The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 
by Washington Irving

Publisher: Open Road (September 2014)

40 pages, eBook

Where I Got It: Free on Amazon

Story Rating: 5 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Vivid - Mystical - Charming

Summary:

Ichabod Crane, the local schoolmaster, is vying for the attention of one of the popular young ladies of the village, but after a disappointing night at a gathering, local superstitious stories of a headless horseman become much more real on his ride home.

My Thoughts:

This story is very descriptive of place and setting, without much action from the people in it. Extensive setup for a little bit of action, but a good story nonetheless. The way it is told, is like a bit of gossip being passed along.

Quotes:

“If ever I should wish for a retreat whither I might steal form the world and its distractions, and dream quietly away the remnant of a troubled life, I know of none more promising than this little valley.” -Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

“—hurrying along in the gloom of night, as if on the wings of the wind.” -Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

“—he that runs races with goblin troopers is likely to have rough riding of it.” -Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Movie Adaptations:

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Michael Gambon

Movie Rating: R

My Rating: 5 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

Because She Loves Me by Mark Edwards

Because She Loves Me by Mark Edwards

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (September 2014)

352 pages, eBook (borrowed from the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Content Note: Includes Swearing, Sexual Situations and Violence

Andrew stumbled upon Charlie just when he was wishing for a girlfriend, his solitary life as a work-from-home freelancer had gotten a bit old and he was ready for a change, but he seemed to stumble into a bit of bad luck around the same time and soon his friends and acquaintances seemed affected with the same bad luck. Riveting stalker-type psychological thriller, with a twist at the end. For me the twist came way out of left field and I’m not sure I really made it all the way around the corner in believing the explanation at the end—things just couldn’t be made clean for me—too much taint lying around. Other than the wrap-up, it was a really good read—fast-paced, ambiguous motivations in many quarters, with a slow reveal on the mystery portion. Now, I’m anxious to read The Magpies!

Stranger at Sunset by Eden Baylee

Stranger at Sunset by Eden Baylee

Publisher: lowercase publishing (June 2014)

350 pages, eBook (provided by the Author for review)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Note: Includes Swearing, Sexual Situations and Violence

Sunset Villa, a small resort in Jamaica, came back from the destruction of Hurricane Sandy only to be slammed by a bad review from a travel writer, so the owners invite the reviewer back (hoping to get a more favorable review) along with a number of friends for support, psychiatrist Kate Hampton among them. This starts out like your average mystery, and the way it was setup reminded me a bit of Agatha Christie. There are a fixed group of people staying at the resort and you are introduced to them all, seeing a bit of their interactions and how some are connected to others—people here and there are behaving a bit strangely—and then this story takes a very dark turn. It’s unlike anything I’ve read. The story is told from multiple viewpoints (some anonymous) over the course of the book, providing little snippets of the motivations of each of the characters—and I loved the emphasis on people’s motivations. Intriguing psychological thriller!

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

Publisher: Seventh Street Books (October 2014)

303 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $9.59)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Note: Includes Swearing, Sexual Situations and Violence

A college English assignment leads Joe to a local nursing home to interview someone, and he is directed to Carl Iverson, as one of the few residents likely to have an intact memory, but Carl is also a convicted murderer and the further Joe gets into Carl’s story it takes on a life of its own and becomes much more than just an assignment for school. Joe was a great hero—fearless and impulsive at times, methodical and self-less at others; struggling with the willingness to take on the responsibility of looking after his Autistic brother and the problems brought on by his troublesome mother. All the characters were realistic and vibrant, and the story fast-paced and riveting. I loved how Joe’s past and Carl’s came together so seamlessly in the conclusion of the book. Great read, and I’m looking forward to the follow-up book, due out next year!

The Lost by Evan Ronan

The Lost by Evan Ronan

The Unearthed Series, Book 2

Publisher: Evan Ronan (September 2014)

364 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $0.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Note: Includes Swearing, Violence and Sexual Situations

Eddie’s doing his best to stay on the straight and narrow and move on with life, after losing his brother during a paranormal investigation, so the last thing he wants is to get involved in a new paranormal investigation, dredging up all sorts of memories, but he finds himself reluctantly drug into the matter. Eddie’s sidekick for this investigation is Ana, sister to the drowning victim and Eddie’s co-worker. Without his brother, Eddie struggles with his role in the investigation and the degree to which he wants to or should emulate his brother’s techniques. I loved the way this story keeps you guessing until the end, about whether the cause of the strange happenings is paranormal or human in nature. Great read! The next book in this series is The Accused and the Damned, due out Halloween 2014.

The Unearthed by Evan Ronan

The Unearthed by Evan Ronan

The Unearthed Series, Book 1

Publisher: Evan Ronan (September 2014)

282 pages, eBook (provided by the Author for review)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Note: Includes Swearing and Violence

The McCloskey brothers, Tim and Eddie, have been hired to investigate paranormal activity in a house where three people had been killed three years before, but as they dig into the case they are seeing too many similarities for it to be a coincidence. Part mystery, part ghost story, part thriller. This story takes you on a wild ride into the unknown. The relationship between the two brothers, Tim and Eddie, was so complex and realistic it made a great backdrop for the investigation to unfold. Fast-paced and full of action, I was riveted until the end. Great story! The next book in this series is The Lost.

Morale Was Down by Evan Ronan

Morale Was Down by Evan Ronan

Close of Business Trilogy, Book 1

Publisher: Calhoun Publishing (October 2014)

37 pages, eBook (available today and tomorrow on Amazon for Free)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Note: Includes Swearing

Someone’s stolen someone else’s lunch out of the office fridge and management is afraid it will be bad for morale, so they demand an investigation. Hilarious short story that reminded me a bit of the movies Office Space and Clockwatchers. Nice spoof of an investigation, with all the ridiculous office politics and corporate banalities mixed in. Quick read!

Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë

Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë

Publisher: Seahorse Publishing (2013)

187 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $0.99)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

(includes violence to animals)

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

Agnes is the younger daughter of a poor parson, and she takes it upon herself to improve her family’s finances by finding employment as a governess, but her sheltered upbringing and naiveté did not prepare her very well for what she would encounter in such a position.

My Thoughts:

Over the course of her career as a governess, Agnes works for two families, neither of which can in any way be considered an ideal situation. Most all of the children in both families are spoiled, naughty and very reluctant scholars; while the parents impede and in many cases expressly forbid any attempt to discipline or curb the children’s transgressions. The boy in the first family she works for, in particular, was encouraged by his parents to be very nasty and destructive to animals/wildlife (his actions at times so egregious, I had a hard time reading about them). Agnes’s encounters with the curate, Mr. Weston, and her growing feelings for him, are thwarted by her mean-spirited flirtatious young charge, but the relationship was so sedate and understated that it was a pleasure to read. Though this story and Jane Eyre are both about governesses and both written by a Brontë, I found very little else that they had in common. The writing style is completely different, as are the heroines and their situations.

Edition Notes:

This Seahorse ebook edition is supposedly annotated according to its description, but apparently that is referring to the author’s biography it contains at the end. The main text is very well organized for maneuverability within the text and pleasingly organized. A decent reading copy for the price.

Quotes:

“All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity, that the dry, shriveled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut.” -Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey

“Though riches had charms, poverty had no terrors for an inexperienced girl like me. Indeed, to say the truth, there was something exhilarating in the idea of being driven to straits, and thrown upon our own resources.” -Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey

“—my best intentions and most strenuous efforts seemed productive of no better result than sport to the children, dissatisfaction to their parents, and torment to myself.” -Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey

“I can conceive few situations more harassing than that wherein, however you may long for success, however you may labour to fulfill your duty, your efforts are baffled and set at nought by those beneath you, and unjustly censured and misjudged by those above.” -Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey

“—till my little tormentors were—cleared off to bed (my only prospects of deliverance)” -Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey

“And with several texts of Scripture, misquoted or misapplied, and religious exclamations so redolent of the ludicrous in the style of delivery and manner of bringing in, if not in the expressions themselves, that I decline repeating them, she withdrew;” -Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey

“If I were quiet at the moment, I was conniving at their disorderly conduct; if (as was frequently the case) I happened to be exalting my voice to enforce order, I was using undue violence, and setting the girls a bad example by such ungentleness of tone and language.” -Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey

“Dear papa! if he had troubled himself less about the afflictions that threatened us in case of his death, I am convinced that dreaded event would not have taken place so soon.” -Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey

“—there is nothing like a cheerful mind for keeping the body in health.” -Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey

“—occasionally, I perceived some huge, hoary mass gleaming through the darkness.” -Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey

“There are, I suppose, some men as vain, as selfish, and as heartless as she is, and, perhaps, such women may be useful to punish them.” -Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey

The Vineyard by Michael Hurley

The Vineyard by Michael Hurley

Publisher: Ragbagger Press (November 2014)

384 pages, eBook (provided by Author for review)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Note: Includes Swearing, Sexual Situations, and Violence

Dory has invited her friends from college, Charlotte and Turner, to spend the summer with her at her family home in Martha's Vineyard, each woman bringing with them a unique set of troubles from her everyday life, and each is affected differently by a mysterious and mystical man they meet that summer known only as "the Fisherman." Part mystery, part chronicle of a summer that would long live in their memory, this beautifully crafted tale seamlessly meshes the lives of three women as they intersect for a period of three life-changing months, and highlights questions of faith as well as the intense bond of friendship the women share. Great story, that keeps you guessing right to the end!

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Publisher: Scribner (2012)

353 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $8.99)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

Lt. Frederic Henry is an American serving as an ambulance driver in the Italian army during World War I, who falls in love with Catherine, a British nurse, and they have a wartime love affair.

My Thoughts:

It’s probably just because it was also written in the 1920’s about a couple falling in love in Europe, while in service during World War I, but this story reminded me a lot of Simon Called Peter by Robert Keable. The story was interesting, a bit rambling at times, but the ending was really depressing. If you are looking for a happily ever after ending, you won’t find it here; though I think the outcome of Catherine giving Henry the St. Anthony medal foreshadows that clearly enough early on. For the most part the story details military life for an officer overseas during World War I, giving the reader a glimpse into the past. I wasn’t very impressed with Catherine’s determination to bear all the responsibility for the repercussions of their affair—she seemed almost desperate not to cause Henry any trouble with regard to their relationship—it was to be all fun, all the time for him. Henry seemed a decent enough guy and quite likable as a narrator. Did everyone in the 1910’s and 1920’s drink non-stop?

Edition Notes:

This is the only ebook edition available of this book, that I know of. It was organized very nicely and allowed easy maneuverability between sections. This edition contains the author’s 1948 Introduction, a foreword by Patrick Hemingway and an introduction by Sean Hemingway, as well as various appendices containing early drafts, alternate endings and a list of the author’s proposed titles that had been considered for the book. A very nice edition.

Quotes:

“—they did not bombard it to destroy it but only a little in a military way.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“He had always known what I did not know and what, when I learned it, I was always able to forget. But I did not know that then, although I learned it later.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“Evidently it did not matter whether I was there or not.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“The Italian salute never seemed made for export.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“I knew I did not love Catherine Barkley nor had any idea of loving her. This was a game, like bridge, in which you said things instead of playing cards. Like bridge you had to pretend you were playing for money or playing for some stakes. Nobody had mentioned what the stakes were.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“The wine was bad but not dull. It took the enamel off your teeth and left it on the roof of your mouth.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“There is a class that controls a country that is stupid and does not realize anything and never can. That is why we have this war.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“I am afraid of Him in the night sometimes.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“What you tell me about in the nights. That is not love. That is only passion and lust. When you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“I have noticed that doctors who fail in the practice of medicine have a tendency to seek one another’s company and aid in consultation.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“He was a legitimate hero who bored every one he met.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“We were all cooked.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“There was a great contrast between his world pessimism and personal cheeriness.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“I never think and yet when I begin to talk I say things I have found out in my mind without thinking.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“The questioners had that beautiful detachment and devotion to stern justice of men dealing in death without being in any danger of it.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“Anger was washed away in the river along with any obligation.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“—the things of the night cannot be explained in the day—“-Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“No, that is a great fallacy; the wisdom of old men. They do not grow wise. They grow careful.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“I so want to be a good wife and have this child without any foolishness.” -Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Publisher: Starbooks Classics Publishing (2013)

210 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $1.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

Catherine is a naive young woman from a small village with an overactive imagination, made worse by excessive reading of novels, which gives her unrealistic expectations about what she may encounter when she is invited by a wealthy neighbor to join them in the pleasures of Bath.

My Thoughts:

Catherine relies heavily on the information she’s gleaned from fictitious stories, and though I wouldn’t necessarily say she is stupid, she is most definitely ignorant and easily fooled by the crafty people she is exposed to in the larger society of Bath. Of all of Jane Austen’s novels, this story contains characters of a more coarse/crass nature (John & Isabella Thorpe, Captain Tilney) that make Austen’s other villains look almost decent, and certainly a great deal more polished. Upon leaving her home and her small village, Catherine is on constant lookout for the beginning of her adventures, expecting things to unfold as they do for the heroines in the books she’s read. As her experience of the outside world increases she begins to see that her expectations of people and events, as derived from books and the small society of her village, are unrealistic, and though she still doesn’t gain enough insight to be deemed really intelligent, she does at least seem to learn to be more cautious of people and circumstances; so I think this story could be classified as a coming-of-age story, as well as a gothic romance. Great read, especially when contrasted with other gothic romances, such as The Mysteries of Udolpho (which is heavily referenced in this story).

Edition Notes:

This Starbooks Special Illustrated Edition with Literary History and Criticism is the best ebook version of Northanger Abbey that I’ve found. It is organized for optimum maneuverability, is prettily arranged, very readable, includes illustrations by the Brock brothers combining the illustrations from their various editions, and includes the literary history and criticism section from The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. For a standalone copy, this is it, but if you are looking for an ebook collection of Jane Austen’s novels, I’d recommend The Complete Illustrated Novels of Jane Austen by MobileReference.

Cover Art Favorites:

Quotes:

“—provided that nothing like useful knowledge could be gained from them, provided they were all story and no reflection, she had never any objection to books at all.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“Something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“—if adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“Neither robbers nor tempests befriended them, nor one lucky overturn to introduce them to the hero.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“—no young lady can be justified in falling in love before the gentleman’s love is declared, it must be very improper that a young lady should dream of a gentleman before the gentleman is first known to have dreamt of her.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“despair of nothing we would attain as unwearied diligence our point would gain.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“If the heroine of one novel be not patronized by the heroine of another, from whom can she expect protection and regard?” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“My dearest creature, what can have made you so late? I have been waiting for you at least this age!” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“—that would have thrown me into agonies!” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“—when you have finished Udolpho, we will read the Italian together; and I have made out a list of ten or twelve more of the same kind for you—Castle of Wolfenbach, Clermont, Mysterious Warnings, Necromancer of the Black Forest, Midnight Bell, Orphan of the Rhine, and Horrid Mysteries. Those will last us some time.

Yes, pretty well; but are they all horrid, are you sure they are all horrid?

Yes, quite sure; for a particular friend of mine, a Miss Andrews, a sweet girl, one of the sweetest creatures in the world, has read every one of them.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“Where the heart is really attached, I know very well how little one can be pleased with the attention of anybody else.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“Mr. Morland, you are not to listen. We are not talking about you.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“I am sure of this—that if everybody was to drink their bottle a day, there would not be half the disorders in the world there are now. It would be a famous good thing for us all.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“—she had not been brought up to understand the propensities of a rattle, nor to know to how many idle assertions and impudent falsehoods the excess of vanity will lead.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“Woman is fine for her own satisfaction alone. No man will admire her the more, no woman will like her the better for it. Neatness and fashion are enough for the former, and a something of shabbiness or impropriety will be most endearing to the latter.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“All have been, or at least all have believed themselves to be, in danger from the pursuit of someone whom they wished to avoid; and all have been anxious for the attentions of someone whom they wished to please.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“—man has the advantage of choice, woman only the power of refusal.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“‘Only go and call on Mrs. Allen!’ he repeated. ‘What a picture of intellectual poverty!’” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“How I hate the sight of an umbrella!” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“If I could not be persuaded into doing what I thought wrong, I never will be tricked into it.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“That little boys and girls should be tormented—is what no one at all acquainted with human nature in a civilized state can deny; but in behalf of our most distinguished historians, I must observe that they might well be offended at being supposed to have no higher aim, and that by their method and style, they are perfectly well qualified to torment readers of the most advanced reason and mature time of life.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“—it is very well worth-while to be tormented for two or three years of one’s life, for the sake of being able to read all the rest of it.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“imbecility in females is a great enhancement of their personal charms.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“a good-looking girl, with an affectionate heart and a very ignorant mind, cannot fail of attracting a clever young man, unless circumstances are particularly untoward.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“I cannot speak well enough to be unintelligible.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“—there is nothing people are so often deceived in as the state of their own affections.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“You men have none of you any hearts—If we have not hearts, we have eyes; and they give us torment enough.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“Isabella had said many things which she hoped had been spoken in haste, and would never be said again; and upon this she was glad to rest altogether for present ease and comfort.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“No man is offended by another man’s admiration of the woman her loves; it is the woman only who can make it a torment.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“—loss may be sometimes a gain.” -Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

Movie Adaptations:

Northanger Abbey (TV Movie 2007)

Felicity Jones, J. J. Feild, Carey Mulligan

Movie Rating: PG

Northanger Abbey (TV Movie 1986)

Katharine Schlesinger, Peter Firth, Robert Hardy

Movie Rating: NR

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Publisher: Top Five Books (2014)

545 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $0.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

Jane Eyre is an orphan, dependent on her aunt’s fulfilling a promise given to her husband on his deathbed that she would raise his niece as her own, but her aunt resents her presence and she is soon shipped off to boarding school where she endures hardships of another kind, and upon graduation takes a governess position in an isolated manor house with mysterious occupants and an intense master, Mr. Rochester.

My Thoughts:

The story of Jane Eyre is part coming-of-age story and part gothic romance. Jane struggles through so many hardships in her young life, and she just keep plodding along. The contrast between Jane’s two suitors, Mr. Rochester and St. John Rivers, and Jane’s two cousins, John Reed and St. John Rivers, was something that really captured my attention and it was fun to make the comparisons as I went along. I’ve read this story at least four times, and I had always questioned Jane’s decision to leave Thornfield, feeling the noble action unjustified, but this time through, I truly understood her reasoning, and consequently the story as a whole a lot better. Mr. Rochester's behavior had always baffled me as well, especially as concerns Miss Ingram, but I think I got that worked out this time around as well. Mr. Rochester is a bit of a dark character; brooding, enjoys playing cruel games with people, and he's prone to insecurity at times, but he's just the sort of tortured man that you have to love. The book ends with St. John and his fate, and it was interesting to compare how his ambitions and motivations compared to Jane’s, and his fate perhaps provided a glimpse of what may have become of Jane had she made different decisions. Great story, with such a complex and thought-provoking construction!

Edition Notes:

This Top Five Classics Illustrated Edition was nicely arranged for easy maneuverability within the text, included annotations at the end of each chapter for translations of any passages within the text written in French or German, and includes a biography of the author at the end of the text for those with an interest. This edition also includes the illustrations of M.V. Wheelhouse and Edmund Dulac. Great value for the price, and the best ebook edition of Jane Eyre that I’ve found!

Cover Art Favorites:

Quotes:

“The two ships becalmed on a torpid sea, I believed to be marine phantoms.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“I was conscious that a moment’s mutiny had already rendered me liable to strange penalties, and, like any other rebel slave, I felt resolved, in my desperation, to go all lengths.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“They will have a great deal of money, and you will have none: it is your place to be humble, and to try to make yourself agreeable to them.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“Say your prayers, Miss Eyre, when you are by yourself; for if you don’t repent, something bad might be permitted to come down the chimney and fetch you away.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“I felt an inexpressible relief, a soothing conviction of protection and security, when I knew that there was a stranger in the room—“-Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—such dread as children only can feel.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“I begged her to fetch Gulliver’s Travels from the library. This book I had again and again perused with delight. I considered it a narrative of facts, and discovered in it a vein of interest deeper than what I found in fairy tales: for as to the elves, having sought them in vain among foxglove leaves and bells, under mushrooms and beneath the ground-ivy mantling old wall-nooks, I had at length made up my mind to the sad truth, that they were all gone out of England to some savage country where the woods were wilder and thicker, and the population more scant.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“I was not heroic enough to purchase liberty at the price of caste.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—glancing round occasionally to make sure that nothing worse than myself haunted the shadowy room.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“Breakfast was over, and none had breakfasted.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—that wind would then have saddened my heart; this obscure chaos would have disturbed my peace! as it was, I derived from both a strange excitement, and reckless and feverish, I wished the wind to howl more wildly, the gloom to deepen to darkness, and the confusion to rise to clamour.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“It is far better to endure patiently a smart which nobody feels but yourself, than to commit a hasty action whose evil consequences will extend to all connected with you.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—it is weak and silly to say you cannot bear what it is your fate to be required to bear.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“If all the world hated you, and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved you, and absolved you from guilt, you would not be without friends.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—it agitated me to pain sometimes.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—you have rather the look of another world.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—you have secured the shadow of your thought.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“His changes of mood did not offend me, because I saw that I had nothing to do with their alternation; the ebb and flow depended on causes quite disconnected with me.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“‘Yes, there is your ‘boite’ at last: take it into a corner, you genuine daughter of Paris, and amuse yourself with disembowelling it—And mind—don’t bother me with any details of the anatomical process, or any notice of the condition of the entrails: let your operation be conducted in silence: tiens-toi tranquil, enfant; comprends-tu?’” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—he looked preciously grim—” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“I mentally shake hands with you for your answer—“-Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“A woman who could betray me for such a rival was not worth contending for.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—just one of your tricks: not to send for a carriage, and come clattering over street and road like a common mortal, but to steal into the vicinage of your home along with twilight, just as if you were a dream or a shade.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“It is always the way of events in this life—no sooner have you got settled in a pleasant resting-place, than a voice calls out to you to rise and move on, for the hour of repose is expired.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless?” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—don’t struggle so, like a wild frantic bird that is rending its own plumage in its desperation.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“You strange, you almost unearthly thing!” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“Come to me—come to me entirely now—Make my happiness—I will make yours.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“You, sir, are the most phantom-like of all.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“I lay faint, longing to be dead.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“Friends always forget those whom fortune forsakes.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“—for never may you, like me, dread to be the instrument of evil to what you wholly love.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“And why cannot I reconcile myself to the prospect of death? Why do I struggle to retain a valueless life?” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“If he were insane, however, his was a very cool and collected insanity.” -Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

Movie Adaptations: 

Jane Eyre (2011)

Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell

Movie Rating: PG-13

My Rating: 5 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

Jane Eyre (TV Mini-Series 2006)

Ruth Wilson, Toby Stephens, Lorraine Ashbourne

Movie Rating: NR

Jane Eyre (TV Movie 1997)

Samantha Morton, Ciaran Hinds, Gemma Jones

Movie Rating: NR

My Rating: 4 Stars

Jane Eyre (1996)

Charlotte Gainsbourg, William Hurt, Anna Paquin

Movie Rating: PG