Yep, April 21st is the bicentennial of Charlotte Bronte's birth. For some reason, I find this fascinating. Of course, my interest could lie in the fact that CB is everywhere lately. I mean it! From new biographies to rewrites of her books - the woman seems to be on everyone's minds lately. I even find myself interested in reading her books. I've already read two -
Jane Eyre and
Villette. I absolutely loved
Villette! I absolutely hated
Jane Eyre! I know, its crazy, but its true. I just did not care for
Jane Eyre. There was something about that cruel Rochester that put me off - Bertha, anyone? Then again, it was
Jane Eyre that led me to
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (one of my FAVORITE authors!!). Hmm...so I suppose I don't hate
Jane Eyre completely. In fact,all of this talk of CB is making me wonder if perhaps I should give
Jane Eyre another go. What do you think? Should I? Is
Jane Eyre a book worth rereading? I did just read Katherine Reay's novel,
The Bronte Plot, which I loved. Plus, I did just agree to review
Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye - its a retelling of
Jane Eyre and sounds like it'll be a fun read. And then there are those new books about CB, her family, and her books that seem to be calling my name:
And of course, I want to read more of Charlotte's works:
So, maybe rereading
Jane Eyre is a must-do. Luckily, my friend from
Dolce Bellezza wants to reread the book, too. How cool is that? Now, I'll have someone to chat about Rochester, Jane, and Bertha with - hurrah! We're hoping to get to the book in February - I can't wait!
By the way, what about the other Bronte sisters? I loved
Wuthering Heights by Emily. I've never read Anne's books,
Agnes Grey and
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. How are they? Which do you recommend? Let me know. I'm thinking its time to finally wipe the dust off these books and give them a read.
Well, I'm off to read
The Past by Tessa Hadley. Happy reading!!
5 comments:
I'm glad I'm not the only one in the world who is not in love with Jane Eyre. There are things about it I like, but I don't love it...mostly because I've never been able to get over Rochester's arrogance. But maybe I should give him another chance. I have to admit, I never made it through Villette...but the fact that you like it so much makes me think I should give it another chance, too. I thought The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was good; I liked that one. And Wuthering Heights, too. Good luck with your reread of Jane Eyre. Let me know if you like it better the second time around. :)
Lark, you too!?! Hurrah, I'm not the only one! Thanks - I'm hoping the second time round will be a different experience ( a positive one!). I'm glad you liked TToWH, makes me look forward to it. Villette wound up being such a good read in the end - which I had not thought possible. Sometimes a book is worth a second chance - I hope! Thanks for the luck - I'll probably need it :)
I loved Jane Eyre-I hope you like it better the second time, but if not, oh well! I loved Villette just about as much though. Shirley I just kind of thought was okay. Anne Bronte's books are wonderful too, but I can't remember which one I liked best.
Shelley, thanks! Glad you love the book - I hope I wind up loving it, too! Villette was amazing!! Such a great story! I'm definitely planning on reading Anne's books later this year - thanks!
Oh yes, I do need to get some CB reading on my April calendar!
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