Howdy y’all 🤠

The other week I sat down with my husband to watch the 2011 adaptation of Jane Eyre. By far one of my favourite novels. Now, he’s not that into period dramas where people from yesteryear speak as if they’re constantly writing an instruction manual.

But I was surprised, he watched it from start to finish without (well, almost without) cracking his usual witty remarks. Honestly, his commentary usually makes me laugh, but this was a first for him.

As adaptations go, I think it was really well done. Then again, I love this novel to bits, so maybe I’m biased. A few moons ago I reread it and got hooked all over again. I’m a sucker for a slow-burn romance and a brave, uncompromising heroine and Charlotte Brontë delivered beautifully.

Now, if you’re not into mushy love stories, don’t worry. This isn’t one. At least not in the unimaginative way you might expect. Jane, our protagonist, is an orphan who endures more than her fair share of hardship. Yet she builds a life for herself and becomes the governess of a young girl in a not-so-modest castle. That’s where she meets her employer… and so begins what many might call the “love story.”

But here’s what I love: Jane’s life doesn’t begin or end with romance. Love is part of her story, not all of it. She’s a no-nonsense young woman who knows her worth and refuses to settle for less, no matter her circumstances. Brontë knows exactly how to pull readers into that world and her characters' mindset, making you feel like you’re sparring alongside them in their games of wit and double meaning.

She knows what she’s doing. And so does Jane.

If you haven’t read Jane Eyre, I really hope you give it a shot. I used to revisit it every autumn, and it never lost its magic. Sigh.

Would you pick it up? Or does it sound a bit too “mushy-mushy” for your taste? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

See you later, alligator 🐊🩷