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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Anne Bronté is my favourite Bronté sister, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall blew me away, so I was keen to read her first novel, Agnes Grey. Unfortunately, this one didn’t capture me in the same way. However, it is still a brilliant portrayal of a governess in Victorian England – focusing more on the schooling life and struggles with employers than the romance of Jane Eyre. Both of Anne’s novels are shockingly real explorations of the hidden victims of Victorian society, the women abused by their families and the oppressive system. It is sad to think that Anne was inspired from her own experiences of being a governess in 1839, the children in this novel are malicious, snotty brats – although its funny to read in Hilda Marsden’s introduction that that we have always thought that our children are more spoiled than the previous generation and are out of control. I wonder what Anne would think of the violent, toxic children of today’s schools? Her heroine, Agnes becomes a governess to support her family, although she is keen to teach, hoping the children will be likeable and kind, not only does Agnes hate her position, but she is bad at it. She cannot control the children, and they barely learn anything while they terrorise her and weaker animals. The Bloomfield family are dreadful towards her, and it is a relief when she moves to the Murrays, although they have their own issues. Despite this, Agnes is determined to prove herself and evidence her worth. She knows that is it not wealth that defines the person, but their character, and she is rewarded with Mr. Weston, a genuinely nice bloke – unlike her sisters byronic heroes. They’re romance is not the stuff of legendary love stories, but it is a nice ending for Agnes. It didn’t enthral me like Wildfell Hall, but still worth reading if you’re a Bronté fan!
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
Whilst this lacks the power of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, it's very readable and quite sweet - often feeling more like a Jane Austen than a Brontë.
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Anne is so underrated.
This is such a great book, especially when read in contrast to her sisters' books. It's very interesting to see similar character types and themes looked at from a different light. The romance is very understated, but I don't think that's wrong, since it's not really the point of the book. It isn't really meant to be dramatic but rather an honest portrayal of a governess's life at the time. I think it's a must-read for any lover of the time period or classic literature in general.
This is such a great book, especially when read in contrast to her sisters' books. It's very interesting to see similar character types and themes looked at from a different light. The romance is very understated, but I don't think that's wrong, since it's not really the point of the book. It isn't really meant to be dramatic but rather an honest portrayal of a governess's life at the time. I think it's a must-read for any lover of the time period or classic literature in general.
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a very quiet, polite novel, especially when compared to the passion of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, or Anne's later, more mature, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. The central character is a young lady of idealised christian virtues, who finds herself in an unpleasant, but bearable, situation, as a governess to spoilt children. Agnes is above bitterness or viciousness, but Anne gives her most unpleasant charge the punishment of (spoiler warning) an unhappy marriage. Given that the bulk of the story was based on Anne's own experiences as a governess, I think it's fair to view this as a writer's revenge on a real life nemesis, no matter how much mealy-mouthed Agnes may claim to care about and pity the character in question.
The romance plot is obvious and unrealistic, but the rest of the novel is worth reading to get an idea of the life of a victorian governess, the domestic arrangements of her employers, and the lives of clergy families at the time.
Anne's own experience was rather more scandalous than Agnes', the end to her career as a governess not so happy, but she was far too polite and respectable to write about the governess' brother entering the household as a tutor and having an affair with the mistress of the house, though that would have made for a more exciting story than this one!
The romance plot is obvious and unrealistic, but the rest of the novel is worth reading to get an idea of the life of a victorian governess, the domestic arrangements of her employers, and the lives of clergy families at the time.
Anne's own experience was rather more scandalous than Agnes', the end to her career as a governess not so happy, but she was far too polite and respectable to write about the governess' brother entering the household as a tutor and having an affair with the mistress of the house, though that would have made for a more exciting story than this one!
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No