Of course, with this project on the go, I have been unable to resist acquiring a few more VMCs to go with my collection. I had a bit of luck with someone selling off a bundle on ebay (thanks to Paperback Reader for pointing them out) and I have bought some from Waterstones.com with a 10% offer that they had. They've only managed to send me one so far, but it is included down in this picture. It's only 64p long (so I shall save that for a busy week!) and part of that is an afterword (not much book for my money - even with discount it was still 4.49!). I hope it's good. I would have read it as an easy option earlier in the week when I wasn't very well, but the subject matter (woman's descent into madness isn't very cheering!).
Anyone want to particularly recommend any of these? I've already read the Kate O'Brien! Very excited to start doing Virago collages.
Unfortunately this picture is a little out of date, as two more VMCs arrived in the post this morning - Olivia Manning's The wind changes and Dorothy West's The wedding.
I was also lucky enough to get a few other Viragos included with the bundle - the most interesting one being Drawn from life, an autobiography of Stella Bowen which also has a nice green spine. It's a bit confusing the way Virago used green spines for everything - I thought one of my books WAS a VMC (Cosmo Cosmolino) but it actually isn't.
I love The Yellow Wallpaper and Their Eyes Were Watching God; I studied and wrote on them both whilst studying 19th and 20th American Literature, respectively.
ReplyDeleteIf you enjoyed Persephone's The Victorian Chaise-longue by Marghanita Laski then you'll also enjoy The Yellow Wallpaper, despite the dark subject matter. It's a seminal text in the description of female madness and a classic. I mentioned it in my "For the Hours After Midnight" post in June.
Their Eyes Were Watching God is a famous book in the States, huge in the Harlem Renaissance. The vernacular narrative is difficult at first but I think it's a great book.
You know my thoughts on Olivia from when I reviewed it (also very quick) and I haven't read the others. The edition is one of my favourites of all my VMCs.
Lovely additions to your collection!
I am looking forward to The Yellow Wallpaper as I'm so interested in writings about madness. Plus it is very short, but I know it was not the right choice for Thursday night. I haven't yet read The Victorian Chaise-Longue, and I don't even have it on my TBR. But obviously I will get to it eventually!
ReplyDeleteYour and Simon's reviews of Olivia make me very keen to read it and I'm glad to have a VMC copy to read it from. I got the Penguin copy a while ago, I think after seeing Simon's review - that was before I realised how much I loved Viragos!
I am a little bit put off Their eyes are watching God as I think it will be a difficult read, but will get there eventually I'm sure.