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I just finished Jane Eyre and I loved it! Can anyone reccomend another book with such great characters and drama? Maybe Charlottes other books? I dunno, I just need more, it was so good!!! I read the last third of the book in one sitting, I just couldn't stop.:)
I love Jane Eyre too :) Maybe you should try Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice? (Unless you've already read it) It's not half as sad as Jane Eyre is at some points, but somehow I do relate those two books in my mind... Maybe it's just because they're both quite old, romantic books by female authors and I really like them both very much!
l loved it too! l bought it and read it in one fortnight. it has got all: romance, psychology, (difficult) family relations, horror, passion, etc. \Quote:
Originally Posted by catcat24
l have already begun to read sons and lovers from d.h. lawrence. 2/3 of the book are very good. also: love, passion and family relations. the last part is very plain and trivial. the relation between the main character and his first love is very thrilling. afterwards it gets plain, ugly l believe. so l put it away. It was published in 1911.
2 weeks ago l started "Desirée" of Danis writer Annemarie Selinko, it's a novel about the first love of the female character Desiree, who was betrothed to the young Napoleon Bonaparte before he betrayed her, and the way she influenced his life, afterwards she married the true love of her life, general Bernadotte and became the queeen of Sweden and found herself amidst the center of European politic. As a child she was brought up in the years after the French Revolution. (still being family of the Bonapartes, because her sister was married to brother j. Bonaparte) but her husband was an adversary of the politics of Bonaparte because he still believed in the ideals "Egalité, Fraternité and Liberté".
This book is written very well and has everything: romance, psychology, etc. It was published in 1951. Well l finished this book unfortunately, though l reread it sometimes. I myself am also looking for new books, especially biographs or novels like Jane Eyre or being written about famous persons.
There's a book which is very special to me, but is not categorical in any way. It's called "the pope from the ghetto", and is written by Gertrud von le Fort (a german writer) in the nineteen twenties. It's very thrilling and has got suspense and many historical facts. l myself like also historical romans.
l have always been reading a lot (the novel about Desirée l first read when l was in highschool) but l don't like modern literature a lot. so if you know about historical romans or biograpy's please let me know. l can read english, german and french.
have a good time,
I very much doubt that you will find a novel as beautiful as Jane Eyre. Of course, there may be many stories as sensitive and profund as this one, but I dare say that the whole book is so perfect in itself, I mean: language, cronology and development of the plot, that it makes you feel at ease when you finish reading it. Now and then I read the book once again and when I am done, I close it, put it on my chest for a while and cannot help taking a deep sigh and try to make an imaginary journey into the past. I imagine myself living in those days of the nineteenth century, without electricity, proper heating and that sort of things that are nowadays unthinkable to do without, and that not only astonishes me, but gives me a whole lot of sensations and perceptions of the writer and each of the characters of her work of art. Those were hard days; strict education and religion, illnesses would kill most of the weak population and yet, the human soul always makes its way through. The human soul and one´s willingness to overcome suffering and make something real good out of it, is what reassures me the idea that there is hope for all of us. In my opinion, this is the great message that Charlotte has left for all of us. It is her gift for us. No matter how hard your life may be, there is always a light at the end of the road, as long as there is light inside of yourself.
I highly recommend to you all of Jane Austen's writing.Quote:
Originally Posted by catcat24
I felt the same as you do when I finished Jane Eyre.
I am so glad my librarian recommended Jane Austen.
try <<little women>> , it is a very good book, similar to pride and prejudice, but maybe more interesting. books simliar to jane eyre is hard to find if you take all its merits into account. but her sister Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights is even better than hers as a profound love story.
I agree that Little Women is another excellent story to read!Quote:
Originally Posted by dirac1984
I read Wuthering Heights and I did not enjoy it at all.
I know it is such a classic and people rave about it.
I felt guilty for not liking it.
I decided to search the internet for other opinions and discovered that some others felt as I did,
that the main characters are not likeable.
They were not honorable people.
I liked Isabella, and the man she taught how to read-
can't remember his name-
but not enough time was spent on them.
It's a story that reads like a tragic soap opera.
Too depressing for me.
Friend:
do not feel guilty for not liking Wuthering Heights. I quite agree with you because I also felt the same. Take into account that maybe Emily was not as good as Charlotte in writing novels. Even Charlotte tried to "protect" her sisters from the critics by stating that they lived isolated from the world and they wrote about brutal situations they heard about without even understanding them. But the novel, which she wrote when she was 28 is considered a masterpiece of universal literature.
Love, Adriana.
Thanks for the encouragement.Quote:
Originally Posted by Adriana
I appreciate that.
If you are interested in watching the movie you can download it from the internet. I did and I enjoyed it, it is well done.
emily's literary standing now is generally considered to be higher than her sister's. for emily is considered to be more sophiscated in using imagery, metaphor, in characterization. her story is more profound. but i have to confess that i really do not have much say in this issue. my claim is just based on the opinions of the literary criticism circle. i like jane eyre very much as you do. in fact, my graduation dissertation is about saint john in jane eyre. last time i forgot to recommend an interesting book which is based on jane eyre but it is told by Bertha. the name is Wide Sargasso Sea. and i should say that no one has to feel guilty or ashamed because he/she does not appreciate a particular book. it is just that one thousand people will have one thousand Hamlet.
It is always a pleasure for me to share ideas and opinions with people such as yourself. Thanks for recommending this book. I will read it indeed.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is also very strong and passionate, a bit melodramatic for my taste like Jane Eyre but I think you'll like it.
And like others have pointed out Janes Austen. I've only read Pride and Prejudice and Emma. I liked the former better.
hi, haven't finish Jane Eyre yet and i think I will read more by Charlotte Bronte because I definetly love her style!
anyway, if you haven't read it yet I 've also loved Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Go ahead friend! You wíll not regret it...
Love, Adriana.
thanks! It's such a compelling reading, I love it!Quote:
Originally Posted by Adriana
Have you read any Jane Austen?Quote:
Originally Posted by Anne Boleyn
I highly recommend her,
especially Pride & Prejudice.
Some critics consider this a modern (relatively .. written in 1938) parallel to Jane Eyre.
Thank you so much for saying what I have always felt. When I was in Grad school, I kept hearing professors and other students going on about the infinite qualities of Wuthering Heights. I never saw it! You have Heathcliff who loves Catherine who refuses to marry him --probably because they are related, although no one knows for sure--and Catherine marries someone else and destroys his life. Heathcliff marries Catherine's sister-in-law and destroys her life. It is hardly a masterpiece. What kind of a love story is based on meeting in Heaven? One that cannot be actualized!
Books to try, The Proffesor, Agnes Grey, Villette, The Tennent of Wildfell Hall, and Persuasion.
All very good books of the same type of quality as Jane Eyre.
I have an interesting question too. I am currently rereading Jane Eyre, which I LOVE!! I love the writing style; the formality of it, the suspense, and the wonderful narration by Eyre. In a strange way, I also love sad books. I am wondering about a comparison in writing styles. I have not researched this, but as I am reading this book I can't help but anticipate reading Jane Austen - the time period is not quite the same, but it is very close. I am thinking maybe you Jane Eyre fans can chime in with your opinions; you also like Charlotte Bronte, and if you have read Austen, do you see similarities in their work? I've already read some posts that suggest to another fan to read Jane Austen also.
I am planning on reading Pride and Prejudice this spring or summer, maybe closer to summer, when I can devote more time to it. I have summers off, I work in a school. I have never read Austen, but cannot imagine neglecting to read her most famous book, being a classics fan!
I think that if you enjoy and appreciate the story of Jane Eyre, you definitely can't miss reading Persuasion by Jane Austen. Like Jane Eyre, it is a romance with obstacles - in my mind it is the best Austen novel. I think what I enjoy most about JE and Persuasion is the humanity of the characters - they are far from perfect and they don't have everything handed to them on a silver platter...nor are their stories overly miraculous.
Another very compelling read is Jessica by Bryce Courtenay. It is an Australian story about a girl who deals with a great many hardships in her life - set in the early 1900's when life was tough in the Aussie Outback, and not only for women. But I have to warn you, that is a book to read with a box of tissues...