Jane Eyre

Written by Charlotte Brontë

Narrated by Carole Boyd

One of the most passionate novels of its time, Jane Eyre derives its strength from the honesty and directness of its heroine. The first person narrative involves us right from the start, letting us into Jane’s thoughts as she matures from rebellious child to passionate woman. Notice how social snobbery is condemned – particularly in the character of Aunt Reed and the conditions at Lowood ‘Orphans Asylum’. Listen how the writer builds her climaxes – most notably in Rochester’s famous proposal scene. Notice, also, how Jane rises above her unhappy beginnings to gain Rochester’s love. And, finally, revel in the story’s ending – one of the most moving conclusions to a love story ever written.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Copyright Group
• Release date: Jan 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781780000886

Charlotte Brontë

Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855) was an English novelist and poet, and the eldest of the three Brontë sisters. Her experiences in boarding schools, as a governess and a teacher eventually became the basis of her novels. Under pseudonyms the sisters published their first novels; Charlotte's first published novel, Jane Eyre(1847), written under a non de plume, was an immediate literary success. During the writing of her second novel all of her siblings died. With the publication of Shirley (1849) her true identity as an author was revealed. She completed three novels in her lifetime and over 200 poems.

Reviews for Jane Eyre

[katcheney · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this years ago in sixth, eighth, and ninth grades, and am reading it aloud to my junior highers. It is one of my all-time favorite novels, engaging both the young and the old. Difficult 19th century vocabulary makes this a high-school-level-and-above read.

[kaelirenee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'll admit, I only read this book so I could get the full plot and all the jokes in "The Eyre Affair." I know it's a classic, but it's also fairly boring.

[tobyslibrarything · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love this book because I am a bit of a romantic and it is a fabulous love story about two people from completely different worlds.

[paradiseporch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Too bad I missed this classic in my early teens – I would have loved it then: the romance, the period detail, the discovery of words. Now I think, “Attempted bigamism & gross deceit, and too many words.”

[bolgai · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The highest praise for a book is when you turn the last page and immediately want to go back and read it again. Jane Eyre was that sort of book for me. It's not a large volume, I imagine few books published back then were, but it has everything that I enjoy: it has a strong, intelligent heroine who's not afraid to speak her mind, adventure, romance, mystery and a happy ending. It is written in such a way that wherever the heroine is you feel like you're right there with her, experiencing what she is experiencing, the plot developments are never contrived and flow naturally and the ending, while happy, isn't so happy that it seems unrealistic and fake. It is my all-time favourite book and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes an unhurried narrative without gratuitous drama and enjoys historical fiction.

[jd234512 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thought this was a wonderful book and seems to touch in life in a beautiful way. I read Pride and Prejudice before this and I really appreciate this one a lot more, partly because I can relate with them a little more, but also because it seemed to provide a lot more balance between the different classes rather than focusing on only one. Overall, I found this to be one of the best classics that I have read.

[jcbrunner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In view of my upcoming pilgrimage to Haworth and Brontë country, it would have been strange indeed, not to have read the works that made them famous. I started with Jane Eyre, though I find Wuthering Heights the more modern and literary of the two. In its core, Jane Eyre is a classic chick lit story of a girl's task to marry her man that is elevated by its Bildungsroman elements. The Gothic element and its consequences create unnecessary plot holes that weaken the strength of the novel.A strong current of emancipation and a desire for equality make Jane a much stronger character. Similar to the message that runs through the musical about Austrian Empress Elisabeth Ich gehör' nur mir (I belong only to myself), Jane Eyre's struggle is about standing up for herself. (Spoiler alert) It is somewhat disconcerting that she achieves her goals not by her own means but through deus ex machina interventions. Equipped with fortune, she can now care for her prince, cut-down to be cared for. Is Mr. Rochester, in his triple function as pet, sounding board and sex toy, truly an equal partner? Is it Jane's desire to be dominant or is it the Victorian age that only permits equality in a crippled relationship?To sum up, I liked the first Bildungsroman part with its multiple memorable scenes very much, while I found the second and third parts quite wanting. Then again, I don't fit into its target audience.

[chase4720 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read classics because they are usually deeper than average fiction today and generally a more challenging read. Jane Eyre is the first classic novel that I fell in love with. I knew nothing of the story when I started reading, and midway through the book I thought the story was wrapped up nicely. I figured oh there will be a slight shock to it, but what possibly could go on for the other half? I was blindsighted by the turn of events and found it impossible to put down until I was finished! Jane Eyre is a must read in my opinion- truly one of the greats!

[bkmcneil · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a thoroughly enjoyable mix of Gothic, independent-young-woman, and romance.

[morganaperry · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is my all-time favoirte book. I absolutely love it.

[litchick26_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is top of its class for mid-century romance novels! One of my all time favorite books, the story of Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester will captivate all who read it. A true classic!

[questbird · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very readable love story from 1847. The characters of Jane and Mr Rochester are very vibrant and well-depicted. Neither are beautiful. Jane outwardly conforms to her society's expectations, but has a very pragmatic and indomitable inner life. Rochester is strong, swarthy and moody. They are passionately attracted to each other beyond class barriers, and the book hints at a supernatural connection too. Rochester calls Jane an elf; she is also reminded of a malevolent horse spirit when she first meets him. There are many allusions to supernatural beings, but also a strong religious thread through the book.When Rochester asks Jane to marry him, lightning strikes and splits a great tree in front of Thornfield. Thus commences the strangest chapter of the book for me. In the lead-up to the wedding. Rochester becomes a charming courtier and Jane starts talking like a coquettish Lizzie Bennett (from Pride and Prejudice). Each acts very weirdly and at the time it seemed wrong, but later events show why.The book has some weak elements. Jane regards herself as a destitute starving beggar and is extremely desperate after lacking food for only a day or so; somehow she staggers unknowing to the house of her only living relatives. Overall these things do not matter. A great story about love, separation, maturity and reconciliation.

[quoddy_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's significance is enormous. A book loved by both the non-literary and the literary. There is something in the way Miss. Charlotte writes which brings out her most sensational book; your opinion of her own character is not necessary. I think, that somewhere between the time gap of this century to the 19th, it has been made too overly vain, which was certainly not Bronte's intention in writing this novel. It seems to me that people are determined to paint the two characters as perfect godly beings, where they are none such. Mr. Rochester is certainly not handsome in the strictest sense, and Miss. Eyre is not beautiful at all. She is a plain woman. It immensely frustrates me to see anything but that.

[scriberpunk · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Jane Eyre is a Cinderella story; a love story; a Victorian romance. What it isn’t is a knock-about comedy.Which is a pity, if you ask me as as it has a mad woman in the attic, the leading man dressing up as a gypsy woman telling fortunes and a wedding interrupted at the “Does anyone know of any just impediment” bit. So it has the opportunity for some real laughs but it doesn’t take them. So it’s as I say it’s a shame as it’s a long book and a few, intentional, laughs would have helped.It took me ages to read it and I skimmed a bit. Which is the obvious indicator that I didn’t enjoy it. But I am not sure why. It’s well written and its got a real story. The characters are interesting and well drawn. So why didn’t I enjoy it?It must be me (not you). I have too short an attention span. A twenty-first century ADHD victim. But that’s bollix. I can and have read long books.So it must ne the lack of laughs.

[enaslanham · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a must read for young adults. It will be required reading for my two daughters. Jane Eyre, an unlikely heroine in today's society, is plain and has experienced many hardships. She develops character and compassion through her trials.Eventually, Jane finds love through the meeting of the mind. A love full of passion, but also deep connection. She is not willing to devalue her moral conviction and self-respect despite the struggle between conscience and passion.She states that," laws and principles are not for times when there is no temptation.." Young women are not often exposed today to a heroine that strives for something deeper and less shallow. A very authentic character based on many of the author's life experiences.I recommend reading Becoming Jane Eyre to learn more about the author, Charlotte Bronte.

[scampany_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Somehow I had never read or watched the classic Jane Eyre. I really enjoyed listening to the Playaway read by Flo Gibson. I got completely hooked and found myself volunteering to wash dishes and fold laundry just so I could have a good excuse to listen longer.

[ellasgran · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jane is a young orphan with no relations who is sent off to boarding school at the age of 10. As a young woman she becomes a governess to Mr. Rochester's French niece. They fall in love with each other, but as they are about to be married, Jane discovers he is hiding a dark secret from his past.I was introduced to this book when I received a copy for my 11th birthday. It has become my most read book, dog-eared and tear-stained. I will pass it on to my grand-daughter in another year with hopes she will also treasure it.

[rizeandshine · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I wish I hadn't seen the movie before reading this classic, gothic, romance, suspense story for the first time. I just love the overall feel of the book. Pure reading pleasure.

[jennifyr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this in high school and remembered loving it, so now 6 years later or so I picked it up to re-read it and see if it still struck a chord with me. I love this book still, and devoured it in only a few days. Jane is such a well defined, interesting, amazing lead character, and leads the way for Charlotte Bronte's other characters to be equally well defined and enjoyed. The story line is dreamy, fantastic and toes the line of fairy tale and believable. I understand why this is recommended reading in so many classes, and why so many film makers try (and usually, fail) to create a visual version of Jane Eyre. It's a classic that has stood, and will continue to stand, the tests of time. Highly recommended to all.

[jannief_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was my second time reading "Jane Eyre". I really love the story. It is definitely a slow read for me perhaps because of the language used. It's certainly not fluff! The passion is very real. And the ending....so moving! Far better than Emily's "Wuthering Heights", IMO.

[anietzerck · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This has always been one of my favorite book since middle school but I haven't read it in quite sometime. Its on my reread list for this year though. Can't wait to read it again!

[jarvenpa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I still reread Jane Eyre from time to time; it is the prototypical novel of the aspiring romantic. And who can't love Jane? It reads much differently now than when I was a young thing (and differently by far in light of books like the Wide Sargasso Sea, which look at the perspective of the mad wife in the attic). But I haven't been able to get my bright daughter to even glance at it. Sigh.

[daniel5estes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Growing up I never took the opportunity to read many classics. (I didn't read much at all for that matter.) And now as an adult I have the fortune of visiting some of the great works of literature for the first time. Jane Eyre was a challenge for me initially because I believed I wouldn't identify with the character much. The more I allowed myself to become immersed in the story, the more I was impressed by Jane's courage of character, even as a young girl.Jane has an intellectual confidence which she draws from in order to challenge those seeking to place unnatural limits on her. Her aunt Reed emotionally abused her as a child, and still Jane had enough perspective to fight for her own justice. When she was sent away to a boarding school (with only slightly better conditions than before), Jane suffered further emotional trauma but also learned to thrive in spite of everything. Her negative experiences informed her towards a life of seeking goodness.When Jane finally crosses paths with Mr. Edward Rochester, she faces choices of both heart and mind that few women of that time would be prepared for.

[mossjon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars

I liked Jane and her struggle for independence, her indomitable spirit and her yearning for love. Nearly all the male figures in her life seemed harsh, selfish, rigid and yes, passionate. Ironic, since Jane was accused, from a very early age, of being too passionate. I cringed with the abuse she suffered as a young girl, both at the hands of her "family" and the school she was banished to.

Romance in literature seldom works for me. Perhaps had I been a woman in my twenties when this novel was first published (circa 1847), I would have been shocked by Jane's independence of thought and deed. I might have been more sympathetic to the romantic ruminations and the ending would have felt less obvious. For romance to appeal to my heart, I find I need the characters to be tragic. A bittersweet, instead of a happy, ending sings to my soul. And it could be said that this ending is bittersweet so it's not a complete disappointment on that point.

My favorite portions of the novel flowed from various character's Christian testimony and example. First and foremost, Helen's gentle and grace-filled friendship to Jane at Lowood. Later, St. John's passionate call to fulfill the Great Commission, even unto sacrificing his happiness, and to some extent Jane's happiness, for what he perceived to be the Will of God. And even Jane's life journey evidences compassion, mercy and love to those she encounters and who are within her power to aid and ease their sufferings.

My motivation to read Jane Eyre stemmed from a book club selection for June 2009 - The Eyre Affair. It was suggested that I first read, or at the very least, watch a movie adaptation of Jane Eyre before proceeding. I am happy that I took the time to read this English literature classic. It will appeal to all young women and has many life lessons to impart.

[hrissliss · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Considering how much distaste I still feel for "Wuthering Heights", I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed this book. I'd been under the impression that they wrote with similar styles, but I found "Jane Eyre" to be much more enjoyable. Probably because the characters are at least marginally sympathetic. I wound up spending several nearly sleepness nights trying to finish this book. While compelling, feminist theory also made the 'angel in the house, madwoman in the attic' dichotomy especially disturbing. I'm sure enough has been said of this subject though, so suffice to say that I really enjoyed it, and highly recommend for everyone. 9/10

[shirfire218_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In my opinion--greatest all time love story. I thought so when I was 10; and I still think so now upon re-reading.

[tippygirl_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I first read this book when I was 9 years old. One of my favorie books of all time. Hard to believe, but it provoked my first feelings of compasion and desire as I read Jane's feelings towards Mr. Rochester. Remarkable and timeless. 

[rbtwinky · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

SPOILER: This was a pretty good book overall, but it got a little too much into the whole repression thing. We were supposed to be so proud of Jane for leaving Mr. Rochester and not taking anything that would have belonged to her only as Mrs. Rochester, but the truth of the matter is that she almost killed herself. The only reason she survived is because of pure luck. The end is really cheesy too, when Jane finds out that the wife is dead and they just get married and live happily ever after. Brontë should have just ended the book with Jane leaving Mr. Rochester and leave the rest up to the Reader’s imagination.

[bnbooklady · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I’d been wanting to read this book for quite a while and could never quite get motivated for it. I’m glad I read it. I appreciated the writing, and I get why it’s a classic.But man, is it ever plot-driven. I had no idea there would be so little character development and so many extensive descriptions. The action is almost “blink and you miss it,” as Jane spends a hundred pages talking about day-to-day life and then makes a major revelation in just a few sentences. And she does that several times.It also doesn’t help that going into this, my first reading of Jane Eyre, I already knew two important plot points: the big secret and how it ends. Now, I did enjoy seeing how the story unfolded, and I tried to be objective and think about whether a moment would have had tension if I hadn’t known what was going to happen, and the answer was usually yes. Brontë takes forever to build up to things, even after she’s given us plenty clues, and the revelations—quick as they are—are thoroughly satisfying.If not for the antiquated language and all of the 19th century obsessing about propriety and social strata, I might have forgotten how old this book is, and that’s a good thing. Brontë’s writing is significantly less affected than that of many of her peers (Mr. Dickens, I love you, but I’m looking at you right now), and it allowed me to get pulled into the story rather than tangled up in phrasing.

[allizabeth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my all-time favorite books, so I will succinct and to the point. Charlotte Bronte was an amazing author who could make characters like strong-willed, independent, lively, Jane Eyre and contrast them with brooding, mysterious, and intense characters like Mr. Rochester. I admire her adroit talent with the pen and how she captured and wove a story such as Jane Eyre. This is a story of enthralling passion, romance, love, mystery, and the human condition; what's not to love.