Jane Eyre
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About this ebook
Originally published in 1847, Jane Eyre is Charlotte Bronte’s passionate love story between impoverished Jane and her employer, the rich yet conflicted Edward Rochester. From the beginning of her life Jane Eyre wishes for more, taking it upon herself to rise above her circumstances to become educated and securing employment as governess to the Mlle. Adèle. She falls deeply in love with Edward Rochester unaware that he, and the Thornfield estate, hold secrets that threaten her happiness.
Taking its characters to the brink of heartbreak and back, Jane Eyre is an epic romance for the ages.
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Charlotte Bronte
Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855) was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sister authors. Her novels are considered masterpieces of English literature – the most famous of which is Jane Eyre.
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Reviews for Jane Eyre
328 ratings410 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I don't understand why this book is considered to be a classic-- not at all.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I'm an old guy. Not so old that I could have dated the author in high school (she was a couple years ahead of me), but still, not exactly the prime audience for this book. So, maybe I should skip a review altogether. And maybe I should add my two-cents for those other old guys out there thinking of reading the book. This is supposed to be a romantic novel, right? A listing I just saw an online poll that says this is the third most popular classic book ever. On the other hand, my ebook reader system doesn't categorize it as "Book", but under "Kids". Why? Because the lead character starts out as a child and ends up as barely an adult? Let me ignore all that and just say I don't think this is a romance. I think it's a book about "What is love?" Plus, it's also about 350 pages too long, attaching the equivalent of a ten page lyric poem to pretty much every look out the window or walk outside. It's also very hung up on "plain" appearances, though that is one aspect of how it assesses what love is. "Is it possible to truly love a plain person?" "Does a plain person deserve love?" ("Can plain people find love and happiness just like regular folks?") Coincidentally, the author makes it easier to conclude an answer to that question by manipulating the narrative to provide a person who can't actually see the plain appearance. It should be mentioned that education and having "culture" is also thrown into the mix. Thankfully, the author seems to relent and conclude that beauty and culture are not absolute requirements for bliss, but nevertheless provide a higher standard of love, so don't pass them up if you can get them. Finally, I want to make a point about the many movies and television shows that have been made about this book and how -- I think -- they have distorted our view of the actual text of the book. For instance, I watched a video summarizing which actor played the best "Rochester". The conclusion was unquestionably, the handsome former James Bond actor, Timothy Dalton. I ask, did anyone even read the book's description of Rochester? There were other videos that compared multiple film versions of one of the first "proposal" scene. While I only viewed about six of the roughly dozen filmed versions available to me, not one of them had the right setting, the means by which the characters come together for the scene, the dialogue, and/or the reactions of the characters to the proposal discussion, as it was set in the actual book. I also watched the very start to about five films. All but two left out the entire first third of the book, with only one starting with the initial scene that sets the tone. My point isn't that a movie must be faithful to a book. My point is that I strongly suspect that what some people remember so fondly in the book was never there to begin with, and that the book simply does not measure up to the films that may be in peoples' minds.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It took me a long time to read the book that I thought I had read in my youth but hadn't. I liked the strength of character of Jane Eyre, her firm and unwavering resolve but not the inflexible, inhuman resolve of of St John Rivers. Principles before emotional waywardness to the level illustrated in Jane Eyre goes beyond modern standards. Oh come on, Jane, I felt at certain times, chill out and marry Rochester after what he's been through. The ending was bleak and a bit far-fetched.I thought the book was brilliant though and am really pleased that I have now read it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5(Original Review, 1981-01-31)Ever since my first reading of Jane Eyre I've always viewed it as an account of the indelible effects of emotional abuse, and as such, a very grim book indeed. The novel opens with a recall of the emotional deprivation the 8-year-old Jane receives daily at the hands of her aunt. The story then continues with Jane's time at Lowood School, an institution devoted not so much to teaching the children of paupers, as to teaching them their place in life.By the time she reaches adulthood Jane is really quite damaged, and she regards herself as a social inferior. This self-image is never really challenged, much less altered or dispelled. The many reviews that praise Jane's undoubted courage unfortunately gloss over this or omit it completely, giving a misleading impression. It is apparent that Jane never ever overcomes the effects of her ghastly childhood. Remember, she is only able to accept Rochester after he had been brought down in the world by the loss of his home and fortune, and his disablement. And while she does, in the end, reject St John, the reader should note how close she comes to succumbing to this emotionally remote, manipulative, hypocritical bully.To my mind, the most astounding thing in Jane Eyre is Charlotte's implicit (explicit?) criticism of the saintly St. John Rivers. He's supposed to be a man of God, as beautiful as an angel, but with a will of iron and a heart of stone. The way he bullies Jane, using his power as a man and as a servant of God to try to force her to submit to him against her will, is horrific. It's as if he sees an independent woman as a threat which he has to destroy.Where did this terrifying character come from? Imagination, or did Charlotte perhaps know someone like him?I think it's Jane's raw, violent, unexamined sexuality. Having never really had much in the way of human warmth, guidance, or emotional education, Jane is quite literally wild. She seeks sensuality like a starving beast and has an almost animal understanding of what constitutes a connection between two human beings. Jane probably doesn't even know what sex is, yet she burns with desire. Rochester - depraved, debauched, debilitated by vice and excesses- sees this in her and in the purity of her passion, he is able to cleanse himself and transcend his baser instincts. I completely buy their relationship, and while it is, objectively, very iffy by today's standards (the gap in age, experience, social status! the mad wife in the attic! the illegitimate child!), it is also completely, viscerally believable. Jane Eyre still shows that lust within love should still be the (moral) goal. She actually effectively teaches Rochester this, as someone barely half his age. She teaches him some morals.For me, the novel’s strength lies in vivid writing that brings the people and the scenes to life, whether or not one likes them, or approves. The style isn’t always to my taste (I don’t care for the 19th Century habit of addressing the reader) but is compelling in a way that is the hallmark of a great writer.Maybe a modern politically-correct world that is obsessed with conformity no longer recognises this kind of gift.The inherent craft of a storyteller is to use invention to more clearly express essential truths of ideas, emotions, impressions and events. Sometimes fiction contains more truth than a fact. What else can a reader expect from a group of authors other than some uncertainty between what's real and what's not?
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very much how I remembered. A great book that can be read over and over. St. John was even worse than I remembered. He really pressured Jane.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A girl with no friends falls in love with the first single man she meets.2.5/4 (Okay).I really wanted to like Jane. But Rochester is so relentlessly awful, I found it impossible to sympathize with someone who's obsessed with him.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I read this book after reading The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde so that I could understand what was going on in that book. I know Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen are not my kind of literature and this proved it. The beginning of the book, where Jane suffers so much in her aunt's house was dull and it only picked up when she went to a school for the poor. After she acquires a position as a private governess, she falls in love with the head of the household. This part was not realistic for me and became less so as the book progressed. Aren't there any charismatic men in the 19th century?! Nevertheless, Jane Eyre is beautifully written. Charlotte Bronte was definitely a master (mistress?) of the craft of writing. The ending? Well I will leave that for those who have also read Fforde's The Eyre Affair to argue about.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Orphan Jane Eyre's life from mistreatment at her aunt's house, education at a charity school, first job at Thornfield Hall, and the mess that follows when she falls in love with already married Mr. Rochester. I enjoyed the story reasonably, but I've seen film versions so no surprises. None of the characters are really all that interesting (the "baddies" are quite generically bad rather than multi-dimensional) and the book has long passages of ponderings that, I think, are meant to be profound, but are really just an exercise in circumlocution. Gothic fiction can be a bit hit and miss for me, and I'm putting this in the miss pile, unfortunately.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5young girl self determined, governess, survives
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In contrast to Wuthering Heights, this book is wonderful. A yearly re-read.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I am stunned to say that I did not enjoy this book nearly as much as I had anticipated I would. It has great reviews, and is obviously considered one of the great classics. To my surprise, I could not warm up to the characters.
What I liked - I enjoyed the first part of the book when Jane was a child and she has her first experiences at her boarding school. I liked some of the plot twists, especially involving the surprise appearances of mysterious characters.
What I did not like - I found the two men in Jane's life to be whiny. I never bought either one of them to be sincere. I found Jane falling for Mr. Rochester so quickly to be annoying, and her undying love for the man was too much for me to swallow. This could be because I am a man who is not necessarily a big reader of romance, but Jane never seemed to show anger at any of the actions or omissions of Mr. Rochester and that seemed ridiculous to me. Jane was just too perfect in her temperament.
Anyway, I am glad I read it and feel better for it. I wish I had liked it more. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The wording and language is a hard thing to get over in the first two chapters but you get used to it and speed through this amazing book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love the dark, brooding Brontes....
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classics. Each time I read Bronte's novel, I fall more in love with the narrator. Jane rises above an intense and deprived childhood to become a strong-willed woman unwilling to give up her convictions. The novel has a pleasing flow for the reader through the first half of the novel and then starts to lack interest in the middle. The ending is written powerfully enough to compensate for this momentary lag. Often dubbed a love story, but considered in my eyes a tale of an independent woman's journey through life, love, and hardships, Jane Eyre is a book I will continue to reread throughout my lifetime.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I've watched every adaptation of this book that's come across my path, but this is my first time reading the book.The story is well known, but as a lover of spoilers that works for me. The one thing I never go from the TV/movie adaptations is how much of a manipulative narcissistic jerk St. John is. I wanted to reach into the book and slap him. I wonder how his personality was received when the book was first published. Was he seen as normal? Was that type of misogynistic emotional abuse really the norm?A solid 3.5 for me. A pleasant read, but not one I will read again.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fantastic novel deserving every bit of praise it has ever gotten. I like the complexities of Rochester, especially, even when they make little sense (his count of Monte Cristo tendencies especially). I almost wish Jane would have stayed single, but...HIGHLY recommended.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Absolutely wonderful, awesome, and illuminating!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed this. I think it was evident early on that there had to be the requisite "happy ever after" ending. Still it was an enjoyable read with some interesting characters.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5unfortunately didn't love this as much as so many people seem to.
what i liked: jane, her tenacity, her quiet strength, and her uncompromising belief in her morals
what i didnt like: mr rochester and his bullshit - the dude is just one GIANT RED FLAG - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5At 57 I realize I've come late to the party. I did not take literature english classes in high school and by the way my friends acted about the classics I had no desire to read them either. For years now I try to add a classic into my choices for the year and this spring after watching a show on PBS on the Bronte sisters I decided it was time to read Jane Eyre. I won't even begin to give a review. I will just say that I love historical novels, the speech used at this time always leaves me feeeling rather proper when I give leave of my book. :) . I learn more about the era that the book takes place in and this is a fun way to learn about history. Some more than likely find this old style writing tedious, but I enjoy it when I am in the mood. Miss Bronte does do a masterful job of keeping the pace up and situations shifting enough to keep you wanting more. I am very happy I chose to read Jane Eyre. I will be on my list of one of my favorite classics!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I have now read this book three times and loved it each time. It's a tragic love story that really shows the growth of the main character. Even though it works out in the end it keeps you wondering what is going to happen all the way through. The characters are very easy to relate to and they make you want to follow them through their lives.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It's a good book, but I don't quite see why it's such a classic. Or rather, I can see why people are so interested in it, but it doesn't seem noticeably better than others of similar age. I don't know. It was odd reading it, because of course I know the twist - I was waiting for Rochester's wife to show up as soon as he did. I quite like Jane, and her cousins; I quite dislike St. John, and Rochester is annoying too. I'm not sure he redeemed himself, at the end...though he did _not_, as I almost expected him to, reject her because he was damaged. Now I want to read some of the stories based on this, that I've read before - The Eyre Affair, for one - now that I know how this one goes.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5well it was actually a lot better than i was expecting; the characters were really developed and the writing was superb; the story itself was a little predictable but what story isn't now a days. overall really glad i finally read it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Proto-feminist does love on her own terms.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Now I know why this is a classic. I've never been so fascinated with the mundane life struggles a single woman could face in 19th century England. It held me enthralled throughout and I eagerly anticipated each turn of the plot.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Loved this classic.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Loved this, the psychological aspects of Jane's character being so thoroughly explored and the unconventional romance.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The best book ever!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5is this one of the first romance novels? Fabio? Interesting twists, but I didn't expect the happy end. was hoping for a last minute twist.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I really liked this book - my only complaint was that I couldn't read the paragraphs that were in French, but I could get the gist of them, and to be honest, they weren't central to the story. I highly recommend this book, even if I could see the ending coming from a long way (I could guess what would happen, more or less, from about the middle of the book).