Manga Classics: Pride and Prejudice + some other quick reviews (The Thousandth Floor, Quiet Neighbors)

My detox lasted for about eight days. So that was exciting. I tried to start some new shows, some new books, and some new hobbies. I didn't do my normal "admin" for the website so I don't have any pictures uploaded so I thought I'd go through my backlist and talk about some books that I didn't have any plans for a full review on. 

Pride and Prejudice

The starting book is a "manga" or illustrated classic. I'm a big fan of multi-media approaches to literature because I feel that everyone learns differently. Also, sometimes reading the original text can be rough, but seeing a play/movie/radio adaption etc., can do wonders. It also tends to force me back to the source material to read again. I don't think Austen's works are that hard to follow but I will admit that sometimes I struggle through following the historical notes or satire that is throughout her works. I have a few of the Shakespeare illustrated/graphic novels/manga (I don't quite know the correct term for the oeuvre here) and I think they're great. I did give away some that I didn't love as much (one of Shakespeare's Tragedies, an Austen that I didn't love as much, and a duplicate copy that was sent to me) to a classroom near me. ​

​The Manga Classic follows along the same lines as Austen's original story (some stuff is taken out for brevity's sake, obviously). 

The story follows the Bennett family, specifically Elizabeth Bennett. Elizabeth lives with her family in a smaller, English country town. In a small amount of time, a rich man (and his family/friends, including a man called Darcy) moves into one of the large houses nearby, and a militia (with an officer called Wickham) moves into town. These two parties interact with Elizabeth and her family. 

This is really a comedy of social manners. Whilst Elizabeth is generally considered well-mannered and fun, some of her sisters are a source of embarrassment (and is her mother and father, for different reasons). This makes Elizabeth a risk to marry, which would secure in future in a society that didn't allow a safety net for penniless women (of which, Elizabeth is a member). 

There is a happy ending of course, with Elizabeth and her eventual suitor both overcoming their personal and societal obstacles. 

Below are some examples of the illustration style. It's quite beautiful. All the pages are black and white. The story is easy to follow and the pages are thick (no see through from the pages before/after). 

The Thousandth Floor

I can't remember how I found this book but mostly I was intrigued by the cover. I saw a blurb somewhere that it was a futuristic gossip girl. I get that blurb but it does a bit of a disservice as I found this more interesting than I even found gossip girl (sorry G.G.). 

I have this as a maybe for continuation of series. There was one or two characters I was invested in whilst the others were not as thrilling. This is YA (maybe even NA via subsect matter). The book is set in 2118, with the city of New York hosting a massive skyscraper.  It's dramatic, with lots of intrigue. It's a multi-character story, following several of the young women and men who live in the tower. 

I will note that there is some incest-type things (it's an adopted sibling + sibling) but I'm not going to lie. It was a bit too gross for me. But McGee was showcasing how messed up the family, the character, and the society around them was. Still icky. 

The book begins with one of the characters (we don't know who) falling from the very top apartment (and to sure death). 

This is the first book in a trilogy. I love, love, LOVE the design of the books. They're stunning but I'm not sure if I can continue unless my two characters survive (Cord and Ryland) and are happy. I struggled with the other characters because they are delightfully awful. 

I just have to be in the mood for delightful awfulness. 

Quiet Neighbors

This was my first book by McPherson. I really enjoyed it even though it's not my normal type of mystery book. It's a narrative introspection into Lowell (bookshop owner) and Jude. There are a lot of book titles mentioned throughout the book, some I've read or at least heard of, some were completely new to me. 

I remember this book being far more suspenseful that I had originally thought. I don't love suspense as it makes me anxious (is that weird?) but I stayed the course with this one. It made a nice impact and I've made a note to try more of McPherson's books. I rated it around 3.5+ as it was verging more towards 3.8 or 4.0. Which I realise is fairly snippy as a rating. It wasn't quite a 4 for me but it was closer to 4 than 3.5 (I always round up on Goodreads).