Rating: 
Summary: Jane Eyre
Review:
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre/ author: Charlotte Bronte/ Publisher: Modern Library
A girl named Jane Eyre had wonderful and wealthy parents that loved her very much. Not long after she was born her parents died of typhus by caring for the poor. Growing up and being raised in Gateshead by her aunt was not easy. This orphan girl never got loved from her aunt "Mrs. Reed" or her cousins "Eliza, Georgina", and her bullying cousin "John." She was like any other child, trying to survive in this world. For the Reed's being an orphan is not good enough. Jane was treated like she was not part of the family and was living a life of negligence and abuse. "I am glad you are no relation of mine. I will never call you aunt again as long as I live. I will never come to visit you when I am growing up; and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the thought of you makes me sick..." Every moment that passed by with every inch of every word that came from Jane's mouth we can see that she had hatred inside of her knowing that it did not develop alone.
After a visit from the family apothecary, he suggests Mrs. Reed to send Jane to a school where maybe she may find happiness. Mrs. Reed decided to send Jane to Lowood for free, to an orphan school where she was treated harshly and overworked. Growing up in this school made her stronger. Six years later she became a teacher in the same school where she was treated crudely and her best friend died. Then she decided to move out to a new city, Thornfield. There a new journey and life will begin but....What is waiting for her? Is it worse than what she has been through? What can she really expect? Can she support more cruelty? The answers lies ahead in the book called Jane Eyre by the author Charlotte Bronte.
Rating: 
Summary: By Far, The Best
Review: "Jane Eyre" has been my favorite book for years! Charlotte Bronte did an excellent job of exploring human nature and the depth of a person's character. The story follows a young woman who sets out to find her place in the world with the education she has received. Jane goes through some interesting and hard experiences that teach her forgiveness, understanding, and help her discover the inner strength she possesses and become a godly woman. Portraying a Christian woman's struggles who faces the realities of a hard life, and deals with what is given her, is encouraging to me. No other book has touched me the way this book has. Read it... it's more than worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: hardship and romance
Review: A governess falls in love with her employer in this passionate and romantic tour de force from the pen of Charlotte Bronte. Jane Austen fans, this one's for you, check dis out!David Rehak
author of "Love and Madness"
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Wonderful
Review: A true classic. In this not so typical love story, the heroine, Jane Eyre is unlike any other. As opposed to the archetypal heroine, Jane is simple in both demeanor and appearance. She is a modest young woman who has been raised with much turmoil and tragedy, but despite this is able to deeply care for others. A deep and mysterious romance develops between Jane and Mr. Rochester, the man whom employs her as a governess. But will it last? Will a mystifying secret destroy their relationship and leave Jane with another emotional scar? This book is quite the page-turner, you will not be able to put it down for the anticipation of what comes next. Bronte evokes strong, intimate emotions within the reader that give hope and motivation to love in life to the fullest. The character of Jane proves that any one can be a heroine, no matter what your physical appearance or character, that any woman is capable of being loved and of vast romance. A must-read-feel-good-book.
Rating:
Summary: read it over and over
Review: brave jane, my favorite of the first person heroines. not a beauty - thank god, isnt that a relief! - but plain and puny and with an indomitable spirit. she chooses morality, in a line which i cant forget: "and there i plant my foot." For rules are not made for when times are easy, or to be discarded when they are inconvenient, but are there as a lifesaver for when emotions and life are in disarray.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: Charlotte Bronte did a wonderful job of creating a strong female character, the strongest I've read, with a good heart and unbreakable morals. Jane is smart and witty, and her dialogue makes for a very enjoyable read. The language, however tricky it may be, is wonderful and wraps around you, taking you back to 1800. The romance between Jane and her master Mr. Rochester is a classic, and Jane's story is one that all should be a part of.
Rating:
Summary: Romantic classic!
Review: Charlotte Bronte takes a plain Jane, and makes her one of the most memorable characters from the likes of Bronte sisters. This novel starts at a boarding school, as we learn of Jane's painful childhood, grows into an exciting love story as governness Jane falls for Mr Rochester, (whose daughter she tutors), and after a lot of twists, drama, separation and engrossing trains of events Jane finds home, love and happiness. I have had read the abridged version at age of 11, and loved it then. Over the years, I have repeatedly reread the novel. Like all classics, everytime I read it, it offers an array of previously unfelt emotions and of course remains as enchanting as ever. To say very least, it is like your favorite soap opera that you watched while growing up, has characters and events you nearly can never forget, and due to its ageless charm, you revisit those times and emotions through all the reruns and remakes. Maybe the weight of my years of association makes this novel unforgettable for me, but trust me, read it and you will definitely feel the romance, the pain, the emotion, the passion: and maybe like me, return to read it again!
Rating:
Summary: Simply Gorgeous
Review: I don't especially know why I picked "Jane Eyre" off my shelves recently. It had been sitting there since I read it when I was younger and whilst perusing said shelves for something to amuse myself with, I came across it. I thank the Lord that I did because it's been the best read I've had since "Girl With a Pearl Earring". The plot: compelling and captivating. The narrative: descriptive, philosophical, flawless. The charaters: both believable and lovable. I was so engrossed I found myself getting angry when plans went awry and on the verge of tears when they went right. I recommend that you DO NOT read this while you are young, as a previous reviwer suggested... I did so the first time around and in no way shape or form was able to appreciate its subtleties and sheer elegance to a thousandth of the degree I do now. It IS romance; but even if that's "not your bag", you'll enjoy the pure power of Ms. Bronte's work. READ THIS BOOK: you won't regret it. Definately in my top 5 of all time.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece For The Ages - Superb!!
Review: I first read "Jane Eyre" in eighth grade and have read it every few years since. It is one of my favorite novels, and so much more than a gothic romance to me, although that's how I probably would have defined it at age 13. I have always been struck, haunted in a way, by the characters - Jane and Mr. Rochester. They take on new depth every time I meet them...and their's is a love story for the ages.
Charlotte Bronte's first published novel, and her most noted work, is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story. Jane is plain, poor, alone and unprotected, but due to her fierce independence and strong will she grows and is able to defy society's expectations of her. This is definitely feminist literature, published in 1847, way before the beginning of any feminist movement. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the novel has had such a wide following since it first came on the market. It is also one of the first gothic romances published and defines the genre.
Jane Eyre, who is our narrator, was born into a poor family. Her parents died when she was a small child and the little girl was sent to live with her Uncle and Aunt Reed at Gateshead. Jane's Uncle truly cared for her and showed his affection openly, but Mrs. Reed seemed to hate the orphan, and neglected her while she pampered and spoiled her own children. This unfair treatment emphasized Jane's status as an unwanted outsider. She was often punished harshly. On one occasion her nasty cousin Jack picked a fight with her. Jane tried to defend herself and was locked in the terrifying "Red Room" as a result. Jane's Uncle Reed had died in this room a little while before, and Mrs. Reed knew how frightened she was of the chamber. Since Jane is the narrator, the reader is given a first-hand impression of the child's feelings, her heightened emotional state at being imprisoned. Indeed, she seems almost like an hysterical child, filled with terror and rage. She repeatedly calls her condition in life "unjust" and is filled with bitterness. Looking into the mirror Jane sees a distorted image of herself. She views her reflection and sees a "strange little figure," or "tiny phantom." Jane has not learned yet to subordinate her passions to her reason. Her passions still erupt unchecked. Her isolation in the Red Room is a presentiment of her later isolation from almost every society and community. This powerful, beautifully written scene never fails to move me.
Mrs. Reed decided to send Jane away to the Lowood School, a poor institution run by Mr. Brocklehurst, who believed that suffering made grand people. All the children there were neglected, except to receive harsh punishment when any mistake was made. At Lowood, Jane met Helen Burns, a young woman a little older than Jane, who guided her with vision, light and love for the rest of her life. Jane's need for love was so great. It really becomes obvious in this first friendship. Helen later died from fever, in Jane's arms. Her illness and death could have been avoided if more attention had been paid to the youths. Jane stayed at Lowood for ten years, eight as a student and two as a teacher. Tired and depressed by her surroundings, Jane applied for the position of governess and found employment at Thornfield. The mansion is owned by a gentleman named Edward Fairfax Rochester. Her job there was to teach his ward, an adorable little French girl, Adele. Over a long period the moody, inscrutable Rochester confides in Jane and she in him. The two form an unlikely friendship and eventually fall in love. Again, Jane's need for love comes to the fore, as does her passionate nature. She blooms. A dark, gothic figure, Rochester also has a heart filled with the hope of true love and future happiness with Jane. Ironically, he has brought all his misery, past and future, on himself.
All is not as it seems at Thornfield. There is a strange, ominous woman servant, Grace Poole, who lives and works in an attic room. She keeps to herself and is rarely seen. From the first, however, Jane has sensed bizarre happenings at night, when everyone is asleep .There are wild cries along with violent attempts on Rochester's life by a seemingly unknown person. Jane wonders why no one investigates Mrs. Poole. Then a strange man visits Thornfield and mysteriously disappears with Mr. Rochester. Late that night Jane is asked to sit with the man while the lord of the house seeks a doctor's help. The man has been seriously wounded and is weak from loss of blood. He leaves by coach, in a sorry state, first thing in the morning. Jane's questions are not answered directly. This visit will have dire consequences on all involved. An explosive secret revealed will destroy all the joyful plans that Jane and Rochester have made. Jane, once more will face poverty and isolation.
Charlotte Bronte's heroine Jane Eyre, may not have been graced with beauty or money, but she had a spirit of fire and was filled with integrity and a sense of independence - character traits that never waned in spite of all the oppression she encountered in life. Ms. Bronte brings to the fore in "Jane Eyre" such issues as: the relations between men and women in the mid-19 century, women's equality, the treatment of children and of women, religious faith and hypocrisy (and the difference between the two), the realization of selfhood, and the nature of love and passion. This is a powerhouse of a novel filled with romance, mystery and passions. It is at once startlingly fresh and a portrait of the times. Ms. Bronte will make your heart beat faster, your pulse race and your eyes fill with tears. The Best!!
JANA
Rating:
Summary: Author
Review: I thought I was seeing things, so I enlarged the picture of the cover: does it *really* say Jane Eyre, by Emily Bronte? I know that it's the thrift edition, but was it necessary to be so thrifty that they credited the wrong sister? Maybe I wouldn't have been so "up in arms" if this weren't my favourite novel of all time... I still remember reading it for the first time... wondering about the mystery and fear surrounding Grace Poole (don't worry: I've given nothing away). Ms *Charlotte* Bronte has written a romantic, mysterious, heartbreaking page-tuner of a novel, and everytime I get to the last page, I'm bereft. Read it, at any cost... (By the way, if you want to read a *real* Emily Bronte novel, then it's probably Wuthering Heights you'd be after)
|
