Jane Eyre review

The Basics

Book Title: Jane Eyre

Author: Charlotte Brontë

Pages: 466

ISBN: my copy didn't have an ISBN or copyright date

Genre: Classics, Romance

Defining Quotes

"It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquillity: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it." - p. 108

"And was Mr. Rochester now ugly in my eyes? No, reader: gratitude, and many associations, all pleasurable and genial, made his face the object I best liked to see; his presence in a room was more cheering than the brightest fire." - p. 147

"Every good, true, vigorous feeling I have, gathers impulsively round him. I know I must conceal my sentiments: I must smother hope; I must remember that he cannot care much for me. For when I say that I am of his kind, I do not mean that I have his force to influence, and his speed to attract: I mean only that I have certain tastes and feelings in common with him. I must, then, repeat continually that we are for ever sundered:-and yet, while I breathe and think I must love him." - p. 177

"Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education: they grow there, firm as weeds among stones." - p. 349

Summary

We follow the life of a simple girl named Jane Eyre, raised by her aunt who despises her, as she grows up into a young woman. Most of the story takes place with her journey of accepting the role of governess at Thornfield Hall. 

Thoughts

I will preface this by saying I knew the plot of the story before I even read it. My mom introduced me to Jane Eyre years ago with the BBC Masterpiece adaptation made in 2006. I instantly fell in love with the story and the movie, which ended with me owning my own copy of the movie and watching it at LEAST 100 times since. So, I knew I would love the book going in. I mainly wondered if the movie did a good job of adapting the book to visual form or if the book was even better than the movie. 

Surprisingly, there were not very many differences between the movie and the book. There were a few characters cut out and some minute changes made, but I would say the movie is true to the book 95% of the time. I usually have a harder time getting through classics because of the writing style is so different from what it is nowadays. With Charlotte Brontë, I didn't have that problem at all. (I would like to note here that this is her first work that I've read.) It was easy to read and follow, keeping me engaged throughout. 

There is a certain part in the story that I was somewhat hesitant to read because in the movie, I sometimes like to fast forward through it since it doesn't have much to do with Jane and Mr. Rochester interacting (I won't say any more for spoiler reasons). I was pleasantly surprised by the book in how I was still engaged during this section. For some reason, I feel like the movie didn't adapt one of the characters well, which is a critical part of the character. The book, however, details the character perfectly and does a great job of balancing what this character is going through compared to Jane's struggles. 

If you haven't read the book, I highly recommend reading the book. I would especially recommend it to those who are wanting to read more classics, but don't know where to start. If you haven't seen the 2006 movie version by BBC, but have read the book, I also highly recommend watching it. It does a great job of portraying the book and I feel it even makes a couple of changes from the book that make the story even better. 

Pros vs. Cons

• Pros
• Great love story - pulls at all your heartstrings
• Easy to read and stay engaged
• Characters are well drawn out and relatable
• Cons
• Some say the extra emphasis on God and religion is a little too much for them. I thought it was appropriate for the character based on her background.

Overall Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐