Ti | Book Chatter

I really do love my weekends.

Friday night, since my kids are not in the The Wizard of Oz this time, we actually got to sit down like real theater patrons and enjoy the show. I always enjoy the show but there is a certain level of panicky “something” going on when your kids are IN the show. Plus, all those hours of working backstage means that you can tell right off the bat if something is amiss. This time, I went into it totally clueless and it was nice.

That said, Grease is just around the corner. We had to find a 50’s prom dress for The Girl and after hitting THREE second-hand shops, I think we found something but she doesn’t like it. Says it’s too babyish but hey…the 50s dresses that I have seen are on the modest side. Plus, she is only ten but playing a teen. What kind of dresses does she think will fit her anyway?

Oh, and then right after seeing Wizard she asked to do Annie. Sigh. Registration is this week and auditions take place Theaterin September. It’s hard for me to think that far ahead but I know it will be here before I know it.

In other news, The Teen was baptized. Nothing can be easy in our family so he is now a member of one church and we are members of another. It was actually a very nice experience. He has some very good people watching over him in the church so I trust that he will be okay. That’s really all I can do at this point.

This morning we went to our church and he went to his, we ran errands and now we are cleaning. Fun!

What am I reading?

The Goldfinch

Yep. The Goldfinch. Just one of three books I am reading but because it’s a book club book, I am giving it priority right now. Although the story is interesting, I am wondering why it takes so many pages to tell it. I am reading it on my Kindle and I swear, it is stuck at the 7% mark.

What am I cooking?

I am not cooking anything. The Teen is going to see The Wizard of Oz again. This time, to see the opposite cast. The Girl is not feeling well and doesn’t seem to have an appetite for anything and although I tried to tempt her with tea and my special cinnamon toast, she turned it down. That is not a good sign. She started summer day camp last week. I am sure she is adjusting to all of the new kid germs she’s been introduced to. How wonderful!

What am I watching?

Not a thing. I am having one of those days where silence is preferred over noise of any kind. In fact, I may take a nap, although it’s getting a little late in the day for it.

What are you doing? Are you reading anything really, really good that I need to know about? I feel like starting The Three but I am no sure I can keep my eyes open. Yes, maybe I will take that nap after all.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
By Anne Bronte
(Oxford University Press, USA, Paperback, 9780199207558, May 2008, 441pp.)

The Short of It:

A scandalous novel for its time.

The Rest of It:

Published in 1848, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall tells the story of Helen Graham, a woman whose unfortunate marriage forces her to make some difficult decisions for herself and her son.

This book has a little bit of everything to make a reader happy. There’s the scandalous story of Helen and her husband Author Huntingdon. Probably one of the most self-indulgent men you could ever meet. His love of drink and fine things leads them to financial ruin and Helen has no choice but to leave him, which of course is frowned upon greatly by society at large. She ends up at Wildfell Hall and introduces herself as a widow. She quickly becomes the infatuation of Gilbert, who lives across the way. A new, interesting woman that he can talk to. So unlike the frivolous girls he comes across daily. But when another man enters the picture, Gilbert questions her and in return, is handed her diary which tells her sordid tale.

Most of the story is told through diary entries. At first, I didn’t mind this but it went on for quite a long time and I began to lose interest in the story itself, but the real discussion is the history of the book itself. My book club picked this book for June and there was plenty to say about it. For one, Anne Bronte based many of the characters on people she knew, she wrote it under a pen name and it was originally published in three volumes, and when she passed away, her sister Charlotte refused its republication. It wasn’t until Charlotte’s death that it was published in one volume. Charlotte felt the book was “course” and not fit for publication.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is an important book for many reasons. It deals with some very heavy themes for the time, gender relations, motherhood, alcoholism and abuse in marriage. Even though it was written in 1848, it has a very contemporary feel to it, probably because many of the issues Bronte includes are issues that we still deal with today.

The one criticism we all shared, was that the ending seemed rushed. Perhaps Bronte’s illness forced her to finish the book quickly or perhaps the book in its republication was cut down when made into one volume? What fascinated me the most was the Bronte family. Such talent and yet, so much tragedy. The three sisters all died from consumption and the brother became an alcoholic.

Overall, I am beginning to believe that I am more of a Bronte gal, than an Austen gal. Last year, I began Jane Eyre and have been reading it slowly (and loving it) and I must say The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was a refreshing surprise.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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