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!

Reading Jane: Part 3

I know, I know, I posted my progress yesterday, but guys...this book is so good!

Since I last posted, I've been reading like a fiend, and am now two-thirds of the way done. (Jane has just left Thornfield.) I usually don't like posting my thoughts about a book before I'm done (I'm afriad I'll jinx it and the book will go steeply downhill) but I am so in love with it at the moment.

Rochester has really grown on me, although I think he can be a real jerk sometimes, like when he set out to make Jane jealous, and I can see why Jane loves him, even if I perhaps wouldn't.
But the real treasure of the book is Jane herself. She is completely awesome and I love her. She's passionate and loving, but above all, true to herself. Her morals, her will, and her sense dominate all, even at the expense of her own heart and Rochester's. I find that deeply admirable, and her scene with Rochester after the revelation of his insane wife moved me almost to tears. Great writing, great characters. (Ha, characters with character. I crack myself up.)

I'm not going to write about the insane, amoral, alchoholic Creole wife. I accept her as a plot device, but will go no further.

Reading Jane: Lowood, Thornfield, and French Mistresses

Sorry for the lack of Jane updates! I got distracted by school and other books for awhile, but I'm back on track now, and up to page 216. As before, here be spoilers.

So I am still really enjoying the book, especially the descriptive passages. I like how it feels so self-contained, as it enables me to study my new acquaintances and the surroundings without being distracted by a bunch of pesky secondary characters.

I am very happy that this isn't a tale of horrible, unavoidable misery. Lowood started off as a place of misery, but it was reformed in a few chapters, which is how it should be done, I think. That way the hardships leave their mark, but don't overwhelm the story or characters.

I was also glad that Lowood didn't take up too much of the story, and that Helen Burns kicked the bucket. I mean, sweet girl, but as a long term character she would've been annoying. She reminded me of Beth from Little Women. They both suffered from Saintly Dying Girl Syndrome (SDGS). What a tragedy.

And yay, we've gotten to Thornfield! And met Mr. Rochester and his bastard child! (Or maybe she isn't really his, since we have yet to see any resembelance between the two.) I haven't quite made up my mind about Mr. Rochester. In theory, he should be really annoying to me. He's got a bad case of the gloomies, as well as the "Fate hates me" mindset. Plus, he's kind of mean to poor little Adele. It's nice that you took her in and all, but maybe try for just a little bit of affection once in awhile.

Now, I have a confession to make. I kind of know how the book ends, and I also know that Rochester's crazy wife is locked up somewhere in Thornfield. Whether that crazy wife is the same French mistress, I have no idea. This knowlege hasn't lessened my enjoyment of the novel, but it has made me understand Rochester's gloominess a bit more. I still think he's wallowing, but this "greater understanding" is what has prevented me from being irritated with dear Edward's "woe is me" bit.

Plus, the guy is disarmingly frank, and Jane likes him, which makes the reader predisposed to like him as she is narrating the story.

Anyway, those are my thoughts so far, and I'm looking forward to continued reading.

Reading Jane

A dear friend of mine (you know who you are) sent me Jane Eyre yesterday, which was super awesome for two reasons:

I had been curious about Jane Eyre, a book that so many women (and men) are
passionate about, but I had also been apathetic about actually, you know, reading it and
It was a lovely pick-me-up to recieve after a long
midterm.

I know said friend is excited to hear what I think of the book, and I thought perhaps it might be a good idea to do a running commentary, since with school and all it might take me awhile to get through it. Obviously, there will be spoilers. Read at your own risk.


Last night I got to chapter four. I have to say, I've been pleasantly surprised so far by how readable it is. I've never read any of Charlotte Bronte's work, and in all honesty I grouped her indiscriminately with Jane Austen. I tried to read Persuasion once, but it was such a slog that I put it down by page 30. The fact that I am now on page 35 of Jane Eyre and haven't fallen asleep is heartening.

The storyline itself, however, isn't. Heartening, that is. It's actually pretty depressing. Poor little terrorized Jane. Perhaps in some alternative universe for fictional characters she's having some porridge and commiserating with Oliver Twist.

There's not much else to say, really, as I'm still just getting to know the characters. I'm excited to read more, though, and I'll keep you all posted!