Reader, I Finished It

I'm really, really sorry for the lame title. I just couldn't resist. :-) At least I now know where the "Reader, I married him" quote comes from. It was one of the few on my Barnes & Noble tote bag that I had trouble placing. So, on to my thoughts! (Just a warning, this will not be smoothly written at all.)

I thought that Jane would by dry, and that Jane herself would be perhaps a bit stuffy. After all, this book was written like a hundred and fifty years ago. I should've known better, but there you go. But it was beyond not-stuffy, it was refreshing!

It was great to read a book narrated by a woman. I have absolutely nothing against male writers, and I have no trouble relating to male characters and narrators. Male authors can and sometimes do write fleshed-out, believable women characters, but more often than not the women are peripheral characters, and certainly not the narrators. It was a joy to read a book by a woman through a woman's eyes.

And an upright, relatable woman! I don't want to sound all "books these days" and launch into a tirade about fallen morals or whatever. That's not it at all. It just seems like all the "good" characters in books aren't relatable. They're too perfect, or maybe they just don't disclose their feelings and struggles as much.

I really enjoyed the rest of the story. It wasn't as charged, but it was still engaging. I liked Diana and Mary a lot, and my thoughts on St. John will come later. Of course the ending was fabulous. I had to close the book to go to the bathroom right as Jane and Rochester were reunited, and I am not kidding when I tell you that I ran down the hall to get back to the story.

I think Jane is a bit of an unreliable narrator when it comes to St. John. After all, as we find out, he is one of her only living relations and a dying man. It's natural that she would perhaps minimize or misinterpret his faults a bit. I don't see St. John as being quite so noble or self-sacrificing as she does. He seemed like a sincere and "good" man, but he was too headstrong. Doing God's will is one thing, trying to coerce someone into doing what you believe is God's will for them is quite another. Mind your own business, St. John. I am glad he didn't end up being a scoundrel, though.

So, I loved it. Amanda, I sincerely hope that you enjoy your end of the Great Book Swap of Aught Seven as much as I enjoyed mine. Thanks babe!