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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“There is such a thing as looking through a person's eyes into the heart, and learning more of the height, and breadth, and depth of another's soul in one hour than it might take you a lifetime to discover, if he or she were not disposed to reveal it, or if you had not the sense to understand it.” — Anne Brontë
this was my first anne brontë novel i have read after being more aquatinted with the works of her two sisters. the literary genius relegated to a single family truly beguiles me, and i’m further surprised at how anne’s works are not more widely touted, especially considering this is said to be the first sustained feminist novel.
i’ve always loved the epistolary novel, and i feel like it can be hard to do well, though deft writer’s of this period certainly had a grasp on the style. i loved how seamlessly brontë transitioned between gilbert and helen’s POVs, making me so swept up in the mystery surrounding helen in the first part, and her subsequent tale of her hapless marriage and escape. i really enjoyed helen’s character. she was so steadfast in her beliefs and respect for herself, and often spoke out on the position of women in her time. to me, she was quite the strong heroine. how often did we get stories of women leaving their husbands (which, in fact, was illegal in this time period), acting on their own agency, and not being punished for it in the end? in fact, helen is rewarded with a true love match. as far as the prose, i found this to be quite readable and would honestly recommend to someone looking to get into classics. the story is pretty fast paced, keeping you on your toes to find out what will happen next. the context of this novel is also fascinating to read into when you look at her brother, branwell, who was likely the inspiration for arthur huntington. i will definitely be looking into agnes grey next, anne’s only other published novel.
Yo no sabía exactamente que esperar de esta lectura. Pero me gustó. Es un libro que te hace sentir muchas cosas, principalmente en los días de hoy.
Me encanta nuestra protagonista, su construcción y cómo va avanzando y evolucionando como un ser humano durante la historia. Tiene fragilidades, miedos y temores, pero tiene una fuerza increíble para soportar todo eso.
Nuestro protagonista, por otro lado, en mi opinión hizo lo mismo que otros antes de él: ¡entender que no es no! Sí, sé que los tiempos eran otros, y está muy bueno para la época en que fue escrito el libro, pero, leyéndolo hoy, eso me incomodó. Es que siento que, si Helen quisiera volver a verlo, ella encontraría la manera.
Me encanta nuestra protagonista, su construcción y cómo va avanzando y evolucionando como un ser humano durante la historia. Tiene fragilidades, miedos y temores, pero tiene una fuerza increíble para soportar todo eso.
Nuestro protagonista, por otro lado, en mi opinión hizo lo mismo que otros antes de él: ¡entender que no es no! Sí, sé que los tiempos eran otros, y está muy bueno para la época en que fue escrito el libro, pero, leyéndolo hoy, eso me incomodó. Es que siento que, si Helen quisiera volver a verlo, ella encontraría la manera.
As far as the Bronte sisters are concerned Anne appears to be the least celebrated. Having just finished this book I think she deserves more credit.
Admittedly Charlotte's Jane Eyre and Emily's Wuthering Heights are absolute pinnacles of English literature but this contribution of Anne's has all the ingredients for a regency saga, a quest for love, a mysterious stranger and the perpetual town gossips who misconstrue a situation to give birth to an unfounded scandal!
I found this book thoroughly absorbing and enjoyable. It engaged me from start to finish and a must for any Bronte fan. ”
Admittedly Charlotte's Jane Eyre and Emily's Wuthering Heights are absolute pinnacles of English literature but this contribution of Anne's has all the ingredients for a regency saga, a quest for love, a mysterious stranger and the perpetual town gossips who misconstrue a situation to give birth to an unfounded scandal!
I found this book thoroughly absorbing and enjoyable. It engaged me from start to finish and a must for any Bronte fan. ”
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Maybe it doesn't deserve 5 stars, but I don't care.
This book is too real even after 176 years. This book is everything that trash of IEWU wanted to be and in my humble opinion every women should read it. Anne maybe wasn't the most talented out her sisters, but people should start giving her more credit for trying to undo her sisters wrongdoings like romantization of toxic men.
This book is too real even after 176 years. This book is everything that trash of IEWU wanted to be and in my humble opinion every women should read it. Anne maybe wasn't the most talented out her sisters, but people should start giving her more credit for trying to undo her sisters wrongdoings like romantization of toxic men.
a shockingly realistic and honest portrayal of how women were treated during this time, without the ability to leave. unpopular opinion - i loved helen! i did not find her preachy or dramatic, but intelligent and independent, with clear love for her child, life and art.
Two years hence you will be as calm as I am - and far, far happier, I trust, for you are a man, and free to act as you please.
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.5 - This was good, but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would at the beginning. There was just a little too much preaching and moralizing in here for me to thoroughly enjoy it, and I was very frustrated with the leading man for 90% of the novel (which to be fair yelling at him in my car as I was listening to the audiobook was great fun). I wanted a little more of the moody, creepy ambience that a widow with a tragic past living in a dilapidated mansion on the moors seemed to promise but wasn't quite satisfied there.
3.5 stars really. I liked the writing, and I can see how the subject matter certainly would have shocked people at the time it was published. I definitely saw the influence of Charlotte in this book.
My reason for not giving it a full 4 star sis that I felt that the middle portion of the book was too long.
My reason for not giving it a full 4 star sis that I felt that the middle portion of the book was too long.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated