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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
First book written where a woman leaves her abusive husband and her life doesn’t get worse. Anne Brontë you get the short end of the stick a lot but this book was so important for sharing women’s stories and setting a prescient.
Das erste Drittel des Buches hat mir nicht so zugesagt, weshlab ich es für zirka ein halbes Jahr pausiert hatte. Als ich mich dann wieder dem Roman gewidmet habe, war ich bei den Tagebuch-Passagen angekommen. Von da an konnte ich auch endlich Gefallen an der Geschichte finden.
Allerdings konnte ich Gilbert Markham (den männlichen Protagonisten) nicht ausstehen. Im Gegensatz zu den anderen männlichen Figuren mag er ja relativ vernünftig sein, aber er war doch ziemlich zwielichtig. Das kann aber natürlich an meiner modernen Auffassung liegen.
Allerdings konnte ich Gilbert Markham (den männlichen Protagonisten) nicht ausstehen. Im Gegensatz zu den anderen männlichen Figuren mag er ja relativ vernünftig sein, aber er war doch ziemlich zwielichtig. Das kann aber natürlich an meiner modernen Auffassung liegen.
dark
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
5 - “This rose is not so fragrant as a summer flower, but it has stood through hardships none of them could bear: the cold rain of winter has sufficed to nourish it, and its faint sun to warm it; the bleak winds have not blanched it or broken its stem, and the keen frost has not blighted it. Look, Gilbert, it is still fresh and blooming as a flower can be, with the cold snow even now on its petals. Will you have it?”
A 19th century heroine who leaves her abusive husband and ultimately finds true love with an adoring, doting farmer? Yes, please! This has more Jane Austen vibes than that of her even more famous two sisters although it’s much more serious - themes of domestic and alcohol abuse prevail - and less witty. It’s a long sometimes difficult read (if there were trigger warnings in 1848 they would be all over the cover) but the final few pages of redemption make it all worth it. The reader is left hopeful that our pious and devout protagonist was able to finally find true peace and happiness after all she had to endure.
A 19th century heroine who leaves her abusive husband and ultimately finds true love with an adoring, doting farmer? Yes, please! This has more Jane Austen vibes than that of her even more famous two sisters although it’s much more serious - themes of domestic and alcohol abuse prevail - and less witty. It’s a long sometimes difficult read (if there were trigger warnings in 1848 they would be all over the cover) but the final few pages of redemption make it all worth it. The reader is left hopeful that our pious and devout protagonist was able to finally find true peace and happiness after all she had to endure.
If it was for the plot alone – the story of a woman struggling with an abusive husband written in a time when this was shocking – I would rate this book much higher. I felt emotionally invested in finding out what happened. The problem was the characters.
I had the same issue with Anne Brontë's other book, Agnes Grey. Her heroines are perfect and gratingly self-righteous, and other than Helen's initial mistake both of them remain unchanging and blameless. The heroines are surrounded by characters that are beneath them and not worthy of their perfection (I believe both Helen and Agnes are told this at some point). The condescension rampant throughout both books was irritating.
Despite that I'm glad I read it. I appreciate how radical it was, and it's an interesting glimpse into the struggles women faced at the time.
I had the same issue with Anne Brontë's other book, Agnes Grey. Her heroines are perfect and gratingly self-righteous, and other than Helen's initial mistake both of them remain unchanging and blameless. The heroines are surrounded by characters that are beneath them and not worthy of their perfection (I believe both Helen and Agnes are told this at some point). The condescension rampant throughout both books was irritating.
Despite that I'm glad I read it. I appreciate how radical it was, and it's an interesting glimpse into the struggles women faced at the time.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
“sorry i nearly killed you but i actually don’t care if you forgive me”- Gilbert at one point