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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was the first "classic" I read that I can honestly, 100% say I enjoyed *insert happy dance here*
Jane is much more my kind of protagonist. Her whole attitude was just appealing to me. She was very logical, very centered in who she was. She knew her place, and was okay with it. She realized that her personality was suited to being in a lower class position- it allowed her the privacy and independence that she enjoyed. Basically, she was kind of a quiet little freak. And that's something I can identify with :)
This book did take me a little longer to read then I had hoped, and I think part of it is honestly just the language difference. Books written in a different time period are harder for me to get into, because I feel like I have to work harder to understand than something contemporary. This is probably my own fault for not reading this style of book more often and sooner, however, and I place no fault on the author.
Also it seemed long, as a few other "classics" have seemed. Maybe I am completely wrong on this, but I feel like often in more contemporary stories there is a series of little bumps, one big climax, and then everything is happily tied together in the end. But in Jane Eyre there was like 3 different big climaxes! The truth about what was on the 3rd floor, the starvation, the inheritance, the burning of Thornfield....it just kept going! Although I will admit, I am still not 100% comfortable reading on my Nook yet and I think that might contribute. I miss being able to flip to the last page of a book and know how many I have left. It's more difficult on the Nook (one reason while I don't think these e-readers, although they are nice, will ever replace true books...at least not in my heart).
I also admired the relationship between Mr. Rochester & Jane. They honestly did seem to be "kindred spirits" to me. There are a few people in these world that just "click" for whatever reason, and I felt that they did. A match like that, where they realize the faults of one another but love them because of those faults (rather than in spite of them), are much more realistic and pleasing for me.
I was very happy that Jane ended up with a family. I did not see it coming, and it does seem very chancy that she should end up exactly where she did. However, I was happy for her (except for the St. John part, he was an ass).
Altogether I just enjoyed this book, and I'm so glad that I read it. At the end of the day, isn't that the best thing we can say about a book?
Jane is much more my kind of protagonist. Her whole attitude was just appealing to me. She was very logical, very centered in who she was. She knew her place, and was okay with it. She realized that her personality was suited to being in a lower class position- it allowed her the privacy and independence that she enjoyed. Basically, she was kind of a quiet little freak. And that's something I can identify with :)
This book did take me a little longer to read then I had hoped, and I think part of it is honestly just the language difference. Books written in a different time period are harder for me to get into, because I feel like I have to work harder to understand than something contemporary. This is probably my own fault for not reading this style of book more often and sooner, however, and I place no fault on the author.
Also it seemed long, as a few other "classics" have seemed. Maybe I am completely wrong on this, but I feel like often in more contemporary stories there is a series of little bumps, one big climax, and then everything is happily tied together in the end. But in Jane Eyre there was like 3 different big climaxes! The truth about what was on the 3rd floor, the starvation, the inheritance, the burning of Thornfield....it just kept going! Although I will admit, I am still not 100% comfortable reading on my Nook yet and I think that might contribute. I miss being able to flip to the last page of a book and know how many I have left. It's more difficult on the Nook (one reason while I don't think these e-readers, although they are nice, will ever replace true books...at least not in my heart).
I also admired the relationship between Mr. Rochester & Jane. They honestly did seem to be "kindred spirits" to me. There are a few people in these world that just "click" for whatever reason, and I felt that they did. A match like that, where they realize the faults of one another but love them because of those faults (rather than in spite of them), are much more realistic and pleasing for me.
I was very happy that Jane ended up with a family. I did not see it coming, and it does seem very chancy that she should end up exactly where she did. However, I was happy for her (except for the St. John part, he was an ass).
Altogether I just enjoyed this book, and I'm so glad that I read it. At the end of the day, isn't that the best thing we can say about a book?
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Themes or characters that resonated with me: With Jane I felt a little confused. While she does defy what she thinks is the expectation of the time of going with St. John, in order to be with Mr. Rochester, I don't feel like its a particularly liberating women's story. Mr. Rochester was manipulative it seems. I think it remains up for debate whether he was being cruel to Bertha, or maybe even if his cruelty caused Bertha's madness.
Favorite Passage:
“No sight so sad as that of a naughty child," he began, "especially a naughty little girl. Do you know where the wicked go after death?"
"They go to hell," was my ready and orthodox answer.
"And what is hell? Can you tell me that?"
"A pit full of fire."
"And should you like to fall into that pit, and to be burning there for ever?"
"No, sir."
"What must you do to avoid it?"
I deliberated a moment: my answer, when it did come was objectionable: "I must keep in good health and not die.”
Favorite Passage:
“No sight so sad as that of a naughty child," he began, "especially a naughty little girl. Do you know where the wicked go after death?"
"They go to hell," was my ready and orthodox answer.
"And what is hell? Can you tell me that?"
"A pit full of fire."
"And should you like to fall into that pit, and to be burning there for ever?"
"No, sir."
"What must you do to avoid it?"
I deliberated a moment: my answer, when it did come was objectionable: "I must keep in good health and not die.”
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This is probably my millionth read of this book, but my first after a long absence and my first as an out queer, and my first in the #metoo era. I have such a back and forth, love/hate relationship with this book - loving it unquestioningly as a teen, searching for my own Rochester; and hating it as an adult, frustrated with Jane loving the obviously gaslighting, manipulative, brooding, Rochester. This time reading it (in parallel with a young friend who read it for the first time) I was able to hold both at once, and really revel in Charlotte Bronte's luscious, heavily pagan descriptions. I don't think Jane is necessarily the feminist she is often made out to be (not much sympathy ), but I can see how Jane's self-confidence, self-respect, and self-reliance was so important to young me.
And as a fun aside, take a detour into Jane Eyre fan-fiction. It's a hoot.
Spoiler
wife-imprisoningSpoiler
expressed for Bertha, no mention of using any of her windfall to help other womenAnd as a fun aside, take a detour into Jane Eyre fan-fiction. It's a hoot.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I didn’t expect this. I didn’t expect to find a favorite book in Jane Eyre. Honestly, when I first saw it sitting there, thick and serious, I felt dread. I thought: not another heavy classic that’s going to bore me to death. I had been trudging through books that felt too childish, too bland, or just not made for me. I was craving something deeper, something more serious, but also something alive. And somehow, Jane Eyre gave me exactly that.
It didn’t feel like a “classic” in the way I feared. Yes, it’s timeless, yes, it’s layered with morality and questions that will never stop being relevant — but it moved. It had pace, it had atmosphere, it had passion. It was like watching a movie in my head: the autumn chill at Gateshead, the moody halls of Thornfield, the storm in Jane’s heart mirrored by the weather outside. It didn’t drag me down, it pulled me in. Even when the story slowed, even when new characters rushed in, it never lost that raw, cinematic energy.
Jane herself… I was amazed by her.
And then there’s Rochester. God, he is problematic. He’s arrogant, manipulative at times, too used to control. The age gap is there, the power imbalance is there — by modern eyes, it all looks toxic. But here’s the thing: Jane never lets herself be swallowed by him. She says no. She refuses to sacrifice morality for love, and later refuses to sacrifice love for morality. She walks away, even when it shatters her. That’s the beauty of the second half. For me, it was necessary. Because when she survives without him, when she resists St. John’s cold offer of duty without passion, she proves she can stand alone. She comes back not as a desperate girl, but as an independent woman who chooses Rochester freely.
And Rochester? He’s humbled. His sins are burned away with Thornfield. He loses his sight, his hand, his pride. He’s no longer the arrogant master. He’s a man marked by suffering, softened by it. And Jane — who has gained family, money, independence — meets him as an equal.
That’s why their love works. It’s not perfect, it’s not “healthy” in the modern sense. But it’s a balance. He gives her recognition, passion, intensity. She gives him morality, grounding, humility. Together, their scars fit. Their ending isn’t a fairy tale, but it’s earned.
Reading Jane Eyre was like being surprised by myself. I didn’t want to start it, I didn’t want a thick classic, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. It reminded me of what it feels like to really see a story in your head, to feel it in your chest, to lose yourself in a book that is both timeless and alive.
If you’re scared of classics, if you think they’re all too dry, too distant, too serious — this is the one to start with. Because Jane Eyre is serious, but in the most beautiful way: serious about feelings, about choices, about what it means to keep your soul intact. And to me, that’s why it’s not just a classic — it’s a favorite.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes