Last year was somewhat of a wash, I didn't have much attention for reading, and then at the end of the summer I decided to move, so that took me off of books, or at least from finishing any, for the remainder of the year.
What I've finished since mid-January, in order:
1) A Wrinkle In Time - Madeline L'Engle
2) The Distance Between Us - Reyna Grande
Autobiographical account of life before and after immigration.
3) The Numbers Game - Danielle Steele
4) Can You Keep a Secret? - Sophie Kinesella (Has a Bridget Jone's Diary vibe)
5) Open Book - Jessica Simpson
6) The Pilgrimage - Paulo Coelho
7) An American Spy - Lauren Wilkinson
8) Rough House - Tina Ontiveros
9) Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Of note: The entailment of Longbourn, which willed the property (all of it, except what Mrs. Bennet brought into the marriage, which is to be divided between the five daughters) to the closest male heir, was probably done prior to Mr. Bennet coming of age. That said, he didn't make any plans or put anything aside for the girls, and as he is close to an age where he could die, it will leave them destitute. (This wasn't necessarily dictated for everyone by law, for example, Lady Catherine's daughter Ann will inherit, and Georgiana Darcy also has an inheritance. And on a side note, the reason Wickham tried to elope with he was that her inheritance would not be protected under those circumstances, and he could spend it as he chose.) Even though the Bennets are landed gentry, Mrs. Bennet didn't encourage a proper education and training, nor decorum for a proper lady, to any of the daughters, which puts them at a disadvantage. The only work the girls could go into would probably be as a governess, but young governesses were also subject to unwanted advances, so unless they marry well, or are taken in by a male relative, there really is no protection. Hence, Mrs. Bennet's sense of urgency to marry them off, and the problem with Lydia running off with a man and then living with him outside of marriage (young couple's weren't even allowed to talk to one another without a chaperone), and making a good marriage even harder for her sisters. Both parents left the girls to run wild, without curbing their behavior to societal norms, which is neglect, and Mr. Bennet allowing Lydia to go to Brighton was also neglect. The Bingleys came into their money through trade, and were not landed gentry. Elizabeth Bennet is therefore of a higher status than Caroline Bingley, but less refined, and less of a lady in behavior; still she takes precedence over Caroline Bingley. She doesn't even try to be refined, which must be a frustration to Caroline. So, Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth are in the same class, if not of equal fortunes. And both Jane and Lydia marry beneath their status. This is just prior to the Victorian Era, society was more open than it will become very shortly. All Austen's novels take place during the reign of the Prince Regent, and the time of the Napoleonic Wars, where men could make their fortunes (Wentworth in "Persuasion.") And many of the "novels" of the age, and particularly those read by Austen, were moralistic, where women were either chaste, or fallen and had to suffer for it. (See particularly Samuel Richardson.) Lydia defies this, she's not in the least remorseful for her actions (Isabella in "Northanger Abbey" does pay for her behavior, however, that was written earlier than this novel.)
And as awful as Mr. Collins is portrayed, he was trying to do the right thing by marrying into the Bennet family to keep Longbourn in the family. Mary might have been favorable to the prospect, if Charlotte Lucas had not beat her to the punchline. Also, under the law, once Lady Catherine gave him the parsonage on her estate, it was a lifelong arrangement or until he decided to leave the clergy. So, he was set either way.
10) Persuasion - Jane Austen (This might be my favorite Austen novel.)
Of note: The two main characters, Anne and Wentworth, have very little dialogue with one another throughout the novel. We hear the thoughts in their heads, or rather, Anne's and what she might be imagining Wentworth is thinking. I checked it out of the library, but want to buy it so I can mark it up, and follow all the times, and why, someone is persuaded. I used think Wentworth didn't deserve Anne, but in reading the book (as opposed to just watching film adaptations) and listening to commentary, he wouldn't deserve her, save after Louisa Musgrove's accident, he was forced to look at his own behavior and choose to be a better man. He was playing with both the emotions of Anne and Louisa. Anne, because he still felt hurt by her refusal of his earlier offer of marriage, and Louisa, because he encouraged her affections and behaviors without thinking that anyone might take that as an honest attachment, and is mortified when he he is told by Harville, that everyone expects a marriage to take place between them.
11) The City We Became - N.K. Jemisin
What makes a city unique unto itself? How does it come together to withstand the forces of gentrification that would take it over and destroy it? This story sticks in my head much like "The Bird King" by G. Willow Wilson did. They both left strong images in my mind; I've often tried to remember what the movie was, and then recall that it was an image I created in my head from the story.
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