Scan barcode
elisabethshanahan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Death, Confinement, and Child death
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
lessoles's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, and Child abuse
Minor: Classism, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Confinement
stephmcoakley's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Mental illness, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, and Suicide
zealforneil's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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? Yes
4.75
Jane Eyre is a vast autobiographical-fiction tale, of a journey of love, self-doubt and growing. I have now read in the last few months Rebecca, widely acknowledged to be inspired by Jane Eyre; Jamaica Inn, and now Jane Eyre. As a triptych they span in setting over a century and are placed in opposite ends of England. But as a collection of stories about women, by women, they have been fascinating to consume, analyse and compare. Jane Eyre is not as psychological as Rebecca or swashbuckling as Jamaica Inn and places much more emphasis on Christian messaging. But its gentle titular protagonist is the most absorbing, her narrative style the most evocative of her experiences. I can clearly see how this has become a classic, a key part of the evolution of English-language fiction.
This is the second story I have listened to through BBC Sounds, and the first ‘feature-length’ novel. The narrator of this book, Katherine Press, is superb, with fantastic enunciation of each character’s mannerisms.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement and Sexism
Minor: Incest
kelisabeth's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Blood, Classism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Ableism, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, and Sexism
justovereherereading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
3.75
I’ve finally read a classic!
It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, but I didn’t know where to start, I’m glad I started with this one.
Did I love it? No! Didn’t I like it? Yes!
The story of Jane Eyre is a sad one full of melancholy, but there is always hope. It isn’t always an easy read and there are times when I didn’t want to continue, but I’m glad I did.
Sometimes the prose was long winded and didn’t add anything to the story other than poetic language and description and whilst I sometimes felt it unnecessary I did enjoy the older language and detail.
It was a times annoying to have to go to the back of the book and read the French notes, but I’m glad they were there so I didn’t have to guess it’s meaning.
What I lovely ending though.
It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, but I didn’t know where to start, I’m glad I started with this one.
Did I love it? No! Didn’t I like it? Yes!
The story of Jane Eyre is a sad one full of melancholy, but there is always hope. It isn’t always an easy read and there are times when I didn’t want to continue, but I’m glad I did.
Sometimes the prose was long winded and didn’t add anything to the story other than poetic language and description and whilst I sometimes felt it unnecessary I did enjoy the older language and detail.
It was a times annoying to have to go to the back of the book and read the French notes, but I’m glad they were there so I didn’t have to guess it’s meaning.
What I lovely ending though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Confinement and Mental illness
mariekejee's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
2.5
Over the last two weeks, I have accidentally become inundated with media concerning the autonomy of women. Sometimes, as in the case of the wonderful television series Fleishman is in Trouble, I find myself angered and moved. Other times, I just find myself angered, or worse, annoyed. Unfortunately for me, reading Jane Eyre only led to the latter.
I so badly wanted to dnf this book, but dnf'ing one of the greatest novels of the 19th century, and one with such a high rating at that, felt sacrilegious. Even after my mom had looked me in the eyes and implored me to pick a happier book, I stuck with it. Am I glad I did? Kind of. For sure, I'm glad I have a classic and feminist book like this under my belt, and I appreciate having a wider knowledge of classic literature. But that's a shallow reason for suffering through this book, for suffer I did.
I absolutely, absolutely hated reading about Jane's struggles as a kid. I hate reading about child abuse, and especially that which is so completely unfair, unreasonable and unwarranted. The first few chapters there is so little relief from it, that I could not help but feel angrier as I kept reading it. Of course Jane gets blamed for the abuse she suffers for no reason. Of course the school she gets sent to is so poorly run that the kids go hungry more often than not. Of course the teachers are strict and abusive. Of course her first friend dies within a couple of chapters of meeting them. After a couple of chapters, I almost became numb from the constant misery and injustice; I no longer had any expectations of a happy or comfortable future for Jane, or an enjoyable reading experience for me.
I don't need a happy book to be able to enjoy reading it. I read through I'm Glad my Mom Died and found it a great read, despite the majority of the book chronicling the abuse Jeanette McCurdy suffered at the hands of her mother. But therein lies the difference: I kept being angry at Charlotte Brontë for making me suffer through exhaustive descriptions of Jane being cast aside, unfairly treated, going hungry, wishing for death. She chose to write that, and while I understand why she did, I just plainly hated it. The actual, real world is highly unfair for so many people; I am not interested in fictionalised accounts of this injustice, and I'm especially uninterested in reading about the unfair treatment that women have historically suffered at the hands of men and further society.
As for the plot itself, I found no joy in reading it other than the few chapters Jane seems to settle at Thornfield, because at that point I had spent hours listening to Jane suffering through life and this is the first time she has finally found some peace for herself. There were some surprises for me in the plot, but most of them I had anticipated long before I got to read them. The surprises I did find were in the way she keeps being treated by the men in her life. There are four men of note in this story, and all of them (even the one she ends up marrying!! ) are abusive douchebags. Even St. John, the one man for whom I had hope, makes a 180 and spends the last pages of this book refusing to take no for an answer.
I so badly wanted to dnf this book, but dnf'ing one of the greatest novels of the 19th century, and one with such a high rating at that, felt sacrilegious. Even after my mom had looked me in the eyes and implored me to pick a happier book, I stuck with it. Am I glad I did? Kind of. For sure, I'm glad I have a classic and feminist book like this under my belt, and I appreciate having a wider knowledge of classic literature. But that's a shallow reason for suffering through this book, for suffer I did.
I absolutely, absolutely hated reading about Jane's struggles as a kid. I hate reading about child abuse, and especially that which is so completely unfair, unreasonable and unwarranted. The first few chapters there is so little relief from it, that I could not help but feel angrier as I kept reading it. Of course Jane gets blamed for the abuse she suffers for no reason. Of course the school she gets sent to is so poorly run that the kids go hungry more often than not. Of course the teachers are strict and abusive. Of course her first friend dies within a couple of chapters of meeting them. After a couple of chapters, I almost became numb from the constant misery and injustice; I no longer had any expectations of a happy or comfortable future for Jane, or an enjoyable reading experience for me.
I don't need a happy book to be able to enjoy reading it. I read through I'm Glad my Mom Died and found it a great read, despite the majority of the book chronicling the abuse Jeanette McCurdy suffered at the hands of her mother. But therein lies the difference: I kept being angry at Charlotte Brontë for making me suffer through exhaustive descriptions of Jane being cast aside, unfairly treated, going hungry, wishing for death. She chose to write that, and while I understand why she did, I just plainly hated it. The actual, real world is highly unfair for so many people; I am not interested in fictionalised accounts of this injustice, and I'm especially uninterested in reading about the unfair treatment that women have historically suffered at the hands of men and further society.
As for the plot itself, I found no joy in reading it other than the few chapters Jane seems to settle at Thornfield, because at that point I had spent hours listening to Jane suffering through life and this is the first time she has finally found some peace for herself. There were some surprises for me in the plot, but most of them I had anticipated long before I got to read them. The surprises I did find were in the way she keeps being treated by the men in her life. There are four men of note in this story, and all of them (
There are quite some things which are remnants from the time it was written, such as the classism and xenophobia, and the obsession with beauty. I can't fault the book for it, because no doubt it is just a relic of its time, but god, is there ever so much emphasis on the beauty of women as a signifier of not just their worth but their character.
Is it an important book? Most definitely. Is it well written and contains nice prose? Absolutely. Would I ever willingly expose myself to it again? Not a chance in hell. It's a good book - just definitely not for me.
(also: I love this comic of the Bronte sisters http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=202)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Confinement
musingsofazebra's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Confinement, Medical content, Colonisation, Infidelity, Suicide, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Abandonment, Classism, Death, and Suicide
akira_outofthegravity's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
I can’t help but love Rochester. I can’t. I adore him and his sarcasm and charm. I think his romance with Jane (wives and age gaps aside) is very sweet. He’s like a total weirdo tho, but idk I like that he doesn’t want to change Jane (like a certain someone does). That being said it is absolutely not the basis of a healthy relationship and it should be read for enjoyment purposes only, as opposed to something to strive to.
Jane Eyre is the knockout star. I loved reading about her. I kind of wish I was born before it was published, so I could read it when it came out. It feels like a story that would have caused major scandal. Maybe it changed the traverse of a young woman’s life.
It drags a little at around page 300, but I enjoyed every second. Jane is such a pleasure. I loved reading about her and I loved that even in spite of her hardships she was kind, and kept true to herself. She did not let anyone dampen her flame, and I think that’s beautiful. She’s the classic strong heroine and her story was so satisfying.
Not a 5 star read for me (casual racism, antisemitism, and ableism) but a read that I found to be very wholesome and interesting. It’s absolutely worth it, I will be thinking about Jane for a while to come.
Jane Eyre is the knockout star. I loved reading about her. I kind of wish I was born before it was published, so I could read it when it came out. It feels like a story that would have caused major scandal. Maybe it changed the traverse of a young woman’s life.
It drags a little at around page 300, but I enjoyed every second. Jane is such a pleasure. I loved reading about her and I loved that even in spite of her hardships she was kind, and kept true to herself. She did not let anyone dampen her flame, and I think that’s beautiful. She’s the classic strong heroine and her story was so satisfying.
Not a 5 star read for me (casual racism, antisemitism, and ableism) but a read that I found to be very wholesome and interesting. It’s absolutely worth it, I will be thinking about Jane for a while to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, and Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, and Child death
Minor: Suicide and Misogyny
wormgirl's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Grief, and Confinement
Moderate: Child abuse and Child death
Minor: Blood, Colonisation, Death of parent, Classism, and Death