07
May 2007

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

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Jane Eyre is indubitably one of my favourite books! I first read it about a couple of years ago and thought it’s one of the finest books ever written. This is the second time I’m reading this amazing book by Charlotte Bronte.

The name Jane Eyre may sound simple and modest but somehow, I think it’s a lovely name. After reading the book, I admired the name even more! Jane Eyre is surely one cool character.

Jane is an orphan as her parents died when she was only a baby. She was then left to the care of her mother’s brother, Mr. Reed. But he died, too and made his wife promise him that she would look after Jane Eyre. Unfortunately, Mrs. Reed utterly dislikes Jane and therefore, Jane’s life at Gateshead was a living hell. Her cousins relentlessly bullied her and Mrs. Reed was anything but sympathetic. Only Bessie, the nurse, was kind to Jane.

When Jane was 10 years old, she was sent to an orphanage, Lowood Orphan Asylum. She was so glad to finally get away from her pitiless aunt and cousins. Jane then spent 8 years at Lowood, 6 years as a pupil and 2 years as a teacher. When she arrived there, she made friends with a sickly girl, Helen Burns. They got along well but their friendship could not last long because Helen died some time after.

After living at Lowood for so many years, Jane wished to get a new job somewhere else. She advertised in the newspaper and finally became a governess for Mr. Rochester’s ward, Adele. Soon, Jane finds herself falling in love with Mr. Rochester but assumed that he only had eyes for the more beautiful Miss Ingram.

So, what do you think will happen in the end? Do you think Jane has a chance with her employer? And what’s with that ever-mysterious servant, Grace Poole, who Jane thought laughs mirthlessly, wanders around, and sets her master’s bed on fire in the middle of the night? There is certainly a good bunch of surprises in this well-loved story. If you’re willing to spend some time to sit down and really read this book, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I did!

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Arukiyomi, Amanda

Buy Jane Eyre (Vintage Classics)

Popularity: 64%

Categories: Authors B, Genre - Classics, Titles J
24
Apr 2007

An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott

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Polly Milton visits her friend, Fanny Shaw who lives in the city. Polly is only a small town girl and is a little bit shocked when she was exposed to city life and its different ways. Her dresses are not so frilly or lacey like Fanny’s and initially, she was quite upset.

She could not get along with Fanny’s friends because all they ever talked about were fashion, boys, gossips, and other trivial matters. They think she’s merely a small girl and quite odd, so usually she was left alone by them. Polly, who was ever so happy and kind, had quite a hard time trying to adjust to her new surroundings.

However, she put aside all these small matters and concentrated on having fun as well as getting to know Fanny’s family. She’s made friends with Fanny’s grandma who appreciates Polly’s companionship when her own children and grandchildren did not pay much attention to her. Even the mischievous Tom, Fanny’s younger brother, thinks Polly a sensible girl who doesn’t mind getting her dress dirty.

When it was time for Polly to go home, everyone was naturally sad and asked her to visit again. They liked Polly very much and considered her as one of the family. They noticed the little kind things she did for them and she definitely brought some sunshine into their lives.

Six years later, Polly returns to the city to be a music teacher. Women working for a living were typically looked down on but Polly has to earn so that she could support her younger brother who was in college.

Then, there’s also Mr. Sydney who’s very nice and helpful to Polly. But, there’s someone else who’s a little bit jealous. On the other hand, Polly does not approve of Tom’s relationship with Trix, one of Fanny’s friends. She might be in love with him, that’s why. I was waiting to see if Tom and Polly would ever get together or not! You have to read the book to find out yourself because I sure ain’t telling you nothing about it!

It’s quite a good story where a town girl experiences life in the city. Sometimes, having lots of beautiful dresses, spending extravagantly, etc, do not really make a person happy and contented. The Shaw family may be well off but there’s something important that is lacking and Polly’s presence helped them realize it.

This is the first unabridged book by Louisa May Alcott that I’ve read.

Buy An Old-Fashioned Girl (Puffin Classics)

Other reviews: Linus’s Blanket

Popularity: 44%

Categories: Authors A, Genre - Classics, Titles A
19
Apr 2007

Boy by James Hanley

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Well, I can say that Boy by Irish writer, James Hanley is quite a riveting book. It’s easy to read and the language is simple. In fact, it only took 10 days for James Hanley to complete the book. That’s rather interesting, isn’t it?

It’s about a young boy, Arthur Fearon, who is approaching his 13th birthday. However, he is absolutely devastated because his parents are going to take him away from school and make him work to earn some money. He has to pass an examination first, and then only can he leave school. He’s a smart kid and he did pass the exam.

His bad-tempered father took him to work at the docks. He managed to be picked on to work in a stinking bilge tank and later in a hot boiler. But, he gave up in the end. The work was just too hard and there were bullies who picked on him on his first day of work. Thus, to escape his father’s wrath and further work at the docks, Arthur hid himself in a ship, the Hernian, which was going to set sail soon.

He thought life was good when he was given a job on the ship. He had high expectations and intended on fulfilling them. Nevertheless, the other sailors did not give him an easy time and a couple of them even tried to take advantage of him. Arthur was upset that they treated him like dirt.

When the ship stopped at Alexandria, another sailor, Donagan, took Arthur to buy some new clothes. After that, he brought the boy to a brothel where he lost his virginity. The experience horrified him but later, he was determined to visit the same place and girl again!

When Boy was published, people thought it was too obscene and vulgar. About a hundred copies of Boy were burnt up, too! Hanley and his family suffered emotionally as well.

It’s definitely an interesting story of a young, poor boy who runs away from home, hoping to find a better life. He had an ambition and that was to be a chemist but his parents would not hear a word of it. This book is unquestionably an eye-opener.

Buy Boy (Oneworld Classics)

Popularity: 38%

Categories: Authors H, Genre - Classics, Titles B
21
Mar 2007

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

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I used to watch The King and I movie every day when I was little and Anna introduced Uncle Tom’s Cabin to the King’s wives. That’s when I first heard of the book. Well, now I have finally read it after so many years!

There are so many characters in this book but no worries, as I will write about them as best as I can. My favourite character would be Uncle Tom, of course. He is the slave of Mr. and Mrs. Shelby. Uncle Tom has a wife, Aunt Chloe who’s a very good cook, and some kids. He and his family are also close to the Shelby’s son, George.

Mrs. Shelby has another girl slave too, Eliza. Eliza is married to George Harris and they have a son. George Harris is a hard worker and intelligent but unfortunately, his master does not approve of his ‘easy’ life. He takes George away from the factory where he used to work and made him work like a dog. This makes George very bitter and he plans to run away to Canada.

Meanwhile, Eliza overhears her master and mistress’ conversation about selling her son, Harry, and Uncle Tom away to a trader, Haley, because her master, Mr. Shelby is in debt with him. Eliza panics and takes her son to Uncle Tom’s cabin and told him the bad news. However, Tom refuses to leave with her and Eliza set off alone. Tom remains faithful to his master and eventually, got sold off to Haley.

After that, he found a home with the kind Mr. St. Clare. Mrs. St. Clare would be one of my most disliked characters in this book. She’s selfish, always complaining, and is jealous of her own daughter, Eva. Eva is a lively little girl who becomes Tom’s best friend.

This is a very sad book because a few good people had to go to heaven. I won’t tell who died. You will have to read it yourself to find out. I also felt sad and furious about the way African slaves were treated back then when slavery was common. The masters had the idea that they were God or something and were always degrading the poor slaves, who had no freedom, no rights, no anything. This book is somewhat similar to Roots by Alex Haley, which is about slavery in America too.

Anyway, I felt for Uncle Tom very much. Mr. St. Clare promised him his freedom and Tom was so happy about it. He looked forward to being finally free when something unexpected happened and he was then sold to the evil Simon Legree.

But, no matter how Legree tormented and criticized him, Tom still prayed fervently to God and was always faithful to Him. This made Legree even angrier. Even his other tortured slaves kept asking Tom to tell them more about God.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin would be an insightful read about faith, kindness, and courage.

Popularity: 25%

Categories: Authors S, Genre - Classics, Titles U