Review: Jane Eyre

Jane EyreJane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a timeless classic! This was my first time reading Jane Eyre and I can see myself revisiting it again in a few years. Initially, I thought the beginning was slow and I couldn’t understand what the fuss around this book was about, but now I realize that it serves as a perfect explanation of Jane’s character and her actions in her adult life.

Bronte’s writing is so good at conveying emotions and moods. Her characters’ introspections are illuminating and touching. This is navel-gazing done right.

At its heart, Jane Eyre is a romance novel, but not a kind of lusty, throbbing organs romance. The emotions in this novel left me breathless sometimes. When things were good, I felt elated along with the characters. When things turn sour, as I dreaded they would, I was just as tormented as the unfortunate parties involved.

Even though I couldn’t empathize with some of Jane’s decisions concerning Mr. Rochester, I still respected her for her strength of character for doing such difficult tasks.

This novel is just lovely. I’m curious how the new film will interpret it.

Several people including my lovely co-workers here at Goodreads have commented about how *weird* the book is. Yes, the whole romance is a bit creepy and Jane’s affections for Mr. Rochester seem rather servile.  But I just attribute it to the time the book was written. That and I’m often touched by strange creepy things.  What I thought was more creepy was that Jane actually considered marrying her first cousin! Times sure do change.

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The Martinez Re-visited

I was already a fan of a Martinez over a Martini and making it with Ransom Old Tom Gin is a real treat. The gin is an unusual (for gin) brown color and has slightly sweeter taste to it thanks to the added malt. I like it because it doesn’t taste like a bottle of Pine-Sol although now that I think of it, the brown color makes it look more like Pine-Sol.  The coloring comes from the gin resting in Pinot Noir barrels, which is supposed to replicate the journey across the Atlantic on ships in the old days.

The Martinez

In a Martinez, the Ransom blends perfectly with the thick sweetness of the sweet vermouth and the herbacious (as the BF likes to call it) bitterness of Boker’s Bitters. The drink is a delicate balance of sweet and medicinal, which makes it a relaxing sipping drink.