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emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A lovely little chaste book that is romantic and VERY much a book of it's period - it's also a touch self-righteous.
With this I have now read a book by each of the Brontë sisters, and I found this to be a perfectly serviceable book about a governess, but not much more. It is very well written I suppose, hard to find any fault with the actual writing... it's just that Agnes, well she's lovely really, maybe a bit whiny, and oft put upon, but we really can't fault her for anything, can we? I think that's the problem, she's always so correct in everything she does, says, even in her thoughts, so umm... she's hard to relate to, dear girl. She had some toils and certainly seems to deserve a very happy life, but I frankly just don't care much. Maybe the book should have stuck with the very disturbing little psychopath that enjoyed the torturing and murdering of helpless animals that she was a governess to at first - that would have been a wholly uncomfortable book, but at least it would evoke a strong reaction from it's readers - a violent dislike and repulsion no doubt, but I think that might be preferable to indifference. I am likely being too harsh, but I do maintain that this is a book of static characters which while well enough told lacks much in the way of interest. The book has been completed and yet I find I am still waiting for some turn...
If you need a palate cleanser between other reads this might be the perfect church wafer of a book.
With this I have now read a book by each of the Brontë sisters, and I found this to be a perfectly serviceable book about a governess, but not much more. It is very well written I suppose, hard to find any fault with the actual writing... it's just that Agnes, well she's lovely really, maybe a bit whiny, and oft put upon, but we really can't fault her for anything, can we? I think that's the problem, she's always so correct in everything she does, says, even in her thoughts, so umm... she's hard to relate to, dear girl. She had some toils and certainly seems to deserve a very happy life, but I frankly just don't care much. Maybe the book should have stuck with the very disturbing little psychopath that enjoyed the torturing and murdering of helpless animals that she was a governess to at first - that would have been a wholly uncomfortable book, but at least it would evoke a strong reaction from it's readers - a violent dislike and repulsion no doubt, but I think that might be preferable to indifference. I am likely being too harsh, but I do maintain that this is a book of static characters which while well enough told lacks much in the way of interest. The book has been completed and yet I find I am still waiting for some turn...
If you need a palate cleanser between other reads this might be the perfect church wafer of a book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
Minor: Toxic relationship
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Classism
Moderate: Toxic friendship
Minor: Physical abuse
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
As an examination of the peculiar social position of governesses at the time, I found this interesting. Agnes isn't really required to grow or change much though, and she's a bit too sanctimonious for me to really love her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found Agnes Grey to be such a well-written novel! On my fourth re-read, I noticed so many things I overlooked the first three times. This book is so slender and short in duration, but never fails to evoke passionate feelings from me. Anne Brontë created a masterpiece when she wrote Agnes Grey (and I have yet to read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which I hear is even better).
This book confronts the abuse and pressures that came along with being a governess in the 19th century. One can almost compare the way governesses were treated to the way educators are treated nowadays. Agnes is a relatively quiet protagonist who does her job to the best of her ability. She’s extremely kindhearted and wants to do right by the children she’s teaching. They certainly don’t make it easy, though.
Animal abuse is another topic that comes up in the book, and it was quite disturbing.I worried about Tom Bloomfield’s sanity and his parents’. The way his parents tried to justify his habit of brutalizing animals made me shudder. And Matilda Murray was no better.
Not all of the characters in the book are abusive or pretentious. One of the townspeople, Nancy, is such a dear.As someone growing in their faith, to read about Nancy’s experience becoming a Christian gives me so much hope. Also gave me another reason to appreciate Edward Weston and his goodness. Mr. Hatfield’s approach, on the other hand, is what drives people away from the church. Again, thank God for Mr. Weston.
Agnes is given a quiet love story that complements her personality that I really enjoyed.Edward and Agnes suit one another perfectly! The scene where he gathers primroses for her always brings a smile to my face. And at the end, where Snap comes up to her and she learns he was in Edward’s care all that time… so cute!
Overall, Agnes Grey is a wonderful work of literature. I hate that Anne Brontë was only able to write two books in her lifetime. I’m so curious as to what else she would’ve come up with. I’ll definitely have to read some of her poetry, though.
This book confronts the abuse and pressures that came along with being a governess in the 19th century. One can almost compare the way governesses were treated to the way educators are treated nowadays. Agnes is a relatively quiet protagonist who does her job to the best of her ability. She’s extremely kindhearted and wants to do right by the children she’s teaching. They certainly don’t make it easy, though.
Animal abuse is another topic that comes up in the book, and it was quite disturbing.
Not all of the characters in the book are abusive or pretentious. One of the townspeople, Nancy, is such a dear.
Agnes is given a quiet love story that complements her personality that I really enjoyed.
Overall, Agnes Grey is a wonderful work of literature. I hate that Anne Brontë was only able to write two books in her lifetime. I’m so curious as to what else she would’ve come up with. I’ll definitely have to read some of her poetry, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
challenging
reflective
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty
relaxing
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:
Complicated
This is the first I've read of this author and I cannot help but compare it to the works I've read from her two sisters. Compared to Emily and Charlotte, Anne's storytelling was much simpler and easy to get through. It was quite short and I read it in less than 24hrs. The characters seemed three-dimensional enough, but not especially interesting. There was less dramatic or gothic flair, such as the supposed apparitions of Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre. It was more grounded, more quaint. Many books in the same category as this are written from the perspective of a governess, but I found Agnes a uniquely bitter outlook on the profession, and not unjustly so. From my understanding, vindictive and uncooperative children combined with irrational, unhelpful parents was not an uncommon fate for a governess. I felt righteous anger seeing Agnes blamed for the behavior of children she was both tasked with making respectful and undermined in any authority over them. The cruelty to animals she had to witness especially struck me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The writing is very good but you can tell this is Anne Bronte's first novel. The beginning was rough but the novel redeemed itself in the end. I just wished that Agnes was written with a less heavy hand. She was a little, ok, a lot, self-righteous. She could do no wrong and everyone else was wrong, and wronged her. A little character growth would have made for more enjoyable reading, and a more likeable MC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death of parent
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty