Reviews - Agnes Grey | The StoryGraph

2.44k reviews for:

Follows a young governess as she navigates the difficult position between servant and gentry. The writing wasn't as polished as Tenant nor did it explore her critical themes as deeply, but there was still some interesting exploration of mistreatment of governesses. The romance was sweet and a little Austen-eque

noniethebookworm's review against another edition

2.75

reflective slow-paced

jotee76's review against another edition

3.0

lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

babsbelovedbooks's review against another edition

4.0

I would have given this story another half star if the character of Agnes hadn't frustrated me so much. In at least three instances (or more), Agnes' reticence to clear up a situation by simply speaking to someone or stand up for herself drove me crazy. Her desire to be "good" or obedient when it came to relationships with her family or people she worked for made her seem aloof and uncaring at times, even though she felt things deeply. I truly wished I could have spoken to her and encouraged her to stop being a martyr so much.

It was hard for me to listen to the horrible way she was treated by the families she worked for and I had to struggle through those parts. In my mind, I wanted to yell at them. But, all in all, I really enjoyed this book and I may, in fact, enjoy Ann Bronte's books much more than Charlotte's. I'm going to re-read Jane Eyre and Villette soon so that I can compare. I liked this book more than Tenant of Wildfell Hall, but they were both very good.