Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

89 reviews

theothergrl's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

The prose is magical and extremely quotable, the story telling is brilliant with it's constant plot twists and developed characters. There are also some beautiful messages about sticking by your principles despite even the hardest of trials, I found Jane's character extremely strong for that, and she's not yet 20! 
If it were for that I'd give it 5 stars, however the 2nd half is heavily racist, ableist, xenophobic, and classist. Themes of colonialism and religious missions, institutionalisation, grooming (Jane is sadly very much groomed by the men in her life), etc. There is no condemnation of any of this, no revolt against bigotry in the narrative. Therefore, I can't give it a pass for being "of its time", as there are many classics which either resist against or refuse to entertain such bigotry. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Sexism, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Grief, Incest, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, and Violence

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, and Drug abuse

sbookreader's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Astonishing that this is billed as a romance. The colonialist bent was equally unwelcome. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Colonisation, Mental illness, and Religious bigotry

rachaelbunny's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Emotional abuse

Minor: Antisemitism, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs

ella7211's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Domestic abuse, and Sexism

ritzee13's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Loved this book as a reread aswell, it was nice to know the story beforehand and catch glimpses of Mr. Rochesters shady behaviour and St John's robotic plans for the future. 

Also, I didn't realise how many red flags poor Jane is surrounded by. I begrudged her choice to go back to Rochester, but he was so much better than her cousin. 

The story provides keen insight into what could happen to a poor and helpless woman in a patriarchal society. It seems so easy for the men in her life to push her around and even order her to marry them, it makes me so uncomfortable. 

Also, as an Indian woman, I find St. Johns mission to rid the hindu heathens of their beliefs so ridiculous and disturbing. I don't know how people can go around claiming they have the greatest thing and try to fear monger people into a religion, its baffling.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Racism, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Incest, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism

rachaelina's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book is very well written and fun to read. Unfortunately, it also has the potential to be very dangerous if you're not reading with your guard up.

For example, she does a fantastic job actually leaving after finding out Rochester is already married. She has her eyes open enough to see where their relationship would be headed if she decided to stay and be his mistress and she runs. She builds a new life. She finds a family. And then she goes running back because she thinks she hears him calling her name. A lot of ladies want to say this is fine because his wife is now dead and he has been humbled, but she doesn't know any of that. She thinks she's walking back into the same situation she left. Instead, it conveniently turns out she now gets to play savior to the guy who lied and manipulated her. It's the same "I cAn ChAnGe HiM" garbage that plagues stories aimed at and cherished by women even though they know these stories never end well in real life.
Side rant, it rather drives me crazy that people turn it into a she must marry Rochester OR St. John situation when she easily could have just...not married either. Given that her cousins both successfully met and married other men, I think it's safe to assume they probably had friends they could introduce her to? They weren't the only men in England?

Anyways, it is very well written and enjoyable, but I'd only recommend it if I knew the reader would read it thoughtfully.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Death, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child death, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

melist6's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Classism, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, and Confinement

Minor: Death of parent and Incest

realizedcreation's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? Yes

2.5

Would have been higher but for the anti-semitism and racism

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Racism, Abandonment, Death of parent, Classism, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Incest, Fire/Fire injury, and Death

Minor: Antisemitism

overduck's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-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? No

5.0

It's a classic for a reason. It took me a second to get into the book, but it wasn't long before I, a generally nonromantic person, was giggling at a brief hand hold. Well-written.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Death

drraytay's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis