Helen > Recent Status Updates

I'm finding Julia very annoying, but I'm persevering.

I realise giving such a low rating to this book could be seen as literary sacrilege.

I have the highest esteem for the novel’s values and finer qualities, being a pioneer in form, style and substance, and so exceeding its contemporary rivals as to leave them largely forgotten by time.

But I use this platform as a record of how much I enjoyed the book and this was a three star reading experience (for me).

‘she looked forward with delight to the time when they should be removed from society so little pleasing to either, to all the comfort and elegance of their family party at Pemberley.’

Where they lived happily ever after, finding fault in all their acquaintances.

I'm finding the characters pretty insufferable, but at least the plot has kicked up a notch.

Idk.

I am a generative AI hater.

I can intellectually agree that, legally, software is a form of free speech and there are ethical cases for scraping the internet.

I still hate that companies can take someone’s work and use it to train their slop machines. I don’t care if they pay the artists if they’re forced to. That is the very least of what they owe.

It’s icky and I hate it.

I get that St John is supposed to be a foil for Rochester.

But just because Jane doesn’t want to freeze to death doesn’t mean she wants to be set on fire.

They are not the only two men in the world, there is someone out there who could love her without being a withholding, controlling dickhead.

I thought the reveal of [spoiler] might be better in context.

It’s worse.

Rochester has been villain monologuing for the past two chapters.

Reader, I hate him in my bones.

This would be a great horror/thriller if it stopped at Chapter 28. Alas.

‘I have told you, reader, that I had learnt to love Mr. Rochester: I could not unlove him now, merely because I found that he had ceased to notice me—because I might pass hours in his presence, and he would never once turn his eyes in my direction—‘

I don’t get it.

Even putting aside the known spoiler; Rochester is horrible.

He isn’t good to Jane or anyone.

Girl, stand up!

I got almost half way in a few hours, then the next chapter took me days.

I'm not sure if I ran out of steam or the plot tension did.

(This was highly recommended to me and parts of it are great, but the sex scenes are as purple as the cover would suggest.)

‘Sebastian expected Miss Jarvis to scream. Instead she said calmly, “Good heavens, someone’s broken his neck.” ‘

Hero, ILU.

The repetition and flat prose may have been a translation issue, but I found it tedious. You can tell that this book used to be a play.

The book is also pretty conservative. The main theme is women sacrificing themselves for others.

This just wasn't for me.