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strawberrydream's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
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
5.0
this book will forever be wedged in my soul. i cannot adequately describe how insane jane eyre makes me feel and how much it all is. what i think and feel about how incredible this book it had probably been said a million times over and will be for many years to come. jane eyre is so much, too much, all encompassing… lord almighty.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
viccy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
twentyventi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
I had never read Jane Eyre all the way through until now. Such a beautifully written book - Charlotte Bronte’s writing is so evocative, and there are so many gems of dialogue between her characters. The reader is attached to Jane Eyre from the start, a reliable and worthy narrator of her story.
Note: There is definitely some expression of views towards race within this book which is unfortunately not uncommon in books written during this time period/within English literature. It’s a shame as it is not at all relevant or necessary to the plot of the book.
Note: There is definitely some expression of views towards race within this book which is unfortunately not uncommon in books written during this time period/within English literature. It’s a shame as it is not at all relevant or necessary to the plot of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Suicide
Minor: Racism and Antisemitism
misslescatiz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, and Abandonment
Minor: Incest
jessicatruongme's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Incest
sofiya's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is so perplexing that I literally don't know how to rate it. It's by far one of the most interesting classics I have read (likely due to the heavy dialogue and use of first-person), but it's far more chaotic than I would have ever expected. I have no idea how people label this as an iconic romance because I saw very little good things about the romance. I'd label it more as a coming-of-age/mystery (??) novel than a romance.
I will fault the book in that a lot of the story involves "telling" rather than "showing", particularly the 8 year time jump that's summarized in about 2 paragraphs. Some parts were done really well and others weren't in my opinion. I also found that occasionally my mind would wander as I read, and sometimes I had a hard time staying focused.
I didn't really understand the use of St. John at the end- especially the fact that the story ends by speaking about him. I'm still not really sure what the commentary on Christianity was meant to be, considering that both religious men we meet in the book are quite awful to Jane (and just in general). I know that there were examples of good Christianity and bad, but I wasn't really sure what I was meant to take away from it.
An additional note is that I enjoyed seeing the different levels of class and how it was addressed in the book. During that era, even servents were treated on different levels (usually based on education) and I do find that an interesting thing to examine.
Also, re: the romance. Mr. Rochester is a bit of a psychopath. The g*psy scene is so bizarre and he acts so clingy to Jane that it made me uncomfortable at times (and that's excluding the fact that he locks his mentally ill wife in an attic). I understand that I'm reading the book with a 2021 lens, but I don't understand how the book was ever looked on as romantic.</spoiler
Overall, I enjoyed reading Jane Eyre. I can't say that I'll actively choose to re-read it, but I'm happy to have gotten through it.
I will fault the book in that a lot of the story involves "telling" rather than "showing", particularly the 8 year time jump that's summarized in about 2 paragraphs. Some parts were done really well and others weren't in my opinion. I also found that occasionally my mind would wander as I read, and sometimes I had a hard time staying focused.
An additional note is that I enjoyed seeing the different levels of class and how it was addressed in the book. During that era, even servents were treated on different levels (usually based on education) and I do find that an interesting thing to examine.
Also, re: the romance. Mr. Rochester is a bit of a psychopath. The g*psy scene is so bizarre and he acts so clingy to Jane that it made me uncomfortable at times (and that's excluding the fact that he locks his mentally ill wife in an attic). I understand that I'm reading the book with a 2021 lens, but I don't understand how the book was ever looked on as romantic.</spoiler
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide
sarahjoym's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Death of parent, and Abandonment
isabellaft's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
heartbrekker's review against another edition
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.
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
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Abandonment
The slur g*psy is used.josefinceh's review against another edition
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
This is the book that made me realise that gothic stories might not be my thing...
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Fire/Fire injury