24.1k reviews for:

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë

4.11 AVERAGE

anatdr's review against another edition

5.0

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

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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.

From childhood, she had this moral compass inside her, something so unshakable it almost felt otherworldly. At ten years old, she might not have known why she was right, but she felt it with every fiber of her being. And that carried her through everything.

She wasn’t a saint, she wasn’t untouchable — she was wounded, stubborn, fiery, sometimes too humble. But she had a strength that wasn’t about power or pride; it was about knowing her own worth, even when no one else did.

 
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.

obscenerity's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

abbiemaybevan's review against another edition

2.75

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

gabs93's review against another edition

4.0

emotional mysterious reflective slow-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

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Usualmente no soy muy fan de los clásicos, la verdad es que al sernlibros escritos hace tiempo tienden a ser bastante pesados a mi parecer, si embargo, este libro lo disfrute bastante, fuera de ser una historia de amor, creo que principalmente fue una historia de una mujer que busca su independencia en una sociedad donde era algo que pocas veces es sucedia

mparish33's review

5.0

emotional medium-paced

oliviajreads's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

princessjellyf1sh's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

victoriashirey's review against another edition

5.0

medium-paced

lucyreads98's review against another edition

3.75

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

elblogdemildred's review against another edition

4.0

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Al ser una novela decimonónica, es muy descriptiva, tanto que en algunos pasajes llega a ser tediosa. La novela de Bronte es un melodrama total; sin embargo, se destaca el papel que le da la autora a la mujer, logrando que su protagonista sea una mujer avanzada a su tiempo. Celebro esas ideas feministas que la autora sembró en la historia.