The Book Lover Tag

Rachel tagged me for "The Book Lover Tag" and it looks super fun! So here we go:

Rules:

Hmm, any guesses? They're about the same as every single other tag...Answer questions, have fun, tag other bloggers. Got it. :D

To the questions, then!

1. If you could rewrite the ending to any book, what would it be?

I think I'm gonna have to go with Mansfield Park. Guys. That ending was so...anticlimactic. I can't exactly blame dear Jane, (("Oh who could blame poor Jane?" "She did her best!" "She did!" "She did her best!")) ((Probably misquoting but brownie points to anyone who gets my reference.)) As I was saying, I don't exactly blame Jane Austen, she was probably feeling sooo done with the book after 300+ pages of dragging things out. I mean, a teensy bit more than a paragraph and a half about the conclusion to Fanny and Edmund would have been nice, but...who could blame poor Jane?

2. Which fictional character are you most like?

I think I've tried to answer a question like this before. Perhaps I can save myself some trouble...Ah, yes. The first tag in *this post*. 

I would also add Molly Gibson to that list. I think we have similar personalities, and we both are good at understanding people. We're both quiet and are afraid to call attention to ourselves. Also, I think Roger is very much the kind of person I might fall in love with in real life. Mr. Darcy is a nice fictional hero and all, but in real life, I don't know. Roger, though--But I digress. On to the post.

3. Do you have any signed books?

I do, actually. Two. One is a "Main Street" (I think) book by Ann M. Martin, signed by her. The other is the sequel to Holes, Small Steps or something? Signed by Louis Sachar. I'm not particularly attached to either of them, if anyone wants them, let me know and if enough people want them I'll do a giveaway or something. Haha.

4. What's the best book you've read so far this year?

THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL

5. Do you have any bookish pet peeves?

Yes, when people attribute movie quotes that weren't in the book to the authour of the book. 

*coughcough*

 

*coughcough*

6. Out of the books you've read this year, what has had your favourite cover?

Oh boy, I don't know. I'm gonna cheat. I read The Inheritance, but not with this cover, but I like this cover.

(By the way, if you haven't read this book, you should. It's the earliest work of Louisa May Alcott's that scholars have found. They found it in archives in a library somewhere, with the preface something like "My first novel, written at the age of seventeen". It's super good.)

7. Is there a book that releases this year that you cannot wait to read?

*whispers* All my favourite authours are dead.

No, not really.

8. What is your favourite non-fiction book?

Hmm, The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom.

If you want to cry through an entire book, this is the one for you.

9. Do you have any favourite location and/or time period to have a book set in?

Y'all ready for my first L. M. Montgomery answer? (Shocking I haven't mentioned her yet, isn't it?)

Edwardian Canada, Prince Edward Island specifically. 

10. Is there a book that reminds you of something else?

Sometimes when I'm reading a book it reminds me of people I know, or places I've been. Sometimes I'll remember things I thought I'd forgotten, and feel things I know I've felt before. 

Can't really think of examples, though.

This was super fun, thanks so much for tagging me, Rachel!!!

And as a bonus I'll put the questions in a list here if that makes it easier.

1. If you could rewrite the ending to any book, what would it be?

2. Which fictional character are you most like?

3. Do you have any signed books?

4. What's the best book you've read so far this year?

5. Do you have any bookish pet peeves?

6. Out of the books you've read this year, what has had your favourite cover?

7. Is there a book that releases this year that you cannot wait to read?

8. What is your favourite non-fiction book?

9. Do you have any favourite location and/or time period to have a book set in?

10. Is there a book that reminds you of something else?

Now, I tag:

Esther

Miss March

Miss Elizabeth

Cordy

Naomi

(Ain't linking to y'all's blogs; too much work. Don't worry, I'll have the courtesy to go to your blog and tell you I've tagged you. (And I just realized after I told you all it's "The Book Lovers Tag" and there is no "s" after Lover. Forgive me.))

(Siiigh, I'll link anyway. I can't leave it like that. H'm.)

And of course anyone else who wants to do it!! Feel free to take this tag and say I tagged you if you'd like!

Hope y'all are all having a wonderful week so far...oh yes, it's Monday. Okay, well. 

Anyone else doing NaNoWriMo? I'm doing it for the first time this year, which is exciting! My goal is a full 50,000 words, so, um, here's hoping I make it. As in survive.

Have a lovely week!!!

I Just Watched Wives and Daughters...(And it reminds me strongly of Mansfield Park)

...and why couldn't we get a slightly more romantic ending? I mean, it was great and charming and all, but...holding hands doesn't count.
Ahem.
I was told, however, that Elizabeth Gaskell died while writing the ending, so perhaps that explains it. I really, really want to read the book, but alas, our local library does not have it. I shall keep my eye out.
Well, the under-romantic ending reminded me of Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. And that made me realise just how much of Wives and Daughters is like Mansfield Park in many ways. So--a comparison is in order.
Now, the characters that correspond with each other do not necessarily have as much in common in their personality and such; it's mostly the relationships. Of course, some character's personalities are very similar indeed.

Let us begin with Molly, of course. 

Molly's situation reminds me slightly of Fanny's. My best friend has pointed out that Fanny's story is very much a Cinderella story, and Molly's is as well. However, Molly's situation isn't as bad as Fanny's, really. 

Now, have you noticed that Fanny and Mary Crawford are similar to Molly and Cynthia? They aren't necessarily similar in character, of course, for Cynthia isn't quite as "bad" as Mary and Molly isn't quite as "good" as Fanny, but their relationship and situations struck me as quite similar. I must do this in some order or I shan't make any sense:

- Molly dosen't really have any (girl) friends, and then Cynthia, who is quite different from her, comes along and they are fast friends. 

Fanny hasn't got friends, and then Mary Crawford comes and takes quite a fancy to her and they are friends. 

- Cynthia got engaged to Molly's brother-like friend, whom she didn't love (she liked him) but who convinced himself to be in love with her, and then Cynthia broke off the engagement.

Mary got herself engaged to Fanny's cousin who was like a brother to her, whom she didn't really love, but he convinced himself he was in love with her, and then Mary broke off the engagement. 

In both cases, the man fell victim to looks, charm, and wit and then the both eventually came to their senses--but I'll get to the men. 

- Cynthia is rather more of an extrovert and Molly is more of an introvert. 

Mary is more of an extrovert and Fanny is definitely an introvert. 

-Cynthia was at first inclined toward Osborne out of monetary interest because he was the eldest son, but her tastes soon inclined toward Roger.

Mary Crawford was at first inclined toward Tom because he was the eldest and would inherit the estate, but she soon was attracted to Edmund.

-Cynthia is rather inconstant and accepts admiration from anyone.

Mary is also rather inconstant and while she's not as much of a "flirt" (it seems rather strong to use that word for Cynthia, oh dear...) as Cynthia, she doesn't stay as single-minded to Edmund as perhaps she should have.

-Osborne got very ill (and died).

Tom got dangerously ill.

Now, the whole Roger-and-Molly thing and Edmund-and-Fanny thing are very strangely similar in many ways:

-Roger was kind to Molly when she went to stay with the family and they became like brother and sister.

Edmund was kind to Fanny when she went to stay with the family when nobody else was and he became like an older brother to her.

-Roger came across Molly when she was crying and he talked comfortingly to her.

Edmund came across Fanny when she was crying and talked comfortingly to her.

-Molly, it is strongly implied, falls in love with Roger soon into the story (I really need to read the book, perhaps it is clearer). For sure she falls in love with him before he does with her.

Fanny falls in love with Edmund before he falls in love with her. 

Both girls are in love with their respective men when they get engaged to their friends Cynthia and Mary. 

-Roger realises after Cynthia breaks of the engagement that he is in love with Molly after all.

Edmund realises after Mary breaks off the engagement that he is in love with Fanny after all. 

-In Wives and Daughters, at least in the movie, the ending seems rather underdone to me. 

In Mansfield Park...the ending is very disappointing in how shortly it wraps it up. Of course, I can understand that Jane Austen was probably tired of drawing it out and wanted to finish it, but it barely mentions Edmund and Fanny's engagement. Really, it just basically says that Edmund might just like Fanny as well as--or even better than, hey!--Mary Crawford and Fanny was very happy about it, The End. 

There. Aren't they strangely similar? Of course, they have their differences, but still--! 

I just kept thinking of things and I tried to write them down as I thought of them and I'm terribly sorry if it's all jumbled. Did I miss any similarities? 

Have you noticed the same similarities?