Jane Eyre

Title: Jane Eyre

Author: Charlotte Brontë 

Publisher: Dover Publications

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Classics, Gothic

Source: Own

My Review:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is a dense book. I can't remember the last time a book took me eight days to read. I feel like I accomplished something, LOL.

I liked Jane's independent nature and how she stays true to herself and her beliefs. It is not common for that time period, which makes it even more remarkable.

I did not like John, nor did I like the way he treated Jane. I was so mad at him for trying to use religion to manipulate her. I know that is still a tactic used today, and so often, it's why people don't like Christians. I don't know if he truly believed that is what God wanted for Jane, or if he was so blinded by what he wanted, but my guess is the latter. 

There is so much I could say about this story, but I am sure you are familiar with it in some form or fashion. So I will end with this: while the story is dense, with all its details and introspection, it is worth the read. There were several surprises throughout the story, and it does have a somewhat satisfying ending.

Is there anything else of Charlotte Brontë's that I should try?

★★★⋆/5

Synopsis (Goodreads):  

Determined to make her heroine "as poor and plain as myself," Charlotte Brontë made a daring choice for her 1847 novel. Jane Eyre possesses neither the great beauty nor entrancing charm that her fictional predecessors used to make their way in the world. Instead, Jane relies upon her powers of diligence and perception, conducting herself with dignity animated by passion.
The instant and lasting success of Jane Eyre proved Brontë's instincts correct. Readers of her era and ever after have taken the impoverished orphan girl into their hearts, following her from the custody of cruel relatives to a dangerously oppressive boarding school and onward through a troubled career as a governess. Jane's first assignment at Thorn field, where the proud and cynical master of the house harbors a scandalous secret, draws readers ever deeper into a compelling exploration of the mysteries of the human heart.
A banquet of food for thought, this many-faceted tale invites a splendid variety of interpretations. The heroine's insistence upon emotional equality with her lover suggests a feminist viewpoint, while her solitary status invokes a consideration of the problems of growing up as a social outsider. Some regard Jane's attempts to reconcile her need for love with her search for moral rectitude as the story's primary message, and lovers of gothic romance find the tale's social and religious aspects secondary to its gripping elements of mystery and horror. This classic of English literature truly features something for every reader.