Is Middlemarch by George Eliot one of the definitive books all women should have in their personal library?

Whilst taking time to sift through her Tweets last week, Jane found this intriguing list via Gutter Bookshop’s Twitter feed of 100 books to maketh a man: ‘The Essential Man’s Library’ as it is being termed, somewhat open to interpretation.

The question that arises from this list, aside from the debates that could rage over whether the books listed are the definitive ones that address qualities of ‘manliness’ and whether any obvious choice is missing, is what would the list of 100 books to maketh a woman look like? Would it be dominated by female authors, of which there are certainly a few ‘essentials’ that spring to mind - George Eliot, the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen… - (interestingly, only four books out of the 100 ‘books for men’ listed were written by a female author) or would strong female characters take precedence? What would be the ‘essential’ life lessons women could take from certain individual books – or are there too many to mention?

We’d love to have your input – leave us a comment here, or tweet us with your choices…

And if you want to be in the loop with all that the director of TRO is up to, why not follow Jane on Twitter directly – or take a look at her newly located blog for lots and lots of interesting reading about reading.

Click here to listen to The Metamorphosis – Part 5

Here’s a synopsis of Part 5, or if you prefer, you can read along with the text while you listen.

Gregor’s situation becomes increasingly worse – he had almost completely stopped eating, and his living conditions were cramped and dirty – everything that could not be kept elsewhere in the house was put into his room. One of the rooms in the flat had been rented out to three gentlemen. These men had particularly high standards and the family were keen to show them the utmost respect and cater to their needs, cooking and serving their meals to them in the family living room while the family remained in the kitchen.

One evening while the gentlemen dined, the sound of a violin streamed through from the kitchen. Gregor’s father became anxious that the gentlemen were displeased, but on the contrary they asked for Grete – who was the one playing – to come into the living room. Captivated by the music, Gregor moves himself into the living room a little. He thinks about how beautiful his sister’s playing is and wishes for her to come and play for him alone in his room, as the gentlemen do not seem to appreciate her. While lost in thought, Gregor is noticed by one of the gentlemen who points towards him and calls to Gregor’s father. Gregor’s father attempts to direct the men back into their room, while Grete rushes to Gregor’s room to clean it, but the men express their disgust and give immediate notice of their room.

In anger and frustration, Grete declares that the family cannot possibly continue to live as they are and that they should get rid of Gregor. Their father agrees that something should be done, but wishes that Gregor was able to understand them so they could make justify the decision. Grete argues that is impossible and anyway, Gregor has become an animal with no consideration or human qualities. In the midst of his sister’s commotion, Gregor crawls quietly back to his room, where he is locked in by Grete. He is no longer able to move and so lies there, feeling the pain fade from his body. Before the dawn of the next day, Gregor dies.

The next morning, the charwoman arrives at the flat and discovers Gregor. She rushes to tell the family of the news and they go to see his body, completely dried up. The three gentlemen enter, asking the charwoman for their breakfast. She takes them to see Gregor’s corpse, before Mr Samsa orders them to leave the house. All three members of the family use the day to write letters of excusal to their employers, their peace only disturbed by the charwoman who informs them ‘that thing in there’ has been taken care of. The family leave the flat together for the first time in months and take a tram to the country. The future seems bright for the whole family – with good jobs and the prospect of moving home – but especially Grete, who has become vibrant and confident – the perfect embodiment of a young lady.

If you’ve been joining us to follow the plight of poor Gregor Samsa, you’ll know that things have got quite dark indeed for our big bug hero – when we left him last he was being attacked with a chair by a ruthless charwoman. Will things take an upward turn for Gregor? Will the family find escape from their desperate situation? Will there be a happily-ever after? (it’s not looking too good, but stranger things have happened – like being turned into a massive insect…)

If there’s one thing that we do know, it’s that you don’t want to miss out on the conclusion, so make sure you’re sitting comfortably on the sofa at 9pm tomorrow evening to find it all out. As well as listening here, you can also join us on Twitter to share your thoughts about the story: just attach the#eveningreadin hashtag to your tweets to be seen.

And if you haven’t heard the story so far, no need to fear - all four previous parts are right here so you can listen whenever you like (ideal for the Easter holidays).

Click here to listen to The Metamorphosis – Part 4

Below is a synopsis of Part 4 – or, if you like, read along with the text here as we listen.

A month has passed since Gregor’s transformation. He is still visited in his room daily by his sister who continues to carry out work to ensure he is looked after. His parents do not enter the room to see Gregor for themselves, instead relying on his sister Grete to keep them informed.

Gregor’s mother, having expressed a wish to see Gregor, enters his room one day to help Grete remove the furniture, as Grete believes it is hindering Gregor from his new habit of crawling on the walls and ceiling. Gregor hides under his sheet, making sure he is not seen by his mother so as not to alarm her, but is gladdened to simply know that she is there. The two women struggle to move the heavy furniture, with Gregor’s mother expressing uncertainty as to whether they should remove it at all, thinking that it seems like they are abandoning Gregor by doing so. His mother’s reasoning makes Gregor realise that he is swiftly losing his humanity. However, Grete, having acquired new-found confidence, dismisses her mother’s fears and goes on with the plan, leaving the room almost completely bare. 

Having become disorientated by the movement in the room and fearful that all of his possessions are being taken from him, Gregor moves onto a picture on the wall – the sole thing left he can claim as his own.  Covering it, he is clearly visible on the wall and upon returning to the room, his mother screams out as she sees him. A commotion is caused and Grete shuts Gregor in a room alone. On arriving home, his father asks what happened and Grete informs him that Gregor had got out and their mother had fainted. His father, looking very different to the man Gregor remembers, enters the room Gregor is in. The two begin to move to and fro, Gregor becoming exhausted. An apple rolls on the floor beside Gregor, followed by many others that are thrown purposely at him by his father. His sister and mother become hysterical, his mother begging with his father to spare Gregor’s life.

Due to the attack, Gregor becomes injured and increasingly immobile. He continues to watch and listen to his family while hidden completely from their view, although he notices all of them have become much quieter, all being exhausted from the increased work they have taken on and struggling to maintain the household. Although they wish to move, the family complain that they cannot do so because it would be difficult to transfer Gregor. Gregor finds himself unable to sleep, occupied by thoughts of his family, work and frustration at the increasing lack of attention he is shown.

With Grete taking on more work outside of the house, and his mother unable to do so adequately, the task of looking after Gregor falls to the charwoman, an elderly widow who is not repelled by Gregor – in fact she treats him with an kind of patronising disregard, which Gregor resents. Intending to let her know how much he dislikes her presence, he moves towards her but she is not deterred, hitting his back forcefully with a chair before continuing with her work.

Don’t forget – you can join us anytime within the next 40 minutes to share your thoughts on the story; just tweet with the hashtag #eveningreadin (or you can tweet us directly). We’d love to hear what you think!

 Click here to listen to The Metamorphosis – Part 3

Here’s a synopsis of what happens in Part 3, or you can read along here as we listen:

Gregor awakes from a deep sleep as the evening is darkening, being aware of there having been some movement in his room. He limps to the door, badly injured from the chaotic events of the day. As he opens it, he finds a dish filled with milk and small lumps of bread. Though ravenous with hunger, he is disappointed to find that the milk is unpleasant to taste and retreats back to his room.

Gregor looks out through the crack in the door to the family living room, which is unusually quiet. During the evening the doors on either side of his room are opened then closed twice very quickly, by a hesitant visitor. Gregor waits for the person to come back to find out their identity but they do not return. Gregor’s parents and sister stay awake until late and then tiptoe from the living room. With no company for the night, Gregor lies alone thinking of how he must rearrange and conduct his life with the least possible imposition on his family’s lives.

The next morning, Gregor’s sister enters his room tentatively – after a initial failed attempt which results in her slamming the door closed in shock. Noticing the milk had been hardly touched, she brings Gregor a selection of different foods to try and hurries away again, not wanting to embarrass him by watching him eat. Famished, Gregor feasts on rotten vegetables and stale sauce – repelled by the fresh food  – and is intrigued to discover his injuries from the previous evening have completely healed. His sister returns to remove the food and clean, and despite being lethargic and enlarged from eating, Gregor scurries to hide under the couch when she enters.

Unable to be understood by his family, Gregor has to listen in to their conversations, which are mainly about him. He notices that nobody is ever left by themselves in the house since he has transformed, with the maid also begging to be dismissed early from her work.  Gregor is relieved to overhear his father say that there is money left over from his failed business, although it is really meant as an emergency fund. Gregor worries about who will have to work to sustain the family, his father being slow and clumsy, his mother old and suffering with asthma and his sister inexperienced and accustomed to a life of pleasure rather than work. He feels a deep sense of shame at his inability to do anything productive for his family.

Gregor remains in his room, leaning against his chair and staring out of the window, his view of the outside street becoming increasingly distinct. His sister continues to do things for him, entering his room twice daily. Gregor feels uncomfortable on behalf of them both, knowing himself to be a burden and unsettling to his sister.

Remember, you can share your thoughts on the story with us as you listen for the next half-hour, by hopping over to Twitter and attaching the#eveningreadin hashtag to your tweets. Happy reading-in!

Click here to listen to The Metamorphosis – Part 2

Here’s a short synopsis of Part 2, or you can read the full text here as we listen.

While his family and the chief clerk are waiting for the doctor and the locksmith, Gregor is contemplating his voice and their lack of understanding of his words. Gregor decides to make for the door, so he can reveal himself to those on the other side. Reaching the door, exhausted from the struggle, he uses the adhesive on the tip of his legs to cling to it. He soon realises that his lack of teeth will make turning the key and opening the door very difficult. But in his new, alien jaw, he finds great strength; and gripping the key between his jaws, he eventually twists and opens the door.

On seeing Gregor’s new appearance – that of a giant insect – the chief clerk backs away in horror; his mother passes out in shock; his father begins to cry. Gregor remains calm and gives a long speech to the chief clerk, in honour of his job, since travelling salesmen are often made the subject of negative gossip. He asks for the truth to be told. ‘But the chief clerk had turned away as soon as Gregor had started to speak’ and continues to retreat from the apartment, not hearing a word through his horror. He makes a sudden movement and bolts.

Gregor, not wanting the chief clerk to escape, tries to catch him unsuccessfully. To his surprise he soon realises how easily accustomed he is with his new insect legs.

Grabbing a newspaper and the chief clerk’s cane, Gregor’s father drives him back into his bedroom. In the confusion, Gregor injures himself in the doorway. His father continues to drive Gregor into the room and then slams the door shut.

Don’t forget to get involved and share your thoughts as the story unfolds live: tweet us and attach the hashtag #eveningreadin to your tweets – we’d love to hear what you think.

Now sit back, relax, and enjoy a dramatic half hour of shared reading aloud.

If you did listen in and read along with us, you’ll know that the story is more than slightly strange. Discovering Gregor Samsa’s fate is somewhat unsettling for the listening reader – but reading the tale aloud is an even more bizarre experience…Lynn Elsdon, the voice behind the story, tells us just what it was like to give voice to Gregor:

Reading The Metamorphosis was a strange and compelling experience. The protagonist Gregor Samsa wakes to find that he has turned into some kind of man-sized insect – in my mind a cockroach or a dung beetle – overnight. It is a very stark tale, tense and often revolting, and yet, I found myself increasingly warming to Gregor, with all of his slime, stench and scuttling. His attempts to continue being human in this state swing from tragi-comic to terrifying to, at times, heart-rending; all in the very spare prose of Franz Kafka. It is fascinating. Ever thought vermin could pull on the heart strings? Let’s get together and listen to the Evening Read-In, and talk about what we think.

Surely that’s sparked off your interest to get sharing this peculiar but compelling story. Be sure to tune in for Part 2 this coming Thursday evening at 9pm.

Lynn has also shared her experiences of what it was like being involved in the very first revolutionary Evening Read-In in the latest issue of The Reader Magazine. If you’re intrigued to read more, you can subscribe to receive your copy on our website.  

Make sure you keep an eye on our Twitter page this Thursday lunchtime for the chance to get your hands on a shiny new Vintage Books copy of The Metamorphosis and other stories…

Without further ado, here is Part 1. We hope you’re ready for half an hour’s worth of reading aloud and superb storytelling… 

Click here to listen to The Metamorphosis – Part 1

A short summary of Part 1: (you can read along with the story here)

Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman, wakes in his bed from ‘troubled dreams’ to find that he has been completely changed from a human man into an insect. Confused about what has happened to him – he realises that it isn’t a dream and he actually has transformed – and finding it physically difficult to get out of bed, he lies looking out of the window thinking about his job and how unsatisfied he is with it. He contemplates making the big change to leave his position in a few years, once he has paid off the debt his parents owe to his boss.

Instead of catching the 5am train to work as he usually would, he is still in bed at 6.30am. He hears his mother calling to him, asking whether he had somewhere to go, followed by similar calls from his father and sister. Cautious not to arouse any suspicion and still coming to terms with what has happened to him, he makes quick explanations and focuses on getting up and ready, which he finds incredibly hard to do as it requires so much effort with his new body.

Just after seven, the chief clerk at Gregor’s work arrives at the family home to enquire why Gregor had not left on the early train. His father pleads for Gregor to open his bedroom door, while his mother assures the chief clerk that Gregor is unwell and that is the reason for his non-appearance. Gregor tells his father that he cannot see the chief clerk, and he hears his sister begin to cry.

The chief clerk insists upon an explanation from Gregor as to why he has locked himself in his room and warns him that his job is by no means secure. Through the door, Gregor explains that he has been taken suddenly unwell, but will set off for work soon, pleading that the chief clerk does not make his family suffer. As he struggles to get up, he hears his family and the chief clerk outside his room talking about him and what could be wrong with him. Worried, his mother calls for the doctor and locksmith to be brought to the house.

Make sure you’re here next week at 9pm to listen to Part 1 and don’t forget to join us on Twitter too as we want to know everything you’re thinking as the story unfolds – just be sure to include #eveningreadin in your tweets so we can see what you’re saying.

Get ready to Read-In…!

Our social media based live read-aloud, read-in event is back for a new run starting on Thursday 8th March in all the usual places, bringing another classic short story to life with the talents of the TRO team.

The first Evening Read-In of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens brought forth some great discussion as well as a lot of enjoyment amongst both those encountering the story anew and renewing their reading, and we’re sure that the upcoming Read-In will do just the same. We won’t reveal what the selected story is just yet but keep your eyes on our social media channels over the next week to find out…

Book your place on the sofa now, sign up to Tweet along with us and make sure you’re part of the online Reading Revolution.