Books: 2007

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (started in 2006)
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Paradise Lost by John Milton
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
The Aeneid by Virgil
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Gallows by J. K. Rowling
Getting Started by Robert Eaker, et al (nonfiction)
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Where's My Jetpack? by Daniel H. Wilson (nonfiction)
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn (nonfiction; re-read)
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
The World Without Us by Alan Weisman (nonfiction)
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Next: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Jane Eyre

Awesome novel! Another winner! I am going to revise my "Top Ten" list to include this one, for sure. Apart from a couple plot devices (e.g., Jane's timely inheritance; lawyer Briggs' arrival at Jane's first wedding) and some unbelievable coincidences (e.g., Rochester's brother-in-law just happens to have the same lawyer as Jane's uncle; Jane happened across the paths of her cousins, the only living kin she has in the world), the novel was surprising and compelling. I enjoyed the way Jane analyzed the other characters and the way she attempted to manipulate them, esp. Rochester and Rivers. The death (by T.B.) of her friend Helen at Lowood was beautiful and moving in its brevity and its spare prose (You listening, Harriet Beecher Stowe, with your over-long treatment of little Eva's consumption?). I liked the division of the novel into thirds: early years, life at Thornfield, escape to Moorland. Each section encompassed its own conflict, yet it was nicely integrated to create a coherent whole. Bronte's rhetoric and pacing were brilliant--I was never bored, as I was with her sister's novel, Wuthering Heights. Jane was a strong character, but what I found most interesting about her was the fact that her strength lay in her steadfastness in following the leads of others, primarily men. She thrived on powerful, strong-minded men with wills of iron who liked to order her about. She enjoyed following these men, and even called Mr. Rochester "sir" and referred to him as "master", neither of which Rochester ever corrected her about, even after she agreed to marry him. I also like the way Bronte pulled the reader along the story, pacing herself and employing numerous, effective details to enliven the story.

Bronte was forward-thinking for her time as well. Jane, born of low parentage, rose above her situation by marrying the wealthy Mr. Rochester (never mind her inheritance). She often mused that her pupils (the farmers' daughters) were as bright, as "teachable," and as well-mannered as the children of the very wealthy. Throughout the novel, Bronte tries to blur the distinction between classes. Her "low" characters are as well-drawn as her upper class characters, and most of them are actually better people. For a woman writing in the early nineteenth century, Bronte seems to have been trying to rock the status quo.

Memorable scenes include Helen's death, Mr. Rochester's first proposal to Jane, the revelation of Rochester's first marriage, St. John's attempt to convince Jane to marry him and accompany him to India, and Jane's final reunion with Rochester at the end. I read a lot of books this year, and this was one of the best.

Catch-22

Terrific novel! I really enjoyed the comedy at the beginning, was thrown off by the seriousness of the second half, but loved the ending. The looping narrative was a great idea. The change of tone bothered me at first--I kept waiting for the comedy to return--but then I realized that, after all, this is a war novel and it should be disturbing. The characters were fascinating and original, the comedy was laugh-out-loud funny, the tragedy was moving, and the narrative was varied but always readable. This might actually replace one of the novels on my Top Ten list. I have to think longer on it, but it is certainly up there.