Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Jane Eyre

How does one even review Jane Eyre? It's lush and atmospheric, creating the vibes and tropes that have been so central to my favourite genre for two hundred years. If there's anyone left in the world who doesn't know the big revelation at the end of this book, I won't spoil it but... yeah. Mr R. does some rough stuff in this book, and honestly, so does Bronte, considering who is reduced to a literary device. On that note... It's also pretty racist. So much phrenology, Lottie, why?
So, okay, it's complicated. There are reasons to avoid it. But there are also reasons that you may be interested, particularly if you're a romance reader. If Pride and Prejudice is the mother of modern romance, Jane Eyre is the cool younger auntie.
I would highly recommend podcasts Whoa!mance's Public Access Read-a-Long and Hot and Bothered "On Eyre" series for audio reading companions.

💛💛💛💛

TO TEACH? 🍎
Jane Eyre is delicious for the Gothic, of course. I've been assigned Jane and R's first meeting for year 10. We'll see how that goes (honestly, that meeting is real sexy and I feel like my colleague who made this decision... maybe didn't register how sexy it is...

Content Warnings

autumn_oddity's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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? Yes

3.75

I had to read this for my English Literature degree. To be completely honest I was dreading it; books over 300 pages give me major anexity. It was a slow drag until Chapter 23, to which I really enjoyed the books and thought about it daily. The other characters are interesting and enjoyable to meet. Jane Eyre herself is a little frustraing at times but I love that she always stayed true to what she believe in. She also never gave up when times were hard, she's a cool character, though slight daddy issues. I can see why Jane Eyre is a classic. I probably wouldn't read it again due to it's slow pace and largeness (hence why I marked it 3.75 stars) but I did enjoy it this time around. Now it's time to read the prequel. Wide Sagasso Sea.

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mondovertigo's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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mme_carton's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

3.0

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freddie_mewcury's review against another edition

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I didn't like the narrator, and so much shit happens to Jane... I wasn't in the right space for that.

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harshibuvan's review against another edition

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emotional informative 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? It's complicated

3.0

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heartbrekker's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.5

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”

I want to write a full review one day, but for now I just want to say I never expected to enjoy this book as much as I did. It’s not only a stunning 19th century romance, but it deals with conversations of misogyny, disability, and the human spirit to just name a few. I found myself cheering for Jane Eyre endlessly, and I’ll forever love this woman who is unapologetically herself. If you aren’t a fan of classics, I do recommend maybe listening to this on on audiobook. It’s more modern than most, and I’ll never stop singing it praises.

Also, if you’re looking for a mess of a man, look no further than Edward Rochester. Jane’s the one in charge- haha.

Content Warnings

josefinceh's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

Jane Eyre follows the titular character through a large portion of her young life as she travels from one abusive household to the next. An orphan and left in an abusive home, Jane grows a strong will and sense of independence, rarely buckling from her own thoughts and will. What makes her stand out from other women in this era is that Jane travels like a man of her time. Majority of the time when she moves it is on her own accord and by her own means.

Like what you might expect from a book by one of the Brontë sisters, this one is packed with abuse and dark themes. However, this one is definitely one of the lighter stories. So if you've been curious about Brontë and this literary era, this iconic book might be a good place to start.

My main dislike and discomfort of the story comes from the relationship between Mr. Rochester and Jane. The dynamic of the relationship made me incredibly uncomfortable due to its abusive nature.

Jane is blinded by her affection for Mr. Rochester in a way that I could never completely comprehend. As he harms and lies to her, ending each action with a declaration that his affection for Jane should be obvious, still not denying that he might hurt her again. Perhaps there is a comparison to real life abusive relationships that can be seen here.

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