‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte
http://bibliojunkie.wordpress.com/2008/11/30/jane-eyre-by-charlotte-bronte/
This is my second time reading this book, and I really have to say that I fell in love with it all over again. I just love everything about this book: the language, the plot, the characters, the setting, etc. The pace is just perfect. It is not too fast or too slow. Engaging indeed and I savored every page.
This is not a Cinderella story. Jane is not Cinderella. Yes, at the beginning we see that she is an orphan cruelly treated by her aunt and cousins. However, unlike Cinderella, she is strong and she tries to defend herself and speaks her mind even from an early age. I love the part where Jane shouts back at her aunt saying how cruel her aunt is and that she will never forget how her aunt treats her for as long as she lives. (chapter 4). By the way, I love that Bronte did not portray her main character as strikingly beautiful. This makes Jane’s character very realistic. Jane is smart, kind, courageous and honest. She only says what she thinks is right. She grows to be a woman with a progressive mind.
Mr. Rochester on the other hand is also a very interesting character. This guy is cynical, sharp-mouthed yet kind and clearly he cares for Jane a lot. What makes him interesting is that he does not express his feelings for Jane explicitly. In a way he sometimes flirts which makes him so sexy. *drooling* I enjoyed the conversation between Mr. Rochester and Jane, which is often funny and heart melting. Oh, I can go on and on about this guy. There are many parts in this book that made me laugh.
‘You examine me, Miss Eyre,’ said he: ‘do you think me handsome?’
I should, if I had deliberated, have replied to this question by something conventionally vague and polite; but the answer somehow slipped from my tongue before I was aware, ‘No, sir.’ (Chapter 14)
HILARIOUS!!!!
This is not an ordinary love story. Again she talks about true and unconditional love, religion, social-moral conventions, and class distinction. This book teaches me a lot about life and love. I smiled, I laughed, and I shed some tears reading this. The gothic aspect in this story just makes it even more perfect. Thank you Miss Bronte for this well-crafted book!
