Book Review: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Rating: 5 stars of 5
I must say, I read Wuthering Heights before I read Jane Eyre and I absolutely hated it (WH, I mean). The characters were all despicable and I didn’t find the writing style appealing in the slightest.
Then I watched an especially terrible screen adaptation of Jane Eyre that made me wonder how anyone in the world could possibly like this story.
For these reasons, Jane Eyre actually sat on my shelf for quite a while before I finally gave in and read it.
It is my mother-in-law's favorite classic, however, so I figured it must at least have some redeeming qualities and I eventually acquiesced and picked it up.
It took me less than a week to read and having now finished it, I can say that I am glad I did. I actually thoroughly enjoyed it and found myself wanting to complete my day’s work with efficiency so I could get back to the story each afternoon. I was quite surprised to find that it is a book that I would like to read again (what a happy surprise!) and it now sits up in my top ten favorite novels list! I am already thinking about which Brontë book I would like to try next.
Charlotte's writing is so beautifully descriptive and engaging and her world-building so engrossing that you can picture every element of the story so vividly. She transports you to the 1800s and her characters come alive on the page.
I found myself thinking the first few chapters about Jane's childhood reminded me of the first few chapters of Dickens' David Copperfield (a personal favorite). I could not help but like Jane, just as I could not help but like David. Rochester has his (many) issues, of course, but is also a well written, well developed, complex character and the story itself is a good one. I would definitely recommend Jane Eyre for someone who wants to get lost in a good book for a while!
There are a couple of words / ideas that have not "aged well" present in the book, and there is a significant age difference between the male and female leads that might be disturbing for some. Trigger warnings would include narcissism and spiritual abuse.
I did find a much better screen adaptation than the first one I saw should you wish to watch an enjoyable one. The 2006 BBC miniseries version with Ruth Wilson playing Jane and Toby Stephens as Edward Rochester is my favorite and is fairly true to the book.