Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I know, I know! I should have read this one YEARS ago! I don't know how I got through my college years without reading it (my major was English)! After college, I do know why I didn't read it. I developed a dislike for all things Bronte. They're just strange girls and they wrote some strange books. Wuthering Heights? Heathcliff is so disturbed. That whole story is twisted. (Apologies to those who love the book! My personal opinion only!) Anyway, my daughter, who has long loved Jane Eyre, brought over this movie (<--that's the cover over there) to watch one night in December and I was hooked! After I watched the movie half a dozen times (yes, I'm kind of obsessive about these things occasionally), I finally read the book.

And I loved it. I think I loved it better because I watched the movie first--the book filled in all the empty spaces, if you know what I mean. The part I liked the best was how fiercely Jane protected her integrity. She never wavers even as she loses everything. She's pretty amazing. That kind of heroine doesn't show up in stories very often anymore.

Seems like most love stories are all about chemistry or, worse, all about sex. Or they're about a "damaged" heroine/hero who must battle through her/his "issues" to find a balanced relationship (which may or may not include marriage)--I find those stories painful at best and boring at worst. I hate wading through someone else's unprocessed pain. I like reading about strong women who suck it up and move on.

Jane was an orphan, she was abused and abandoned and then sent away to a mismanaged school where she was mistreated again....but she emerges stronger. She doesn't wallow. She makes her peace with life and works to earn a place for herself. She clings to her unshakeable beliefs, embraces a future that she made for herself, endures hardship to maintain her character and her personal standards, is willing to start all over again and give up her comfort and her love. AND there's a happy ending. That's the best part, of course. I found it a very satisfying book.

Sex: none
Bad language: none