sarahtabeea 's review for:

Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë

2.5

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Three years ago, I was supposed to read this book for my Governesses in 19th Century Fiction class. Honestly, I DNF’d it and just read a summary instead. It’s been staring at me from my bookshelf ever since. So I finally caved and gave it another shot… and almost DNF’d it again.

Agnes Grey tells the story of a young woman who becomes a governess to support her family. The first family she works for is absolutely horrible. I think that’s why I gave up the first time. As a (future) teacher, I couldn’t stand the neglectful parents and the cruel, mean-spirited children. The second family is slightly better, but the daughters still take advantage of her constantly.

Overall, the novel paints a vivid picture of the difficult life of a governess—caught between the duties of educating children and the social limitations of being seen as inferior by both employers and their children.

In the end, Agnes ends up with the clergyman she’s been quietly in love with all along, and they live happily ever after.