Where to begin? I love Jane. She is a most atypical heroine for her time period, which makes her all the more compelling. I am in awe of Brontë's clear vision for her protagonist.

I have historically been struggling with excessively detailed descriptions of both nature and architecture in books, but that is a sign of the times, I suppose. The story is generally rather slow-paced, giving one ample opportunity to look closely at everything. But what a story it is! One of the quintessential gothic tales, set in a haunted house with a dark and brooding master. It is a classic for a reason.  

I must say, I did not appreciate Jane's headlong flight into the night, without even the hint of a plan; even knowing the outcome, I feared for her then. As I did when she was subjected to the Calvinist ramblings of St. John Rivers. "[...] you are made for labour, not for love!" is probably the worst "compliment" I've heard in my life.  

The topic of religion is a kind of Leitmotiv in this novel. Jane's relationship to Christianity is tested repeatedly, and she spends a lot of time analysing her views on faith, and how they align with her own moral principles.  Religious bigotry is being recognized and called out as such. Again, I feel that for their time, Jane's intellectual analysis and often critical views were extraordinary to read. 

I listened to an audiobook read by British actress Thandiwe Newton. She expertly endowed Jane's voice with the full range of human emotion, from the most fragile to the most forceful. I had never previously thought about it, but I found it amazing how she managed to make me hear Jane's inward laughter without actually making the usually associated sounds. Masterful.