Jane Eyre {Book Review}
It has been so long since I've written a book review that I don't even remember how to type "book" anymore! Ha. No, not quite that long- but it has been embarrassingly long. I have still been reading quite a bit-but keeping it all to myself, as many times writing my thoughts up is not as much fun as reading!
I used to say Uncle Tom's Cabin was the ultimate story- but now I have been enraptured by a brit classic. Jane Eyre is so ravishing that I think I found myself drooling several times from leaving my mouth wide open in surprise. I was dumbfounded by what Bronte wrote from cover to cover. It is a story of love, of the truth of love- that it is not a passion or a movement of happiness, or a self-fulfilling experience, it is incredibly more than all of that.
Out of complete ignorance, up until now I had lumped Jane Eyre into an Austen group, clueless until my good friend said she thought I would like it. And she was very wrong. It is the best read I have ever had! Bronte spoke to so many little places in my heart.If you too have mistakenly included Jane Eyre into a silly-romancy-classic of a book group, you too are very wrong. From the first page there was a big difference in the quality of writing, the quality of the storyline...it is just so stinkin' good.
I'd hate to ruin such a book for you, but I will give you a little taste of its beauty. Jane is an orphan who is shuffled around and mistreated in many ways. When she gets a little older and is no longer of age to be a burden on her keepers she moves on to become the governess of a young girl. Jane is completely clueless as to what mysteries her life will unfold, she bears it all with courage, faith and as if a part of a higher class that would never claim her. That is all I will say. And it is a crime to leave you at that, but it would be an even greater crime to give you any more details.
What should I read that I will love as much as Jane Eyre? Oh, I wish there were some book , somewhere that I would love as much!!
- ISBN: 9780955881800
- Author: Bronte, Charlotte
- Publisher: White's Books
- Subject: Romance , Historical, Classics
- Edition Description: Trade Cloth
- Series: Fine Edition
- Publication Date: June 2010
- Binding: Hardcover
- Language: English
- Pages: 439
Anne’s House of Dreams
Anne's House of Dreams
by Lucy Maud Montgomery
227 Pages
Published in 1917
In this book number five of the Anne of Green Gables classics the reader follows Anne Blythe and Gilbert on to there new home. For years Anne has dreamed of a house, and now she has one, which she calls the House of Dreams. They make many new friends who are just as endearing as the all of Lucy Montgomery's other human concoctions, and they entranced me the whole way through. Anne and Gilbert have their share of troubles, but rather than allowing it to pull them apart it brings the two lovebirds into a stronger and closer bond than before.
The reader thus far has seen Anne and Gilbert in their childishness, yet in this book the youth of the first four books slips into the past and our dear hero and heroine have grown up. Anne no longer gets into constant trouble, and she has also tamed her temper and her tongue. She is just as sweet and precocious, but now all that is balanced with a good dose of maturity as well.
I loved Anne's House of Dreams just as much as the books before it, and could relate even more to it because of my age and season in life. I enjoyed Anne when she was a child, but this book felt like the reward for the wait with her relationship with Gilbert. Finally they get to be together. But, just as in all the things we wait for, even dreams aren't perfect and while they work through their troubles, the characters become even more human and real.
This was another royal performance by Anne, Gilbert, and especially by Lucy Maud Montgomery who dreamed up this beloved character and made her real to me. Loved it! However, I think I am going to stop here for now with Anne. I watched the movies and love them all, but the sequel books aren't calling my name yet. I want to read them at some point, but not yet.
Where did you stop the Anne-mania? Have you read them all? Which was your favourite Anne of Green Gables book?
Dreadlock Girl Reviews Anne of Green Gables series:
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Avonlea
Anne of the Island
Anne of the Island
Anne of the Island
by Lucy Maud Montgomery
326 pages
First Published in 1915
Anne of the Island is book three in an extraordinary series of stories of the charming and precocious Anne Shirley. In this tome, Anne leaves the house of green gables and Marilla behind and heads off to Richmond College. She lives with her friends in Patty's Place and they enjoy, as it is impossible they wouldn't many adventures and scrapes of all sorts and sizes. All around her her friends are getting married, engaged and having children, which leaves her to wonder what life has in store for her. Anne is growing up, and maturing, but her impulsiveness still shines right through the tips of her reddish hair. Or is it auburn now? She is still playing at love with others, while Gilbert Blythe is hopelessly trying to forget his little friend Anne from Green Gables.
There is so much to tell about this little spunky heroine, but I wish to not unveil any more. I like to read my novels clueless and I guess I assume you do too. I loved this Anne of the Island just as much as its two predecessors, it is never dull or dry-- you can thank Anne for that, as she seems to be the cure to any dry moments in anyone's life. She keeps winning me over page by page, however I will say that I get pretty annoyed with her for not falling hard after Gilbert, but flitting and flirting while breaking his heart. Anne is many things, but she is not quick to forgive him, she is an expert at holding on to her little grudges and grievances.
I was also entranced by the dream world she lives in, the things she wants to do, wants to accomplish and because of them many times she is willing to forsake herself in order to reach her dreams. It is a good eye opener, that no matter how lofty your dreams, or how close they are to completion-- staying true to yourself is a much bigger aspiration.
Have you fallen in love with Anne Shirley yet?? Goodness, what are you waiting for!?
Dreadlock Girl Reviews Anne of Green Gables series:
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Avonlea
Anne of the Island
Spoilers from here on down:
The ending of this book is one of the most romantic scenes ever. This paired with Anne of Green Gables on film, which does not fail to match the romantic appeal of Anne and Gilbert coming together at long last. I felt like my teeth were going to fall out, and gray hair would pop out before these two sweeties would ever figure out they were meant to be. It is a dream. Oh, and you have to watch Anne of Green Gables, and then The Continuing Story to see the beauty of this classic book moment made into a classic film moment. It is perfection.
Yeah, let this clip refresh your memory, romance....here we come!!!
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is the tale of a boy who finds the fountain of youth located on the 'second star to the right and straight off 'till morning'. That place is Neverland. In Neverland there are adventures to be had, and it is the dreamiest world to be for any young boy, because it contains all the fantasies with none of the responsibilities of getting older. Peter and the lost boys fight pirates, they can fly, they magically have food to eat and they get to run around with real swords and weapons! There is never a bedtime to be kept, no rules, no nagging or chores to do, there is time for everything in a life free of cares and hardships.
When Peter brings in Wendy and her siblings though, things start to get funky. The lost boys begin to dream of the mother they have never had, of a mother who loves them. For a while Wendy fills this role, but then she too misses her own mother.
Peter Pan is certainly a classic worthy of all the hype as it has graced the stages from Broadway to Disney, to Hollywood, to so many different book publishers who hope to carry on this glorious favourite. I think somewhere in marketing however has made a mistake. I believe the story should not be marketed towards children, as they have yet to know what the abandoning of youth really means, but that it should be read more often by adults. Kids grasp the fun that this Neverland world would be, but neglect to see the implications of living there forever.
I don't cry when I read books, so I was astonished when I cried in the final lines of Peter Pan. It is that forgetting of childhood, of moving to a new season, of letting go of things that were once all that you dreamed of and thought about. I have never understood it more clearly than with the finishing of this text, the sadness that it would be to live as a child for the rest of your life and watch everything else grow and change except you.
For me this book is a coming of age tale, a choice we all have to make of weather to stay in our own fantasies, of having everything taken care of for us or actually having the bravery to face our fears and then enjoy along with the responsibilities, these are the benefits of aging. More than a dream, to live forever in an mortal world would be a curse, it makes me sad thinking about it, Peter is not a hero but a victim of a place and an imagination that he cannot will himself to escape for fear. We are meant to embrace each new stage, each step and grow and learn with them. I loved the impact that Peter Pan had on me as an adult. When I was younger I really didn't get the point, and it seemed so anti-climactic in the end, I didn't get it at all. I am in love with this classic now for sure. I can relate in so many ways to the war of embracing the future- while still longing for the past, the fear things will change and not knowing how that will feel. There is also no question about it, Peter Pan gets all my chickens clucking and the Stellar Five Chicken Book Award.
Have you ever read Peter Pan? What is your favourite children's classic? Have you found out like me that when you read a childhood classic later on in life it has much more meaning than when you were a kid? Which classic was it?
Anne of Avonlea
Anne of Avonlea
by Lucy Maud Montgomery
256 pages
Ages 9-12
Sterling (October 7, 2008)
first published in 1909
The second book in the Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Mud Montgomery, was just as spectacular and worthy of its classic status as the first. I am not a big believer in sequels, I know there are few occasions on which sequels work, but to me it seems they have more of a cult following than actual talent. Of course there are exceptions, but generally the story that needed to be told was told and people move on (or should move on) to different character entrancement. Anne of Green Gables left me no where near done learning about Anne Shirley nor Gilbert Blythe, I guess I am a cult member of the Anne club now. I love those two youngins!
In this book Anne starts out at 16 years old and she takes on the local school, she is just as hazardous as always and while she has grown out of the vain mischief that so surrounded her actions in Anne of Green Gables, she will still find ways to cause damage to property, people and well, just some good 'ol time confusion. Oh, yes it is always an accident, and always more than entertaining to watch her try and fix the problems that she has caused.
In this book I never felt a pinch of annoyance with Anne as I did in the first one, she is much more mature and less dreamy and chattery. I did expect things to move quicker between her and Gilbert though, and was a little disappointed that it didn't progress more rapidly. That is just the romantic in me though, the rest of me loves that they held off, I mean they are still really young when this book ends and it wouldn't make any sense to move so fast, but still I wanted to gush.
Yes, this is another stellar performance by Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe and of course author Lucy Maud Montgomery! I loved the whole world of Green Gables and beyond that she created for me to inhabit as I read through Anne of Avonlea. I will no doubt pick up the next one when I go to the library. Yes this book takes the cake as a five star "On the Lowest Shelf Children's Book Reviews" feature. Well worth the read! Careful though, you'll get sucked in!
I have been interested in watching it on the screen, but I am a little confused with all the different versions out there. Can anyone help me who is a Anne fan? I would like to watch Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea on DVD or if possible online. Any hints or ideas? Are there good versions and bad ones?
Dreadlock Girl Reviews Anne of Green Gables series:
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Avonlea
Anne of the Island
Milly Molly Mandy Books
by Joyce Lankster Brisley
first published in 1928 and 1929
Children's Classic chapter books
The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook and More Milly-Molly-Mandy are the first two books in a series of chapter books written by Joyce Lankester Brisley. She wrote her first one in 1928 and then continued on to complete a total of 4 Milly-Molly-Mandy books.
The main character Milly-Molly-Mandy is a girl who is practical, clever and sweet as well as exuding the qualities that are admirable in children. She lives in a nice white cottage with a thatched roof along with Father, Mother, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle and Aunty. She has several friends, but Billy Blunt and Little Friend Susan are her every day companions. Sure they get into things, as all kids do, but they are ultimately honest, caring, kind and gentle to all those around them.
At our house, with our little boys (3 and 5 years old) we sit in the middle of the day and read a chapter from one of these two Milly-Molly-Mandy classics. The boys love the smart ink drawings and learning about Milly-Molly-Mandy. She has enough adventures to make even two little boys very interested. The book was written during a time when children played outside, made things with rocks, sticks and enjoyed themselves creating adventures and living in their imaginations. I love reading these books to my two boys because I want that to be inside them as well. That they would dream, imagine and just be kids.
Milly-Molly-Mandy is that they are extremely well written, as Joyce Lankester Brisley does not dumb down and do child speech, she says words such as "presently" and responds to adults as "Yes, sir" and "Yes, mam". The pages are filled with delightful illustrations. Not hasty low-quality art, but black and white drawings that hold vast amounts of vintage style charm. I have not one complaint about either of these books in any of the stories that we have read and my children don't either.
What do the kids say from On the Lowest Shelf?
An Interview with my 5 year old son, Jackson about Milly-Molly-Mandy
b: Do you like reading the Milly-Molly-Mandy books?
j: Yes!
b: Why? Can you tell me what you like about them?
j: Everything. They do fun things.
b: What is your favourite thing that they did?
j: When they made a tree house. Oh and the stamps story! (story in which M-M-M becomes pen pals with a relative her age in America and collects the stamps)
b:Should we get the next book now that we have finished the two we have?
j: Well, um I don't know. You have so many books already. Maybe for my birthday or something.
b: hahaha! Yes, maybe.
So in conclusion, it is obvious that this book wins the hearts of everyone picking books off The Lowest Shelf! I think every kid needs this one on their own shelf. Extremely recommended.
What are your kids' favourite classic chapter books? Do you read these oldies, or would you rather go a-la-modern? No right or wrong answers, I just like to chat books 
My Antonia
Title: My Antonia
Author: Willa Cather
Pages: 250
Yearly Count b: 1
Told through the voice of her childhood friend Jim Burden, Antonia becomes a beloved character for what she endures, what she gives out and mostly how she inspires. Antonia is an immigrant girl who moves with her family to the plains of Nebraska. There is so much in this book, people learning to accept immigrants and their customs, people getting along, childhood memories, and yet My Antonia is mostly about a woman, her choices, her value and the endurance of love.
This book has been sitting on my shelf for about a year or so. I needed a change of pace and picked it up, I could smack myself for not doing so sooner. I loved My Antonia. It is hard for me to explain all the reasons, but I know that the most significant was the value of unending love and friendship. Jim holds his love for Antonia for years and years, if not in his day to day life in his memory. The unyielding life that the main characters show and just the nitty-gritty of growing up as pioneers is extremely enchanting.
Technically I read this this year (2009) but I can still say that it is in my top 5 books ever. I tried and failed to find even one imperfection with My Antonia, I am stunned by Willa Cather's ability, she did win the Pulitzer prize and know for sure I will have to grab another of her books soon. My Antonia was simple, beautiful and I enjoyed reading every word.
My Antonia easily earned a Happy Chicken award from me!
A Christmas Carol
Title: A Christmas Carol
Author: Charles Dickens
Pages: 160
Genre: Classics, Seasonal, Christmas
b's Yearly Count: 98
Fantastic! This is a classic, and as most classics go I had yet to read it. I am so behind in that department. I have read some, and actually A Tale of Two Cities also by Dickens is one of my all time favourite classics. Dickens does ramble. I remember that from the other book and this one (as short as it was) he did ramble as well. I like that style though, rambling and all, it seems more conversational for that period.
I know seriously everyone has seen a play, watched the Muppet version, the mickey mouse version or one of the other 100 renditions, so you should all know the storyline at least. I won't go there. But, it is for sure about much more than just the spirit of Christmas, it is the spirit of giving, of loving, and of caring for not just those that have less but all of those around you. I think that Christmas is the perfect time to bring that plan into action, and I I think that is why Dickens chose this season. Hearts are more open, emotions revved, and your ear is naturally more bent toward others. I love this season, I love Christmas and the celebrations and the family time.
I am so glad I FINALLY read this classic, I should have read it a long time ago....but at least I did this year right!? What is your favourite Christmas story? (or your favourite classic)
Out of the Silent Planet
Title: Out of the Silent Planet
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 180
Yearly Count b: 90
The story of a dude named Ransom ( I know, Ransom!?!) who hap haphazardly wanders himself into a science experiment of sorts to another planet. He arrives there in a comatose state, having been drugged and brought there for reasons he doesn't know. It is a science fiction book written in the 40s. If when you see the name C.S Lewis you think Chronicles of Narnia and about white witches and dark dungeons and wardrobes, think again. Out of the Silent Planet is not fantasy or anything close, it is all science and fiction
In truth it wasn't my fave, but it wasn't horrid either. C.S. stunned me with his writing, he is insanely good. Even if at times he is what I would consider wordy, his words are beautiful even when I have no idea what he is saying! I may have read it to fast and it may be my fault, but it seemed too descriptive for me. It was written when saga descriptions were all the fashion, so that my be part of the deal, but they just didn't keep my attention that well. I had a hard time following from one type of alien creature to the next, and figuring out who Lewis was talking about. I also kept holding out for the symbolism, and really there is some but it is not even a tad as blatant as that in The Chronicles of Narnia.
My overall feelings on this book? It was decent, but I think if you could love it much more than I did. I love reality, what can I say?
This was my first attempt at science fiction and since I have never been a science person I figure I am not going to be into science fiction...is that true? Is that how it works? If you are interested in science do you love science fiction? It seems like it would be somewhat correlated at least. Maybe not.
A Child’s Christmas in Wales
Title: A Child's Christmas in Wales
Author: Dylan Thomas
Illustrator: Chris Raschka
Pages: 48
Genre: Children's Christmas
Yearly Count b: 91
This is the first time I have been exposed to the book by Dylan Thomas. Since I was young we would watch the TV version of this and loved it. Since the book was selected for the online book club, Travel the World (from a comfy chair) this month, and it is really short I read right through it. I read it to my little boys. They were mostly curious as to why kids would think it was fun to throw snowballs at cats. My two little ones have three cats and they knew that was a naughty thing to do for sure! I couldn't help but see them smile during the description of the fire where the slipper is being waved around. It is neat being able to share this with my kids.
I like reading it allowed, the words flow so strongly from the lips and even though my boys are too young to understand their beauty, sharing beauty even at their age is priceless to me. It is all about exposure to the arts at this point and to give them wings. Even if the beauty goes over their heads, the pictures are so amazing that they stare at them the entire time. Chris Raschka is the artist and the book received A New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children's Book for his illustrations. I don't think I need to say much more than that, other than that they are somehow earthy in tones and colours, rustic in their perfection and perfectly, intensely real as well. The lines are jagged, and imperfect and yet the detail of the paintings brilliantly glows through to form a whole image that is nothing less than spectacular.
So, there you go, the words are amazing...many of you have heard this short story of Wales, and the pictures I believe equally match the performance of the words, a marriage meant to be (at least in my book 
. I am going to institute the tradition of reading this book allowed to my kids, even when they can read on their own, or when they can read on their own they can read it to us! I think every household should own a copy of this book!
