i don’t talk about it that much,” we love a humble queen😏
also, the chaos of starting out with lolita is everything i needed this stunning wednesday morning🫡😂
my one takeaway: edith😤
Mel! 😅
I adore Dickens but there are times when it's like tell me you were paid by the word without telling me.
This is a great approach to deciding what to read, but I have so many books I'm in the middle I can't.
This video was so much fun! Honestly I agree all of your ranking, now I need to read Anna Karenina soon, it sounds so good! 😍
Here’s my ranking from best to least liked
Tenant
Ovid
Romancé
Anna Karenina
Lolita
The brothers
Great Expectations
North & South
Christmas Time!
Grapes of Wrath
Oliver Twist
when we studied great expectations our professor made a twenty minute speech about that opening line
u look so pretty gurll 😭😭❤❤
Ok I did my homework 😜
1. Anna Karenina (I read it years ago, it's one of my favourite books of all time, you're gonna LOVE it). Loved your reaction when seeing the Bible reference on vengeance. You're gonna annotate the crap out of this book hahaha
2. Great expectations
3. The romance of the three kingdoms (thank you so much for this, I had never heard of it!)
4. Oliver twist (the first line hooked me,I loved this book)
5. A Christmas Carol (actually you read the first line of another short story/tale, but you would LOVE the first line of A Christmas Carol: "Marley was dead, to begin with". When I read it I couldn't put it down til I finished it!)
6. The brothers karamazov
7. The tenant of wildfell hall (also already read this one, it's really great and unique, the Brontë sisters are just the best)
8. The grapes of wrath
9. North and South
10. Lolita
11. Metamorphoses (still don't get it, but truly admire your taste for challenge!)
anna karenina #1 as she deserves 🤝
I love all those penguin classics 😊
i've always been too intimidated by classic literatures too, and in the past, have tried unsuccessfully in my attempts to read them (yes, even jane austen) but my top 4 do be getting my interest, and maybe, i'll give jane austen another go.. maybe..
1. Anna Karenina - will this rip my heart out, or will this give me unhinge vibes, i'm intrigued
2. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - same, take me back to autumn 1827, i'm ready to read about it right now, that's my favourite writing style (give it to me straight)
3. The Romance of The Three Kingdoms - I'm Chinese so I'm biased (i don't even need to read the first line, just give it to me)
4. The Brothers Karamazov - I love fishy deaths ..
5. The Great Expectations - I also just wanted to continue reading the rest of the book, oh, Pip
6. North and South - Edith.. (somehow, Edith be piquing my interest)
7. The Grapes of Wrath - as u said, it truly wasn't giving, but i'm not mad about the writing style, so maybe..
8. A Christmas Carol - call me the Grinch, but. . I'm not a big fan of Christmas themed anything..
9. Oliver Twist - I have tried reading this book. . and my opinion of it hasn't changed since then (not interested) . .
10. Metamorphoses - perhaps, i just don't have the intelligence to decipher this book, and i just wouldn't have fun. . reading it at all (my system shut down the moment i saw the page)
11. Lolita - absolutely not interested.
I TOO LOVE FISHY DEATHS!!! you should definitely give classic literature another try, not all of them are going to be to your liking but there will definitely be at least ONE that will have you spiraling (in the best way possible) and reevaluating your life.
Also I can't believe you're an Edith apologist I will never forgive you for this
Same rank except Lolita it's forever iconic, it'll take the number one spot for me
I loved this concept
1 Anna Karenina, so iconic, waiting for the vlog
2. the tenant of wildfell hall, when a bronte has failed? never
3. the romance of three kindoms, let the disaster begin!!
4. lolita, that is so gorgeous, so sad u are talking about a 12 years old
5. the brothers karamazov, why u like 10000 pages?
6. north and south, edith u deserve more babe
7. metamorphoses, at least it sounded poetic(?
8. the grapes of the wrath, underrated oklahoma king
9. great expectations, just because i know the opening line in spanish ahahahah
10. oliver twist, that is a whole chapter boy hahahaha
11. a christmass carrol, thats why i don´t read in english
LOVEEED this video queen, i really like reading opening lines of books always, i can spend a whole hour trying to decide what to read cus of that
8:50 thats me when I try to read classics😂 I wish I could enjoy it more like everyone else😢
light of my life fire of my loins is actually quoted in lana del rey's song off to the races aka one of the best songs of all time
Anna Karenina, Great Expectations because I am reading Cassandra Clare books so I understand it, and The Brothers Karamazov.
1. Anna Karenina (simple & the most relatable; heaviest emotional pull)
2. Metamorphoses (really pretty opening, a story about stories!)
3. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (beautiful, powerful, and made me feel excited)
4. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (intriguing)
5. The Brother’s Karamazov (intriguing but not as much)
6. The Grapes of Wrath (“the last rains came gently” just strikes me as pretty and peaceful for some reason)
7. Great Expectations
8. North and South (Not much to judge off of)
9. Oliver Twist (the roundabout way to say “Oliver was born” was annoying and off putting. But also mildly humorous, I’d have to continue to see which tone/vibe I get more frequently)
10. A Christmas Carol (I love Christmas but the opening sentence just says everyone should like Christmas. Idk it just seems odd to rank this book amongst others with its holiday focus lol)
11. Lolita (I cannot take “fire of my loins” seriously. It sounds incredibly juvenile, and reading it makes me cringe. It just sounds like bad writing, and you already have to ignore the older-man-child underage-girl relationship which makes the book that much worse.)
I agree with everything else, but I disagree so much with your take on lolita. I think she should've read the other 2 lines as well to get the full effect because it is truly poetry. It has one of the best openings for a book! If you found the fire of my loins cringe, it's kind of a peek into what kind of a (delusional) guy our narrator is! Again, one of the best unreliable narrator books out there and you are not really supposed to root for that relationship you know! But the beauty of the book is, the narrator is so good at trying to convince you that he is not a bad guy at all, just a victim of his circumstances, and his biggest weapon he uses to do so are his words and his prose to make his case. It's so paradoxical, because the prose is so stunning, yet it is probably describing something awful, it feels like constant literary whiplash.
I never comment but I also cannot see lolita out of everything being called bad writing lmao.
@@trishareddy562
I saw other comments saying she should have read further as well, so I even went back and paused the video to read as far as she showed. I still do not see what others are enjoying in the writing; it’s really not that spectacular in my opinion. The next few lines just discuss the pronunciation of the word lolita, and I don’t really find it that poetic or moving. Sure, the word choice does add a bit of rhythm to the sentence, but that isn’t impressive to me? I feel like it’s a commonly used skill throughout plenty of writing. I don’t mean to be rude, people can enjoy what they enjoy and it is still a beloved book by many and has many people applauding it for its writing. I just don’t think it’s that well written from what I have seen of it. (Not that I am the final judge on what good writing is, it’s just my opinion)
I just didn’t want you to think that I judged the book purely off of the MC’s obsession with the girl. I was just trying to say that bad writing + an unappealing plot has me rank it low for my tastes. (I also know that the book is more about his unreliable narration but again that still doesn’t interest me.)
@@silvermoonanime If you still didn't like it, that's completely fine! :)
@@trishareddy562 I did see some perspectives online that the writing isn’t necessarily meant to actually be well written, but that it is Nobakov writing as HH the character who himself is perhaps narcissistic and believes his writing to be the work of a genius, and I do agree that would be impressive for Nobakov to write from the perspective of an overly confident writer, especially since English wasn’t his first language. So I can respect it in that manner. :)
@@silvermoonanime yes absolutely! As I said in my original comment, HH is infuriatingly delusional. Glad you atleast gave it a chance though!
would you ever give reading a maurus jokai book a chance? he is a great hungarian writer who is famous for his beautiful topography. people often compare him to dickens and queen victoria herself was a big fan of his work. i really recommend The Heartless Man's Sons
Lolita is a good one
Les Miserables is 1,265 pages. It's also a pretty good one as well