Anne of Green Gables

I'm not going to lie. I've kind of been procrastinating writing this blog post. I finished reading Anne of Green Gables some time last week, and I've had plenty of time to write a post about it. Even now, I've been letting myself get distracted by Facebook and also a little bit by my husband playing Battlefront 2. As for the rest of the week, I've mostly been catching up on year's worth of scrapbooking, re-watching episodes of The Office, and spending hours in family history research because that's a thing I do. Oh, and cuddling with my cat. All very important things, especially that last one.

It should be noted that I did enjoy reading Anne's story. I feel like her story is only just beginning (which makes sense as there are like eight books in the series). I'll definitely have to get my hands on the other books.

Title: Anne of Green Gables

Rating: 4/5

Author: L. M. Montgomery

Genre: Classic/Children's

Synopsis:

Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert are siblings who manage the family farm of Green Gables. They are getting older and could use a little help around the place, so they decide to adopt a young orphan boy. They're about to get more than they bargained for when they get Anne Shirley instead, a spirited girl with her head up in the clouds. Anne has a knack for getting herself in to trouble, and Marilla wonders if she'll ever be able to raise her into a respectable young women.

My Reaction:

I didn't really have any specific expectations for this book. All I new about it was that it was adapted into a movie back in the 80's and that there's currently an adaptation of it on Netflix. I know people who are a fan of the 80's film, which is part of what sparked my curiosity in the book in the first place. Now that I've read the book, I can see how a movie adaptation would be wonderful, so I may have to find a way to watch it and see what I think.

But back to the book.

Anne Shirley certainly brought a smile to my face. Corey, who grew up with the movie rendition, said that I actually reminded him of her. Apparently I also have a flair for the dramatic on occasion. Ha! She has a wild imagination and is extremely talkative. It's quite entertaining to see her way of thinking and how it gets her into trouble so often. But the other great thing about Anne is that we get to see her grow and mature. And while there are some attributes that I agree Anne and I have in common, Anne also reminded me of some young girls that I know. This made Anne seem even more real, and it made reading her adventures even more entertaining.

I loved Anne's spunk, imagination, and knack for getting into trouble! This was a very enjoyable book and a great start to the series. I look forward to reading more of Anne's story in the future.

Reader’s Guidance:

Nothing to fear.

Similar Books:

Other classics that explore everyday challenges and the challenges that come with growing up. Perhaps something like Louisa May Alcott's Little Women.

Next Book:

Guys, I can't decide! Do I read the next book in the Anne of Green Gables series? I'm interested in reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, but unfortunately, so is everyone else apparently as all the copies are checked out of the library. Curses! I also received a copy of the third book of the Sheer Power series in the mail the other day. I could read that. Or do I just read something completely different entirely? I can't make up my mind, so I'm enlisting you to make up my mind for me. You should feel honored.

What book do you think I should read next? Give me a good one 😃

Jane Eyre

Guess who finally finished reading Jane Eyre? That’s right! I did! Before you get to reading this post, riddle me this. I know some of you absolutely adore Jane Eyre. What is it that you love most about the story? Feel free to leave a comment :)

Title: Jane Eyre

Rating: 3/5

Author: Charlotte Bronte

Genre: Classic/Gothic/Romance

Synopsis:

Jane Eyre is an orphan left in the unwilling care of her aunt. Anxious to be rid of a burden, her aunt sends Jane off to school with the intention of never seeing her again. After 8 years there, 6 as a student and 2 as a teacher, she’s ready for a new adventure and becomes a governess to a young French girl at Thornfield Hall. For once in her life, Jane truly feels like she has a home, but even an estate like Thornfield can be filled with dark and dangerous secrets.

My Reaction:

Jane Eyre is listed amongst the classics, and as such, some of you out there may be a bit wary of it. One of the things that can be tricky about classics is a sort of language barrier. For instance, I was confused briefly when Jane Eyre used the term “fagging” or “fagged” which means “to work hard” or “to tire by strenuous activity.” (Thanks, Webster). The style and old vernacular of the classics make it difficult for some people to get into.

I didn’t feel like that was a huge issue with Jane Eyre. It wasn’t difficult to follow or understand. Even those few words that threw me briefly for a loop could be deciphered based on context or the dictionary function on the kindle. The style of the book is almost like reading a diary or sitting down with a friend who just happens to tell you their life story. Jane addresses us, “dear reader,” which establishes a bit of a connection between us and the protagonist.

I will admit, I did space out a couple of times when she was describing scenery or someone’s features. Sometimes lengthy descriptions can be annoying and detract from the story, but even though I spaced out briefly in some of those segments, I still didn’t see it as a major issue because, as I said, it was like reading a diary or like listening to a friend’s adventures where I would want a description of the scenery since I had never seen it before myself.

Perhaps I should mention that there are phrases in French strewn throughout the book with no obvious explanation as to their meaning. Just warning you in case that will bother you, but it doesn’t take away from the main points of the book.

On initial completion of the book, I wasn’t exactly sure how I would rate it. It didn’t necessarily wow me, but it definitely doesn’t fit on a list of classics NOT worth reading. As I’ve collected my thoughts, it’s safe to say that Jane Eyre is a well crafted story with a couple of good plot twists and a great ending. In fact, the ending was my favorite part of the whole thing (not because the story was finally over…).

Let’s see if I can explain why I liked how everything wrapped up without spoiling things for you. Jane Eyre is a gothic romance (see side note below). I went into the book knowing this and not much else. In fact, I wasn’t sure what little information I knew was about Jane Eyre and which one was Wuthering Heights. Anyway, the moment her love interest appeared, I knew even before she did that he was going to be the love interest. One thing bothered me though—I couldn’t understand why she would love him. Tolerate him, sure, but love him? There wasn’t much about his character that made him seem all that loveable. Then again, Mr. Darcy wasn’t all that loveable in the beginning of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was he?

Jane’s love definitely has his faults, but it all seemed redeemed by the way things ended. I really don’t want to give too much away, but the trial of love and how that trial is overcome is what makes the wrapping up of the book so great. Also, I would have been really mad if Jane had made another decision despite her better judgment which I will not reveal. Basically, you’ve got to read the book yourself! And if you still aren’t keen on reading a classic, there are multiple movie renditions you could try.

Even now, I’m having a little difficulty deciding the score I want to give it. For now, I’m giving it a 3/5 because I did like the story and think it has merit, but at this moment I can’t say it’s one of my favorites. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea, so I think it may be one of those times that if I read it again I would enjoy it even more and thus bump up the score.

Side note: The whole time I was reading this book, all I could think about is how Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey was a satire of such gothic works as this, which were apparently quite popular at the time.

Reader’s Guidance:

There is a moment where a man is attacked, stabbed, and bitten on the arm. Jane enters the room after the fact and helps apply pressure and such until a doctor can arrive.

Similar Books:

Any of the other books written by the Bronte sisters, or perhaps Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen.

Next Book:

I recently was gifted a Barnes and Noble gift card (Thank you for supporting my book addiction). One of the books on display was one I’ve been interested in reading for awhile--The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine. You may recall another book a talked about awhile back called The Two Princesses of Bamarre. This story takes place in the same universe, and I’m looking forward to reading it!

Classics Worth Reading

I've got classics on the brain this morning, most likely because I'm in the process of reading one. (Although, if I'm honest I haven't gotten very far. Such is life at times, especially when someone introduces you to The Great British Baking Show....) I began to wonder how many classics I've read, how many of those I've actually thoroughly enjoyed, and what makes a book a classic anyway.

I know there are some people out there that wholeheartedly devour classics and probably don't understand people that don't enjoy them as much as they do. And I should say that that is wonderful! There are all sorts of readers and the classics are classics for a reason, right? I know others where classics just wouldn't be for them at all, and that's also completely fine. I think I fit somewhere in the middle of the scale. There are some classics I find brilliant and some I would have been okay with never reading, not necessarily because of poor writing but I think most of it boils down to a style thing. Or an I-can't-stand-your-character thing (Here's looking at you Madame Bovary). Even the greatest of stories can be ruined if it's not your style.

I may get in trouble for this, but even if you can't manage to make it through one of these books that has stood the test of time, there are some pretty decent movie representations of many of them. (Confession: I thoroughly enjoy the movie adaptation of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn starring a young Elijah Wood much more than I enjoyed reading the book. Go watch it!)

For further thoughts on what makes classics the classics and to know that I'm not the only English major/reading enthusiast that hasn't read many classics, check out this post on the Scholastic blog. There are some good points on there as to why we may be hesitant to read some of the classics.

Here's the moment you've all been waiting for! The number of classic books is quite extensive, but here are just a few that I think are worth your time should you get up the courage to read a classic. (Yes, I do think that reading some classics takes courage and perhaps a very good attention span.)

Okay, just kidding, one more side note. I'm looking at lists of classics to refresh my memory and feeling a little ashamed at how few I've read, not to mention how many I only know because of movies or episodes of Wishbone. Now, on to the list for reals!

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
For some reason I feel like I'll get some eye rolls for this one. Maybe not... Anyway, it may be interesting to note that the first time I read this one I actually didn't like it at all. I felt that Darcy turning up everywhere was too coincidental. However, I was only around 13 when I read it the first time. I didn't read it again until I was around 20, and that time I absolutely loved it. I could appreciate the story and style so much better by that point. The other thing to take from this is that sometimes we aren't quite ready for a book. This is now one of my favorite stories.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I finally read this one around the same time I had that second reading of Pride and Prejudice. An interesting note is that this is one of those books that has ended up on the list of the most frequently challenged books.The movie adaptation has also become a classic in the world of film. One of the things I love about this book is just a look at everyday life through the eyes of children. I enjoy the writing style. Not only that, but of course the difficult situation of Atticus Finch is compelling and thought provoking.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Ironically, this is another one that has been challenged. I've read this one a couple of times, written papers on it, even watched the movie. It's a classic dystopian novel where books are illegal. I've enjoyed it each time I've read it, and it's worth a read. In fact, I need to give this one another read. It's been awhile.



Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Specifically, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I don't know that I've ever thought of these stories as being a classic, but I found it on one of the random lists of classics I looked at. So there! Plus, I thought it would be good to include this on the list because this is a classic that even those who are anti-classics can read and enjoy.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Okay, so I didn't actually see this one on any of the lists, but I figure someone will agree with me that Tolkien deserves to be among the classics. This is another book that took me a couple of reads before I could appreciate it for what it is. I first read in in middle school for an assignment and I thought it was awful. The funny thing is that some of the things that annoyed me on that first reading are now things that I really enjoy about it now. I guess tastes change over time, right? Tolkien isn't always the easiest to read, but The Hobbit is a good introduction to his style. It's not quite as difficult to read and enjoy. It's a great fantasy that fits right in with the hero's journey. Dwarves, elves, a dragon that would eventually be voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch--what's not to love?

So there you have it. That's a short list of classics you can choose from. There were more I considered putting on the list, but I didn't want to make it too long for you. So don't worry. There are other classics worth reading. If you want to see another list of classics you should read and why, check out this one from Abe Books.

What classics do you think are the most worth reading? Or perhaps more fun would be to share which classics you think don't necessarily need to be read ever. I can think of a couple...

Until next time!