#1 Book Review: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Title: Jane Eyre

Author: Charlotte Bronte

Genre: Gothic, Romance

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Publication date: 2003 by Penguin (first published 1847)

Pages:  507

Read on: Kindle paperwhite

Reading time (approx.): 8 to 9 hours

My ratings:

Blurb:

Orphaned as a child, Jane has felt an outcast her whole young life. Her courage is tested once again when she arrives at Thornfield Hall, where she has been hired by the brooding, proud Edward Rochester to care for his ward Adèle. Jane finds herself drawn to his troubled yet kind spirit. She falls in love. Hard.

But there is a terrifying secret inside the gloomy, forbidding Thornfield Hall. Is Rochester hiding from Jane? Will Jane be left heartbroken and exiled once again?

Characters:

Jane Eyre, Bertha Mason, Grace Poole, Blanche Ingram, Adele Varens, St. John Rivers, Helen Burns, Richard Mason, Diana Rivers, Mary Rivers, Maria Temple, Robert Brocklehurst, Sarah Reed, Georgiana Reed, Eliza Reed, Bessie Lee, Alice Fairfax, Rosamond Oliver, Edward Rochester, John Eyre, Celine Varens

My thoughts:

 Jane Eyre is a book which I have read a few times and every time it seems a little new. The novel was initially published as an autobiography but actually is a work of fiction. But it seems as real as an autobiography.  When I read this book I feel like I am reading, and even writing, a chapter out of my life. It doesn’t matter if the circumstances of Jane’s life seem utterly far-fetched, very improbable, or impossibly remote. I can immerse myself in Jane, and explore myself as she shows the way. Charlotte Bronte wrote fictional accounts of her own childhood, education, and her experiences as a teacher in almost all of her novels. The ill-kept school, the long-suffering friend, the passion for the employer all these belong in her own life. The character of Jane dominates the entire book. But the other characters are also unforgettable. The book is about identity, self-esteem, morality. I wouldn’t recommend this book to starters as it’s a fairly lengthy book. Overall this book is a great read.

Writing style:

Jane Eyre can be daunting at first read mainly because this language is so different as compared to the one used today. But once you get past it is a fantastic story. Every character has a personality of its own which is brilliant written. The description in the book is also excellent, inspiring passion and raw emotion in the reader.