Back to the Classics Challenge Complete!

Done and done! The Back to the Classics Challenge is finally complete! A huge thanks to Karen of Books and Chocolate for hosting this year! The Painted Veil was probably my favorite of the whole bunch.

Here’s the complete list of the books I read and my reviews:

1) 19th Century Classic: The Warden by Anthony Trollope (Finished
March 2014)
2) 20th Century Classic: In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck (Finished Aug. 2014)
3) Classic in Translation: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (Finished Nov. 2014)
4) Classic By Woman Author: The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan (Finished Jan. 2014)
5) Classic by an Author Who's New To Me: An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser (Finished Non. 2014)
6) Wartime Novel: The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (Finished Dec. 2014)

Optional Categories:
1) Classic American Novel: The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington (Finished March 2014)
2) Historical Novel: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (Finished April 2014)
3) Classic Mystery Novel: Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers (Finished Jan. 2014)
4) Classic Book That's Been Adapted as a Movie: The Painted Veil by W Somerset Maugham (Finished May 2014)
5) Extra Fun Category: Write a Review of the Movie adapted from Optional Category #4 (The Painted Veil)

I completed all 11 categories and so I will have 3 entries in the final giveaway!

Strong Poison

  Strong Poison 

  by Dorothy L. Sayers

  ★★★★☆

 

Now this is what I was hoping for when I read Whose Body? last year! That was the first book in the Lord Peter Wimsey series, but definitely not the best. After reading it I wasn’t sure I wanted to try any others, but I’m so glad I did. Everyone who told me that the series improved the second Harriet Vane showed up was absolutely right.

 

From the first moments the book hooks you. It starts with a judge speaking to a jury as they deliberate on a case. A man was either murdered or committed suicide by arsenic poisoning and they must determine if the accused is guilty of the crime. Many of the facts point to his estranged girlfriend, Harriet Vane, who is on trial for her life. As the case heats up Wimsey decides Vane is innocent and he needs to prove it if she’s going to be acquitted.

 

One of the best elements in the book is the focus on characters outside of Wimsey and Vane. We follow a secretary as she tries to obtain evidence from her slippery boss and later Miss Climpson, who must travel to a small town in search of an elusive will. These side trips and stories kept the plot moving quickly.

 

BOTTOM LINE: I will definitely read more of the books from this series as long as they contain Harriet Vane! Wimsey needs her intelligent repartee to balance his and together their chemistry makes for a great mystery novel.

Back to the Classics 2014

The Back to the Classics Challenge is always a favorite of mine and this year it has a new host! Karen of Books and Chocolate has taken over hosting duties and picked some great categories for us. Below are all of the categories along with my selections. You can see the complete list of details in Karen's post here.

1) 19th Century Classic: The Warden by Anthony Trollope (Finished
March 2014)
2) 20th Century Classic: In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck (Finished Aug. 2014)
3) Classic in Translation: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (Finished Nov. 2014)
4) Classic By Woman Author: The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan (Finished Jan. 2014)
5) Classic by an Author Who's New To Me: An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser (Finished Non. 2014)
6) Wartime Novel: The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (Finished Dec. 2014)


Optional Categories:
1) Classic American Novel: The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington (Finished March 2014)
2) Historical Novel: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (Finished April 2014)

3) Classic Mystery Novel: Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers (Finished Jan. 2014)
4) Classic Book That's Been Adapted as a Movie: The Painted Veil by W Somerset Maugham (Finished May 2014)
5) Extra Fun Category: Write a Review of the Movie adapted from Optional Category #4 (The Painted Veil)