Jane Eyre

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Jane Eyre
Charlotte Brontë
1847

The Summary
Orphaned as a child and nurtured under the harsh, exacting care of her aunt and the cold, disconsolate atmosphere of Lowood School, Jane Eyre has grown into her own and become a governess at Thornfield Hall.

Finally free of her discontented past, Jane quickly becomes a dynamic fixture in the manor - which does not escape the notice of Thornfield's Mr. Rochester.

But falling in love with the bachelor aristocrat is only the beginning for young Jane, because something dark lurks through the halls of Thornfield and it will threaten her love, her relationship, and even her very existence.

The Good
Jane Eyre is a magnificent character in her own right: brave, eloquent, passionate, and independent.  As the heroine of the novel, she is a force with which to be reckoned.  Although she often appears quiet and reserved, Jane, under no circumstances, inherits a bland meekness or a tendency for fainting.  Unlike some female characters, Jane is incredibly bright and daring.

Even to the end, you wish her the best and hope for her happiness.

More importantly, Jane weaves a fascinating and gripping tale about her life. The first few chapters, admittedly, trudge along at a snail's pace; however, once you become invested in Jane's remarkable story, it's easy to become lost in her recollections which sound more and more like a daring adventure story than a retrospective narrative.

The Bad
Yes, Jane Eyre is another one of those "Victorian novels," which means it comes with many of the same warnings as others. For instance, the author, in crafting, her novel puts a great many words down on a great many pages. It is extremely long and occasionally long-winded.

As such, if you find yourself enraptured by Jane Eyre's tale, you may just have to seek greater reserves of patience when long sections of text - or a startling new adventure - interrupt the outcome you desire to see.

Let's just say Charlotte Brontë knows how to prolong the suspense.

The Ugly
Jane Eyre is not given an easy life.  She experiences a positively miserable childhood, and her life does not grow any easier from there.

A Million Little Pieces

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A Million Little Pieces
James Frey
2003

The Summary
Plain and simple, James Frey's novel is about addiction.  Written in the style of a memoir - which it's not, by the way.  Turns out there's more imagination than fact involved - A Million Little Pieces tells the story of one man's struggle against drug and alcohol abuse, and his fight to survive the anger which pushed him toward it in the first place.

The Good
In it's own way, Frey's novel is uplifting.  It presents a positive message about overcoming adversity and addiction.  More importantly, it is about triumphing over a particular addiction - and reclaiming life, before addiction takes it.

And that should be seen as the most important part.  Whether you will see that message through all the controversy over Frey's fraudulent "memoir," however, is yet to be seen.

The Bad
A Million Little Pieces is incredibly difficult to read because of its punctuation (meaning there is very little to speak of or none at all) and its style (it's more stream of consciousness, less deliberate literary intent).

These unusual erasures of quotation marks and haphazard construction of thoughts, however, provide Frey's novel with an intriguing style and depth.  As a reflection of the torn and conflicted mind of Frey's character, it seems appropriate, if not a little confusing and annoying.

The dialogue, in particular, becomes a sincere mess.  Although the dialogue seems to appropriately bounce back and forth between characters, as it might in real life, the lack of quotation marks creates a rather enormous problem:  who is speaking?  And when exactly did they start speaking?

You can be halfway through a conversation between characters, before realizing it was even a conversation in the first place.  There are very few markers to point out when actual dialogue has begun and Frey's own thoughts have ended.

Confusion will abound, I assure you.

The Ugly
Here's a list of things to expect in Frey's novel:  sex, violence, blood, drugs and alcohol (obviously), and gratuitous amounts of foul language.  Simply put, this is not a novel friendly to all audiences.

At Home in Mitford

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At Home in Mitford

Jan Karon

1994

The Summary
At Home in Mitford tells the story of Father Tim, the local Episcopalian rector, as he learns to cope with his rebellious health (i.e. diabetes) and his growing attachment to his lovely neighbor, and lives a simple - if not active - life in the mountain hamlet of Mitford.

The Good
Jan Karon's novel is a tale about a good man with a good life, who lives among relatively good (although certainly eccentric) individuals, and keeps a good relationship with God. Characters like Father Tim and places like Mitford aren't normally found in popular fiction (and Karon's Mitford novels are quite popular, to tell the truth), because they show a facet of fiction not typically embraced: normalcy.

And At Home in Mitford is really as normal as fiction can get. Karon portrays life, regardless of whether it is boring and dull, or glorious and miraculous. It's life, and it's a good life.

Speaking of good, you could say it is a good novel for all ages, because Karon never - and I do mean never - incorporates gratuitous amounts of violence, foul language (in fact, I only found one obvious "curse word"), sex, drugs, or heavy drinking.

It's a plain, good novel into which you can invest you time - and, most likely, you will become invested in Karon's novel. It's hard not becoming invested in the lives of Father Tim and Dooley Barlowe and all the true characters of Mitford.

The Bad
On the flipside of being a plain, good novel, At Home in Mitford can become a little boring. Granted, there are a few mishaps - such as a dog the size of a Buick which listens to Scripture, a jewel heist, a kidnapping, and a diabetic coma - but there isn't a true catastrophe involved.

Life simply goes on. It will manage to keep your attention, but much of what Karon writes may almost seem too good to be true. I mean, really, a dog that listens to Scripture?

Who would have thought.

The Ugly
Except for some poor editing in a few areas, there is honestly nothing ugly in Karon's novel. Trust me, I've looked.

Gilead

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Gilead
Marilynne Robinson
2004

The Summary
Originally begun with the intention of providing his son with a glimpse into their family history, Reverend John Ames quickly turns his letter into a memoir, in which he recalls memories from his childhood, experiences from his clerical life, and both the tragedies and triumphs he has faced.  More importantly, in his writing, he seeks to reconcile himself with his growing age and failing health.

The Good
Despite his designation as a member of the clergy, Ames is still flawed.  In his candid entries, he reveals he has instances of jealousy and distrust, moments of frustration with his congregation, fits of passion (especially around young Jack Boughton), and unmistakable encounters with his own doubts, much to his chagrin.

John Ames is not a perfect man - but he is a good man, and that's exactly what makes him so intriguing and Gilead so compelling to read.

Truly good men sometimes seem to come few and far between in literature.  As a man who has enjoyed his life, simple as it may be, Ames makes an interesting study into the life of an "average Joe" and clergyman.   His faith, his candor, his goodness, and his willingness to admit his own faults make him truly unique character in a world where the sin often makes the story.

The Bad
Marilynne Robinson made some unique stylistic decisions in writing her novel.  For one thing, she provides no chapters whatsoever in Gilead.  Aside from the occasional division between paragraphs and individual ideas, Robinson essentially leaves Ames to his own devices.  While this provides the novel with the illusion of being a legitimate journal, it can also leave you searching for a break between the pages.

More importantly, Robinson's lack of chapters does not necessarily diminish the quality and complexity of her novel.  But it can sometimes leave you frustrated and mentally winded by the lack of any discernible stopping points.

The Ugly
Ames, in writing this prolonged letter to his son, often times reveals the conditions of real life.  While the realism of Ames's character is not a terrible thing, sorrow and regret and guilt frequently permeate the novel.  So Gilead is not a spectacularly optimistic work, especially given that Ames anticipates his own death at any time from page one.

But, in that respect, Robinson's novel is quite beautiful in spite of its darker undertones - and Ames becomes more easily treasured for his temporary qualities and ephemeral nature.