Jane Eyre

Guess who finally finished reading Jane Eyre? That’s right! I did! Before you get to reading this post, riddle me this. I know some of you absolutely adore Jane Eyre. What is it that you love most about the story? Feel free to leave a comment :)

Title: Jane Eyre

Rating: 3/5

Author: Charlotte Bronte

Genre: Classic/Gothic/Romance

Synopsis:

Jane Eyre is an orphan left in the unwilling care of her aunt. Anxious to be rid of a burden, her aunt sends Jane off to school with the intention of never seeing her again. After 8 years there, 6 as a student and 2 as a teacher, she’s ready for a new adventure and becomes a governess to a young French girl at Thornfield Hall. For once in her life, Jane truly feels like she has a home, but even an estate like Thornfield can be filled with dark and dangerous secrets.

My Reaction:

Jane Eyre is listed amongst the classics, and as such, some of you out there may be a bit wary of it. One of the things that can be tricky about classics is a sort of language barrier. For instance, I was confused briefly when Jane Eyre used the term “fagging” or “fagged” which means “to work hard” or “to tire by strenuous activity.” (Thanks, Webster). The style and old vernacular of the classics make it difficult for some people to get into.

I didn’t feel like that was a huge issue with Jane Eyre. It wasn’t difficult to follow or understand. Even those few words that threw me briefly for a loop could be deciphered based on context or the dictionary function on the kindle. The style of the book is almost like reading a diary or sitting down with a friend who just happens to tell you their life story. Jane addresses us, “dear reader,” which establishes a bit of a connection between us and the protagonist.

I will admit, I did space out a couple of times when she was describing scenery or someone’s features. Sometimes lengthy descriptions can be annoying and detract from the story, but even though I spaced out briefly in some of those segments, I still didn’t see it as a major issue because, as I said, it was like reading a diary or like listening to a friend’s adventures where I would want a description of the scenery since I had never seen it before myself.

Perhaps I should mention that there are phrases in French strewn throughout the book with no obvious explanation as to their meaning. Just warning you in case that will bother you, but it doesn’t take away from the main points of the book.

On initial completion of the book, I wasn’t exactly sure how I would rate it. It didn’t necessarily wow me, but it definitely doesn’t fit on a list of classics NOT worth reading. As I’ve collected my thoughts, it’s safe to say that Jane Eyre is a well crafted story with a couple of good plot twists and a great ending. In fact, the ending was my favorite part of the whole thing (not because the story was finally over…).

Let’s see if I can explain why I liked how everything wrapped up without spoiling things for you. Jane Eyre is a gothic romance (see side note below). I went into the book knowing this and not much else. In fact, I wasn’t sure what little information I knew was about Jane Eyre and which one was Wuthering Heights. Anyway, the moment her love interest appeared, I knew even before she did that he was going to be the love interest. One thing bothered me though—I couldn’t understand why she would love him. Tolerate him, sure, but love him? There wasn’t much about his character that made him seem all that loveable. Then again, Mr. Darcy wasn’t all that loveable in the beginning of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was he?

Jane’s love definitely has his faults, but it all seemed redeemed by the way things ended. I really don’t want to give too much away, but the trial of love and how that trial is overcome is what makes the wrapping up of the book so great. Also, I would have been really mad if Jane had made another decision despite her better judgment which I will not reveal. Basically, you’ve got to read the book yourself! And if you still aren’t keen on reading a classic, there are multiple movie renditions you could try.

Even now, I’m having a little difficulty deciding the score I want to give it. For now, I’m giving it a 3/5 because I did like the story and think it has merit, but at this moment I can’t say it’s one of my favorites. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea, so I think it may be one of those times that if I read it again I would enjoy it even more and thus bump up the score.

Side note: The whole time I was reading this book, all I could think about is how Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey was a satire of such gothic works as this, which were apparently quite popular at the time.

Reader’s Guidance:

There is a moment where a man is attacked, stabbed, and bitten on the arm. Jane enters the room after the fact and helps apply pressure and such until a doctor can arrive.

Similar Books:

Any of the other books written by the Bronte sisters, or perhaps Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen.

Next Book:

I recently was gifted a Barnes and Noble gift card (Thank you for supporting my book addiction). One of the books on display was one I’ve been interested in reading for awhile--The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine. You may recall another book a talked about awhile back called The Two Princesses of Bamarre. This story takes place in the same universe, and I’m looking forward to reading it!