Beej's comments (member since Sep 03, 2007)

Beej's comments from the Constant Reader group.

Carol, I just read a little bio of the father. Let me see if I can find it and I'll post the link.

I also noticed Anne died the year following Branwell's death. In fact, the father outlived all of his children and I cannot imagine anything more sorrowful.

And I'm so glad you're joining in with Agnes Grey. I don't know why it took me so long to 'discover' Anne Bronte; I only wish she had lived to write more novels.

I have tried to respond three times to your post, Sarah, but in my excitement over your idea about Hattersley, I've mashed whatever wrong key I'm mashing and sent all three into the cyber bowels of the web's netherlands!!! Let's see if I can manage to slow down my fingers long enough to post this time.

I read your post and immediately searched for a chronology of the Bronte family, specifically to see when Branwell died and when TTOWH was published. I discovered he passed away in September of 1848 and Anne had finished her book in July of the same year.

Branwell's death was a result, as we've already determined here, of dire lived experiences. From what I can glean, he was the only boy among the Bronte children and was spoiled silly. I'm positive that Anne did write Hattersley as a 'flip side' to Branwell, and I even wonder if she wrote both Hattersley and Huntingdon as examples specifically meant as lessons for her brother.

I want to do a bit more investigating about this. See? See, this is why I so hoped you would join in here, Sarah! You always do this, offer these wonderful little nuggets!

I've started Agnes Grey, btw, and I think you'll enjoy this one as well. (Plus, it's SHORT!!)

Thanks, Ruth! That means a lot coming from you.

"Anyone who thinks he's too small to make a difference has never been bit by a mosquito."

Jeannette Walls; Half Broke Horses.

I was a little hesitant about this one because I read the reviews were not as good as they were for 'The Glass Castle.' You know what I have to say about that? I say, "Shame on those reviewers!" I think they said that because they wanted to jump on a band wagon filled with self proclaimed literary aficionados, who seem to believe that a great first book cannot possibly be followed with an equally as great second book! In this case, that is exactly what happened however; 'Half Broke Horses' is not only as good as 'The Glass Castle,' it compliments it. It fills in a background of the family and we learn that the spirit of the family members is an inherent thing.

'Half Broke Horses' is the story of Lily Casey Smith, the author's grandmother, whom we first meet in 'The Glass Castle.' What a woman! Without people like Lily, the west would never have been settled. She was beyond feisty; she had a spirit that was beyond any possibility of ever being 'broke.' In fact, she was the tamer of wild horses, the one who knew how to take a fall and get back into the saddle, who knew you don't sit around moping when the odds are against you but instead, you just find a different way to saddle up.

Lily was a horse trainer by nature, possibly one of the first horse whisperers ever. But 'Half Broke Horses' does not really have much to do with the wild mustangs but more to do with people, people who do not profit from broken spirits but who fly the fields with fire and gusto.

After reading this, we know why an elderly Rosemary Walls, Jeannette's mother, was perfectly comfortable living on the streets of NYC, why unconventionality was simply, well, conventional for her.

This was quite a book. I was a bit put off because it's called 'A True Life Novel.' But Walls explains that in her Author's Note. She says, in part:

"I wrote this story in the first person because I wanted to capture Lily's distinctive voice, which I clearly recall. At the time I didn't think of the book as fiction. Lily Casey Smith was a very real woman, and to say that I created her or the events of her life is giving me more credit than I'm due. However, since I don't have the words from Lily herself, and since I have also drawn on my imagination to fill in details that are hazy or missing - and I've changed as few names to protect people's privacy - the only honest thing to do is to call the book a novel."

When I read that, I immediately thought of James Frey and all the hoopla that erupted when it came out that his memoir, "A Million Little Pieces," was in fact, not all true. and I wondered if that is why Walls labelled her book the way she did.

Regardless of that, I was as enamoured with this book as much as I was with Walls first.

"implied, of course, is that she will be "special" to him because of this saving grace."

Sarah, that's it! This 'saviour complex' is probably just as you say, a means to insure returned love. Plus Helen firmly believed that showing Arthur 'the way' was her reason for being alive and that any other woman would bring him to his demise.


Btw, are y'all going to join me in reading 'Agnes Grey?'

Sarah, I think that you're right; there's some sort of hormonal thing going on in the brain of an adolescent female that makes her think it's her purpose in life to fall in love and then change the object of her affection for the better. (Or has society somehow made her beleive this?) Most older folks know better and I've rarely heard of a male of any age talk about 'saving' his loved one from herself.

I've been thinking of Milicent. Yes, indeed, her husband changed. But she did nothing to bring that on. in fact, Huntingdon praised her to Helen because she (Milicent) was so meek when it came to her husband's gallavanting. (By the same token, Mr. Hattersley expressed to Helen his wish that Milicent were more like her!)

"I thought Nabokov's use of language was amazing. And I thought it was amazing that he could create such an unlikeable person as Humbert and make us have some sympathy for the man while still despising his actions. "

Exactly my sentiments, Gabrielle. Whenever I've thought about this book over the years, I've wondered how Nabokov did it.

Carol, I thought of Taxi Driver, too. Do you think Lolita was a factor in either of those movies having been made? Did Lolita open a really dark door? I think thats very possible.

Pretty Baby?? I thought it came out in the late 70s. I know with that movie, the public was horrified but I think it was because there was frontal nudity. I don't think that would even be legal today. And it shouldn't be.

You know, I think of Brooke Shields in Pretty Baby..she was 11 years old!

oh Carol, you made me laugh!! I didnt get what you were meaning by that 'old lady' thingy...

Gabrielle, I have not seen the dvd. But I do think it was sweet of Sabastien to watch it with you. (I bet HE thinks your hands are gorgeous...)

What old lady?

You know what? I'm going to have to re-read this. The entire story could not have been made up!

Okay, here's a question I'm kind of hesitant about asking; did the entire police officer scene ring true to y'all?

"(And Carol, you know just as much about this as Beej, me, or anyone else - no offense, Beej, but I know you agree. :))"

LOL I sure do agree! We would be in big trouble if I were the most knowledgeable here!! Haha!!! BIG TROUBLE!!!!

Carol, I learn from you..keep the thoughts coming!

Did you see her as bitter in any way? I think she became hardened, except toward her son.

I did however, think it was a touch unrealistic that she fell in love with Gilbert. He just struck me as so immature. But by the same token, I think Helen was younger than she seemed to be.

Carol, I disagree, you are every bit as knowledgable as I am! I'm just throwing out ideas and I really want to know what you think. Please.

Carol and Gabrielle, I've been thinking about this; obviously, because of the way the character of Milicent was constructed, we know that Anne Bronte was capable of creating a warm female character, so I am going to surmise that she intentionally wrote the character of Helen to be distant. i really do think that this book was based on the Gothic novel, where the male protagonist is (wrongfully) perceived to be dark and is always, always very mysterious. Always, at the end of a Gothic novel, the reader discovers that the male is really a knight in shining armor. Maybe, I'm thinking, if Helen's character had been written as a warmer, easier to love character from the get go, Anne would not have accomplished the feat of making her as mysterious as she was.

I think this was a very intentional ploy on AB's part. I sometimes think, especially with a great writer, that the reader rarely perceives a character to be any other way than what the author intended.

Ideas on this, anybody?

Maybe she was cold because she was afraid to get close to or trust anybody again. I think her only real goal was to protect her son.

What did you think of Milicent and her story, Gabrielle?