REVIEW: 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte

Well, hello!  It really has been too long.  I apologize to everyone out there who may have been waiting for a blog post.  I should have mentioned in my welcome statement that I have a horrible tendency to take lengthy recesses with no apparent warning or reason.

But now that I'm back (for now), I can finally discuss my relationship with Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.  This book took me a month or so to finish.  This does not mean I did not enjoy it.

I will say it was hard to read Jane Eyre properly without the environment of a classroom.  I always get more from classics like this where there can be a group discussion after every few chapters or so.  I considered checking SparkNotes, but somehow that felt like cheating.  Halfway through, I decided to skip the literary aspect of it entirely and began reading for enjoyment only.

I say I had a relationship with Jane Eyre because this book drew me so closely into Jane's mind I felt we were in fact friends, or at the very least acquaintances.  I found Jane's narrative engaging, and Bronte's writing style attractive.  My problem with literary classics has always been that I would get lost in backstory -- I felt an author would take too much time explaining something (a gesture, a bit of dialogue, the scenery), when it was just as easy to skip a few sentences and get on with the narration.  Not so with Jane Eyre.  There were only a few instances where I would put the book down and wonder when I was ever going to finish it.  My biggest issue this time around was picking the book back up after I had put it down for the night.  It's not a book that you can use to take a few minutes out of your busy day, read a few lines and put it back down until the next time you have a free moment.  The writing is not pithy by any means, so I would have to make time out of my day to fully absorb myself, if I was going to pick up the book at all.  Once I read a few paragraphs, though, it was hard to stop.

I wouldn't say love stories are normally at the top of my list when I'm deciding on a book to read (although now that I think about it, most of my favorite books do involve some sort of love story), but this one felt near perfect.  And I think I feel that way because I could see Jane's strength of character, and I knew she wasn't in love with Mr. Rochester because he wanted her, or because it would be beneficial for her financially, or even because it was her first real crush.  The love was authentic because Jane is authentic.  I felt Jane's love for Mr. Rochester as deeply and as truly as if it were my own.  This is sort of embarrassing to admit, because who wants to marry a guy who kept his first wife in a closet?  But all the talk of being fit for each other, and complementing each other so perfectly...well, it made me feel all wishy-washy.  And I loved it.

I think I will read Wide Sargasso Sea again so I can fully appreciate the other side, and maybe gain some more insight into Jane Eyre as well.




But UP NEXT: No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women, by Estelle B. Freedman (finally, I am in the mood for it!)

Share Stuff Saturday: Math is Important

I was just reading through yesterday's edition of Five Star Friday, and happened across this blog post from Centre of the Universe - The Dreaming.  It breaks down the cost of publishing a book (in Canada).  Just in case any of you (and by "any of you" I mean "me") forgot what it takes to make it in this industry, here's some interesting reading that should jog your memory.  I am definitely never going to complain about retail prices ever again...at least, not in Canada.  I also learned that publishers are pushing more and more for their printers to use "greener" paper stock -- but of course, this insistence to do the world good is still coming at its explosively high price, since a lot of printers don't keep this stock on the floor.  How Catch-22 of everything.  Anyway.  Enjoy.

http://www.cenobyte.ca/words/2009/12/math-lesson-about-books.html

Teaser Tuesday!

 We had our first snow this week!  Perfect weather for curling up with a good book.  Or, for doing a teaser!

1. Grab your current read.*
2. Let the book fall open to a random page.
3. Share with us two (2)** "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
4. Share the title and author of the book, so we can investigate on our own if we like the teaser you've given!
5. Please avoid spoilers!

*To keep this feature periodic, I will be using both teasers from current reads, and from books I've read before, but haven't discussed on this blog.

**Quantity of sentences may vary, depending on how long it takes to finish the thought within those line parameters. Teasers should still make sense!

I'm feeling Christmasy all of a sudden (Haul out the holly!), and I'm pretty disappointed I'm not going to be able to afford a Christmas tree this year after all.  So, to cheer me up, this week's teaser comes from my most favorite Christmas book of all time.  My grandma bought it for me at a garage sale one summer, and for Christmas two years later she made me a rag doll just like the one on the cover.  The book is called The Christmas Dolls: A Butterfield Square Story, and it's by Carol Beach York.  I lurve it.

Snowflakes flew in their faces, and melted on Florabelle's green glass-button eyes.  Everything looked wet to her after that, as if she were looking at the world under water.

Thanks once again, MizB, for your wonderful meme!  I'm off to decorate the rest of the house!

REVIEW: 'The Dread Crew: Pirates of the Backwoods' by Kate Inglis

Sorry I'm late, everyone.

Charming.  Fresh.  Enticing.  Original.  Slug-smackin' good time.

When my copy of The Dread Crew: Pirates of the Backwoods by Kate Inglis finally arrived, I put down Jane Eyre and delved into this new treat immediately.  I have to say: this is a marvelous first novel.  I have commenced picketing for the movie.

She really did a phenomenal job setting the tone of the book with the diction, and from the very first line of the prologue.  I loved how each character, from Missy to Joe to Willie to Hector, all had their own spin on the quaint language of New Germany.  So entertaining, just how you'd want pirates to talk -- not expect them to -- want them to talk.

In fact, what I did expect was more elusiveness on the part of the pirates.  The back of the book hints at Eric's story, tracking them through the woods, using clues they've dropped from their Barrow along the way.  But in fact, you get to know the pirates (and Grandpa Joe) much more intimately than you ever do Eric.  And these pirates, elusive?  Getting the Stewarts' peacocks and goats to get along would be an easier task.  But that is what makes this book a pleasure.  "Honey lessons."  So perfect.

What I loved most about this book was its accessibility.  It was so hard to pin down an age group for it, which in the end, who cares?  That means it's great for any age, and I think that's going to lend to its success.  Children, adults, and tweens can all enjoy it.  I imagined my mom reading it to me when I was little.  The excitment in the storyline, plus the well-developed plot, plus its length (not too short, not too long!) will also make it a great re-read for me as an adult -- something I can read while I eat a bowl of soup, or vacation, or just plain need a break from real life.

I hope there will be a sequel, but this book stands on its own.  Congratulations, Kate, and thanks again for sharing the launch of your tremendous accomplishment with me.

Next Up: Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte (for real this time)