Cover via Goodreads.
Rating: 5/5 stars.
What a great classic. There are many things that I love about Jane Eyre, but you can find most of them in other reviews, so I’ll state a couple that propelled me toward a five-star rating.
Here’s a quote from Lady Gaga I adore: “Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you’re wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn’t love you anymore.” In the novel Jane Eyre, Jane has to fight for her independence from the beginning. Later in the story she is forced to make difficult decisions regarding whether to sacrifice autonomy for the sake of marriage, or to remain self-governing and essentially give up love. I could relate to this conflict and its resolution, though on a smaller scale.
The romance was amazing, of course. Despite the fact that Jane Eyre was published over 100 years ago, the dialogue between Jane and Mr. Rochester seemed incredibly modern. Their witty conversations had me laughing out loud, while their passionate inter-courses pushed me to the edge of my seat. Quite the intellectual romance indeed.
If you’re looking for something sophisticated or romantic, I would recommend Jane Eyre. It took me a while to get through but I don’t regret a second I spent reading it.
the quiet voice 
Another good choice Thomas. Have you read the Bronte’s yet?
Thanks, Ruth. The only other book I’ve read by the Bronte’s is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.
I love this book so much!
I love it too! 🙂
I recommend Villette by Charlotte. Fantastic book 🙂
It has been added to my Goodreads to-read list, thank you for the recommendation! I’m looking forward to reading another book by Charlotte Bronte.
Acch! I hate Jane Eyre. When I was little my mom made me watch at least two different movie versions of it and I couldn’t stand either of them! I think the book is a little better because you can see Jane’s thoughts, so, whereas in the movie she’s just a blank slate, a doormat, in the book you can see that at least she thinks for herself.
My problem, I think, is that I would never make the same decision. My autonomy is the last thing I’ll ever give up. Especially where there is already a power-differential (because he was her boss.) She’s basically submitting to this guy that treated her like crap, doesn’t sound so romantic to me.
But it was a different time, and it’s such a personal decision…
I see what you mean, but in my opinion Jane didn’t give up her independence at all – I don’t want to state why I think this because it would reveal parts of the plot, but by the end of the novel I feel like she’s not submitting at all. Quite the contrary in fact.
And yep, that’s a problem with movies based off of books. Some books contain a lot of information regarding the characters’ thoughts, and thus a movie format cannot convey what the character is thinking efficiently.
Thanks for reading and commenting! 🙂
yay! If you ever get around to watching Jane Eyre adaptations, I like 2006 BBC the best because Rochester really matches =___= The ones with William Hurt and Ciaran Hinds are just bizarre. XD
I’m probably going to watch adaptations as part of an English course in college or something, and if not I’ll keep your suggestion in mind when I watch them in my free time. Thanks!