machen27 's review for:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

4.0

adventurous inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I read this as a young person multiple times for school, and wished to revisit it as an adult; even knowing the broad twists and turns I delighted in how strangely relatable Jane is. While a longer read with unexpected twists and turns, it is no wonder, to me, why this remains a classic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

Moderate: Mental illness, Racism

It’s hard to ignore that the lynchpin of the drama revolves around a character who isn’t white and suffers mental illness, handled as an impediment to be removed, rather than a full person. I find keeping the context of who Brontë is and who she writes for offsets this, but it is problematic to say the least. That said, I don’t think these flaws outweigh what the book has to say.