Biblioteca de la EOI de Oviedo

Título: Pride and Prejudice

Autor: Jane Austen

Editorial: Penguin Classic

Obra adaptada: NO

Reseña: In the 18th century, women didn’t have the freedom and the rights that nowadays enjoy. They were considered as a property of their fathers and, then, of their husbands because women’s unique fate was to become wives.
There are five daughters in the Bennet family and marriage is their only objective in their lives, except for Elizabeth, the most sensible and independent of the sisters. She fights against her fate, but eventually, this pretty and intelligent lady will find out that she’s not very different from the rest of single women: she wants to get the love of her dreams gentleman. But the pride and the prejudice that dominate this society will try to prevent this love.
This time has gone by and their costumes and way of life are out of fashion but if you like love stories with sensitive ladies, rude heroes and happy endings, you should read this book.

Valoración: 5/5

Ana Prado

Editorial: Longman Classics

Obra adaptada: SI

Nivel: Intermedio

Reseña: The five daughters in the Bennet family live in a quiet neighbourhood. Everything will change when Mr Bingley, a rich man, moves there. Mr Bingley and his friend, Mr Darcy, go to a dance in the village and meet the five sisters. Elizabeth is the proudest, but this pride is not enough to avoid falling in love with Mr Darcy, who is a prejudiced gentleman and has, therefore, some prejudices about her social status; but this is only the beginning of their complicated story.
I recommend this novel to all those people who enjoy love stories in past times.

Valoración: 4/5

Mateo San José García

Título: The Lady and the Unicorn

Autor: Tracy Chevalier

Editorial: Harper Collins

Obra adaptada: NO

Reseña: Have you ever been at an Art Museum and thought about the story behind the pictures ? Why were these pictures commissioned? Who painted them? What were their lives like? The Lady and the Unicorn is the answer given by Tracy Chevalier to those who, like her, asked themselves this question while they were admiring The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries.
In this novel, Nicolas des Innocents, a Paris Court artist, is asked to design six tapestries by Jean Le Viste, a nobleman close to the king. Because of this commission, Nicolas has to work between Paris and Brussels, where the weaver in charge of weaving the tapestries, George de La Chapelle, lives. However, Nicolas is a seducer, a heartbreaker and Jean Le Viste and George de La Chapelle both have daughters.
The Lady and the Unicorn is a novel about art and love, about motivations of human beings throughout their lives. It is worth reading and you will enjoy it whether you like art or love stories.

Valoración: 5/5

Covadonga García Menéndez

Título: A Room with a View

Autor: E.M: Forster

Editorial: Penguin

Obra adaptada: NO

Reseña: First of all, I have to admit that the story was not what I was expecting to find when I chose it but after everything, I was happily surprised.
The story is set around the last years of the nineteenth century, during the English Victorian Age, in two different countries, England and Italy. It’s not only a romantic novel but a picture of English society too. It tells the story of Mrs Honeychurch, a young woman who travels with some friends and relatives for a holiday in Italy and there she discovers love. However, she is pushed by social conventions to move away from him.

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Título: Quentins

Autor: Maeve Binchy

Editorial: Orion

Obra adaptada: NO

Reseña: Quentins by Maeve Binchy is a really easy book whose only ambition is to distract. But it is necessary not to be too demanding to enjoy it.
It is a book about lives, so different stories come together: on one hand, the life, the love and the disappointment of Ella Brady, the main character; on the other, the life of Quentins, a restaurant in Dublin which has been the witness of little pieces of its customers’ lives.
Binchy appeals to the primary feelings of the readers in order to attract their attention and the result is a book, as Maureen Corrigan, a critic from Fresh Air, says, that is the best complement “when you are having the jitters because you are in a hospital or waiting for a plane”.
From my point of view as an English learner, it has been a good option because the vocabulary and the grammar are not difficult so you can read it without a big effort.

Valoración: 3/5

Santiago García-Monge Santidrián.

Título: The Grass is Singing

Autor: Doris Lessing

Editorial: HarperCollins Publishers

Obra adaptada: NO

Reseña: The Grass is Singing was written by Doris Lessing in 1950. It was her first novel and it is set in Southern Africa, in a poor village in Rhodesia.
I liked it very much because it’s not only a story, a sad story, but a racial critic as well. Through the novel you can learn about the relations between the black and white population in that country.

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Título: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

Autor: Mark Haddon

Editorial: Vintage

Obra adaptada: NO

Reseña: ‘This is a murder mystery novel’, said Christopher. Christopher, a fan of Sherlock Holmes stories, is a young boy with Asperger Symdrome who decides to investigate the dog’s murder and write the story into a book of his own. ‘In a murder mystery novel someone has to work out who the murderer is and then catch him’, he reasons. ‘It is a puzzle’. And Christopher is quite good at puzzles…
As a person who worked some years ago in a Special Education School, I didn’t expect much of this book, because it’s really difficult to see the world like one of this children does. But I’m glad to say that I was completely wrong!

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Título: Brooklyn Follies

Autor: Paul Auster

Editorial: Faber & Faber

Obra adaptada: NO

Reseña: I was having such a good time while I was reading the book in English that , after finishing, I had to read it in Spanish so as not to miss any details.
The story is about a man who has overcome some difficulties in his life (an illness, a divorce…) and comes back to Brooklyn to spend ” the rest of his ridiculous life” and then he starts to write a book with different anecdotes. His life changes when he meets his nephew and other characters in the story.
The book is written in an easy and colloquial language and in a dynamic way with short chapters that are very effective and even if the plot is initially a bit depressing it is written from such an optimistic point of view that it becomes contagious to the reader.
In a interview in 2006, Paul Auster explained that he wanted to praise the world before the 11-S catastrophe and he wrote a comedy because he was deeply depressed.

Valoración: 5/5

María José Escobar

Título: Wuthering Heights

Autora: Emily Brönte

Editorial: Wordsworth classics

Obra adaptada: NO

Reseña: Wuthering Heights… a suggestive name for such a breathtaking novel, where romanticism and death create a mysterious atmosphere. Wuthering Heights is an interesting retrospective. The narration is guided by Mr. Lockwood, a gentleman who rents ‘Thrushcross Grange’, a lovely house in Yorkshire. There, he meets Ellen Dean, a housekeeper who has been working for a local family all her life. Talking to her, Mr. Lockwood gets to know everything about the former inhabitants of his new house. Ghosts and memories encompass the landscapes of Yorkshire and past is still alive.
This novel is one of the most impressive books I’ve read in my life. I really enjoyed such a passionate story, even if I don’t usually like romantic books. The novel is a bit thick and can be hard to understand sometimes. Nevertheless, it’s definitely worth-reading and I strongly recommend Wuthering Heights to everyone, even to those who are not keen on traditional love stories.

Valoración: 5/5

Águeda Fernández Quintana

Título: Agostino

Autor: Alberto Moravia

Editorial: Tascabili Bompiani

Obra adaptada: NO

Reseña: Agostino, un tredicenne ormai adolescente vive con la madre, vedova ancora giovane e bella, per cui sente una vera venerazione. Durante una vacanza al mare, madre e figlio godono di felicità, ma questi rapporti si guastano quando il giovane Renzo si unisce a loro.Intanto Agostino frequenta un gruppo di giovani molto diversi da lui per estrazione sociale ed attraverso questo gruppo conosce un mondo nuovo che gli riempie d’inquietudine. Agostino vuole entrare nel mondo dei grandi, ma per lui è un turbamento continuo.In questo romanzo breve (primo premio letterario di Moravia) si tratta la realtà delle classi sociali e l’incontro con i fatti e con il ‘problema’ del sesso.

Valoración: 4/5

Beatriz

Título: Zeus e altri racconti (Il Cavaliere invisibile)

Autor: Valerio Massimo Manfredi

Editorial: Mondadori

Obra adaptada: NO

Reseña: Questo libro è una raccolta di racconti brevi: uno è ambientato nel presente, tre nel passato tra cui Il cavaliere invisibile e un altro nell’immediato futuro. Il cavaliere invisibile si svolge in pieno Medioevo in Spagna. Un valoroso e nobile cavaliere (Jean de Roquebrune) e il suo fedele servitore devono svolgere un’ importantissima missione affidata loro da un cavaliere templare (Antonius Bloch).Devono portare un misterioso pacco fino a Santiago di Compostela per l’ arcivescovo (Estaban Jose de Uroa); ma non sarà facile. Il loro viaggio è seguito già in partenza di pericoli e personaggi di ogni sorta della cui onestà si deve diffidare.Io non ho letto nessun’altra opera di questo scrittore, ma sembra che abbia molto successo con la narrazione storica.. Questa non è la sua opera prima. Se vi piace questo genere ve lo raccomado senza dubbio. È un racconto bello e ricco di atmosfere e azione e ha un inaspettato colpo si scena finale.

Valoración: 4/5

Griselda Cuesta

Título: Nel momento

Autor: Andrea De Carlo

Editorial: Mondadori

Obra adaptada: NO

Reseña: Tratta di un uomo che lavora a nord di Roma con i cavalli, in campagna. Un giorno esce a cavalcare e ha una brutta caduta. E’ un incidente grave e dopo quel momento niente sarà come prima. La sua vita cambia, deve passare molto tempo in un ospedale e conosce una donna. Riflette la ricerca della felicità e soprattutto è un romanzo che ti insegna a valutare il tempo.

Valoración: 4/5