Book Review: Moll Flanders (I hated this book...)

[@ПламенаГеоргиева-у7ъ]

It was written like that because it was the first realistic novel. He wanted to make it feel like the narrator is real, rambling not knowing what to include and what not to include.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Yes, I did know that before going into it.

[@JosephFrancisBurton]

I have not read Moll Flanders, but I remember reading and enjoying Robinson Crusoe when I was a kid. The idea of George Eliot writing something like Moll Flanders is a fascinating idea. Just brilliant that you thought of it! I suppose the closest she got is Impressions of Theophrastus Such - a series of cynical essays in which she posed as a male. As to your question - YES, and I have done this in my writing many times. Diana Gabaldon is a great example - these authors do their research, they write honestly but with respect and they acknowledge any errors. Loads of authors do the same, and you are right it is not a big deal, but people like to make it a big deal. Thank you for the video.

[@alanaestelle2076]

I’ve debated reading Robinson Crusoe but Defoe and I don’t get along. 🥲 Haha thanks! I initially thought Gaskell could write something like this as well. I think Eliot could make it a bit edgier.l, however. Exactly!! It’s really not a big deal! People read too much between the lines (no pun intended) these days.

[@martasoltys9091]

In the words of Foucault ... it is impossible to see history as it was back when it was the present. These contemporary authors have so much at their hands. Defoe was just a normal man of his day. I can't help but admire him for writing with compassion about women who were still property under the law and had no other means to money than marriage or prostitution (of some sort like being a mistress). I can't help but admire him shining light on these issues back in the 1700's when most men didn't care at all.

[@Tinahgirl83]

I completely agree that an author can authentically write another person’s experience. In nonfiction we call it a biography, and people complain about those too. Honestly saying that an author can’t is ridiculous to me. What is fiction but writing another person’s experience? Unless you’re writing autobiographical fiction, in which case you can STILL only write about yourself and your thoughts and your actions without referencing anyone else because that would be (wait for it) writing another person’s experience. A black author writing what they call “the black experience” isn’t writing MY experience. They’re writing what they think all black people experience. Own voices has never made sense to me, because the fact that you’re of a different race/religion/nationality doesn’t mean that your experience only applies to you. Books should be about the human experience, because that’s really the only real shared experience. We are born, grow up, make friends or families, and get older. This happens to everyone, and good fiction will deal with the human experience and not the (insert whatever you want here) experience. That’s the only way to really get an own voices story. You can discuss the human experience even if all your characters are cats. 😂 But to say only black/lgbt/Asian/Latin people can write stories about black/lgbt/Asian/Latin people is ridiculous.

[@alanaestelle2076]

“Books should be about the human experience” SAY IT AGAIN FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK! I heard someone say recently that when we strip away all the identifiers that we categorize people in, we realize how similar we really are and that’s what matters.

[@ikes1961]

Wow. Seriously, thanks for the review. I'm just about to start it. You've given me things to think about, even if I'll end up hating the novel. Thanks, Alana!

[@alanaestelle2076]

You're welcome! :)

[@martasoltys9091]

I have never head that Daniel Defoe was dull. One of the better books during my first year uni was ROXANNA; the only A+ I ever got on an essay. Still brings warmth to my heat (Sting's song Roxanne was inspired by ROXANNA b/c Sting was an English teacher before becoming a world famous singer). I'm going to have to read this one. You've intrigued me.

[@alanaestelle2076]

I can't with Defoe LOL. he's just not for me haha

[@SheanaJo]

I really appreciate your perspective... people are so sensitive these days.... yes they are! Antywho... I believe in empathy and understanding, and other human emotions and so why wouldn't a person be able to write about another person's experience? Imo. I mean if a person of any race, religion or status told me their story, I could have empathy and understanding and want to share or retell it. If something is powerful, enlightening or enriching enough to a person, they can share that with others and we should be able to appreciate it and or learn from it.. It saddens me (angers me rather) that we have to tip toe around being human these days. I'll leave that there 😊. Regarding the book, I am on the fence about ever picking this up. The fact its repetitive and maybe boring actually interests me because that is life. Life can be hard, repetitive and boring and I love reading stories about life and the many perspectives and historical experiences. I love reading about life in the past it never ceases to teach me something about the present. Im not sure how Defoe made this boring and that scares me lol.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Yes exactly! All of this!! Definitely a lot of waking on eggshells these days! Yea Defoe managed to make an interesting and supposedly exciting premise dull as bricks. Don’t read it 🤣

[@palikki]

I understand that the book was boring to you but it was written in the 18th century with a fairly new writing style, and I think he did an amazing job portraying the life of a "low-class" woman whether it was repetitive or not. I don't think the book was written to be a fun read but rather a comprehensive report of its time through someone's story. That is to say thank you for your video as it helped me view the book from a completely different perspective.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Yes!! That’s a good point about how revolutionary this was for the time! 🙌🏼 I really did want to like this one but alas - this classic wasn’t for me. And thank you for watching and your thoughtful comment❤️

[@martasoltys9091]

Exactly. I had a lit friend who didn't like Anna Karenina and compared it to The Stranger, a novel written almost 100 years later. I can't believe how many people forget the timeframe of writing.

[@lisa35389]

I was forced to read it by my english teacher this summer, It's the most boring book I've ever read. Maybe I'm having an hard time digesting it because my copy is written in old english and even if I understand what it says I'm still an Italian speaker so some expressions can be hard. The plot is only her marrying multiple men and I don't really like stories about people's life if they're repeatitive, it's the worst book I've ever read and I usually like classics.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Who would force this book!? 😩 Ugh yes, that’s what did it for me as well - the repetition.

[@carlosadrianmorenoespejo1360]

Quiza no es una novela para divertirse sino para hacer pensar sobre los altibajos de la existencia humana.Nuestras vidas se han vuelto tan simples y livianas que nos aburre cualquier cosa que nos aleje de las dulzuras y llanezas de nuestra vida moderna.

[@andreis.6798]

3:40 "mY gIrL, dId We ReAd ThE sAmE bOoK?"

[@alanaestelle2076]

LOL

[@haben9464]

I wholeheartedly agree with you, people CAN write from the perspective of a demographic other than their own. It's silly to argue otherwise, seeing as the facts of history are our best proof of this. It's narrow minded to say to a female African author that she has no right to write from the perspective of males of other races, and vice versa. It may be more of a challenge to take this on, but part of being human is attempting to foray into the "other" and understand them -- whether you intend on writing about it or not. A healthy sign of well though out writing is if your able forget the background of author and just experience their story. That being said...it won't save a book from being boring ;pfrom the perspective

[@alanaestelle2076]

YES AND YES!!! Spot on!

[@holamyan4113]

Thank you for making this video. I enjoyed it a lot. I wonder whether it is possible for you to review Roxana by Daniel Defoe. Sometimes it feels relaxed to hear honest comments, or personal, subjective perspectives towards classic work by a master. I like your comments to be subjective because I am subjective too.

[@alanaestelle2076]

I’m glad you liked this one! I don’t think Defoe is for me, unfortunately.

[@yevgenypetrenko3549]

I wonder why this book was so popular then in the 18th century?

[@alanaestelle2076]

It was the first of its kind, in this style, with this type of topic! I don’t think I get on with Daniel Defoe, so that’s just me haha. I can see why people like it.

[@yevgenypetrenko3549]

@@alanaestelle2076 I liked Robinson Crusoe because I like history and I try to understand how people thought back at that time, its language is quite plain for me as well, because I am not a native speaker, but Moll Flanders proved to be too boring for me, I can agree with you here

[@alanaestelle2076]

@@yevgenypetrenko3549 yes same, that’s why I like to read the classics!

[@quadropheniaguy9811]

greetings from Ireland. you should read Bram Stoker's Dracula instead.👍

[@alanaestelle2076]

Hi - thank you for watching! I did and there is a review 😁. Definitely enjoyed it.

[@elizabethaliteraryprincess]

It sounds very similar to one of Defoe's other novels, Roxana, which was written a few years later. It deals with a woman in basically the same situation, just minus the redemption at the end. And god, what a slog! It also had no chapter breaks. 😭

[@alanaestelle2076]

What is with this man and no chapter breaks!! I’ll definitely pass on Roxana 🤣

[@elizabethaliteraryprincess]

@@alanaestelle2076 Right?! I think it's because the novel was still such a new genre and the conventions hadn't fully been developed yet. But you'd think they would put some breaks in for the modern edition.

[@DevinLaVore]

That thumbnail!!!😂😂😂😂😂

[@alanaestelle2076]

🤣🤣🤣 couldn’t resist when I was editing to use this as the thumbnail 🤣

[@carlabrown6849]

I believe Moll Flanders was based on a true story, which is pretty incredible, but I still didn’t like the book either. I just found it too long and language cumbersome. I listened to it, otherwise I would have never gotten through it. I like diversity in reading, but I don’t pick a book to read based on just that. I just pick books to read that are good stories and well written, and not based on the author being part of any particular group. For example The Good Earth was written by Pearl S Buck, who was not Chinese, and it is a fascinating book about a Chinese family. Buck knew what she was talking about and was such an amazing writer that book was a prize winner for a reason. I don’t think a person has to be a certain color or gender to be able to write a book from a different perspective. You would have to reject alot of books if you didn’t think an author could have the imagination to write from another perspective, so therefore you would not be inclusive in your reading choices. I love classics the most because they have stood the test of time. But I also love to historical fiction, nonfiction, adventure stories, mysteries, theology, etc. There’s so much to read that we shouldn’t limit ourselves but find something you enjoy and can learn from.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Wooooow! Didn’t know this was based on a true story. Interesting! I’ll have to do some research. Same! I actually rarely pay attention who actually wrote a book. If the premise interests me, then I’ll add it to my reading list. As I’m reading I then tend to do some background research on the author to get an idea of what influenced their work. If a book is good, it’s good. Period. And writing allows the author to explore places and time periods they never would have been able to explore, which is why we like to read about other people and places!!

[@andreis.6798]

Thank you for you review, your video is the only one that a real person made, the others have AI

[@alanaestelle2076]

Thanks! :)

[@didwestutter8623]

A book you didn't finish! YAY! Some books don't deserve to be finished.

[@alanaestelle2076]

It was painful 🤣

[@alisagossage3973]

I think the repetitiveness is the point

[@alanaestelle2076]

Yes, but that doesn’t make me like it more lol.

[@raffaeleandreini776]

La Nausea Jean Paul Sartre

[@raffaeleandreini776]

Leggi Quello

[@LouAlvis]

Miss Eselle. thank you for taking so much time to share this. Of course you hated it, of course his writing is boring to your contemporaries. No wonder your chumsrest found it dull, and boring because. It was written in a time when books were slow, long, and took the winter to read. this is true with most every writer of its time. have you found any writer for this era that you like? There were very few more suited to to the tastes of our time, reading was different then and whether Dickens much later or others may as well have been writing in another language, Such books were not devoured as we do an a day or two but read chapter by chapterm ub failig light, no more than one or to chpaters at a time with long thinking in between the modern reader needs fast pace, and identifiable characters>. the awful details of this book were, the awful details of women in this time, and Mr D was being quite progressive as most writing of the time was not about women, much less those at the bottom of society Defoe, Stevenson, most any writier of that time, willnot hold mustard to our needs. I recomend works from modenliterature to all my friends, as thes ties and wasy are so alein to us, ad as you mention Boring See? I TOO go on to long eh? be well , I shll look at more of your reviews

[@alanaestelle2076]

Personally, I love long slow classics. I just didn't like this lol.

[@LouAlvis]

@@alanaestelle2076thank yo SO Much for this reply. I for one have struggled with tale of two cites and war and peace.

[@stevesunusual]

What a thumbnail screen! 😕😂 Your question leads me to think of the whole cultural appropriation thing these days, another walk on the eggshells if one wants to be careful.

[@alanaestelle2076]

LOL! I really hated this book 🤣 Ah yes, good point! Someone asked me recently if I was “offended” by something because it was playing on something that is now widely considered to be cultural appropriation, and I just rolled my eyes. I have other things to be worried about and I’m rarely offended, so I told them I was the wrong person to ask 🤣

[@lauraweiss7875]

But did you like it?

[@alanaestelle2076]

I liked it in the beginning but the narrator gets so repetitive I ended up really disliking it 😩