Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë

one sentence summary:
A self involved man meets a self involved women...

review:
All of the characters in this novel are assholes, every single one of them, all terrible people. The writing is beautiful, the characters are well written but everyone is a total ass. This may be done ironically, or as a statement on society in general, however that does not make the characters into good people. The writing is brilliant though so is worth reading even though you will possibly hate everything about reading it. I recommend this to anyone who is on a "must read all the classics" kick.

6/10

Mansfield Park - Jane Austen

one sentence summary:
a poor cousin is taken in by wealthier relatives, but never allowed to forget where she came from and that she is not one of "them"

review:
This is the most depressing story I read during the Jane Austen Summer. At least that is how I remember it, a girl is taken from her family who loves her but is poor by her extended family who is wealthy and thus can "give her a better life". But, once there she is treated like a fat girl at camp whose only purpose is to make everyone else feel better but always is left out of the joke. She becomes a really strong woman as the book continues on. I recommend this to lonely girls who want to feel better about themselves and have some tips on how to be stronger.

5/10

Emma - Jane Austen

one sentence summary:
A young woman feels that she knows best about not only her love life but her friends as well, she does not.

review:
The funniest read of the Summer of Jane Austen, Emma was remarkably similar to me, trying to make everything perfect for everyone without even knowing what would make me happy. The wit in the writing is brilliantly entertaining, and, as always the characters and plot development are top shelve. I recommend this to any awkward teenage girl who has no friends and is wondering why.

6/10

Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

one sentence summary:
Two sisters find love, and all complications that come with it.

review:
I rather enjoyed this work during my Jane Austen summer, the female characters are relatable to my modern mindset more than most of her other characters. The characters (particularly when viewed as couples) are really quite flawed and the way they react to each other is brilliantly portrayed. The two sister characters play off each other so well that when reading I often felt that I was a scullery maid listening from behind the door and witnessing this all happen. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in either the era or the workings of relationships.

6/10

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

one sentence summary:
a pair of sisters fulfill their societal obligations.

review:
I read this in my summer of Jane Austen, I started out completely hating the Bennet sisters, but once I looked at it from a humorous angle it was highly entertaining. Don't take it seriously because, as a modern reader, you will probably hate all of the characters but if your read it as a statement on the ridiculousness of societal conventions you will enjoy it. The writing is brilliant, the vocabulary makes me wish that writers still wrote for the educated masses instead of high school drop outs.

6/10

Persuasion - Jane Austen

one sentence summary:
Sometimes the only way to fix your life is to be completely honest with everyone in it.

review:
Ok, I love to hate Jane Austen, I think that all her heroines are terrible, weak and generally irritating as hell. However, at the same time I am hating on her and her characters I am loving everything about them. The writing is beautiful and all of the characters are wonderfully flawed. I went through a summer (probably 2004) when I read a whole lot of Jane Austen all at once. This story was one of the easier to see the message in and to take that very prim and proper message and give it a real world spin. The moral of the story is that sometimes the best thing to do is eat that humble pie, enjoy it (or at least pretend to) and smile. Also the writing is really good, amazing in fact, using language that we would think of as antiquated but I really enjoyed.

6/10

Fly Away Home - Jennifer Weiner

one sentence summary:
sometimes your life falling apart is the best thing that can happen to you.

Review:
I loved this book, all of the messages in it are dead on, the characters are all really well thought out and the interactions between them seem very true to reality. There is an equal balance of humour and sadness, you will laugh and you might even cry. The writing is better than most chick-lit and the plot is wonderful brain candy. A great summer read if you are looking for an easy not-too-trashy read.


8/10