Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

What can one say about a Bronte sister's work? You can say that it is dark, you can say that it is usually based on their past and typically a reader can say it is good. Something that you can't usually say is it is funny or has a happy ending. However, Anne Bronte has managed to give her heroine a happy ending (without the hero being tragically maimed) and made me slightly chuckle. Anne Bronte's Agnes Grey certainly goes against the Bronte norm and ends with a happily ever after.

The heroine of this novel, Agnes Grey, goes to seek out a life for herself as a governess for the upper class. During her time as a governess, Agnes tries to manage her students studies as well as their moral character, but encounters obstacles in the form of her employers. These parents want her to manage their children and yet, never discipline them, which Agnes find incredibly difficult.

Anne Bronte took her own experiences as a governess to help her create this novel. It made me wonder how much of the story was autobiographical and how much was exaggeration. My guess is quite a lot was autobiographical as back then, governesses were not treated as well as they would be today (though there really are no such things as governesses anymore). In fact, I have a always found the character of the governess and the companion (see Jane Austen's work for a good look on companions) such an interesting species. They are in a very strange position as they are of a higher rank than the servants, but not part of the family. In fact governesses wouldn't eat in the kitchen with the servants they would eat with the family, but when company they would have to eat in their rooms as they were still hired help. The book does address this conflict. Agnes cannot get the servants to listen to her, because they don't feel like she is really above them, but the family does not include her in any of the social gatherings. Her reflections show it is hard position for a person to be in.

I find this book relevant in today's society for those who work as a nanny. They are in charge of the children, but not one of the family. They have to make the children behave, but the parents do not want them disciplining them. It is a fine line and Agnes Grey walks the tightrope throughout the novel and tends to fall most of the time.

If you have never read a Bronte before, this might be the best one to start with. It is a faster read than the others and not as complex, but it is still a really good novel. Anne Bronte never saw as much acclaim as her sisters, which I think is a shame. Her writing is good, it just happens to be a bit more realistic than the other Bronte's works.

So definitely stop by your local book store and pick up a copy!

Till next time,
R.F.F.      

Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back here folks! Charles Dickens is a very wordy writer. Of course I would be too if my paycheck depended on it. Be that as it may, I did find one of his earliest works, Martin Chuzzlewit to be entertaining.

The story can be somewhat confusing as there are many characters and many story-lines that are followed for over 800 pages, but still if you have the time it is something you may want to invest in. Boiled down, it is a novel about a grandson and a grandfather (the Martin Chuzzlewits(s)) who go their own ways due to their similar prideful natures. There are many characters who intersect their story-lines, who bring a playful nature to the book. In fact, it is not the leading men who run the show, but the men and women in their lives who move the story along.

Of course, by the end of the novel, everyone is reformed (sort of) in true Dicksonian fashion, but it is funny to see how they get there.

Now it must be said that there is something distasteful about this book that I have not encountered with Dickens before. In the book Dickens makes a mockery of Americans, and when I say mockery, I mean it. Americans are depicted as an ignorant, vain, low-class people. The Americans that the younger Chuzzlewit meet seem to be a foolish sort of people, who like to seem to think they know everything, but in actuality, know nothing. For instance, they keep explaining to Martin how his own government works, and are of course, getting it all wrong. While Dickens does apologize at the end of the novel, it really doesn't help, to me at least. I am not sure who Dickens met on his travels throughout America, but clearly, they were not our best representatives.

So all in all, if you have the time to read the book, go ahead and give it a try. I do have to say that it might be best to try a more well known Dickens novel before attempting this one however. Give Oliver Twist or David Copperfield a try first before you head into this one.

So my next post will be on a novel by another British author--one of the Bronte sisters. Who can guess which novel and which sister?

Until next time,
R.F.F.

The Golden Road by L.M. Montgomery

The Golden Road by L.M. Montgomery is the second book about the King family. Once again Montgomery's words placed a spell over me.

The book continues where the other leaves off--a new season has begun and the cousins go through winter adventures on P.E. Island. There are still stories that are woven throughout the book and everyone that was in the first book has found their place in this second volume.

However, unlike the first book, this one has a tone of melancholy in it. The narrator of the story seems to realize how wonderful his life was back then and wishes himself back to that point in time. There seems to be a theme of childhood's end that pervades the entire book that young readers may miss, but an adult reader would clearly pick up on. The moral of the story seems to be that childhood comes to an end, and life will never be the same, so enjoy the world of childhood as long as you can.

As an adult, I could really understand what L.M. Montgomery was trying to impart to her readers. You do not realize how wonderful and magical childhood is until it is over. There is a certain threshold that everyone crosses at some point and you just look back and say, "wasn't it wonderful when..."

As before, I would recommend this book to any reader. If you allow it to, it can touch and fill up your soul. For me, it was like snuggling under a blanket on a cold winter night. Simply put, there is just a warmth you can receive when reading this book.

Next Time

So here is a hint for the next book I am going to be writing about (and am currently reading). This book is particularly wordy. It makes sense however because when his work was originally published in the newspaper he was getting paid by the word. So the more he wrote the more he was paid.

Now you may not be able to guess the exact book (since the author wrote so many), but can you guess who the novelist is?

Till next time,
R.F.F. 

The Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery

I have been a fan of L.M. Montgomery for years, starting with her books on the that famous red head Anne of Green Gables. I have also read her Emily series and a few others. So when I was in a used bookstore a few months ago and saw her books on the King family, I decided to buy them.

While these books were written for children, any adult can gain something from them (any of her novels really) as they are written with such a sweet simplicity and the nostalgia of youth. 

The Story Girl is the first of two books that center around the King family. Two brothers are sent to live with their aunt, uncle and cousins on their father's ancestral home on beautiful Prince Edward Island (which is where the author herself lived). The story takes the reader through the adventures of the boys and their cousins, as told through the memories of the older brother, all grown up. Throughout the book are woven stories from Sara Stanley, also known as the Story Girl. 

L.M. Montgomery once again stole my heart with her writing. While the story line may seem simple, it is that simplicity that makes it special. Her writing harkens back to a time when everyone had a family history and took pride in that history (no special programs to learn about their ancestors for the King family). It speaks to country life and how neighbors where there to help one another. It also has the strong theme of how important childhood is to the development of a person and how adults truly affect a child's growth. 

Of course reading this in 2016, there is one thing that stands out, and those are the characters that are labeled as "awkward" or "eccentric". From my modern perspective, these people might be diagnosed with bi-polar disorder or asperger syndrome. As those are not diagnoses that would be made in the early 1900's when this book was written. But that is the only downside, which can easily be passed over for its many attributes. 

This is a great book to read when you need a moment to silence all the technology around you. If you are look for a story that brings peace and tranquility, this book would be it. 

Till next time,

R.F.F.  

   

Let Us Commence

Hello, Hi, Greetings, Salutations, and all other forms of the introductory greeting.

This blog is just a place for me to express my feelings and opinions on what I am currently reading. I have always enjoyed a good literary discussion and a blog seemed like a good idea, an outlet if you will.

So as I am now clean as a blank page in a journal (this was my lyrical way of saying I took a shower. Not that this has any relevance to what this blog is about) I figured I would put keyboard to screen and start this introductory post before I finish my current book.

So here is a very simple and succinct explanation of who I am.....

I was not always the reader I am now, in fact I had some trouble until the end of first grade. But I soon found my love of reading and I cannot seem to put books down. My mother in fact gets annoyed with me when we go into a used bookstore. In her mind I take too long, but to me it's a treasure hunt. Who leaves a treasure hunt early I ask you?

A little hint....

So, as explained in the intro section, this blog is going to be all about what I am reading. So here is a hint on what my next blog post is going to be about: the book I am currently reading is by the author of a famous literary red head. 

Can anyone guess what book I am reading by this author?

Until next time 

R.F.F.