Jane Eyre

Good

Perfect! One of the best reads.

This is one of my favourite books, perhaps my absolute. Excluding children's books, I have read this one far more than any other, and that's got to be saying something because I couldn't name another pre-20th-century novel that excites me like this, or even another Brontë novel that I particularly like.I love Jane; although my personality doesn't run in complete tandem with hers, I feel like I 'get' her and therefore across time I am also 'got', in a way only introverts could understand. Jane is a voice for the voiceless, in more ways than one of course, since she also stands up for women and the poor and abused. Brontë has a sharp wit that she just throws in every now and then when I wouldn't even have thought to make a moment funny that really brings this seemingly quiet but actually fiery character to life. It is a thrill and joy every time Jane speaks her mind despite what convention states is proper for her sex and place in society; it is therefore also a joy that she meets a character who responds with that same thrill and joy to her words and actions as I do.When I start reading the book each time, I grow excited as I look forward to certain moments I know are coming. It's impossible not to sympathise with an unfairly treated child, and when little Jane finally snaps and stands up to her tormentors, the words seem to crackle. The same is true when she grows up and takes her job at Thornfield Hall. Every encounter with Mr Rochester can't come quick enough. Some of these, and of course the bedroom fire, are moments I'd happily seek out just to read off the cuff. They are thrilling, funny and always deliciously too brief.There are two chapters somewhere towards the end of the middle that dampen my spirits each time I reach them. (view spoiler) But then we are back on track - Jane's flight and near starvation bring tears to my eyes, and her encounters with St John Rivers hold an interesting appeal, although each time I read the novel I discover I despise him more and more thoroughly. I delight in the contrast between Rochester and St John, it perfectly fuels the desire to reach the climax of the story regardless of previous wrong-doing by certain people, handing out dramatically balanced comeuppance with love and compassion, making the ending so rewarding.Despite all this, I don't think the book is perfect. There are times when the narration seems to waffle on too much, oddly out of sorts with the sharper, wittier stuff that I love. The first two pages don't exactly zing. I have never understood why the ending focuses on St John (am I not supposed to revile him?). I could probably do without the direct addresses to the reader all the time. The untranslated French leaves me baffled. Diana and Mary are barely realised as characters while Brontë seems to describe St John's words far more than she actually shows them to us, telling us he has this mesmerising power that we never get to experience, which makes it all the more difficult to understand how anyone could possibly like him. Also as time goes on, I find it harder to grasp exactly why Mr Rochester feels the need to make Jane jealous by pretending to be interested in Blanche Ingram - it's a lot of fun for the reader, but it just feels like a silly scheme put in by the writer rather than a logical thing a real person would actually do, (view spoiler) One must also wonder what the hell delusion Mr Rochester is living in that he thinks he could ever get away with his other more serious deception (I don't know why I'm being coy, like anyone on the planet doesn't know what his secret is), how did he think Jane was going to react when she finally found out, since he did intend to tell her?But where it is good, which is most of it, it soars right off the page into my heart. The friendship between Jane and Rochester is one of my favourite relationships in literature. It is exactly the right blend of passion and chasteness that suits my tastes, and has probably influenced my tastes in other fiction. I just love reading about characters who see something in each other that other people are too blind to see.

This edition has noticeable spelling mistakes, and some of the words are not correct and don’t make sense. The story is great, I’m studying it for A Level and so far up to Chapter 8, but decided I needed to listen to the unabridged audiobook at the same time because I didn’t feel the text was trustworthy from the aforementioned mistakes, and doing so highlighted this even more. Get a copy from a different publisher if you want the correct text, it has been noticeable from reviews of other Wordsworth Classics that these mistakes happen in the majority of their published editions.

Yet again I am blown away by a Brontë sister’s novel and left feeling in love with a true tale of triumph over adversity.Jane Eyre has an awful childhood. She is treated terribly by a woman who promised Jane’s Uncle on his deathbed that she would treat the young orphan child as one of her own. Jane is eventually cast out by her Aunt and sent to a school where the pupils are half starved and beaten regularly. Jane has an unbreakable spirit and enduring character which carries her through the hard times. She grows up and leaves the school to become a governess for a young French girl who is the ward of Mr Rochester. A romance grows between Jane and Mr Rochester but there is a dark secret in Thornfield Hall that is set to cause a whole heap of trouble for Jane and she must make difficult decisions.Charlotte Brontë was the sister of Emily Brontë who wrote Wuthering Heights another exceptional novel. Charlotte also wrote the novels Villette and The Professor (posthumously) and some poetry.I love that this book is written in the first person so it is like Jane is telling us an account of her life. She even refers to the reader as “reader" which is brilliant. It almost makes you feel like she wrote a long letter to you. Jane is a strong character and a good role model. She is constantly being referred to as plain but she never lets that upset her as she knows that beauty is unimportant in life. How right she was.Mr Rochester is a strange character. You can never tell if he is serious or not but Jane gives him as good as he gets. He calls her a witch but later in an affectionate way.This novel reminded me of how lucky we are these days not to have the hardships of back then. How people were treated terribly and according to their wealth and status. But the love that blossoms also reminded me that whether you are rich or poor true love will not discriminate.If like me you are a romantic you should love this charming story. Jane Eyre is a worthy heroine to aspire to and you will enjoy her spirit and tenacity. Once again I find myself thinking often of the characters in my everyday life with a smile on my face as I did for quite a while after reading Wuthering Heights.

I read up to page 204 and decided that I didn't want to force myself to read any further. I simply don't like the story, I don't like Jane or most of the other characters and because of the time that it was written I don't like the style. It's very character-driven. I prefer stories that have a good balance of great characters and a great plot that I'm enjoying and this isn't that.It started off OK for me, I found it easier to read than Jane Austen's Emma, as in the style didn't seem to get in the way for me at first, but gradually that changed. Rather than looking forward to another chapter, it felt like a chore.

It was interesting in that it showed how she evolved from a child to an adult. She certainly had some significant events happen to her, like her friend dying of a pandemic in primary school of all things. Then getting engaged to a weird man (also her boss) and being stopped at the last minute as he was already married to a psychotic woman. Then leaving home with no resources and being saved by a family who happen to be her cousins. I was definitely shocked by how dramatic a story about a governess ended up being. I'd say pride and prejudice is a much better book if youre just interested in reading something from that time period