1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre was the first novel that really moved me and surprised me as a woman. I think this is true for a lot of female readers. Jane Eyre is told from the point of view of a 12-year-old girl in a dreadful situation. She’s an orphan who is adopted by a cruel bunch of people and sent to a horrible boarding school. So it’s about travail, but more importantly, it’s about coming through travail. Jane is a very brave, bold, upstanding girl who always seems able to defend herself, even in terrible situations.
What this book meant to me was that no matter how dark the day may appear, with some courage you can win your way through. Many people think of Jane Eyre as a romance, but that was the least important part of it for me. I was sorry in the end when Jane had to go off with Mr. Rochester, a blind and half-crippled lover. I thought it meant she’d be a nurse for the rest of her life. Luckily that was only a small part of the novel.
2. Emma by Jane Austen
I was late coming to Jane Austen. I read her as a teenager, and I think now I didn’t appreciate her as much as I might have because I was surrounded by a similar sort of dry wit in my family already. I was getting my full dose of that kind of humor. It was only ten years ago at about age 60 that I started re-reading Austen, and, of course, found it wonderfully refreshing, humorous in the deepest sense, and profound. I do think that Austen is an author who rewards re-reading at different stages of life. Many readers are introduced to her in high school or even college, and it doesn’t always work. I think she works best for a much older reader, even though most of what she wrote, she wrote when she was very young.
My favorite Austen novel is Emma. I love the story about a self-beguiled woman who really misunderstands a lot about herself and about the people around her. It’s a very unusual point of view and told with great understanding and humor. I love it. I don’t think there could be anything much better than Emma.
3. Retreat from Love by Colette
Another lifelong influence beginning in my 20s and continuing today are Colette’s novels. I love French literature for the most part. I don’t think Colette is read as much now as she was 30 years ago, but she is an absolutely beautiful stylist. I’ve read Colette both in French and in English, and even in translation her use of words is just superb.
Colette is the author I turn to in romantic hard times because one of the themes Colette handles best is recovering from heartbreak. One short novel of hers in particular, Retreat from Love, is like a healing balm when you’re going through times of romantic misfortune. It’s full of life and humor and hope and the kind of determination and independence that we all have to come back to at some point or another.
4. The Golden Bowl by Henry James
Another author I’ve come to love in the last 20 years is Henry James. Again, he’s not an author for young readers. These days, in particular, I think people are defeated by his style. But as you grow older and become more aware of the complexity of life, as we all do, the complexity of James’ writing style works. I’m thinking especially of his late novel, The Golden Bowl, which is about subterranean relationships: deeply shadowed, mysterious relationships that are difficult to figure out. As you read, it’s hard to know what’s going on sometimes. Life is like that.
I remember the first piece of fiction of his that I read: The Heiress, which was fabulous, but it’s a short story. When I think about the arc of James’ career, from a short story like The Heiress to an enormously long and complicated novel like The Golden Bowl, it’s really impressive. Henry James will be someone I will return to and read over and over again.
5. Rain in the Trees by W.S. Merwin
I also read a lot of poetry. I think there’s a very close connection between writing short stories and writing poetry, not only in the fact that they’re both short. W.S. Merwin is a favorite of mine, and many of his books of poetry are worth picking up. Right now I’m reading his book entitled Rain in the Trees. It’s relatively new. Merwin lives in Hawaii and he has become very deeply involved in the natural history of the islands, so his poems are very evocative of the atmosphere, smells, sights, and weather there. They have a slightly elegiac note which I appreciate. It’s very beautiful.
Top 5 books to enjoy after 50
Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 by SallieB
Sallie Bingham, 71, is an author, playwright, poet, feminist, and native of Louisville, Kentucky who now makes her home in Sante Fe, New Mexico. Sallie has authored over ten books. Her newest collection of short stories, Red Car, recently received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and a rare “A” review from Entertainment Weekly (“each story a tiny masterpiece”). Sallie shares her list of five favorite books to enjoy after age 50.
