A review by oatmilktea
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A good book is not necessarily a good read—Jane Eyre is one such book to me. 

It has been around so long it's practically impossible to avoid major spoilers. I knew of the big twist long before I picked up the book, and it took the tension out for me. I think I would have been more invested in the plot had I not known about the twist. 

Jane Eyre is well written but drags on too long for my taste. I can’t tell if we’re supposed to like Mr Rochester, but I certainly didn’t. At first he was the clear antagonist to me, but what with the latter part of the book, where St-[redacted]-John is introduced, I’m not so sure anymore. Rochester is condescending and patronising, he gaslights and physically threatens Jane. Oh, and let’s not forget about
keeping his mentally ill wife prisoner in the attic
! Rochester does have a point where
non-monogamy
is concerned, but I was glad about the dealbreaker, simply because I did not want Jane to marry Rochester. 

So it surprised me that I actually rooted for them in the end, because St John took the f***ing cake. He is even worse than Mr Rochester, and that’s saying something. He even got the last word! 

Awful men are one thing, because it can be fun to hate them. What made the book unenjoyable for me was the focus on Jane’s piety and religious zeal as well as the glorification of Christianity and Christian colonialism in general. And not only was
Bertha
mistreated, there were also quite a few racially ambiguous characters who were shown in a bad light. The bits of casual racism and antisemitism appear to be entirely Brontë’s. 

In the end, I am glad I read Jane Eyre, because I’m finally in the loop. There is a lot to unpack and criticise, which can be a good thing. But I cannot say I enjoyed it. 
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