[Review] Jane Eyre ~ Charlotte Bronte

Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Bronte
Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: Orphaned into the household of her Aunt Reed at Gateshead, subject to the cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane Eyre nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity.   She takes up the post of governess at Thornfield, falls in love with Mr. Rochester, and discovers the impediment to their lawful marriage in a story that transcends melodrama to portray a woman's passionate search for a wider and richer life than Victorian society traditionally allowed.   With a heroine full of yearning, the dangerous secrets she encounters, and the choices she finally makes, Charlotte Bronte's innovative and enduring romantic novel continues to engage and provoke readers. (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10210.Jane_Eyre?ac=1)

Okay, so I can't believe I didn't read this book until now, at the age of almost eighteen. (hey, almost Jane's age, come to think of it)

I bought this a few years ago but since I wasn't very good in English yet I had to postpone the reading. (don't ask me why I bought it in English when I couldn't read it, because I really don't know......)

So now that I've finally had the pleasure of reading all five hundred pages of Jane Eyre I can happily say that I loved this book. The Bronte sisters are obviously very good at narrating of loves that trascend time and space (hi Heathcliff). 

But what I liked most about Jane Eyre wasn't the love story (althought that was also very good), but Jane's interior growth. At the age of ten, she was a weak girl who had no relatives, no connections, no self-esteem, not one single person on this earth who cared about her and made her feel special. Everything changes when she starts school, though. Here she meets her first friends, and here she has the possibility to learn and be good at something. It's gratifying for her, she finally feels like she's worth something, Jane feels like there's something that she can do well and that there are people who care about her. That's when everything changes for her and her life begins. She find the self-esteem she was lacking before, she develops a very strong character and she turns into the strong woman we know. She doesn't let other people tell her what to do. She knows her own, and she wants respect. All the respect she wasn't given when she was a child.

I loved her character for that. It told an important story, one which everybody should keep in mind: that no matter how low you are, how worthless you feel, you can always rise on your feet, and fight, and be strong, and beautiful in your own way, and people will love you because you'll get to show them how good you are. Never give up. That's what I learned from Jane.

Of course, her lovestory with Mr Rochester was very nice too. It kind of annoyed me how Charlotte Bronte would keep saying that they were both really ugly, though, to be honest. I couldn't help imagining two trolls strolling around with how many times she repeated that. So I had to fight that nasty mental image all the time. But anyhow.

What I liked most about their romance is that they were really true, and funny, and good characters. They loved each other even though they were ugly (so Charlotte says), and they made each other angry, and sometimes they despised each other, but they couldn't get enough of each other and each was the other's missing piece. That's a kind of love that everyone would aspire to (contrary to, for example, Cathy's and Heathcliff's, which as much as it was romantic, I think you will all convene was not healthy at all). Honest, real, down-to-earth. 

Jane also had the self-respect not to give herself to Mr Rochester when she found out he already had a wife, although being with him would have made her very happy. She stayed true to her values for all that time. And even when coming back to him (for she couldn't stay away too long, which was very understandale) she found him a *spoiler* blind cripple *end spoiler*, she stayed with him. 

Because that's what real love looks like.

About the style of writing, well needless to say it was written in the nineteenth century so I can't really say much. I'm not an expert. The only thing that I noticed is that sometimes Charlotte would switch between the present and the past tense in moments where there was no need to, so that confused me a bit. Other than that, the periods were not too long (hello, Dickens), so I wasn't the least bored when I read (which is something that, admittedly, happens to me sometimes when reading Classics) and that's a plus.

There's not much else I'd like to say about this novel. I really really liked it, I liked the message that I gained from the book and therefore four stars. (I am not giving it five stars because some things in the book were a little too coincidental to be true, and also that present/past tense problem I pointed out)

[Book Review] Stephen Chbosky ~ The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Author: Stephen Chbosky
Book: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Rating: 

Synopsis: Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.


Review:


I went through stages with this one.
When I first started Perks, after all the good reviews my mind was set on liking it and I had pretty high expectations.
Halfway through the first fifty pages, though, I realized I wasn't liking this in the least. The writing sounded so impersonal, and flat. I just couldn't relate to Charlie at all, which is a pity because he was telling of things we've all got to go through at some point.
Also, Charlie was really naïve. Which would be good, if that was done realistically. But honestly? I cannot imagine a fifteen-year-old boy who's that naïve. I myself wasn't that naïve at fiteen. Not even at thirteen, to be honest.
He constantly cried. Constantly! Who cries that much?
Although in the end the reason was kind of was explained so I sort of relented on that point.

One character I really liked is Patrick. He was great! I enjoyed getting to know more about him. He looked so tough at the beginning but actually he was just a scared little boy. He was definitely more realistic than Charlie, to tell you the truth.
The thing with Charlie is that he's supposed to represent all of us teenagers. And in a way he kind of does. But there was this sort of wall between his thoughts and his actions.
Sometimes he would say something and I'd be like, "wow. That happens to me a lot." But then he'd go out and do things NO NORMAL TEEN would ever do. Like breaking down in front of all his friends for such stupid reasons?
He really did look like a little kid. It would've just been better if the book was centered on a ten-year-old or something.

What made me like the book a little more, though, was the ending. Finally, at the end of the book, Charlie realizes he can't always be a wallflower. He's got to stand up and hold his own ground. Not always be pushed around by others.
So finally there's some growth on the main character's side, which is what I'd been waiting for all along.
Also, all Charlie's break-downs were kind of explained which is why I can say that The Perks of Being a Wallflower kind of reedemed itself at last.

Also, there was this scene in which Patrick (or Sam, I can't remember who) asks Charlie was his favorite book is. And when they ask the reason of Charlie's choice, he's like, "Because it's the last one I've read." I really liked it because, as a bookworm, I can relate to that. I especially appreciated it because it meant that he liked books so much that each of them was his favorite. It made me smile.

So my final opinion on The Perks of Being a Wallflower? I'd say 3.5 stars.
I do think it's a bit overrated, but all in all it was pretty cute.
I wouldn't say Perks is one of my favorite books, but if you get through all of it I believe you can definitely learn something from it.

This review can also be found at: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/364629229

[Review] Jess Rothenberg ~ The Catastrophic History of You and Me

  

                                         

Book: The Catastrophic History of You and Me
Author: Jess Rothenberg
Rating:

Synopsis: Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever. 

BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally. 

But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after. 
With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

Review: Awh, this book is so completely, adorably, awesomely.. cute. (not the word you were expecting, huh?)

The Catastrophic History of You and Me is a lovestory. It's a lovestory mixed with so many feelings and so many events that you don't exactly perceive it as that at first. You only see it when you look at the big scheme of things once the book is over.
TCHOYAM is the story of a girl, Aubrie "Brie" (like the cheese) Eagan, who dies of heartbreak. 
Literally.
When her boyfriend Jacob, whom she completely was in love with, tells her he doesn't love her, the whole world stops, she feels a pain so deep in her chest that she can't even breath..e and then nothing.
She's gone.
Her little heart unexplicably divided in two perfect halves.

The book tells us how she deals with the knowledge of her death, following the five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. These are also the parts in which the book is divided, so that the whole story is about Brie's feelings and her slow coming to terms with reality.


Brie was a very interesting character and somehow at the end of the book I still wasn't sure whether I liked her or not.
She was really angry for about half of the book, if not a little more. And that was completely understandable. She hated her boyfriend for having treated her like that and, basically, for killing her. Even if he hadn't meant to.
Then another occurence adds up to her already raw feelings and she really can't take it anymore. She starts venting her anger on the ex, Jacob, and even though she feels a bit guilty about it she just can't stop feeling so much anger. I was so sad for her and what she'd been through. Dying at fifteen, such a young age, and just because first love didn't work out. She had lost so much.

Then there was Patrick. Patrick is the guy she meets in the "afterlife", in a place similar to the real world but not quite like it.
I knew something was up to him from about 20% of the book, and I think most of the people who read this book did, too.
On that point, a lot of things were easily understandable from some little detail that the author let slip throughout the book, therefore there wasn't muchsurprise at the end of TCHOYAM. At least not for me.

However, there was Jacob's secret. That I did not expect at all. And even though we found out in a bad occasion, when Brie read the letter I honestly burst out laughing. I know, I know, I'm heartless. But it just.. made me laugh. All she'd done to make him suffer and in the end that was the sole reason.
Poor darlings. Both of them.

I liked the way the story was written. Brie's POV was funny to read and she actually spoke like a teenager (most of the time).
I really liked the ending and it kind of made me swoon. Okay, it did make me swoon.
In short, I liked every single thing about The Catastrophic History of You and Me.
I liked how Brie came through every stage of grief that was expected from her, and we had the possibility to witness that. I felt her grief and I felt really close to her. At the beginning I even wanted to cry. (though I didn't 'cause that would have slowed me down with the reading + there were people in the house)
Also, it was not only a story about love and grief but about forgiving and moving on. About coming to terms with reality and starting over.

So yeah, I was honestly braced not to like this book very much, but the contrary happened.
I am really glad I decided to buy it (after staring at it for about fiteen minutes, weighting my options, deciding not to buy it, leaving the bookstore and then coming back a few minutes later, then changing my mind again and then being forced by my exasperated friend to make a damn choice) and I'm looking forward to more books by this author.

It's not one of those books that you're sure most of the people will like, gotta admit that. But I definitely liked it, in my own way.
Four stars. :D


P.S.: I really liked Brie's musical tastes, too! And the way each chapter was named after a really good song. ;)

My review on goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/355942202


Thanks for reading! ;)

[Review] Sarah Beth Durst ~ Drink, Slay, Love

Yippee! Finally RT, my review day, has come. I've been waiting all week for today because I totally love writing reviews, so I was dying to share the first one with you.
All of my reviews can also be found on my goodreads account, although some might show some slight difference in the text (or be completely different, for all I know. Who knows what my brain is up to most of the time?). Sooooooo, who's the lucky book being reviewed today?

It starts with a D..
It's kind of ironic, though. I had the idea of creating this blog after I saw an awesome facebook page called "Eat Sleep Read." The funny part is that the first book I'm reviewing is called
Drink, Slay, Love.

Ever heard of it?

Book: Drink, Slay, Love.
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Genre: YA paranormal
My Rating: 5 stars
General feeling: adorably cute.















So you’re used to vampires trying to control the world, strolling around draining people dry and occasionally falling in love with moronic humans?
So you’re used to werewolves and all that?
You want something new?
Well, then that’s the book for you.
No more vampire drama; here the feel is like you’re inside an Adam Family environment. The vampires sleep through the day, wake up at night, steal cars when they feel like it, and make out.
Oh, and play chess for fifty years trying to beat themselves.
As for werewolves, witches, and mythological creatures, guess what?
You have were-unicorns.
Yeah, you heard that right.
Honestly, when I first read that, I burst out laughing. No wonder Pearl did, too.
So, our heroine is out at nearly dawn, catching a little snack before going to sleep (how normal it sounds), and suddenly a sparkly unicorn appears in front of her. And stakes her. Hi – La – Rious. 
Pearl isn’t even angry at the unicorn—mostly she’s shocked. Not only has she just discovered an utterly funny mythological creature she'd never believed in does actually exist, with the appearance of a sparkly horse (did Stephenie Meyer think of this before writing Edward Cullen’s description?) and a nice horn protruding from his head——and his wrist, and the palm of his hand, occasionally,—— but she also gets staked by "it".
This was probably the funniest read I’ve had in a while.

I loved the main character. Her name is Pearl, and she's a badass. She doesn’t care what people say (only because they’re human and she’s got this whole vampires-are-better complex in her head, but still) and has the guts to make fun of a teacher.
Plus she humiliates the drama-queen of the school, gets a crowd of students following her every step, and has the hottest boyfriend among vampires.
Yep, she’s a badass.

All changes, anyway, when sparkly-corny decides to stake her, and she starts to go through an internal crisis. Ergo, she suddenly feels guilty for drinking from humans (seriously, when did that ever happen to a vampire? except for Edward Cullen and Stefan Salvatore, that is), she starts having conversations with humans and——tum tum tum——enjoying them.
That is so not good. She was raised to hate humans, to consider them inferior. So you see how the situation's making her desperate. She doesn’t know what to do.
It doesn’t help that her parents keep pushing her over the edge, making her work night and day——literally, not even caring how she feels.
She’s not the same, and she cannot go back.
So what will she do, betray everybody who’s been only kind to her since the beginning, or keep faithful to those who never really cared about her?
The choice sounds simple, but there’s more to it than that.

Even in this situation, though, she never lacks her sarcasm and her I-don’t-give-a-damn attitude, which is the part I like more about her. Plus when I read things like “She wasn’t one hundred percent sure she’d show up in a photo. Ordinary vampires didn’t. On the other hand, ordinary vampires didn’t attend junior proms with were-unicorn dates while plotting to sabotage plans for a mass murder”, I was literally rolling on the floor laughing.

This book had both good characters and a brilliant sense of humor going on for it, so to me it was awesome. Unicorns! Hahahaha. I can't get past that. If you're feeling like a funny read, then do read this one book. It's really hilarious. 






This can also be found at: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/206772115