As an avid reader, selecting my top 5 books would be virtually impossible, as my book topics change with my moods, so here I have just selected the first books that come to mind, which left an impression long after being replaced back on the shelf.
THE POTATO FACTORY.Bryce Courtenay.
This is a book in two halves. The first part is set in early 19th century London, and the second the convict settlement in Tasmania(Van Dienen’s Land), in the early history of Australia. It is based on true-life characters, and Bryce Courtenay researched much of the data from actual historical records.
The central character Ikey Solomon, was the actual person on whom Charles Dickens based his notorious Fagan in Oliver Twist. Ikey was the king of London’s underworld, with his long, specially adapted coat full of concealed pockets, who trained the street urchins as pickpockets and functioned as a’fence’ for the notorious villains of the day, amongst his many talents.
The other main character is Mary Abacus, who because of her arithmetical abilities, attempted to gain a foothold in employment in a male dominated society, and suffered the consequences. She and Ikey finally meet up in London, and she becomes his associate and mistress.
Then, for various reasons, they all end up being deported to Van Diemen’s Land, where they eventually meet up again, and embark on a new’legal’ venture in this developing country.
This book is in no way a romance, but a factual depiction of the hardships, struggles and politics of this time in history.
DICKENS.Peter Ackroyd.
I am a great Dickens fan, and would find difficulty in selecting just one of his books for this list, so I have opted for this biography instead. Having read various other takes on his life, Peter Ackroyd has once again shown his dedication and research into finding the real man behind the legend. Some books portray Dickens as an almost demonlike figure, while others claim a hero for the working classes, but Ackroyd has shown he was indeed a little of both, but more importantly, sandwiched in the middle was a real man who laughed and loved and made mistakes just like any other.
Throughout the book you can see where many of his characters, and indeed his novels come from, and realise he was not just a man who always saw the seedier side of life, but a genius who gave life to characters and made statements whether those that be, liked it or not. The incident in Bleak House for instance, where Dickens describes Spontaneous Combustion, was widely criticized as being nonsense, but Dickens had in fact looked into the subject in detail and could tell of 30 well investigated cases, such was his attention to detail. So if you feel the need to know more about the man behind the myth, this is a book you should certainly look out for.
LES MISERABLES.Victor Hugo.
Les Miserables is a long book(1000 pages+), and due to all the lavish detail, can be a slow read, but to compensate for this, the characters become so real, you feel you actually know them. The musical and film versions, although good in their own right, do not do the story justice, in that they mainly concentrate on the character interactions and seem oblivious to things like the French(Student) Revolution which is going on in the background.
It is a sort of rags to riches story of ex-convict Jean Valjean, and a love story involving Valjean’s adopted daughter Cosette and Marius, a young revolutionary. It is also a book about poverty and unrest in early 19th century France. There is a multi-layered storyline, full of vibrant characters, and although lengthy, tends to make you want more when you reach the final page. So an overall good read if you take the time to adjust to the translated Hugostyle writing.
THE UNABRIDGED EDGAR ALLAN POE.
And the Raven, never flitting
still is sitting, still, is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas
just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming
of a demon’s that is dreaming
And the lamp-light o’er him streaming
throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow
that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted-nevermore.
How can I complete my book list without mentioning Poe?
This particular book covers the lot, all his stories, poetry and more; all in chronological order, and even includes his critical reviews of other works. Poe had a fascination of the mind and is the undisputed master of the macabre, and was in fact the inventor of detective fiction. The character of Sherlock Holmes himself was inspired by Dupin from’The Murders in the Rue Morgue’, and’The Purloined Letter’.
So if there are any Poe fans out there, this is definitely the book for you.
THE TALISMAN.Stephen King and Peter Straub.
This is the tale of a 13 year old boy, Jack Sawyer, who in an effort to save his mothers life, must find a talisman. To do this he must travel across America, while jumping in and out of a parallel universe. Danger lurks everywhere, and he must jump to the other realm to escape from horrific characters and monsters, but he never knows where he is jumping to, or what is waiting for him when he gets there.
As you can imagine, with the combined efforts of these two authors, it is probably one of the greatest fantasies ever written. If you have not read the book, then I highly recommend it, and if you have, I have just discovered a follow up, ’Black House’, is due to be released in September.
So that’s it folks, and I can honestly say I had no idea just how hard it would be to select only 5, when I started out. These are all fantastic books, and I highly recommend them.