A Victorian Celebration Giveaway!

Thursday, June 7, 2012


Giveaway Closed: Kerry @ Entomology of a Bookworm is the winner!

Last year I participated in a Victorian Literature Challenge and read 15 books that fall into that category. I developed a huge appreciation for the genre* and realized how much I enjoy it. I also discovered a few new authors whose work I’m looking forward to exploring.

So when Allie at A Literary Odyssey decided to host a Victorian Celebration this summer I couldn’t resist. To join in the fun I’m giving away three Victorian novels that I love: Jude the Obscure, Jane Eyre and Great Expectations. All three are wonderful in their own ways and if you haven’t read them yet, this is the perfect opportunity.
 
For a chance to win all three books (seen above) leave a comment with your email address and your favorite Victorian novel. This giveaway is open to US residents only, sorry guys!
 

For my own reading choices for the Celebration I decided to definitely read Villette by Charlotte Bronte (1853) and The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy (1878). I’m also going to try and fit in a couple more from the following list:

- The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1890)
- Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (1868) 
- The Warden by Anthony Trollope (1855) 

- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1844) 
- Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (1848)

If you’re looking for other ideas of Victorian books to read, here are the books I finished for last year’s Challenge.
1) Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (1895)

2) The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1902)

3) Middlemarch by George Eliot (1874)
4) David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (1850) 

5) The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James (1881)
 
6) The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton (1905) 

7) The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells (1897)
 
8) Heidi by Johanna Spyri (1880) 
9) Kim by Rudyard Kipling (1901) 
10) King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard (1885) 
11) Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (1869)

12) The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892)

13) War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (1869) 

14) A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1887)

15) Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass (1845)

* The Victorian era is usually defined as the lifespan of Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837-1901. Books published during these particular years and authors who lived during this time usually fall in the “Victorian” category.

13 comments:

Jeanne said...

There are Sherlock Holmes stories in the world that you haven't read yet! What a wonderful place to be!!! (Don't enter me for the giveaway, thanks; Jane Eyre is my favorite Victorian novel)

Kristi said...

No need to enter me as I have all three of those novels.

I really hope you love Villette. It was one of my favorites last year. I'm planning on reading The Warden too! My goal for celebration is to try new to me Victorian authors. I'm reading some Hardy also, as (I'm embarrassed to say) I haven't read anything by him. I'm thinking either Tess of the D'Urbervilles or Jude the Obscure. Haven't decided.

Happy reading!

Roof Beam Reader said...

Yay! This Celebration is shaping up to be a lot of fun - I'm so glad I joined, and thanks for the giveaway!

My favorite Victorian novel? Eesh.. "pick a favorite" questions are always so tough for me!

If we're talking strict-Victorian (British), I think I'll have to go with The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

My favorite American Victorian work is probably Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain or The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade by Herman Melville. Of course, The Narrative of A. Gordon Pym by Edgar Allan Poe has to be in the running, too... gah!

For International Victorians... definitely War and Peace by Tolstoy or Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.

Thanks again for the giveaway & chance to win (and for making me think more about who I love from this time period!).

RoofBeamReader(at)gmail(dot)com

Lydia said...

My favorite Victorian work is definitely Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, although Jane Eyre is up there!

Thanks for the giveaway!

Bnz1966@gmail.com

annieb said...

I am not a big fan of Victorian novels, but I would like to be. If I have a book I will probably read it eventually. I loved The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins and The Count of Monte Christo many years ago. Please enter me in the drawing.

Anonymous said...

The woman in White is definitely my favorite Victorian novel.
-polkadotpanda101@gmail.com

Kerry @ Entomology of a Bookworm said...

My favorite Victorian novel (to date) is The Moonstone. I loved it... but I also haven't read many of books of the era. WHICH is all the more reason to participate in the Victorian Celebration this summer!

ofabookworm AT gmail DOT com

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

****I FORGOT TO SAY THE GIVEAWAY WILL BE OPEN UNTIL JUNE 15TH****

Great answers everyone! I think I need to bump a few books up my list.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the great giveaway! Let's go with Villette by Charlotte Bronte as my favorite Victorian novel, though I really love the sci-fi writers like H.G. Wells.

bookwormsusanna AT gmail DOT com

Anonymous said...

I love reading this era. The read along sounds like a lot of fun. I will have to check that out.
I appreciate all of the Victorian suggestions. I will have to look up the ones that I am not really familiar with.
I have been meaning to read War and Peace for some time now. Maybe in the fall.

Amy said...

I read Jane Eyre a few years ago and loved it. I also loved Uncle Tom's Cabin, which I saw on Allie's list as an American Victorian.

My email is: sunlitpages.blogspot.com

Bybee said...

I'm not entering -- just wanted to say have a great time with the Victorians and hooray for Middlemarch!

Samantha said...

My favorite Victorian novel has to be Jane Eyre, which single-handedly started me reading classics this past winter! I read a copy from the library and would love to own it myself. :-)

You could reach me at samantha dot arten at gmail dot com