Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Bronte
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is a 19th century gothic classic that many people have to read in high school literature classes. I actually borrowed the copy I read from someone who had to do just that. So I got a few weird looks when I told people I was reading it for fun, but I feel like this is just one of those books everyone should read at some point. It's not on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list for nothing. Although some of their choices are actually pretty questionable (Things Fall Apart? Notes from Underground? Is this just me?), the majority of the books I've read from that list have been quite good. But I digress. I suppose my point in starting off this way is to tell people not to be intimidated by this book. Yes, the antiquated language is hard at first to understand. But trust me, you will get the hang of it. By the end of the book, I rarely had to stop and reread a sentence in order to fully understand it. And I actually think the language adds a lot to the book. It's beautiful once you can follow it. My other point is that this book isn't just for English teachers or English majors. It's like Pride and Prejudice but darker.
My main issue with this novel is that it was hard to get into at first for reasons beyond just the slight language barrier. Not much happens in the first 100 or so pages and so one might almost be tempted to give up. But don't. It's worth it. And later you see that at least a good portion of those pages actually were there for a reason. There were a few other places that got a little slow but it always picked back up. For the most part, I actually really enjoyed the plot. Jane's journey is not your cliched romance novel journey and she has to go through some pretty dark times. I actually found myself surprised by some of the plot twists, which was something satisfying and refreshing in contrast to the many books that follow a relatively generic pattern. I also really liked most of the characters because most had at least one fundamental flaw, which made them seem more human and real. What more does a book really need besides great writing, an interesting plot, and realistic characters?
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"Love is not so much a matter of romance as it is a matter of anxious concern for the wellbeing of one's companion."
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COMING SOON: A review of Shiver by Maggie Steifvater
