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elodiethefangirl's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Mental illness
avsdhpn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
My exposure to classic 19th century English literature is limited, but as compared to the contemporary writing of the time (such as Austen, Dickens, or Irvine), this had much better readability. The language used is not overly full of the flourishes popular of the time, and yet still reflects upon the rhetoric unique to the 19th century. The pacing was fair and only got bogged down in the extension of a few scenes within the book.
The characters were well written, each having their own distinct and consistent personality. It is hard to gauge the plot of a book that has been out for close to 200 years, but I recognize this as the progenitor of many popular modern tropes within literature today, so it is hard to criticize the themes based on originality, but they were implemented well enough.
My only criticisms are few, just that perhaps a few scenes within the book have been expanded upon as compared to others to flesh out the dynamics between characters.
I put off reading this as I figured it was above my level but I, now, encourage others to give it a go if given the chance, especially if one enjoys gothic literature full of drama, injustice, and intrigue.
The characters were well written, each having their own distinct and consistent personality. It is hard to gauge the plot of a book that has been out for close to 200 years, but I recognize this as the progenitor of many popular modern tropes within literature today, so it is hard to criticize the themes based on originality, but they were implemented well enough.
My only criticisms are few, just that perhaps a few scenes within the book have been expanded upon as compared to others to flesh out the dynamics between characters.
I put off reading this as I figured it was above my level but I, now, encourage others to give it a go if given the chance, especially if one enjoys gothic literature full of drama, injustice, and intrigue.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Forced institutionalization
unaesthetic_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Mental illness, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
brodi727's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
trudy_joan's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I was looking through my books the other day and found this one. I was not expecting to get through the second chapter, even, but the book kept pulling me back. I didn't particularly like the characters, and the proposals made me furious. Yet this is the kind of book that fills me with all kinds of enthusiasm for old classics and makes me feel as though I could get through nearly any one.
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness and Blood
mijtje's review against another edition
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Beautifully written AND a great story. Let me first say: I’m not a fan of romance books. I usually dislike the “meant to be” part, the cliches, the way the characters only care about each other… but this book was different. I loved it. The last chapters gave me goosebumps. I even yelled at my husband when he tried to interrupt my reading.
What makes it different? Well, first of all, the characters aren’t perfect. It is not a beautiful girl falling in love with a rich, handsome guy. No, the girl is “plain” and the guy is, okay, rich, but way older than her and “quite ugly”. But still, they fall in love. Halfway through the book I wasn’t even sure if I liked Mr. Rochester. Also: Jane Eyre isn’t just blindly going to marry the dude. Nope, she wants her independence, she wants to do what’s good, and she wants true love. Pretty modern, right?
It is not a standard romance book, it is mysterious and a little dark at times. I found it hard to put the book down, it was never boring and always promised new revelations and shocking events. No long, boring conversations that are often based on miscommunication or lies that could very easily be discovered if only the characters TALKED to each other (pride & prejudice, looking at you).
And JANE EYRE. She goes on my main-characters-I-really-liked-list. That list isn’t very long but Jane deserves to be on it. She’s spirited, smart, kind, and funny. Especially for a classic she was a cool female character. Of course, the gender roles in the book are old-fashioned, as expected, but Jane Eyre does a pretty good job anyway.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury
bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It took me a month and switching between audio and physical copies but I finally finished!
Slow start, but got more interesting when Jane gets to Thornfield. It slowed down again towards the end for a few chapters but the middle wasn’t terrible. I did like Jane as a character and how quick witted she was (but Charlotte what were you doing giving this girl nothing but trash men and trauma).
I’m glad to have finished because 1) it’s finally over and 2) I can say I’ve read Jane Eyre! I maybe should’ve DNFd but I was stubborn and kept hoping it would get better with how many people love it. I had an especially hard time towards the end when the story takes a large turn and Jane’s story became really slow/tedious.
This is one of the worst classics I’ve ever read 🙃 there was no reason for it to be that long or categorized as a romance when Miss Austen existed at the same time?! If you’re going to start with a Brontë I suggest Wuthering Heights as it’s shorter and has better pacing (also a toxic romance but at least an interesting one).
Only reason it gets 3 stars is because of Jane as a character and there were some beautifully written lines!
Now please enjoy the majority of my random thoughts that played on a loop throughout:
-How is this a romance?! He’s horrible 😅
-Jane nooooooo
-The only person making any sense is Mrs Fairfax
Charlotte Brontë is not for me because I also tried reading Villette earlier this year and DNFd due to boredom 😳 Now the only Brontë sister I still must read is Anne, with Tenant of Wildfell Hall!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Suicide, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death of parent
treehouselibrary's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Physical abuse and Suicide
thewillowwood's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I loved this book. It has many flaws, to be sure, but it was one that I felt deeply connected to throughout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Mental illness, Antisemitism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
goodchivesonly's review against another edition
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism