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amarj33t_5ingh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Jane Eyre exhibits a disconcerting reality of the Victorian era from a feminine perspective. Hemmed in by society, orphaned and thrust to the ravages of fate but still retaining her Christian virtue and fighting for her beliefs Jane traverses a world opposed to everything she stands for.
But Jane is an epitome of religious virtue and refuses to despair ultimately traversing against all odds.
Overall, Bronte's narrative is labyrinthine. But it is also radical in how it conveys a sense of progression to the reader by the second half of the novel which reads like a Victorian thriller. With the hint of the supernatural to it, Jane Eyre is as tantalizing today as it was when it first fell upon Bronte's unsuspecting England.
Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Stalking, Torture, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Ableism, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Toxic relationship, and Violence
bookish_readings's review against another edition
- 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? No
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Mental illness, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
sir_ren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Minor: Violence, Child abuse, Confinement, and Domestic abuse
knottmad's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Moderate: Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Classism, Sexism, Racism, Death, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
elenavillan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Racism
Moderate: Suicide, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcoholism
rebeccaxpaige's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexism, Gaslighting, Bullying, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Racism, and Ableism
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, and Toxic relationship
directorpurry's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I forgot how much I enjoy this book. I really did. The first time I read Jane Eyre was in high school. And then in college I read Wide Sargasso Sea (and hated it, but that's for another review). But this reading left a much stronger impression on me, both of the negatives and the positives.
The pacing of this novel can be questionable. Far too much time is spent following Jane through Lowood School, and similarly on her love for the Rivers siblings. Many of the characters are quite dislikable - Rochester is rude and sometimes scary, St. John Rivers is straight up abusive by our standards, and Helen Burns is annoyingly preachy and almost disgustingly pious. Another critique from a modern perspective, but I forgot about the religious aspect, which was a personal annoyance as a non-Christian. There was also a fair amount of casual racism and anti-Semitism, a hallmark of the time period.
But I found I didn't care. The writing of Jane Eyre is some of the most gorgeous prose I've read in a while. It flows wonderfully and heatedly. Rochester's speech before Jane leaves is probably my favorite passage in the novel because the words are so wonderful.
The Brönte sisters are (somewhat) well-known for their hatred of Jane Austen. Although I won't be doing the full comparison I might wish to do, I couldn't help but think about the similarities of the two writers, having just finished Pride and Prejudice last week (again). Even as they go about their message in opposite ways, there are definitely some very similar themes. They even equally mark certain character quirks for the reader's inspection. I'll leave those thoughts unfinished for the time being (but HMU if you want to talk Brönte/Austen discourse lol) but there is certainly more to say on the subject.
I love Jane Eyre. Until Rochester entered the page I thought this would be a 3 star read, because I had forgotten so much of the prose.
If I'm being entirely honest, it would harm no one if when attempting to read this for pleasure, you skim up until Jane enters Thornfield, which is where the real power of the writing begins.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Domestic abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Racism, Child abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Classism and Antisemitism
Minor: Death of parent and Slavery
downsophialane's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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...
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Confinement, Death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, and Child abuse
Moderate: Classism, Racism, Colonisation, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Racial slurs
mme_carton's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Antisemitism, Body shaming, Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Sexism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Misogyny, Ableism, and Racism
bookcentipede's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Physical abuse