So it's finally finished.
It wasn't a bad book all in all, but as I expected, it was absolute agony to read. It took me so long to get through and it felt like a chore to pick it up every time.

The only thing that kept me going was my mission to collect as many quotes as I could to support my little headcanon that Jo is 100% a trans man (the final count being 16 in case you wanted to know).

Since a lot of people asked me why I was bothering to read it if I hate classics so much:
I love reading. There are certain genres that I love: what I instantly go to talk about or pick off from the shelf. There are genres I can enjoy but might not usually pick: recommendations from friends, books I see advertised outside of my regular, or books I've studied. And then there are genres that I really struggle with...
I think it's important as a teacher to be able to understand the feelings of those who find all reading to be a struggle. If I can relate to them, and understand the effort that goes into reading books they don't enjoy or find difficult, I can better communicate with them. I can share my experiences of books I've struggle with or disliked, and I can help them to see that not all reading is like that. Everyone has genres that they will prefer, and genres they will struggle with. The more variety I have, the more experiences I can share, and the better I can help these children to find the books they'll love.

Now, onto the much anticipated graphic novel rendition as my reward!