Anne of Green Gables -- L. M. Montgomery

ISBN: 0141323744

I thought it was time I reviewed another classic. This novel is simply delightful; it is full of charm and sparks of life that cannot fail to bring one joy. Montgomery's characters, particularly the eponymous Anne, are instant gloominess dispellers with their quick-fire wit and beautiful naivety.

Though written for children, Anne of Green Gables, is a social satire which will bring amusement to any age, perhaps more so as we get older. It is Anne herself, though, who I find most captivating. As we watch her grow in stature and wisdom, we fall for her all the more. This good-hearted girl cannot help getting into trouble, but usually manages to talk her way out of it.

We are presented with a heroine who is as imaginative as Montgomery herself and who weaves castles in the air that we feel we could leap right into. Though Anne, as well as other characters, always learn something through their misadventures, this is not a book that feels preachy, and we delight in the playful revelry.

The scenery of this book, too, is just beautiful. Montgomery captures rural Canada at the turn of the century with such detail that we can almost feel the blossom of the trees against our fingertips and smell the bread baking in Marilla's oven. This is a book that makes it feel like perpetual springtime.

Rating: 8/10

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

ISBN: 1853260207

As today is World Book Day, I thought I would write a special review. So, here goes. This is my review of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (it bothers me that this blog site doesn't seem to let me type umlauts... although there is a fairly interesting story behind the umlauts, so probably they shouldn't be there anyway). Normally I would shy away from reviewing such an infamous classic, but it is my favourite work of fiction, which I like to think makes this a special post.

This novel is cherished by many, and rightly so. This is a book that, I believe, contains everything a good book should. This is Gothic fiction at its finest, its sharpest and its most poignant. This is not a girly book. It contains romance, yes, and is probably the most genuinely romantic book I have read, exploring the idea of soulmates and the connection that this brings. But it is so much more. This is a novel that is ground-breaking, tragic and genuinely terrifying.

The language Bronte uses is so precise that each sentence reads as poetry for the word sounds alone. She conjures settings with uncanny realism, which sucks us into the vortex of the novel. And we do not want to escape. More than this though, the emotions she evokes are so exact that we feel them to our core. We weep and lust and recoil just as our heroine Jane does as she boldly leads us through the plot, taking each hurdle in her stride, but also thinking upon it deeply.

It has been said many times before, but I will say it again: this novel was truly ahead of its time. Here we have a first-person narrator who is not only a woman, but is an independent, working, thinking woman. She longs for equality with men in a way that does not deny her femininity. She is young and inexperienced, but incredibly wise at the same time; I truly admire the faith Bronte furnishes this character with. If you have not read this book, I implore you to do so.

Rating: 10/10

The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

ISBN: 9780571226160

This is the most real book I have ever read. It is alive and painfully honest. In this semi-autobiographical novel, Plath portrays what it is to be on the verge of entering into the world, through the eyes of 19-year-old Esther Greenwood, who is working in New York for the summer.

The plot oozes with the sense of needing to find a place in the world, of carving out a niche for oneself in a society that is increasingly success-oriented. Which 'fig' should Esther strive for: business woman or wife, mother or linguist, typist or writer? Or pleasing her mother? Each holds promise, but each option seems to close the door to all other possibilities. And each looks so tempting.

This is a work about first times, about putting one's toe in the water, about self-discovery. It is not a cheery read, especially given Plath's biography, but the true depiction of emotion and despair is so intricate that it grabs at you like the tendrils of a lonely octopus.

Rating: 9/10

A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett

ISBN: 0140366881

This is one of my all-time favourite books. It is mostly set in a boarding school, which bodes well to start with, and it has the word 'princess' in the title, and yet it is so much more than a heart-warming children's tale. But warm the heart, it certainly does.

Sara is a little girl, left in a boarding school under the tutelage of strict Miss Minchin, after her rich upbringing in India. Things naturally turn for the worst, but even in the most tragic of circumstances, Sara shows an immense resolve to be optimistic. It is her beautiful imagination that saves her.

This is a novel that I grew up with and it inspired me to not become dragged down by circumstances; things could always be worse. This book is powerful. Burnett's characters are charming and their sparkling interactions leap from the page like confetti. Sara's stories, in particular, bring light.

If anybody has dampened spirits, let them read this book, for they will be cheered.

Rating: 9/10

Belinda - Maria Edgeworth

ISBN: 0199554684

Maria Edgeworth is an author who escaped my notice until quite recently. Reading her was like tasting chocolate for the first time! Naturally, I compared her to other Regency women writers: Edgeworth writes with all of the satire of Jane Austen and the darkness of Emily Bronte.

This novel follows Belinda through her first interactions with society as those around her try to steer her towards a husband. The most dominant character, though, is Lady Delacour, who is deliciously beastly --think Mrs. Bennet meets Mr. Woodhouse, through whom we encounter much of the medicine of the day.

Funny and plot-driven, this book tells us much of the contemporary society, not only in terms of medical practices, but also social experiments, trickery and the role and constraints of women, and how these were fought against.

This novel is satisfying and ahead of its time in both its style and its content. It really is a work of art.

Rating: 8/10

The Screwtape Letters - C. S. Lewis

ISBN: 0006280609

I found this book fascinating. Lewis delves into hell for his characters Screwtape, one of the Devil's assistants, whose job is to stop people becoming Christians. The novel (for I would classify it as such) is presented as a succession of letters from Screwtape to his nephew, a younger, newer 'demon'.

This is a really entertaining read, and immensely funny. It challenges preconceptions of how we view Christians and it makes us think about how our daily actions have much larger repercussions. Lewis presents each of our lives as a battleground between good and evil.

Despite the depth of this book, it is a lighter read than you would imagine. Lewis offers us a lot of hope and encouragement in a world that seems to be influenced by the Devil at every turn. Lewis highlights the futility of evil where a benevolent God is truly in control. A must-read no matter what your beliefs.

Rating: 9/10

The Castle of Otranto - Horace Walpole

ISBN: 0140437673

This is credited to being the first Gothic novel. I enjoyed the book, I found it immensely entertaining. Princes and princesses, knights, a castle with secret corridors and trapdoors galore, not to mention a creepy portrait and a more than slightly unusual family, this is the kind of thing that fantasy is made of. I can see why it sparked such a huge and successful genre.

However, I can't help but feel that this is a caricature of a novel, a cardboard cut-out stage with two-dimensional characters. Walpole's characters are stereotypes that don't seem to show any emotion or even surprise. Realism is hardly the author's aim, though, so perhaps this can be forgiven.

This is a novel that is to be laughed at rather than with, I'm afraid, despite its profound effect on literature as a whole. If you're happy to do that, though, or to overlook the gaping plot flaws, it is a really enjoyable read. It is a must for any lover of fantasy or Gothic.

Rating: 5/10

I Capture The Castle - Dodie Smith

ISBN: 9780099460879

I drank down this book like a sweet glass of iced tea. The backdrop of the castle is charming in every sense in this book that sparks magic, mostly in the personality of the characters. Each character glows with life so that they're almost four-dimensional.

The opening image of a young woman writing in the kitchen sink for the sake of somewhere to be struck a chord with me. This story, while not fast-paced or action packed, is told through the narrator Cassandra Mortmain, Smith's prose dripping with life and promise, as this young woman is on the cusp of becoming an adult.

Concentrating on relationships of every nature, this novel shows us what it is to truly feel emotion, to feel them potently and for the first time. It feels so very real and so very English that it will stay with a reader for a long time after being put back amidst the dust of other paperbacks. It particularly haunts me when I visit National Trust properties.

Rating: 8/10