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 Customer Reviews
One of best books ever written, 10 Apr 2008
This is one of my favourite books and one I constantly re-read. I love all the characters, especially the way they are neither beautiful or perfect people. But the main reason I love this book is the character of Rochester and the way he loves Jane. He is definitely my favourite hero of all time.
Jane Eyre, 30 Mar 2008
My mom recommended that I read this book because it is a classic romance and I love Pride and Prejudice and Emma which are the same genre. My mom was right.
Jane is a likable character because she is so brave and head strong and through out the whole second half of the book I was mentally screaming at her to go back to Mr Rochester. I mean, who cares that he is already married.
A bit frustrating how I didn't get what I wanted until the last few chapters and how she was actually thinking of marrying St John.
Recommend it highly.
Now all I need to do is to watch the film.
By Nicole, aged 15.
the best love lines in history?, 07 Mar 2008
I've just read and re-read and re-read again this fabulous book after many years alongside the Wide Sargasso Sea for a book club I belong to.
Try out page 250 for some of the best love lines ever written - who couldn't love Rochester after his proposal, even if he plays games with Jane? I'd forgotten how humourous and fun some of the dialogue is between them - this is at heart a happy and hopeful book, and not half as gothic as Wuthering Heights. Jane's best words are the speech she says in her own head 'I care for myself...'.This is a female character who is unafraid to love passionately but maintains her integrity and keeps her faith and humanity intact by the end of the book. Ditch the cynic and let the words flow over you.
My all time favourtie, 17 Feb 2008
This was the first "grown up" book that i ever read and i still re-read it now 13 years on. It is a tale that has everything you could want from a novel and truly is a classic. Unlike her sister emily, charlotte bronte does not bog down the story with too many words so this is more readable than the complicated (albeit brilliant) wuthering heights. I did not take to charlotte bronte's other novels but this one i would recommend to everyone. If you have not read this book then i feel you are missing out.
not very good, 15 Feb 2008
After hearing all the talk about this book i was expecting something a bit more pleasing to the mind.
Jane seemed like a perfectly nice girl, but she has an annoying way of thinking that she is the one with all the brains in the book.
I did not like the way that charlotte bronte wrote the order of events that happened in the story.
All in all, very dissapointing.
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Customer Reviews
One of best books ever written, 10 Apr 2008
This is one of my favourite books and one I constantly re-read. I love all the characters, especially the way they are neither beautiful or perfect people. But the main reason I love this book is the character of Rochester and the way he loves Jane. He is definitely my favourite hero of all time.
Jane Eyre, 30 Mar 2008
My mom recommended that I read this book because it is a classic romance and I love Pride and Prejudice and Emma which are the same genre. My mom was right.
Jane is a likable character because she is so brave and head strong and through out the whole second half of the book I was mentally screaming at her to go back to Mr Rochester. I mean, who cares that he is already married.
A bit frustrating how I didn't get what I wanted until the last few chapters and how she was actually thinking of marrying St John.
Recommend it highly.
Now all I need to do is to watch the film.
By Nicole, aged 15.
the best love lines in history?, 07 Mar 2008
I've just read and re-read and re-read again this fabulous book after many years alongside the Wide Sargasso Sea for a book club I belong to.
Try out page 250 for some of the best love lines ever written - who couldn't love Rochester after his proposal, even if he plays games with Jane? I'd forgotten how humourous and fun some of the dialogue is between them - this is at heart a happy and hopeful book, and not half as gothic as Wuthering Heights. Jane's best words are the speech she says in her own head 'I care for myself...'.This is a female character who is unafraid to love passionately but maintains her integrity and keeps her faith and humanity intact by the end of the book. Ditch the cynic and let the words flow over you.
My all time favourtie, 17 Feb 2008
This was the first "grown up" book that i ever read and i still re-read it now 13 years on. It is a tale that has everything you could want from a novel and truly is a classic. Unlike her sister emily, charlotte bronte does not bog down the story with too many words so this is more readable than the complicated (albeit brilliant) wuthering heights. I did not take to charlotte bronte's other novels but this one i would recommend to everyone. If you have not read this book then i feel you are missing out.
not very good, 15 Feb 2008
After hearing all the talk about this book i was expecting something a bit more pleasing to the mind.
Jane seemed like a perfectly nice girl, but she has an annoying way of thinking that she is the one with all the brains in the book.
I did not like the way that charlotte bronte wrote the order of events that happened in the story.
All in all, very dissapointing.
Absolute Classic, 07 Nov 2008
To put it quite simply: this novel is wonderful. The passion at its core, whether that be Jane's struggle against her Aunt or her turbulent love affair with Mr Rochester, is always thrilling and bears repeated reading well. While you may not always agree with Jane's actions/thoughts/reasoning from a modern point of view the novel exercises a sufficient pull on your powers of empathy to render this a very minor niggle. The novel is full of wonderful imagery and symbolism to make this a wonderfully rich text. This version contains some helpful notes on the text, an appendix of reviews that greeted the work on it's original publication and some 'mini-essays' by Stevie Davies which includes an interesting section on the politics of the novel.
All in all, a must buy.
It's not original and I have no sympathy for Jane, 14 Oct 2008
Does anyone else just want to smack Jane in the gob and tell her to sort her life out and stop falling for entierly inappropriate men who have their insane ex-wives locked up in the attic?
It's a good book but I will always consider it to be a rip-off of "A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family" by Le Fanu - which went on to be expanded into the infinately superior "The Wyvern Mystery" a few years after "Jane Eyre" was published. All of that said - we can all relate to the first Mrs Rochester - we've all be cast aside by ex's in favour of someone else - though we've not all be locked up in the attic, we do know why she's so angry.
Only four stars because it's not as good as Villette, 22 Nov 2007
This is a great book, bristling with anarchy, anger and rebellion. It is so unusual for a Victorian novel that even now, reading it all this time on, it still has the power to shock. Jane spends the entire book upsetting decorum, railing against her fate and succumbing to her desires. It's absolutely fascinating to see so many Victorian taboos being broken.
Someone mentioned that the book is long. The Victorian convention was for the triple decker novel, which is basically three modern sized novels in one. This is why there are almost no short Victorian novels, so if you're looking for snappy reads, try a different era.
I for one, think that this book is just about perfect. It is tautly written, suspenseful despite the length, and pacy. It is full of cliff hangers and drama, and you always want to know what happens next. The ghostly, supernatural element is done brilliantly, both with the episode at the beginning with Jane in the Red Room, and the episodes with Bertha Mason once Jane arrives at Thornfield Hall.
The basic plot is that Jane, an orphan child, is dumped on unwilling and unloving relatives who make her life a misery. She in turn makes their lives a misery, and is peremptorily packed off to boarding school where amidst great trials and tragedy she becomes a governess. Her first job takes her to Thornfield Hall where she meets the wonderfully brooding anti-hero, Rochester. They fall in love, and things go horribly wrong from thereon in.
I must have read this book at least half a dozen times, and it never ceases to be a pleasure. There is always something new to find. For students, I recommend reading it alongside Gilbert and Gubar's seminal critical work, The Mad Woman in the Attic. It is a revelation. I also recommend reading it alongside Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea, which was published in the 1950's and deals with the back story for Bertha Mason. It adds such depth to the work I guarantee you will need to read it again afterwards.
My Favorite Novel, 11 Nov 2007
Jane Eyre is a beautiful novel, wrote in the style of an autobiography which allows the reader to gain an intense interest in Jane's thoughts and feelings. The novel is about a orphaned young girl who endures cruelty and heartache at the hands of her aunt and cousins, and her desire for freedom and independance. I don't want to give too much away, but Jane takes a position as governess at thornfield hall, where she finds love with her employer Rochester. However all is not what it seems... leading Jane to question her morality.
A beautifully written novel, which I found unable to put down, and found myself thinking about even whilst not actually reading the book. Truly Magical
Wonderful. More realistic than Austen and (whispered) probably better, 04 Jul 2007
I loved this book, with its beautiful language that entangles you in a thicket of heart ache and socially inappropriate attraction. I strongly recommend this excellent edition which contains wonderful "extras" such as an introduction etc, though if you'd rather the book and nothing but the book I suggest you get the Penguin Red Classics edition ISBN: 9780141028163.
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Customer Reviews
One of best books ever written, 10 Apr 2008
This is one of my favourite books and one I constantly re-read. I love all the characters, especially the way they are neither beautiful or perfect people. But the main reason I love this book is the character of Rochester and the way he loves Jane. He is definitely my favourite hero of all time. Jane Eyre, 30 Mar 2008
My mom recommended that I read this book because it is a classic romance and I love Pride and Prejudice and Emma which are the same genre. My mom was right.
Jane is a likable character because she is so brave and head strong and through out the whole second half of the book I was mentally screaming at her to go back to Mr Rochester. I mean, who cares that he is already married.
A bit frustrating how I didn't get what I wanted until the last few chapters and how she was actually thinking of marrying St John.
Recommend it highly.
Now all I need to do is to watch the film.
By Nicole, aged 15. the best love lines in history?, 07 Mar 2008
I've just read and re-read and re-read again this fabulous book after many years alongside the Wide Sargasso Sea for a book club I belong to.
Try out page 250 for some of the best love lines ever written - who couldn't love Rochester after his proposal, even if he plays games with Jane? I'd forgotten how humourous and fun some of the dialogue is between them - this is at heart a happy and hopeful book, and not half as gothic as Wuthering Heights. Jane's best words are the speech she says in her own head 'I care for myself...'.This is a female character who is unafraid to love passionately but maintains her integrity and keeps her faith and humanity intact by the end of the book. Ditch the cynic and let the words flow over you. My all time favourtie, 17 Feb 2008
This was the first "grown up" book that i ever read and i still re-read it now 13 years on. It is a tale that has everything you could want from a novel and truly is a classic. Unlike her sister emily, charlotte bronte does not bog down the story with too many words so this is more readable than the complicated (albeit brilliant) wuthering heights. I did not take to charlotte bronte's other novels but this one i would recommend to everyone. If you have not read this book then i feel you are missing out. not very good, 15 Feb 2008
After hearing all the talk about this book i was expecting something a bit more pleasing to the mind.
Jane seemed like a perfectly nice girl, but she has an annoying way of thinking that she is the one with all the brains in the book.
I did not like the way that charlotte bronte wrote the order of events that happened in the story.
All in all, very dissapointing. Absolute Classic, 07 Nov 2008
To put it quite simply: this novel is wonderful. The passion at its core, whether that be Jane's struggle against her Aunt or her turbulent love affair with Mr Rochester, is always thrilling and bears repeated reading well. While you may not always agree with Jane's actions/thoughts/reasoning from a modern point of view the novel exercises a sufficient pull on your powers of empathy to render this a very minor niggle. The novel is full of wonderful imagery and symbolism to make this a wonderfully rich text. This version contains some helpful notes on the text, an appendix of reviews that greeted the work on it's original publication and some 'mini-essays' by Stevie Davies which includes an interesting section on the politics of the novel.
All in all, a must buy. It's not original and I have no sympathy for Jane, 14 Oct 2008
Does anyone else just want to smack Jane in the gob and tell her to sort her life out and stop falling for entierly inappropriate men who have their insane ex-wives locked up in the attic?
It's a good book but I will always consider it to be a rip-off of "A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family" by Le Fanu - which went on to be expanded into the infinately superior "The Wyvern Mystery" a few years after "Jane Eyre" was published. All of that said - we can all relate to the first Mrs Rochester - we've all be cast aside by ex's in favour of someone else - though we've not all be locked up in the attic, we do know why she's so angry. Only four stars because it's not as good as Villette, 22 Nov 2007
This is a great book, bristling with anarchy, anger and rebellion. It is so unusual for a Victorian novel that even now, reading it all this time on, it still has the power to shock. Jane spends the entire book upsetting decorum, railing against her fate and succumbing to her desires. It's absolutely fascinating to see so many Victorian taboos being broken.
Someone mentioned that the book is long. The Victorian convention was for the triple decker novel, which is basically three modern sized novels in one. This is why there are almost no short Victorian novels, so if you're looking for snappy reads, try a different era.
I for one, think that this book is just about perfect. It is tautly written, suspenseful despite the length, and pacy. It is full of cliff hangers and drama, and you always want to know what happens next. The ghostly, supernatural element is done brilliantly, both with the episode at the beginning with Jane in the Red Room, and the episodes with Bertha Mason once Jane arrives at Thornfield Hall.
The basic plot is that Jane, an orphan child, is dumped on unwilling and unloving relatives who make her life a misery. She in turn makes their lives a misery, and is peremptorily packed off to boarding school where amidst great trials and tragedy she becomes a governess. Her first job takes her to Thornfield Hall where she meets the wonderfully brooding anti-hero, Rochester. They fall in love, and things go horribly wrong from thereon in.
I must have read this book at least half a dozen times, and it never ceases to be a pleasure. There is always something new to find. For students, I recommend reading it alongside Gilbert and Gubar's seminal critical work, The Mad Woman in the Attic. It is a revelation. I also recommend reading it alongside Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea, which was published in the 1950's and deals with the back story for Bertha Mason. It adds such depth to the work I guarantee you will need to read it again afterwards. My Favorite Novel, 11 Nov 2007
Jane Eyre is a beautiful novel, wrote in the style of an autobiography which allows the reader to gain an intense interest in Jane's thoughts and feelings. The novel is about a orphaned young girl who endures cruelty and heartache at the hands of her aunt and cousins, and her desire for freedom and independance. I don't want to give too much away, but Jane takes a position as governess at thornfield hall, where she finds love with her employer Rochester. However all is not what it seems... leading Jane to question her morality.
A beautifully written novel, which I found unable to put down, and found myself thinking about even whilst not actually reading the book. Truly Magical Wonderful. More realistic than Austen and (whispered) probably better, 04 Jul 2007
I loved this book, with its beautiful language that entangles you in a thicket of heart ache and socially inappropriate attraction. I strongly recommend this excellent edition which contains wonderful "extras" such as an introduction etc, though if you'd rather the book and nothing but the book I suggest you get the Penguin Red Classics edition ISBN: 9780141028163.
A wonderful introduction to literature, 12 May 2008
I first read 'Jane Eyre', years and years ago, when I was ten. I loved it right from the start and have read it many times since, both as a teenager and as an adult.I can never tire of this book, I can never cease to be touched by Jane's desire to belong and to feel loved. I still find it extremely relevant today in the emotions so masterfully described by the author. Who has never felt an outsider? Who has never longed to be understood? Who has never wished their exterior aspect reflected better the beauty of their soul? Who has never suffered from feeling insignificant?
Charlotte Brontë has an incredible capacity for bringing life into every single character of her book. Everyone is extraordinarily portrayed in all their human frailties. No single person can leave you indifferent, from the mean aunt Reed to the hypocrite Brocklehurst, from the cruel, vain Miss Ingram to the religious fervour and ambition of St John Rivers, from the tortured Mr Rochester to Jane herself... all her creations leap from the page and seem more real than life itself.
A book to be cherished! A Beloved Classic & Remarkable Literary Work, 01 Mar 2006
Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" has been one of my favorite novels since I first read it in high school. It is one of those special books which can be read and savored over and over, and seems to improve with each reading. The tale is narrated by Miss Eyre, herself, inviting a special and intimate relationship with the reader. It is through Jane that we meet and grow to care about, or hate, so many of the memorable characters one becomes acquainted with on these pages. And it is through her narrative, first as a little girl, then as a young woman, that Jane's complex persona is revealed. From an early age her morality, wit, determination, sheer grit and romanticism are evident. Published in 1847, the novel, at first glance, appears to be another well written gothic romance, of the kind so popular in the Victorian Age, with its mystery, horror, brooding hero, touch of the melodramatic, and dark castle-like setting. The rise of poor orphaned Jane, who against all odds, redeems her tormented hero through her steadfast love, is really not unique at all. Charlotte Bronte did not, however, write a mere romance, no matter how riveting the read. Throughout, the author makes some serious statements about women's equality, the treatment of children, and of women forced into a dependent state during the Victorian epoch, religious hypocrisy, romantic relationships between men and women, the nature of true love, and the development of self. This is a beautifully written work of fiction which combines a riveting storyline, compelling characters, vivid descriptions along with a powerful testimony about the period in which the book was written. Young Jane, orphaned at an early age, is grudgingly taken-in by her Aunt, Mrs. Reed, who seems to despise the child. The Reed children are spoiled rotten, and the eldest son is somewhat of a sadist who abuses his young cousin terribly. Aunt Reed always finds a reason to blame Jane for the household's ills. When the boy takes his torture too far and Jane attempts to defend herself, her aunt has her locked in the room where her uncle died, terrifying the poor girl into hysteria. Unwilling to care for the girl any longer, Mrs. Reed packs her off to the harsh Lowood School, a miserable charitable institution which is more like a prison than a place of education. Lowood's despicable headmaster, Rev. Brockelhurst, does everything in his power to break Jane's spirit. At one point, when he asks Jane how to avoid going to hell, she defiantly responds, "I must stay well and not die." A particularly compassionate teacher recognizes Jane's intelligence and sensitivity and befriends the girl. When Jane graduates she stays to teach at Lowood until her mentor leaves to marry. Jane then decides it is time for a change, and applies for a position as a governess. She is offered a job at the distant Thornfield Manor. Mrs. Fairfax, Thornfield's housekeeper, welcomes her warmly and introduces her to the staff and to little girl who will be her pupil, the precocious Adele. She is not, however, introduced to all the household's inhabitants - especially not to one who inhabits the uppermost floor. Thornfield's owner, Mr. Rochester, (one of my favorite literary heroes), is away when our protagonist arrives, yet it is he who will have a most profound effect on her life - and she on his. If you have not read "Jane Eyre" yet, why wait any longer? If you have not reread it for a few years, now's the time! My highest recommendations!
JANA
a great classic, 24 Oct 2004
I have had this novel since i was about 13, and have read it so many times - i love it. I've always enjoyed the first part of the novel best, when she is victimised by her aunt and then the description of her time in the childrens home, because the description is so vivid and she is made so real as a character. The reader is on a journey with Jane, and we realise her faults at the same time she does, and we admire her courage and bravery throughout. I suppose it could be seen as unrealistic, certain parts more than others, but i think the characters are credable and this gives strength to the plot. Everyone should read this novel!
Bit on the dull side anyone?, 24 Jul 2003
Before you go into an explanation of why this book is so good ("universally appealing love story", a sucker punch from an equality-seeking proto-feminist, attacks on bigoted religion: all pertinent points), the fact is this book is....well, it's a bit boring. Charlotte Bronte drags out descriptions and conversations over pages when anything more than a couple of paragraphs would've been pushing it . And before you say it's typical of the style at the time, how become "Wuthering Heights" has much more intriguing occurrences and yet is considerably shorter? There's also the fact that Jane is blatantly Charlotte herself. All novels are broadly autobiographical yes; but in this case the author shamelessly uses this book to indulge in self-pity and wish fulfillment (i.e. the way people are all mean to her and the ridiculously brooding Mr. Rochester). Really, it's too much having to wade through the fifteenth whiny, detailed description of how St.John Rivers is a prat (only in a more dignified, sophisticated and lengthy style).
some objections about reviews, 21 Mar 2000
After having read all the previous reviews on Jane Eyre I have to make some objections.Why is it that some people complain about Charlotte using too many details?I have read a simplified edition and it didn't come near the unabridged.Details make the novel more realistic. Verissimilitude is always the purpose.And now how many of you found the end sad and unhappy? Sadness I felt when I finished it but it was only because I had loved the heroine so much that didn't like to exit her wonderful world. (Remember things could be worst for her!)Jane has in the end a mutilated happiness but it is a happiness.And at last I must object to those who said Jane is a heroine with low self esteem,boring and not very dynamic.Such a review gives me the idea of ignorance.Ignorance of the circumstances in Charlotte Bronte's world.Jane Eyre is too bold and too ahead from her age.She speaks her opinions boldly,has the courage to say to Mr Rochester she loves him but he is a blockhead and he never understood her,she despices him and St John and even stands with her back against the door to forbid him to exit without explanations.She is "a free human being with an independent will".And it is because she respects and values herself and she has self-esteem that she leaves Mr Rochester.Those of you who liked the book should also try to find out how much true it is in some points.My only objection to the novel is that it is a little melodramatic but the strenght of feelings is such that you don't really mind.Finally I propose to organise a fun club of Jane Eyre as the admirers are many.
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Customer Reviews
One of best books ever written, 10 Apr 2008
This is one of my favourite books and one I constantly re-read. I love all the characters, especially the way they are neither beautiful or perfect people. But the main reason I love this book is the character of Rochester and the way he loves Jane. He is definitely my favourite hero of all time. Jane Eyre, 30 Mar 2008
My mom recommended that I read this book because it is a classic romance and I love Pride and Prejudice and Emma which are the same genre. My mom was right.
Jane is a likable character because she is so brave and head strong and through out the whole second half of the book I was mentally screaming at her to go back to Mr Rochester. I mean, who cares that he is already married.
A bit frustrating how I didn't get what I wanted until the last few chapters and how she was actually thinking of marrying St John.
Recommend it highly.
Now all I need to do is to watch the film.
By Nicole, aged 15. the best love lines in history?, 07 Mar 2008
I've just read and re-read and re-read again this fabulous book after many years alongside the Wide Sargasso Sea for a book club I belong to.
Try out page 250 for some of the best love lines ever written - who couldn't love Rochester after his proposal, even if he plays games with Jane? I'd forgotten how humourous and fun some of the dialogue is between them - this is at heart a happy and hopeful book, and not half as gothic as Wuthering Heights. Jane's best words are the speech she says in her own head 'I care for myself...'.This is a female character who is unafraid to love passionately but maintains her integrity and keeps her faith and humanity intact by the end of the book. Ditch the cynic and let the words flow over you. My all time favourtie, 17 Feb 2008
This was the first "grown up" book that i ever read and i still re-read it now 13 years on. It is a tale that has everything you could want from a novel and truly is a classic. Unlike her sister emily, charlotte bronte does not bog down the story with too many words so this is more readable than the complicated (albeit brilliant) wuthering heights. I did not take to charlotte bronte's other novels but this one i would recommend to everyone. If you have not read this book then i feel you are missing out. not very good, 15 Feb 2008
After hearing all the talk about this book i was expecting something a bit more pleasing to the mind.
Jane seemed like a perfectly nice girl, but she has an annoying way of thinking that she is the one with all the brains in the book.
I did not like the way that charlotte bronte wrote the order of events that happened in the story.
All in all, very dissapointing. Absolute Classic, 07 Nov 2008
To put it quite simply: this novel is wonderful. The passion at its core, whether that be Jane's struggle against her Aunt or her turbulent love affair with Mr Rochester, is always thrilling and bears repeated reading well. While you may not always agree with Jane's actions/thoughts/reasoning from a modern point of view the novel exercises a sufficient pull on your powers of empathy to render this a very minor niggle. The novel is full of wonderful imagery and symbolism to make this a wonderfully rich text. This version contains some helpful notes on the text, an appendix of reviews that greeted the work on it's original publication and some 'mini-essays' by Stevie Davies which includes an interesting section on the politics of the novel.
All in all, a must buy. It's not original and I have no sympathy for Jane, 14 Oct 2008
Does anyone else just want to smack Jane in the gob and tell her to sort her life out and stop falling for entierly inappropriate men who have their insane ex-wives locked up in the attic?
It's a good book but I will always consider it to be a rip-off of "A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family" by Le Fanu - which went on to be expanded into the infinately superior "The Wyvern Mystery" a few years after "Jane Eyre" was published. All of that said - we can all relate to the first Mrs Rochester - we've all be cast aside by ex's in favour of someone else - though we've not all be locked up in the attic, we do know why she's so angry. Only four stars because it's not as good as Villette, 22 Nov 2007
This is a great book, bristling with anarchy, anger and rebellion. It is so unusual for a Victorian novel that even now, reading it all this time on, it still has the power to shock. Jane spends the entire book upsetting decorum, railing against her fate and succumbing to her desires. It's absolutely fascinating to see so many Victorian taboos being broken.
Someone mentioned that the book is long. The Victorian convention was for the triple decker novel, which is basically three modern sized novels in one. This is why there are almost no short Victorian novels, so if you're looking for snappy reads, try a different era.
I for one, think that this book is just about perfect. It is tautly written, suspenseful despite the length, and pacy. It is full of cliff hangers and drama, and you always want to know what happens next. The ghostly, supernatural element is done brilliantly, both with the episode at the beginning with Jane in the Red Room, and the episodes with Bertha Mason once Jane arrives at Thornfield Hall.
The basic plot is that Jane, an orphan child, is dumped on unwilling and unloving relatives who make her life a misery. She in turn makes their lives a misery, and is peremptorily packed off to boarding school where amidst great trials and tragedy she becomes a governess. Her first job takes her to Thornfield Hall where she meets the wonderfully brooding anti-hero, Rochester. They fall in love, and things go horribly wrong from thereon in.
I must have read this book at least half a dozen times, and it never ceases to be a pleasure. There is always something new to find. For students, I recommend reading it alongside Gilbert and Gubar's seminal critical work, The Mad Woman in the Attic. It is a revelation. I also recommend reading it alongside Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea, which was published in the 1950's and deals with the back story for Bertha Mason. It adds such depth to the work I guarantee you will need to read it again afterwards. My Favorite Novel, 11 Nov 2007
Jane Eyre is a beautiful novel, wrote in the style of an autobiography which allows the reader to gain an intense interest in Jane's thoughts and feelings. The novel is about a orphaned young girl who endures cruelty and heartache at the hands of her aunt and cousins, and her desire for freedom and independance. I don't want to give too much away, but Jane takes a position as governess at thornfield hall, where she finds love with her employer Rochester. However all is not what it seems... leading Jane to question her morality.
A beautifully written novel, which I found unable to put down, and found myself thinking about even whilst not actually reading the book. Truly Magical Wonderful. More realistic than Austen and (whispered) probably better, 04 Jul 2007
I loved this book, with its beautiful language that entangles you in a thicket of heart ache and socially inappropriate attraction. I strongly recommend this excellent edition which contains wonderful "extras" such as an introduction etc, though if you'd rather the book and nothing but the book I suggest you get the Penguin Red Classics edition ISBN: 9780141028163.
A wonderful introduction to literature, 12 May 2008
I first read 'Jane Eyre', years and years ago, when I was ten. I loved it right from the start and have read it many times since, both as a teenager and as an adult.I can never tire of this book, I can never cease to be touched by Jane's desire to belong and to feel loved. I still find it extremely relevant today in the emotions so masterfully described by the author. Who has never felt an outsider? Who has never longed to be understood? Who has never wished their exterior aspect reflected better the beauty of their soul? Who has never suffered from feeling insignificant?
Charlotte Brontë has an incredible capacity for bringing life into every single character of her book. Everyone is extraordinarily portrayed in all their human frailties. No single person can leave you indifferent, from the mean aunt Reed to the hypocrite Brocklehurst, from the cruel, vain Miss Ingram to the religious fervour and ambition of St John Rivers, from the tortured Mr Rochester to Jane herself... all her creations leap from the page and seem more real than life itself.
A book to be cherished! A Beloved Classic & Remarkable Literary Work, 01 Mar 2006
Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" has been one of my favorite novels since I first read it in high school. It is one of those special books which can be read and savored over and over, and seems to improve with each reading. The tale is narrated by Miss Eyre, herself, inviting a special and intimate relationship with the reader. It is through Jane that we meet and grow to care about, or hate, so many of the memorable characters one becomes acquainted with on these pages. And it is through her narrative, first as a little girl, then as a young woman, that Jane's complex persona is revealed. From an early age her morality, wit, determination, sheer grit and romanticism are evident. Published in 1847, the novel, at first glance, appears to be another well written gothic romance, of the kind so popular in the Victorian Age, with its mystery, horror, brooding hero, touch of the melodramatic, and dark castle-like setting. The rise of poor orphaned Jane, who against all odds, redeems her tormented hero through her steadfast love, is really not unique at all. Charlotte Bronte did not, however, write a mere romance, no matter how riveting the read. Throughout, the author makes some serious statements about women's equality, the treatment of children, and of women forced into a dependent state during the Victorian epoch, religious hypocrisy, romantic relationships between men and women, the nature of true love, and the development of self. This is a beautifully written work of fiction which combines a riveting storyline, compelling characters, vivid descriptions along with a powerful testimony about the period in which the book was written. Young Jane, orphaned at an early age, is grudgingly taken-in by her Aunt, Mrs. Reed, who seems to despise the child. The Reed children are spoiled rotten, and the eldest son is somewhat of a sadist who abuses his young cousin terribly. Aunt Reed always finds a reason to blame Jane for the household's ills. When the boy takes his torture too far and Jane attempts to defend herself, her aunt has her locked in the room where her uncle died, terrifying the poor girl into hysteria. Unwilling to care for the girl any longer, Mrs. Reed packs her off to the harsh Lowood School, a miserable charitable institution which is more like a prison than a place of education. Lowood's despicable headmaster, Rev. Brockelhurst, does everything in his power to break Jane's spirit. At one point, when he asks Jane how to avoid going to hell, she defiantly responds, "I must stay well and not die." A particularly compassionate teacher recognizes Jane's intelligence and sensitivity and befriends the girl. When Jane graduates she stays to teach at Lowood until her mentor leaves to marry. Jane then decides it is time for a change, and applies for a position as a governess. She is offered a job at the distant Thornfield Manor. Mrs. Fairfax, Thornfield's housekeeper, welcomes her warmly and introduces her to the staff and to little girl who will be her pupil, the precocious Adele. She is not, however, introduced to all the household's inhabitants - especially not to one who inhabits the uppermost floor. Thornfield's owner, Mr. Rochester, (one of my favorite literary heroes), is away when our protagonist arrives, yet it is he who will have a most profound effect on her life - and she on his. If you have not read "Jane Eyre" yet, why wait any longer? If you have not reread it for a few years, now's the time! My highest recommendations!
JANA
a great classic, 24 Oct 2004
I have had this novel since i was about 13, and have read it so many times - i love it. I've always enjoyed the first part of the novel best, when she is victimised by her aunt and then the description of her time in the childrens home, because the description is so vivid and she is made so real as a character. The reader is on a journey with Jane, and we realise her faults at the same time she does, and we admire her courage and bravery throughout. I suppose it could be seen as unrealistic, certain parts more than others, but i think the characters are credable and this gives strength to the plot. Everyone should read this novel!
Bit on the dull side anyone?, 24 Jul 2003
Before you go into an explanation of why this book is so good ("universally appealing love story", a sucker punch from an equality-seeking proto-feminist, attacks on bigoted religion: all pertinent points), the fact is this book is....well, it's a bit boring. Charlotte Bronte drags out descriptions and conversations over pages when anything more than a couple of paragraphs would've been pushing it . And before you say it's typical of the style at the time, how become "Wuthering Heights" has much more intriguing occurrences and yet is considerably shorter? There's also the fact that Jane is blatantly Charlotte herself. All novels are broadly autobiographical yes; but in this case the author shamelessly uses this book to indulge in self-pity and wish fulfillment (i.e. the way people are all mean to her and the ridiculously brooding Mr. Rochester). Really, it's too much having to wade through the fifteenth whiny, detailed description of how St.John Rivers is a prat (only in a more dignified, sophisticated and lengthy style).
some objections about reviews, 21 Mar 2000
After having read all the previous reviews on Jane Eyre I have to make some objections.Why is it that some people complain about Charlotte using too many details?I have read a simplified edition and it didn't come near the unabridged.Details make the novel more realistic. Verissimilitude is always the purpose.And now how many of you found the end sad and unhappy? Sadness I felt when I finished it but it was only because I had loved the heroine so much that didn't like to exit her wonderful world. (Remember things could be worst for her!)Jane has in the end a mutilated happiness but it is a happiness.And at last I must object to those who said Jane is a heroine with low self esteem,boring and not very dynamic.Such a review gives me the idea of ignorance.Ignorance of the circumstances in Charlotte Bronte's world.Jane Eyre is too bold and too ahead from her age.She speaks her opinions boldly,has the courage to say to Mr Rochester she loves him but he is a blockhead and he never understood her,she despices him and St John and even stands with her back against the door to forbid him to exit without explanations.She is "a free human being with an independent will".And it is because she respects and values herself and she has self-esteem that she leaves Mr Rochester.Those of you who liked the book should also try to find out how much true it is in some points.My only objection to the novel is that it is a little melodramatic but the strenght of feelings is such that you don't really mind.Finally I propose to organise a fun club of Jane Eyre as the admirers are many.
Simply wonderful, 12 May 2008
Villette is a very accomplished book and a terrific novel whose heroin is as near perfect as any character will ever be.I do not mean by this that she is a perfect woman, far from it, but a very interesting one.Lucy Snowe, who is very nearly alone in the world, becomes a teacher in a Belgian boarding house.A very insignificant woman herself (physically speaking) she is a clever, passionate human being who finds it hard to accept that because she has no beauty , no money and no connections, society refuses to acknowledge her existence and thinks she should be content to grovel, discarded and forgotten. But Lucy has a soul, and what a big one it is; and an intellect, a very active intellect indeed and she will not submit. She knows she deserves love and kindness, a useful place in society, the right to communicate with her intellectual equals... and she is ready and determined to fight for it.Lucy's life is not a bed of roses and her struggles are more than arduous but so well worth reading.A timeless classic, a beautiful read, a treasure of a book... to be read times and times again...
Bronte's Best, 20 Nov 2007
This is by far superior to Jane Eyre in every way, despite the fact that Jane Eyre is a brilliant book in its own right. This is better. The character of Lucy Snowe is more subtle, more mature and more emotionally complex than Jane, who remains curiously adolescent in her emotions throughout Jane Eyre. Lucy is tempered by the experiences her life has given her, she is shaped by forces stronger than herself, and the suffering that she endures makes her a real, three dimensional woman of passion and feeling.
The story centres around our heroine, Lucy Snowe, and her journey to Belgium to teach in a boarding school. She meets an older man, a teacher at the school and so one of the most complex and tragic love stories of nineteenth century literature begins to unfold.
In its own way, Villette is as shocking as Wuthering Heights. Bronte seems to take liberties with the text because she is writing about a foreign country, and often a foreign religion (Catholicism) which give her greater licence in her work.
As with Emily, the supernatural elements, the episode with Vashti, and the drug like hauntings that Lucy undergoes, are key to unlocking passion and exploiting a device in which raw emotion is allowed to the forefront of what would otherwise be uptight Victorian sensibilities.
This book is one of my enduring favourites and it is just a shame that it is so overlooked. A must read.
If you thought Jane Eyre was good..., 05 Apr 2007
Then definitely read this!
I liked Jane Eyre very much, but it was Villette that really captured my imagination and heart. In my opinion (though I realise it is verging on this criminal to admit this) it is better than Jane Eyre - it certainly has more depth, the plot is far superior, and it's just... more enjoyable. I admit that JE has the irreplaceable Mr Rochester, but Villette has Mousieur Paul, a Rochesterian (?) character himself - idiosyncratic, harsh, domineering, austere, and yet simultaneously attractive. I preferrd him to Rochester as he, and his love for the protagonist Lucy Snowe, is more believable, and has more depth.
The only thing I would say is that unless your French is pretty good don't buy the Oxford edition - there is a lot of French dialogue, and OUP clearly didn't want to spend the money on paper and ink to translate it all - which I found extremely frustrating.
Overall - a fantastic book to curl up with and lose yourself in - it is one of my favourites!
An important and effective exploration of emotion., 11 Feb 2007
Villette is a fantasticly subtle exploration of human emotion.
The novel may seem slow to start, yet this careful pace and use
of backgrounding makes it difficult for the reader not to become
immersed in the relationships and consequent suppressed feelings of the
protagonist, Lucy Snowe. Villette can be enjoyed on various levels, it is,
at the very least, an exciting tale of relationships and un-fulfilled love.
On closer inspection the novel draws the reader into an exploration of character values and
a complex set of suppressed emotions, set in a vividly depicted and highly effective context.
An important read that also entertains. Highly reccomended.
Worthy but dull, 28 Oct 2006
Part of the attraction of this book for me is that Villette is Brussels, where I work, and the small largely Francophone kingdom of Labassecour (which still retains its impenetrable aboriginal dialect) is Belgium, where I live. There's not a lot of English-language fiction set in my adopted homeland. The only other bit that leaps to mind is the couple of glimpses in Heart of Darkness. So it was interesting to read the book and try and match description to location.
Having said all that, unfortunately Villette is not a very strong example of the sisters' genius. There are too many unlikely coincidences, and I was very uncomfortable with the way in which the narrator reacts to being emotionally abused by one of her acquaintances by falling in love with him. It was not at all clear to me why she did not end up with the nice doctor chap.
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Customer Reviews
One of best books ever written, 10 Apr 2008
This is one of my favourite books and one I constantly re-read. I love all the characters, especially the way they are neither beautiful or perfect people. But the main reason I love this book is the character of Rochester and the way he loves Jane. He is definitely my favourite hero of all time. Jane Eyre, 30 Mar 2008
My mom recommended that I read this book because it is a classic romance and I love Pride and Prejudice and Emma which are the same genre. My mom was right.
Jane is a likable character because she is so brave and head strong and through out the whole second half of the book I was mentally screaming at her to go back to Mr Rochester. I mean, who cares that he is already married.
A bit frustrating how I didn't get what I wanted until the last few chapters and how she was actually thinking of marrying St John.
Recommend it highly.
Now all I need to do is to watch the film.
By Nicole, aged 15. the best love lines in history?, 07 Mar 2008
I've just read and re-read and re-read again this fabulous book after many years alongside the Wide Sargasso Sea for a book club I belong to.
Try out page 250 for some of the best love lines ever written - who couldn't love Rochester after his proposal, even if he plays games with Jane? I'd forgotten how humourous and fun some of the dialogue is between them - this is at heart a happy and hopeful book, and not half as gothic as Wuthering Heights. Jane's best words are the speech she says in her own head 'I care for myself...'.This is a female character who is unafraid to love passionately but maintains her integrity and keeps her faith and humanity intact by the end of the book. Ditch the cynic and let the words flow over you. My all time favourtie, 17 Feb 2008
This was the first "grown up" book that i ever read and i still re-read it now 13 years on. It is a tale that has everything you could want from a novel and truly is a classic. Unlike her sister emily, charlotte bronte does not bog down the story with too many words so this is more readable than the complicated (albeit brilliant) wuthering heights. I did not take to charlotte bronte's other novels but this one i would recommend to everyone. If you have not read this book then i feel you are missing out. not very good, 15 Feb 2008
After hearing all the talk about this book i was expecting something a bit more pleasing to the mind.
Jane seemed like a perfectly nice girl, but she has an annoying way of thinking that she is the one with all the brains in the book.
I did not like the way that charlotte bronte wrote the order of events that happened in the story.
All in all, very dissapointing. Absolute Classic, 07 Nov 2008
To put it quite simply: this novel is wonderful. The passion at its core, whether that be Jane's struggle against her Aunt or her turbulent love affair with Mr Rochester, is always thrilling and bears repeated reading well. While you may not always agree with Jane's actions/thoughts/reasoning from a modern point of view the novel exercises a sufficient pull on your powers of empathy to render this a very minor niggle. The novel is full of wonderful imagery and symbolism to make this a wonderfully rich text. This version contains some helpful notes on the text, an appendix of reviews that greeted the work on it's original publication and some 'mini-essays' by Stevie Davies which includes an interesting section on the politics of the novel.
All in all, a must buy. It's not original and I have no sympathy for Jane, 14 Oct 2008
Does anyone else just want to smack Jane in the gob and tell her to sort her life out and stop falling for entierly inappropriate men who have their insane ex-wives locked up in the attic?
It's a good book but I will always consider it to be a rip-off of "A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family" by Le Fanu - which went on to be expanded into the infinately superior "The Wyvern Mystery" a few years after "Jane Eyre" was published. All of that said - we can all relate to the first Mrs Rochester - we've all be cast aside by ex's in favour of someone else - though we've not all be locked up in the attic, we do know why she's so angry. Only four stars because it's not as good as Villette, 22 Nov 2007
This is a great book, bristling with anarchy, anger and rebellion. It is so unusual for a Victorian novel that even now, reading it all this time on, it still has the power to shock. Jane spends the entire book upsetting decorum, railing against her fate and succumbing to her desires. It's absolutely fascinating to see so many Victorian taboos being broken.
Someone mentioned that the book is long. The Victorian convention was for the triple decker novel, which is basically three modern sized novels in one. This is why there are almost no short Victorian novels, so if you're looking for snappy reads, try a different era.
I for one, think that this book is just about perfect. It is tautly written, suspenseful despite the length, and pacy. It is full of cliff hangers and drama, and you always want to know what happens next. The ghostly, supernatural element is done brilliantly, both with the episode at the beginning with Jane in the Red Room, and the episodes with Bertha Mason once Jane arrives at Thornfield Hall.
The basic plot is that Jane, an orphan child, is dumped on unwilling and unloving relatives who make her life a misery. She in turn makes their lives a misery, and is peremptorily packed off to boarding school where amidst great trials and tragedy she becomes a governess. Her first job takes her to Thornfield Hall where she meets the wonderfully brooding anti-hero, Rochester. They fall in love, and things go horribly wrong from thereon in.
I must have read this book at least half a dozen times, and it never ceases to be a pleasure. There is always something new to find. For students, I recommend reading it alongside Gilbert and Gubar's seminal critical work, The Mad Woman in the Attic. It is a revelation. I also recommend reading it alongside Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea, which was published in the 1950's and deals with the back story for Bertha Mason. It adds such depth to the work I guarantee you will need to read it again afterwards. My Favorite Novel, 11 Nov 2007
Jane Eyre is a beautiful novel, wrote in the style of an autobiography which allows the reader to gain an intense interest in Jane's thoughts and feelings. The novel is about a orphaned young girl who endures cruelty and heartache at the hands of her aunt and cousins, and her desire for freedom and independance. I don't want to give too much away, but Jane takes a position as governess at thornfield hall, where she finds love with her employer Rochester. However all is not what it seems... leading Jane to question her morality.
A beautifully written novel, which I found unable to put down, and found myself thinking about even whilst not actually reading the book. Truly Magical Wonderful. More realistic than Austen and (whispered) probably better, 04 Jul 2007
I loved this book, with its beautiful language that entangles you in a thicket of heart ache and socially inappropriate attraction. I strongly recommend this excellent edition which contains wonderful "extras" such as an introduction etc, though if you'd rather the book and nothing but the book I suggest you get the Penguin Red Classics edition ISBN: 9780141028163.
A wonderful introduction to literature, 12 May 2008
I first read 'Jane Eyre', years and years ago, when I was ten. I loved it right from the start and have read it many times since, both as a teenager and as an adult.I can never tire of this book, I can never cease to be touched by Jane's desire to belong and to feel loved. I still find it extremely relevant today in the emotions so masterfully described by the author. Who has never felt an outsider? Who has never longed to be understood? Who has never wished their exterior aspect reflected better the beauty of their soul? Who has never suffered from feeling insignificant?
Charlotte Brontë has an incredible capacity for bringing life into every single character of her book. Everyone is extraordinarily portrayed in all their human frailties. No single person can leave you indifferent, from the mean aunt Reed to the hypocrite Brocklehurst, from the cruel, vain Miss Ingram to the religious fervour and ambition of St John Rivers, from the tortured Mr Rochester to Jane herself... all her creations leap from the page and seem more real than life itself.
A book to be cherished! A Beloved Classic & Remarkable Literary Work, 01 Mar 2006
Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" has been one of my favorite novels since I first read it in high school. It is one of those special books which can be read and savored over and over, and seems to improve with each reading. The tale is narrated by Miss Eyre, herself, inviting a special and intimate relationship with the reader. It is through Jane that we meet and grow to care about, or hate, so many of the memorable characters one becomes acquainted with on these pages. And it is through her narrative, first as a little girl, then as a young woman, that Jane's complex persona is revealed. From an early age her morality, wit, determination, sheer grit and romanticism are evident. Published in 1847, the novel, at first glance, appears to be another well written gothic romance, of the kind so popular in the Victorian Age, with its mystery, horror, brooding hero, touch of the melodramatic, and dark castle-like setting. The rise of poor orphaned Jane, who against all odds, redeems her tormented hero through her steadfast love, is really not unique at all. Charlotte Bronte did not, however, write a mere romance, no matter how riveting the read. Throughout, the author makes some serious statements about women's equality, the treatment of children, and of women forced into a dependent state during the Victorian epoch, religious hypocrisy, romantic relationships between men and women, the nature of true love, and the development of self. This is a beautifully written work of fiction which combines a riveting storyline, compelling characters, vivid descriptions along with a powerful testimony about the period in which the book was written. Young Jane, orphaned at an early age, is grudgingly taken-in by her Aunt, Mrs. Reed, who seems to despise the child. The Reed children are spoiled rotten, and the eldest son is somewhat of a sadist who abuses his young cousin terribly. Aunt Reed always finds a reason to blame Jane for the household's ills. When the boy takes his torture too far and Jane attempts to defend herself, her aunt has her locked in the room where her uncle died, terrifying the poor girl into hysteria. Unwilling to care for the girl any longer, Mrs. Reed packs her off to the harsh Lowood School, a miserable charitable institution which is more like a prison than a place of education. Lowood's despicable headmaster, Rev. Brockelhurst, does everything in his power to break Jane's spirit. At one point, when he asks Jane how to avoid going to hell, she defiantly responds, "I must stay well and not die." A particularly compassionate teacher recognizes Jane's intelligence and sensitivity and befriends the girl. When Jane graduates she stays to teach at Lowood until her mentor leaves to marry. Jane then decides it is time for a change, and applies for a position as a governess. She is offered a job at the distant Thornfield Manor. Mrs. Fairfax, Thornfield's housekeeper, welcomes her warmly and introduces her to the staff and to little girl who will be her pupil, the precocious Adele. She is not, however, introduced to all the household's inhabitants - especially not to one who inhabits the uppermost floor. Thornfield's owner, Mr. Rochester, (one of my favorite literary heroes), is away when our protagonist arrives, yet it is he who will have a most profound effect on her life - and she on his. If you have not read "Jane Eyre" yet, why wait any longer? If you have not reread it for a few years, now's the time! My highest recommendations!
JANA
a great classic, 24 Oct 2004
I have had this novel since i was about 13, and have read it so many times - i love it. I've always enjoyed the first part of the novel best, when she is victimised by her aunt and then the description of her time in the childrens home, because the description is so vivid and she is made so real as a character. The reader is on a journey with Jane, and we realise her faults at the same time she does, and we admire her courage and bravery throughout. I suppose it could be seen as unrealistic, certain parts more than others, but i think the characters are credable and this gives strength to the plot. Everyone should read this novel!
Bit on the dull side anyone?, 24 Jul 2003
Before you go into an explanation of why this book is so good ("universally appealing love story", a sucker punch from an equality-seeking proto-feminist, attacks on bigoted religion: all pertinent points), the fact is this book is....well, it's a bit boring. Charlotte Bronte drags out descriptions and conversations over pages when anything more than a couple of paragraphs would've been pushing it . And before you say it's typical of the style at the time, how become "Wuthering Heights" has much more intriguing occurrences and yet is considerably shorter? There's also the fact that Jane is blatantly Charlotte herself. All novels are broadly autobiographical yes; but in this case the author shamelessly uses this book to indulge in self-pity and wish fulfillment (i.e. the way people are all mean to her and the ridiculously brooding Mr. Rochester). Really, it's too much having to wade through the fifteenth whiny, detailed description of how St.John Rivers is a prat (only in a more dignified, sophisticated and lengthy style).
some objections about reviews, 21 Mar 2000
After having read all the previous reviews on Jane Eyre I have to make some objections.Why is it that some people complain about Charlotte using too many details?I have read a simplified edition and it didn't come near the unabridged.Details make the novel more realistic. Verissimilitude is always the purpose.And now how many of you found the end sad and unhappy? Sadness I felt when I finished it but it was only because I had loved the heroine so much that didn't like to exit her wonderful world. (Remember things could be worst for her!)Jane has in the end a mutilated happiness but it is a happiness.And at last I must object to those who said Jane is a heroine with low self esteem,boring and not very dynamic.Such a review gives me the idea of ignorance.Ignorance of the circumstances in Charlotte Bronte's world.Jane Eyre is too bold and too ahead from her age.She speaks her opinions boldly,has the courage to say to Mr Rochester she loves him but he is a blockhead and he never understood her,she despices him and St John and even stands with her back against the door to forbid him to exit without explanations.She is "a free human being with an independent will".And it is because she respects and values herself and she has self-esteem that she leaves Mr Rochester.Those of you who liked the book should also try to find out how much true it is in some points.My only objection to the novel is that it is a little melodramatic but the strenght of feelings is such that you don't really mind.Finally I propose to organise a fun club of Jane Eyre as the admirers are many.
Simply wonderful, 12 May 2008
Villette is a very accomplished book and a terrific novel whose heroin is as near perfect as any character will ever be.I do not mean by this that she is a perfect woman, far from it, but a very interesting one.Lucy Snowe, who is very nearly alone in the world, becomes a teacher in a Belgian boarding house.A very insignificant woman herself (physically speaking) she is a clever, passionate human being who finds it hard to accept that because she has no beauty , no money and no connections, society refuses to acknowledge her existence and thinks she should be content to grovel, discarded and forgotten. But Lucy has a soul, and what a big one it is; and an intellect, a very active intellect indeed and she will not submit. She knows she deserves love and kindness, a useful place in society, the right to communicate with her intellectual equals... and she is ready and determined to fight for it.Lucy's life is not a bed of roses and her struggles are more than arduous but so well worth reading.A timeless classic, a beautiful read, a treasure of a book... to be read times and times again...
Bronte's Best, 20 Nov 2007
This is by far superior to Jane Eyre in every way, despite the fact that Jane Eyre is a brilliant book in its own right. This is better. The character of Lucy Snowe is more subtle, more mature and more emotionally complex than Jane, who remains curiously adolescent in her emotions throughout Jane Eyre. Lucy is tempered by the experiences her life has given her, she is shaped by forces stronger than herself, and the suffering that she endures makes her a real, three dimensional woman of passion and feeling.
The story centres around our heroine, Lucy Snowe, and her journey to Belgium to teach in a boarding school. She meets an older man, a teacher at the school and so one of the most complex and tragic love stories of nineteenth century literature begins to unfold.
In its own way, Villette is as shocking as Wuthering Heights. Bronte seems to take liberties with the text because she is writing about a foreign country, and often a foreign religion (Catholicism) which give her greater licence in her work.
As with Emily, the supernatural elements, the episode with Vashti, and the drug like hauntings that Lucy undergoes, are key to unlocking passion and exploiting a device in which raw emotion is allowed to the forefront of what would otherwise be uptight Victorian sensibilities.
This book is one of my enduring favourites and it is just a shame that it is so overlooked. A must read.
If you thought Jane Eyre was good..., 05 Apr 2007
Then definitely read this!
I liked Jane Eyre very much, but it was Villette that really captured my imagination and heart. In my opinion (though I realise it is verging on this criminal to admit this) it is better than Jane Eyre - it certainly has more depth, the plot is far superior, and it's just... more enjoyable. I admit that JE has the irreplaceable Mr Rochester, but Villette has Mousieur Paul, a Rochesterian (?) character himself - idiosyncratic, harsh, domineering, austere, and yet simultaneously attractive. I preferrd him to Rochester as he, and his love for the protagonist Lucy Snowe, is more believable, and has more depth.
The only thing I would say is that unless your French is pretty good don't buy the Oxford edition - there is a lot of French dialogue, and OUP clearly didn't want to spend the money on paper and ink to translate it all - which I found extremely frustrating.
Overall - a fantastic book to curl up with and lose yourself in - it is one of my favourites!
An important and effective exploration of emotion., 11 Feb 2007
Villette is a fantasticly subtle exploration of human emotion.
The novel may seem slow to start, yet this careful pace and use
of backgrounding makes it difficult for the reader not to become
immersed in the relationships and consequent suppressed feelings of the
protagonist, Lucy Snowe. Villette can be enjoyed on various levels, it is,
at the very least, an exciting tale of relationships and un-fulfilled love.
On closer inspection the novel draws the reader into an exploration of character values and
a complex set of suppressed emotions, set in a vividly depicted and highly effective context.
An important read that also entertains. Highly reccomended.
Worthy but dull, 28 Oct 2006
Part of the attraction of this book for me is that Villette is Brussels, where I work, and the small largely Francophone kingdom of Labassecour (which still retains its impenetrable aboriginal dialect) is Belgium, where I live. There's not a lot of English-language fiction set in my adopted homeland. The only other bit that leaps to mind is the couple of glimpses in Heart of Darkness. So it was interesting to read the book and try and match description to location.
Having said all that, unfortunately Villette is not a very strong example of the sisters' genius. There are too many unlikely coincidences, and I was very uncomfortable with the way in which the narrator reacts to being emotionally abused by one of her acquaintances by falling in love with him. It was not at all clear to me why she did not end up with the nice doctor chap.
very good..but not brilliant, 02 Aug 2008
this book was quite a hard read for me because i kept waiting for some action...which never happened. I think it's because i quite like romantic stuff in books, and this doesn't really contain anything like that ...not that it is essential, i just found this very long and...sometimes a bit bland. There is a lot of french in it too which drove me to distraction as i had to keep going to the notes at the back of the book..eeewwwwwww!!! I hate that!!! personally this didn't set me aflame with wonder..but at the same time are there very nice touches in there, which would make me say read it....but don't spend your last pennies on it, because there are far better stuff by this author and her sisters
Good, but not outstanding in my opinion
Even better than Jane Eyre, 26 Mar 2008
An exceptional, superb work. One of the less well-known masterpieces of English literaure, it deserves to be far more widely read.
Heart's ease, 07 May 2007
I'm re-reading this novel and rediscovering all its delights and also its impressive structure. Now that I know the plot, I can appreciate the subtely with which it is woven, introducing hints that go under the radar upon first reading. Much like Alan Hollinghurst's 'Folding Star', this captures the awkwardness of foreign travel, seen through the lens of a protagonist arriving in Brussels (a much less glamorous location in the history of English literature than Paris or Rome). Lucy Snowe must make her way as a school teacher and observes life on the continent with a jaundiced eye. There are some longueurs but even these are interesting (musings on Catholicism, on the psychology of an oppressed mind, on cultural difference).
The main reason I treasure this novel is for the love story at its heart which has one of the most original and vivid male romantic interests I have ever encountered in literature.
Another lovely tale from Bronte, 24 Mar 2007
Another semi-autobiographical tale from Charlotte Bronte, based upon her time spent teaching in Belgium. This is not a novel of page turning excitement, but a lovely tale of one woman's battle to maintain her independence.
It's very interesting how the author brings characters in and out of her tale, and ties them all together in the end. Along with that, Bronte's gorgeous prose and all those large words that make you want to go running for the dictionary.
A lovely tale, one to savour like a fine red wine or chocolate, and an old classic worth rediscovering (or to discover for the first time). If you enjoyed Jane Eyre this is worth checking out.
A far more mature work than Jane Eyre, 14 Oct 2006
Villette has always suffered in comparison with Jane Eyre, and it's certainly a less romantic read - but all the better for that. Where Jane Eyre exists as a female fantasy, Villette gets to grips with the uncomfortable real world, where men don't miraculously fall in love with plain, earnest, clever girls and instead prefer the beautiful and dumb! From the painful depiction of unrequited love, to the ambiguous and open-to-interpretation ending, this is a more mature, assured and challenging novel than any other that Charlotte Bronte wrote.
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Customer Reviews
One of best books ever written, 10 Apr 2008
This is one of my favourite books and one I constantly re-read. I love all the characters, especially the way they are neither beautiful or perfect people. But the main reason I love this book is the character of Rochester and the way he loves Jane. He is definitely my favourite hero of all time. Jane Eyre, 30 Mar 2008
My mom recommended that I read this book because it is a classic romance and I love Pride and Prejudice and Emma which are the same genre. My mom was right.
Jane is a likable character because she is so brave and head strong and through out the whole second half of the book I was mentally screaming at her to go back to Mr Rochester. I mean, who cares that he is already married.
A bit frustrating how I didn't get what I wanted until the last few chapters and how she was actually thinking of marrying St John.
Recommend it highly.
Now all I need to do is to watch the film.
By Nicole, aged 15. the best love lines in history?, 07 Mar 2008
I've just read and re-read and re-read again this fabulous book after many years alongside the Wide Sargasso Sea for a book club I belong to.
Try out page 250 for some of the best love lines ever written - who couldn't love Rochester after his proposal, even if he plays games with Jane? I'd forgotten how humourous and fun some of the dialogue is between them - this is at heart a happy and hopeful book, and not half as gothic as Wuthering Heights. Jane's best words are the speech she says in her own head 'I care for myself...'.This is a female character who is unafraid to love passionately but maintains her integrity and keeps her faith and humanity intact by the end of the book. Ditch the cynic and let the words flow over you. My all time favourtie, 17 Feb 2008
This was the first "grown up" book that i ever read and i still re-read it now 13 years on. It is a tale that has everything you could want from a novel and truly is a classic. Unlike her sister emily, charlotte bronte does not bog down the story with too many words so this is more readable than the complicated (albeit brilliant) wuthering heights. I did not take to charlotte bronte's other novels but this one i would recommend to everyone. If you have not read this book then i feel you are missing out. not very good, 15 Feb 2008
After hearing all the talk about this book i was expecting something a bit more pleasing to the mind.
Jane seemed like a perfectly nice girl, but she has an annoying way of thinking that she is the one with all the brains in the book.
I did not like the way that charlotte bronte wrote the order of events that happened in the story.
All in all, very dissapointing. Absolute Classic, 07 Nov 2008
To put it quite simply: this novel is wonderful. The passion at its core, whether that be Jane's struggle against her Aunt or her turbulent love affair with Mr Rochester, is always thrilling and bears repeated reading well. While you may not always agree with Jane's actions/thoughts/reasoning from a modern point of view the novel exercises a sufficient pull on your powers of empathy to render this a very minor niggle. The novel is full of wonderful imagery and symbolism to make this a wonderfully rich text. This version contains some helpful notes on the text, an appendix of reviews that greeted the work on it's original publication and some 'mini-essays' by Stevie Davies which includes an interesting section on the politics of the novel.
All in all, a must buy. It's not original and I have no sympathy for Jane, 14 Oct 2008
Does anyone else just want to smack Jane in the gob and tell her to sort her life out and stop falling for entierly inappropriate men who have their insane ex-wives locked up in the attic?
It's a good book but I will always consider it to be a rip-off of "A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family" by Le Fanu - which went on to be expanded into the infinately superior "The Wyvern Mystery" a few years after "Jane Eyre" was published. All of that said - we can all relate to the first Mrs Rochester - we've all be cast aside by ex's in favour of someone else - though we've not all be locked up in the attic, we do know why she's so angry. Only four stars because it's not as good as Villette, 22 Nov 2007
This is a great book, bristling with anarchy, anger and rebellion. It is so unusual for a Victorian novel that even now, reading it all this time on, it still has the power to shock. Jane spends the entire book upsetting decorum, railing against her fate and succumbing to her desires. It's absolutely fascinating to see so many Victorian taboos being broken.
Someone mentioned that the book is long. The Victorian convention was for the triple decker novel, which is basically three modern sized novels in one. This is why there are almost no short Victorian novels, so if you're looking for snappy reads, try a different era.
I for one, think that this book is just about perfect. It is tautly written, suspenseful despite the length, and pacy. It is full of cliff hangers and drama, and you always want to know what happens next. The ghostly, supernatural element is done brilliantly, both with the episode at the beginning with Jane in the Red Room, and the episodes with Bertha Mason once Jane arrives at Thornfield Hall.
The basic plot is that Jane, an orphan child, is dumped on unwilling and unloving relatives who make her life a misery. She in turn makes their lives a misery, and is peremptorily packed off to boarding school where amidst great trials and tragedy she becomes a governess. Her first job takes her to Thornfield Hall where she meets the wonderfully brooding anti-hero, Rochester. They fall in love, and things go horribly wrong from thereon in.
I must have read this book at least half a dozen times, and it never ceases to be a pleasure. There is always something new to find. For students, I recommend reading it alongside Gilbert and Gubar's seminal critical work, The Mad Woman in the Attic. It is a revelation. I also recommend reading it alongside Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea, which was published in the 1950's and deals with the back story for Bertha Mason. It adds such depth to the work I guarantee you will need to read it again afterwards. My Favorite Novel, 11 Nov 2007
Jane Eyre is a beautiful novel, wrote in the style of an autobiography which allows the reader to gain an intense interest in Jane's thoughts and feelings. The novel is about a orphaned young girl who endures cruelty and heartache at the hands of her aunt and cousins, and her desire for freedom and independance. I don't want to give too much away, but Jane takes a position as governess at thornfield hall, where she finds love with her employer Rochester. However all is not what it seems... leading Jane to question her morality.
A beautifully written novel, which I found unable to put down, and found myself thinking about even whilst not actually reading the book. Truly Magical Wonderful. More realistic than Austen and (whispered) probably better, 04 Jul 2007
I loved this book, with its beautiful language that entangles you in a thicket of heart ache and socially inappropriate attraction. I strongly recommend this excellent edition which contains wonderful "extras" such as an introduction etc, though if you'd rather the book and nothing but the book I suggest you get the Penguin Red Classics edition ISBN: 9780141028163.
A wonderful introduction to literature, 12 May 2008
I first read 'Jane Eyre', years and years ago, when I was ten. I loved it right from the start and have read it many times since, both as a teenager and as an adult.I can never tire of this book, I can never cease to be touched by Jane's desire to belong and to feel loved. I still find it extremely relevant today in the emotions so masterfully described by the author. Who has never felt an outsider? Who has never longed to be understood? Who has never wished their exterior aspect reflected better the beauty of their soul? Who has never suffered from feeling insignificant?
Charlotte Brontë has an incredible capacity for bringing life into every single character of her book. Everyone is extraordinarily portrayed in all their human frailties. No single person can leave you indifferent, from the mean aunt Reed to the hypocrite Brocklehurst, from the cruel, vain Miss Ingram to the religious fervour and ambition of St John Rivers, from the tortured Mr Rochester to Jane herself... all her creations leap from the page and seem more real than life itself.
A book to be cherished! A Beloved Classic & Remarkable Literary Work, 01 Mar 2006
Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" has been one of my favorite novels since I first read it in high school. It is one of those special books which can be read and savored over and over, and seems to improve with each reading. The tale is narrated by Miss Eyre, herself, inviting a special and intimate relationship with the reader. It is through Jane that we meet and grow to care about, or hate, so many of the memorable characters one becomes acquainted with on these pages. And it is through her narrative, first as a little girl, then as a young woman, that Jane's complex persona is revealed. From an early age her morality, wit, determination, sheer grit and romanticism are evident. Published in 1847, the novel, at first glance, appears to be another well written gothic romance, of the kind so popular in the Victorian Age, with its mystery, horror, brooding hero, touch of the melodramatic, and dark castle-like setting. The rise of poor orphaned Jane, who against all odds, redeems her tormented hero through her steadfast love, is really not unique at all. Charlotte Bronte did not, however, write a mere romance, no matter how riveting the read. Throughout, the author makes some serious statements about women's equality, the treatment of children, and of women forced into a dependent state during the Victorian epoch, religious hypocrisy, romantic relationships between men and women, the nature of true love, and the development of self. This is a beautifully written work of fiction which combines a riveting storyline, compelling characters, vivid descriptions along with a powerful testimony about the period in which the book was written. Young Jane, orphaned at an early age, is grudgingly taken-in by her Aunt, Mrs. Reed, who seems to despise the child. The Reed children are spoiled rotten, and the eldest son is somewhat of a sadist who abuses his young cousin terribly. Aunt Reed always finds a reason to blame Jane for the household's ills. When the boy takes his torture too far and Jane attempts to defend herself, her aunt has her locked in the room where her uncle died, terrifying the poor girl into hysteria. Unwilling to care for the girl any longer, Mrs. Reed packs her off to the harsh Lowood School, a miserable charitable institution which is more like a prison than a place of education. Lowood's despicable headmaster, Rev. Brockelhurst, does everything in his power to break Jane's spirit. At one point, when he asks Jane how to avoid going to hell, she defiantly responds, "I must stay well and not die." A particularly compassionate teacher recognizes Jane's intelligence and sensitivity and befriends the girl. When Jane graduates she stays to teach at Lowood until her mentor leaves to marry. Jane then decides it is time for a change, and applies for a position as a governess. She is offered a job at the distant Thornfield Manor. Mrs. Fairfax, Thornfield's housekeeper, welcomes her warmly and introduces her to the staff and to little girl who will be her pupil, the precocious Adele. She is not, however, introduced to all the household's inhabitants - especially not to one who inhabits the uppermost floor. Thornfield's owner, Mr. Rochester, (one of my favorite literary heroes), is away when our protagonist arrives, yet it is he who will have a most profound effect on her life - and she on his. If you have not read "Jane Eyre" yet, why wait any longer? If you have not reread it for a few years, now's the time! My highest recommendations!
JANA
a great classic, 24 Oct 2004
I have had this novel since i was about 13, and have read it so many times - i love it. I've always enjoyed the first part of the novel best, when she is victimised by her aunt and then the description of her time in the childrens home, because the description is so vivid and she is made so real as a character. The reader is on a journey with Jane, and we realise her faults at the same time she does, and we admire her courage and bravery throughout. I suppose it could be seen as unrealistic, certain parts more than others, but i think the characters are credable and this gives strength to the plot. Everyone should read this novel!
Bit on the dull side anyone?, 24 Jul 2003
Before you go into an explanation of why this book is so good ("universally appealing love story", a sucker punch from an equality-seeking proto-feminist, attacks on bigoted religion: all pertinent points), the fact is this book is....well, it's a bit boring. Charlotte Bronte drags out descriptions and conversations over pages when anything more than a couple of paragraphs would've been pushing it . And before you say it's typical of the style at the time, how become "Wuthering Heights" has much more intriguing occurrences and yet is considerably shorter? There's also the fact that Jane is blatantly Charlotte herself. All novels are broadly autobiographical yes; but in this case the author shamelessly uses this book to indulge in self-pity and wish fulfillment (i.e. the way people are all mean to her and the ridiculously brooding Mr. Rochester). Really, it's too much having to wade through the fifteenth whiny, detailed description of how St.John Rivers is a prat (only in a more dignified, sophisticated and lengthy style).
some objections about reviews, 21 Mar 2000
After having read all the previous reviews on Jane Eyre I have to make some objections.Why is it that some people complain about Charlotte using too many details?I have read a simplified edition and it didn't come near the unabridged.Details make the novel more realistic. Verissimilitude is always the purpose.And now how many of you found the end sad and unhappy? Sadness I felt when I finished it but it was only because I had loved the heroine so much that didn't like to exit her wonderful world. (Remember things could be worst for her!)Jane has in the end a mutilated happiness but it is a happiness.And at last I must object to those who said Jane is a heroine with low self esteem,boring and not very dynamic.Such a review gives me the idea of ignorance.Ignorance of the circumstances in Charlotte Bronte's world.Jane Eyre is too bold and too ahead from her age.She speaks her opinions boldly,has the courage to say to Mr Rochester she loves him but he is a blockhead and he never understood her,she despices him and St John and even stands with her back against the door to forbid him to exit without explanations.She is "a free human being with an independent will".And it is because she respects and values herself and she has self-esteem that she leaves Mr Rochester.Those of you who liked the book should also try to find out how much true it is in some points.My only objection to the novel is that it is a little melodramatic but the strenght of feelings is such that you don't really mind.Finally I propose to organise a fun club of Jane Eyre as the admirers are many.
Simply wonderful, 12 May 2008
Villette is a very accomplished book and a terrific novel whose heroin is as near perfect as any character will ever be.I do not mean by this that she is a perfect woman, far from it, but a very interesting one.Lucy Snowe, who is very nearly alone in the world, becomes a teacher in a Belgian boarding house.A very insignificant woman herself (physically speaking) she is a clever, passionate human being who finds it hard to accept that because she has no beauty , no money and no connections, society refuses to acknowledge her existence and thinks she should be content to grovel, discarded and forgotten. But Lucy has a soul, and what a big one it is; and an intellect, a very active intellect indeed and she will not submit. She knows she deserves love and kindness, a useful place in society, the right to communicate with her intellectual equals... and she is ready and determined to fight for it.Lucy's life is not a bed of roses and her struggles are more than arduous but so well worth reading.A timeless classic, a beautiful read, a treasure of a book... to be read times and times again...
Bronte's Best, 20 Nov 2007
This is by far superior to Jane Eyre in every way, despite the fact that Jane Eyre is a brilliant book in its own right. This is better. The character of Lucy Snowe is more subtle, more mature and more emotionally complex than Jane, who remains curiously adolescent in her emotions throughout Jane Eyre. Lucy is tempered by the experiences her life has given her, she is shaped by forces stronger than herself, and the suffering that she endures makes her a real, three dimensional woman of passion and feeling.
The story centres around our heroine, Lucy Snowe, and her journey to Belgium to teach in a boarding school. She meets an older man, a teacher at the school and so one of the most complex and tragic love stories of nineteenth century literature begins to unfold.
In its own way, Villette is as shocking as Wuthering Heights. Bronte seems to take liberties with the text because she is writing about a foreign country, and often a foreign religion (Catholicism) which give her greater licence in her work.
As with Emily, the supernatural elements, the episode with Vashti, and the drug like hauntings that Lucy undergoes, are key to unlocking passion and exploiting a device in which raw emotion is allowed to the forefront of what would otherwise be uptight Victorian sensibilities.
This book is one of my enduring favourites and it is just a shame that it is so overlooked. A must read.
If you thought Jane Eyre was good..., 05 Apr 2007
Then definitely read this!
I liked Jane Eyre very much, but it was Villette that really captured my imagination and heart. In my opinion (though I realise it is verging on this criminal to admit this) it is better than Jane Eyre - it certainly has more depth, the plot is far superior, and it's just... more enjoyable. I admit that JE has the irreplaceable Mr Rochester, but Villette has Mousieur Paul, a Rochesterian (?) character himself - idiosyncratic, harsh, domineering, austere, and yet simultaneously attractive. I preferrd him to Rochester as he, and his love for the protagonist Lucy Snowe, is more believable, and has more depth.
The only thing I would say is that unless your French is pretty good don't buy the Oxford edition - there is a lot of French dialogue, and OUP clearly didn't want to spend the money on paper and ink to translate it all - which I found extremely frustrating.
Overall - a fantastic book to curl up with and lose yourself in - it is one of my favourites!
An important and effective exploration of emotion., 11 Feb 2007
Villette is a fantasticly subtle exploration of human emotion.
The novel may seem slow to start, yet this careful pace and use
of backgrounding makes it difficult for the reader not to become
immersed in the relationships and consequent suppressed feelings of the
protagonist, Lucy Snowe. Villette can be enjoyed on various levels, it is,
at the very least, an exciting tale of relationships and un-fulfilled love.
On closer inspection the novel draws the reader into an exploration of character values and
a complex set of suppressed emotions, set in a vividly depicted and highly effective context.
An important read that also entertains. Highly reccomended.
Worthy but dull, 28 Oct 2006
Part of the attraction of this book for me is that Villette is Brussels, where I work, and the small largely Francophone kingdom of Labassecour (which still retains its impenetrable aboriginal dialect) is Belgium, where I live. There's not a lot of English-language fiction set in my adopted homeland. The only other bit that leaps to mind is the couple of glimpses in Heart of Darkness. So it was interesting to read the book and try and match description to location.
Having said all that, unfortunately Villette is not a very strong example of the sisters' genius. There are too many unlikely coincidences, and I was very uncomfortable with the way in which the narrator reacts to being emotionally abused by one of her acquaintances by falling in love with him. It was not at all clear to me why she did not end up with the nice doctor chap.
very good..but not brilliant, 02 Aug 2008
this book was quite a hard read for me because i kept waiting for some action...which never happened. I think it's because i quite like romantic stuff in books, and this doesn't really contain anything like that ...not that it is essential, i just found this very long and...sometimes a bit bland. There is a lot of french in it too which drove me to distraction as i had to keep going to the notes at the back of the book..eeewwwwwww!!! I hate that!!! personally this didn't set me aflame with wonder..but at the same time are there very nice touches in there, which would make me say read it....but don't spend your last pennies on it, because there are far better stuff by this author and her sisters
Good, but not outstanding in my opinion
Even better than Jane Eyre, 26 Mar 2008
An exceptional, superb work. One of the less well-known masterpieces of English literaure, it deserves to be far more widely read.
Heart's ease, 07 May 2007
I'm re-reading this novel and rediscovering all its delights and also its impressive structure. Now that I know the plot, I can appreciate the subtely with which it is woven, introducing hints that go under the radar upon first reading. Much like Alan Hollinghurst's 'Folding Star', this captures the awkwardness of foreign travel, seen through the lens of a protagonist arriving in Brussels (a much less glamorous location in the history of English literature than Paris or Rome). Lucy Snowe must make her way as a school teacher and observes life on the continent with a jaundiced eye. There are some longueurs but even these are interesting (musings on Catholicism, on the psychology of an oppressed mind, on cultural difference).
The main reason I treasure this novel is for the love story at its heart which has one of the most original and vivid male romantic interests I have ever encountered in literature.
Another lovely tale from Bronte, 24 Mar 2007
Another semi-autobiographical tale from Charlotte Bronte, based upon her time spent teaching in Belgium. This is not a novel of page turning excitement, but a lovely tale of one woman's battle to maintain her independence.
It's very interesting how the author brings characters in and out of her tale, and ties them all together in the end. Along with that, Bronte's gorgeous prose and all those large words that make you want to go running for the dictionary.
A lovely tale, one to savour like a fine red wine or chocolate, and an old classic worth rediscovering (or to discover for the first time). If you enjoyed Jane Eyre this is worth checking out.
A far more mature work than Jane Eyre, 14 Oct 2006
Villette has always suffered in comparison with Jane Eyre, and it's certainly a less romantic read - but all the better for that. Where Jane Eyre exists as a female fantasy, Villette gets to grips with the uncomfortable real world, where men don't miraculously fall in love with plain, earnest, clever girls and instead prefer the beautiful and dumb! From the painful depiction of unrequited love, to the ambiguous and open-to-interpretation ending, this is a more mature, assured and challenging novel than any other that Charlotte Bronte wrote.
Absolutely my favourite of all the classics i have read., 22 Apr 2008
I watch this every time it is screened on tv too - probably dozens of times over the years - always enjoyable. Helps if `the jane` is just a little bit pretty, but of course she never is - that would be slightly defeating the object....
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Jane Eyre (Fine Edition)
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Customer Reviews
One of best books ever written, 10 Apr 2008
This is one of my favourite books and one I constantly re-read. I love all the characters, especially the way they are neither beautiful or perfect people. But the main reason I love this book is the character of Rochester and the way he loves Jane. He is definitely my favourite hero of all time.
Jane Eyre, 30 Mar 2008
My mom recommended that I read this book because it is a classic romance and I love Pride and Prejudice and Emma which are the same genre. My mom was right.
Jane is a likable character because she is so brave and head strong and through out the whole second half of the book I was mentally screaming at her to go back to Mr Rochester. I mean, who cares that he is already married.
A bit frustrating how I didn't get what I wanted until the last few chapters and how she was actually thinking of marrying St John.
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