Author birthdays:
Thomas Hardy (b.1840)
Gautami Tripathy reviews Tess of the d’Ubervilles.
Dani Torres reviews Tess.
And here’s Bonnie’s (Dwell in Possibility)take on the same book.
My favorite Thomas Hardy novel is Far From the Madding Crowd; he and George Eliot remind of me one another. In fact, if I don’t think carefully I get their novels confused: both feature nineteenth century English country towns and farms, bad things happening to good and bad people, fallen women, and love entanglements.
Barbara Pym (b.1913).
Mary at Glass of Blessings reviews Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym.
Semicolon review of Pym’s Excellent Women.
Paul Galdone (b.1914).
I included several folk tale/fairy tale books written and illustrated by Paul Galdone in my preschool curriculum, Picture Book Preschool, because I like his bold colorful illustrations. In my experience, preschoolers find Mr. Galdone’s work both accessible and inviting.
Norton Juster (b.1929). I love Juster’s book The Phantom Tollbooth. I wish I had time to go back and re-read it today.
Happy Birthday, Thomas Hardy! (Though I find it hard to imagine him in a happy, partying birthday mood.)
I think my favorite Hardy novel is Tess, though I love “Far From the Madding Crowd” too. I used to hate the first few descriptive, s l o w pages of “Return of the Native,” but have since learned to love them. Hardy’s awesome. I think I’ll go read “Neutral Tones”–not the cheeriest poem in the world, but one of my favorites by him.
Thanks for the reminder of the birthday of one of my favorite authors!