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Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre
Audiobook (abridged)2 hours

Jane Eyre

Written by Charlotte Bronte

Narrated by Yadira Sanchez

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

()

About this audiobook

Una historia de amor accidentada. Las tres hermanas Bronte, Jane, Charlotte y Emmy publicaron en forma casi simultanea, a mediados del siglo XIX tres novelas, que ya son clasicas dentro de la literatura ingles. Quiza la mas popular ha sido "Jane Eyre" de Charlotte, por su gran dramatismo y su sensacional desarrollo. Esa historia de la institutriz enamorada de un hombre casado con una mujer loca, y sus desarrollos, ha cautivado el corazon de los lectores que han sido fieles a una de las obras que es considerada como fundamental dentro de la novelística inglesa de ese siglo. Yadira Sanchez hace una lectura apasionada de esta novela maestra.
LanguageEspañol
PublisherYOYO USA
Release dateJan 1, 2001
ISBN9781611552720
Author

Charlotte Bronte

Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855) was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sister authors. Her novels are considered masterpieces of English literature – the most famous of which is Jane Eyre.

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Reviews for Jane Eyre

Rating: 4.424418604651163 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Este audiolibro es una versión condensada de la novela. Sin embargo conserva lo emocionante, misterioso y apasionante de la obra de Brontë. Muy recomendable.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    When Jane Eyre’s parents die unexpectedly when she is only an infant, she’s benevolently taken in by her maternal uncle to live amongst his small but wealthy family. But when said uncle dies as well, it’s left up to her aunt to raise the girl, whom she despises and treats rather cruelly. After one particularly difficult incident between Jane and her aunt, the woman decides to place Jane in a stringent and horrific school for orphan girls, where Jane initially wilts and suffers but somehow rallies and becomes an instructor there after many years of residence. When Jane finally decides to move on, she finds employment as a governess at Thornfield Hall, the manor house of Mr. Rochester, and begins life anew. Mr. Rochester, aside from being rather homely looking, is an eccentric with calumnious mood swings that initially shock Jane, but soon she learns to find harmony and pleasure in his company. As her time with Mr. Rochester grows, Jane begins to feel the first stirrings of romantic love, which is new and strange to her, as she has been somewhat sheltered from this particular emotion all her life. But it seems Mr. Rochester has another woman at the center of his designs, and though there’s no doubt he feels strongly for Jane, the future between them is uncertain. Through joys, sorrows, surprises and mystery, Jane and Rochester find themselves at last together. Just when it seems that all is well and their story will draw to a close, a strange and disastrous complication arises and leaves Jane fleeing her once secure home and the light of her life. As Jane now finds herself at the mercy of strangers, she becomes involved in a rather strange predicament with a man named St. John Rivers. Will Jane and Rochester ever find their way together after the horrible discovery that has separated them so painfully, or will Jane move forward into a very different and alien life, forgoing the only love she has ever known to become only a survivor in a landscape of loss? In this classic and remarkable piece of literature, Charlotte Bronte creates two of the most beloved and wondrous characters in all of literature and forms around them a Gothic Victorian narrative of remarkable imagination and triumph.Initially I had been hoping to read A Tale of Two Cities for my February classic choice, but when I saw that the wonderful Marie over at Boston Bibliophile was hosting a Jane Eyre read-along for February and that the new movie version was slated for release in March, I changed my plans and made it my choice for this month. Sorry Charles! I have to say that although my expectations of this book were really rather high, I found that they were totally surpassed in every way by the actual realities of this book. I’ve read classics in the past that just left me sort of tepid, but this book excelled in every area in which I could have thought to place it.Jane in herself was a rather extraordinary heroine. Though ill-used and harshly judged for most of her life, she doesn’t revert into periods of self pity and self loathing. Rather the opposite, in fact. She becomes self-sufficient, observant and independent. I got a little angry with the fact that everyone called her ugly and plain all the time, and took offense to it mightily. Jane was so much more than her outside wrapper suggested and it was only the strange and passionate Mr. Rochester that ever took the time to notice that. The realities of her life were harsh and unpleasant, but instead of bowing down and succumbing, Jane learned to blossom under her own care and confidence. She was constantly questioning, seeking and learning, and the more her personality began to flourish, the more admiring I became of her. Jane had a persistence and strength in her character that I very much admired. No matter what the fates threw at her, she was remarkably placid and yielding towards it. From her time as an orphan up until the final sections of the book, she was constantly searching for a home in which to shelter her heart, and it seemed none was to be found. As she makes her way through her solitary world, she never loses her high morality, and more than once this causes her to sacrifice the ease and happiness that she would obtain by leaving it behind. Though she’s not a traditionally stringent religious woman, she has her eye set on the Christian ideals of life and often spends time praying and considering God. At times she could be a little inflexible and prudish, especially when it came to how she dealt with Rochester and his proposed plans, but overall, I found her to be a rather complex and spirited person with a unshakable moral compass.Rochester was another animal indeed. At first cold and aloof, he seems to manifest his passion on Jane quite suddenly, and is rather inflamed by it. An inflamed Rochester is sometimes a scary thing, and more than once I wondered if Jane was getting in over her head. In parts of the book I didn’t like his all-consuming passion, but underneath it all I felt he was indeed right in being so passionate in his feelings for her. I think the disconnect came in the way he expressed himself. He could at times seem overwhelmingly controlling and demanding. I wavered between feeling that he was too pushy and self centered, and feeling that he was protective and loving in just the right degree. But Jane’s reluctance to submit to his will when events took an unexpected turn made me a little scared because his passion bordered on the violent at times. Do I think he would have been violent towards Jane? No. But his speech at these times made me think him a little overwrought by passions he couldn’t quell. I also didn’t like that he was deceptive towards Jane more than once in the story, and these deceptions revolved around his suiting his own ends. When Jane flees him, I felt a curious feeling of relief and sadness, because while I think she definitely did the right thing, I knew no man would ever love her the way he did and was unsure if they would ever be together again. I’m happy to say that towards the end, Mr. Rochester does indeed become less agitated in his passion, which made me a lot more comfortable with him as a whole. He was a great character and I felt torn about my perceptions of him for most of the book. I wanted to fully embrace him the whole way through, but like Jane, I had reservations that kept me from doing that.Though this book is ostensibly a love story, it also spends much time on the life Jane lives before meeting Rochester. It goes into great detail about her life at the hands of her abusive aunt and her period at the orphans’ school. Though these parts were what led to the major crux of the story between Rochester and Jane, they were also fully engaging and did a lot to flesh out Jane’s character and the adversity she faced. While I enjoyed the time that delved into the relationship between Jane and Rochester, I felt these other sections really honed in on who Jane was as a person and how her character was formed.There was also a section given over to Jane’s life after leaving Rochester, and here was another example of a life that was stringent and without real love and affection, only tolerance. These sections were no less passionate, only in a different scope and degree. In the majority of these sections we see Jane as being downtrodden and excluded, as well as living under harsh privations. What’s interesting about these two sections is that her light still shines just as brightly, but what that light reflects is a sinister quality of life that has trapped her in its barbs. I admired her greatly as she fought through it all and felt that if there was some degree of justice, she would one day break free, which I was pleased to discover that she did.I have to admit this book was a pleasure to read for a lot of reasons. Not only was the story filled with unexpected twists and turns, it was accessible to modern readers and had a great level of tension and suspense running through the narrative. I may have cried a little while I was reading the story of Jane and her life, and it’s unusual for me to cry over the books I read. If you haven’t given this book a chance, I must say that you’re missing out on a brilliant story and a character that seems so far beyond her times that it’s genuinely surprising. It was a wonderful read all around and I admired it greatly.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Yes, I admit it. I neglected to read Jane Eyre up until now. I think my reluctance stemmed from my lack of enjoyment of Wuthering Heights. (I intend to re-read WH to see if I still feel that way). Can I make the assumption that most have read Jane Eyre or know of Jane Eyre and I don't need to go into a detailed summary? The book's detail leaves me a wee bit intimidated to write a summary. I fear that I might ramble also. So, if I'm going to ramble, I'd much rather do it about my reaction to the literature. (Which means there are probably spoilers!)First, I cannot help but say, even though Jane and I have very differing religious beliefs, she is definitely someone I would want to know in real life. I love the mixture of vulnerability and defensiveness. ("Human beings must love something, and in the dearth of worthier objects of affection, I contrived to find pleasure in loving and cherishing a faded graven image, shabby as a miniature scarecrow").She openly requires/desires love and yet does not overtly compromise her self to get this love. Her relationship with the harsh Mrs. Reed is a great example of this. (Later in the text, I view Jane as someone who doesn't compromise herself as a general rule even if it raises assumptions about herself to society or those around her). I found that Jane had quite a feminist voice for that time period which impressed me. I loved her overall powerful stance even though it never came across belligerent. "Who blames me? Many no doubt; and I shall be called discontented. I could not help it: the restlessness was in my nature; it agitated me to some pain already. [...] It is in vain to say human beings out to be satisfied with tranquility: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it. [...] Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is too narrowminded in their more privileged fellow creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playng on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex."I wonder if Jane would have burned bras in the 60's or if alive during the 90's become a part of the riot grrl punk movement. A part of me felt like she was somewhere between Marge Simpson, Rosanne Barr, a bit of Sound of Music added in. Too much? Perhaps...It was interesting to me that Mr. Rochester felt that Jane and him were fated and that the gender roles switched - Mr. Rochester being the over-dramatic romantic while Jane maintained sound and logical over their relationship. It also pleased me that the love story occurred in the middle of the book and was not the end result.Oh and the spookiness of the "ghost" in the house. I have to admit, I read a criticism somewhere and disappointed myself in finding out who the ghost was before I read it. I also spent a good portion of the novel wondering who Jane would marry since I saw in the end "yes, I married him". I loved that Mr. Rochester and Mr. St. John were each other's foil. Whereas Mr. Rochester was not attractive, St. John was. Rochester symbolized for me a more secular side of life; St. John, obviously, the very devout godly man. Of course, I had no patience for St. John. And I'm surprised that Jane did. Oooh, I kept biting my nails wondering which one Jane married (keep in mind, at this point I only knew that she had married someone). I do know that many of the critical essays on Jane Eyre generally deal with the religious aspect. I get this, truly. But because I did not spend any time actually looking into the arguments, my view is rather general and thus limited. Upon the ending when Jane chose to be find Mr. Rochester rather than marry St. John, I did not see it as Jane snubbing or losing her faith. Rather, I saw her faith lead her to her fate. I never felt a duality in Jane and her religion. I saw that she weaved herself rather seamlessly in both the secular and religious worlds. My only complaint about Jane Eyre is the culminating events that allowed for Mr. Rochester and Jane to reconcile. Really? A fire? An altruistic rescue? A dilapidated and blinded Mr. Rochester? And then, a blind man who can now see? A wee bit too dramatic for me and over the top. It was the only time I truly lost my suspension of disbelief. Did anyone else feel this way?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I read this in high school and didn't care for it. I read it again last March and loved it. Besides the love story, there is so much here: how to be a woman in a world ruled by men, what constitutes true power, the danger (and the attraction) of religious fanaticism. I loved this book!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I'm sure I don't have anything to add that hasn't been said already about this book, so I'll just add my opinion. This is one of the greatest books ever written. Even with the lengthy St. John Rivers part (admittedly tedious.) I've read it every year since I was about 13, and it improves with time. To this day, I'm astonished to find people who HAVEN'T read it, since it was such an important part of my life. The 8 people who rated this 1/2 star completely blow my mind. Who ARE you people?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love Jane's character. She's one of my all time favorite 'heroines'.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is one of my lifetime favorites. I have read and reread it starting when I was in junior high and again in college and since. The story is of Jane's suffering, first under Mrs. Reed who treats her poorly and then at Lowood the boarding school she is sent to. Jane develops a strong character and excels in her studies. This novel as all the aspects of the traditional bildungsroman and that is one of the reasons I enjoyed reading it. Jane eventually takes position as governess and it is at this point that the novel develops into a romance for she finds a job working for Mr. Rochester teaching a young French girl named Adele at Thornfield. As she teaches there a while, she falls in love with Mr. Rochester, and he falls in love with her. Needless to say there are several more changes in her life before the novel ends, but it never grows old as Bronte's tale seems to inhabit my being more closely than most others.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of my favorite books, a great subject for study of adaptation to film. I have at least 7 film versions - and a script of my own to place it in a modern setting!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book had its moments, but was way too long! (Could've been better)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have finished this book, hooray! I really did enjoy the book, although I can't say it was the most exciting book. I truly fell in love with the story, especially the ending, which I had been curious about since I read The Eyre Affair, which actually I am glad I read first. It was a wonderful story about a resilient and strong woman.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Like many of the classics, this book was a long and difficult read, but ultimately satisfying.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Jane Eyre is the story of an orphan girl and the difficult life choices she must face. It centers around an intriguing love affair with her master, Mr. Rochester. The pace of the book is perfect; just when you begin to settle into the story, it takes an unexpected turn. These sudden twists continue to the very end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I read this book almost two years ago but its still fresh in my mind. I picked it up after I read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and found it as fascinating or may be even more that Wuthering Heights. I loved the subtle romance of Jane and Rochester and the overall plot. plan to read other books by the author.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed Jane Eyre it was a really interesting book that showed the life of orphan Jane Eyre thru her different times in her life, but the story really starts when she gets a job as a governess at in a household owned by Mr. Rochester there as their love for each other unravels Jane is intrigued by the strange noises coming from the attack where Mr. Rochester keeps a secret. Jane Eyre unravels the mystery and secrets. it is really a great piece of lititcure that has been enjoyed for centenaries
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Shows classism and chauvinism. Jane's idea of being "good" is somewhat stifling. The writing is sometimes verbose. Nevertheless, it is a gripping novel, amazingly feminist and intensely thought provoking. Worth rereading as an adult.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I generally don't re-read books - there are too many books and too short a lifetime to bother re-reading any but the best books. However, I just finished reading Jane Eyre for the fourth or fifth time.This is a stunningly timeless book. The emotions Jane experiences are so real, and so well-portrayed, that my heart breaks every time I read it. I cried during the sad parts, even after reading the book several times. Despite the chasm of years and culture that separates me from Jane, clearly some things about love and human nature never change.It's especially fun reading this after reading Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    With Pride and Prejudice, one of the two greatest romance novels of all time. By turns dark and redeeming, this story took my breath away.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Last Sunday I spent the entire afternoon curled up with a book - something I used to do all the time but which now seems incredibly luxurious. The book in this case was an old friend: Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, which I was re-reading for the third or fourth time. I can't help loving Jane Eyre, mostly because I love Jane herself: so earnest, yet such an effective tease and sometime smartass, with her impressive self-control and occasional bursts of audacious temper. I think Brontë struck a very unique balance with Jane: she doesn't, especially in retrospect, take herself overly seriously, but she doesn't discount the validity of her experiences, either. Her sardonic, sensible tendency to poke fun at her past self is tempered by a real core of self-respect and self-esteem, in the true sense of believing that her selfhood has value. It's not a combination you see a lot in heroines from Victorian novels, and it makes her seem quite real to me. I like her for arguing, at the age of ten, that surely we should strike back at those who oppress us, and only love those who love us in return (not the standard turn-the-other-cheek doctrine). And I like her for her increasing subtlety and realistic-seeming struggles with issues of faith and spirituality as she gets older. So often the sympathetic female characters in nineteenth-century novels are not allowed any doubt, of either morality or religion, because they are supposed to be unalterable, self-sacrificing moral compasses leading the corruptible men back to salvation while turning the other cheek and never raising their voices. Not that Jane Eyre is without this theme. But it's definitely a lot more complicated than, say, Amelia's character in Vanity Fair, or Biddy in Great Expectations, or any of the women of Bleak House.I have to say, though, that the xenophobia and racism in the book really got to me during this reading in a way it hasn't before. All that stuff about French people being innately superficial and shallow compared to the staunchly disciplined English? The progression of stereotyped mistresses kept by Rochester, in which the flighty Parisian is followed by the immoral Italian and the slow-witted German? And how we're supposed to overlook Rochester's imprisonment of Bertha because, well, her mother was a Creole, and you know how prone to sin and madness those tropical brown people are? The scene where Rochester is describing how the hot tropical air is closing in on him, and he thinks about killing himself but then a sweet, pure breeze comes in "from Europe" and realizes that he "isn't really married" and should just go back to Europe and start looking for another woman? The phrase "the pure breeze from Europe" is repeated in different configurations about three or four times, just in case we hadn't picked up on the idea that the atmosphere and peoples of the East are polluted and we should stick to good old English salt of the earth, which will purify us and save us from descending into madness ourselves.At the same time, it's interesting that Jane feels such a yen to explore the world outside the hills that bound her station, and that she is very conscious and admiring of objects that come from far-away lands (the Turkish carpet, the imported china, etc.). And she is especially thrilled at the idea of traveling after her marriage to Rochester. So it's an intriguing, and perhaps realistic, contradiction. It's good to want to visit other places, as long as you don't get too involved (e.g., marrying a foreigner) or start to absorb some of the "vices" of foreign lands or lose the "virtues" of your English upbringing.None of these points are new (Wide Sargasso Sea, anyone?), but for whatever reason, they intruded more on my reading than they ever have before. It was a strange mental space for me, because somehow, even though I find him very disturbing when I think about his actions logically, I can't help championing Rochester's cause emotionally. "Oh, you locked up your wife in a windowless room for years on end and never told me about it? And you intentionally misled me into thinking you were about to marry another woman, in order to make me feel jealous and inferior? That's so endearing, honey! You must really love me." It seems like Jane's reaction ought to be more along the lines of "It's good I found out about this violent tendency in my fiancé before we actually tied the knot," than her true one of "I am heartbroken I can't marry this man; inconveniently, he has a previous wife locked in the attic." Yet, for some reason, when I'm actually in the midst of reading the book, I can't help agreeing with Jane, and hoping for the ending that actually takes place. Maybe because all the people of Jane Eyre dwell in the velvet-tapestried no-man's-land of Gothic mystery, and it's so much fun to visit them there that it becomes easy to forget my logical reactions. Undoubtedly I will continue to pay them many visits there in the years to come - which will be beneficial, as long as I remember by upright American principles, and am not corrupted by their licentious moorland ways.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I remember buying this book from the Scholastic/TAB book orders at school in sixth grade. It was that very cover and edition. I do not remember why I picked it, why I spent my allowance on it. I don't remember having heard of it before then. But I remember well this particular book, laying across my bed reading it, staying up late, carrying it around with me. I read that particular copy several times during my teens (somehow it was never ruined for me by being required in a class). I'm not sure exactly why I gave it away -- there was a point in my early 20s when I felt driven to divest myself of all the books I'd loved in my early teens -- but now I have it in a nicely bound omnibus.

    How does an eleven year old approach this novel of feminine independence, moral dilemmas, romance and pain? It was just a story to me then. But, that early introduction gave me time to grow my appreciation for it over several years. I've read it -- and about it -- many times now. I need not discussion the story itself -- with movies, parodies, and a million cultural references under our collective elbows, it's hardly important -- but the ideas in it implanted themselves in my head and have had influence subtle and not so subtle ever since.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I really enjoyed this - I'd thought I'd read it before but I realised that I hadn't. Though I had an idea of the story from TV and other books (I've read Wide Sargasso Sea in the last year).I especially liked the beginning and the time spent at boarding school.I also liked the way Jane's relationship with Mr. Rochester developed - I was really glad that she didn't end up with St. John Rivers.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    If you have avoided the classics thinking they were boring, unimportant, lifeless, uninteresting slogs that have nothing to say to you, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre is a book that just may change your mind and encourage you to explore other 19th century novels, as well. It’s got it all---mystery, suspense, romance, passion and so startlingly modern that you may find it hard to believe that it was written over 150 years ago. A literary achievement at the time of its publication, there’s good reason that it has endured over the ensuing years. It’s a terrific story, written in luscious prose that appeals to a broad spectrum.If you haven’t read it yet, or if you read it many years ago in high school, do pick it up and give it a go now. What a treat. Written in the first person, Jane tells the story of her remarkable life starting with her life, as an orphan, living at her vile Aunt Reed’s with her obnoxious cousins. She knows, by the age of ten that she is very poor indeed, and must rely on others, and is a realist from an early age. She describes poverty in this way:“Poverty looks grim to poor people; still more so to children: they think of the word only as connected with ragged clothes, scanty food, fireless grates, rude manners, and debasing vices; poverty for me was synonymous with degradation.” (Page 31)It is at this early age that Jane hones her fiercely independent mind-set and determinedly decides that she will overcome poverty. She leaves her aunt’s house to attend a pitiful boarding school (patterned after one that Bronte attended herself) where the drudgery of life takes further hold on her. At her first breakfast there:“Ravenous, and now very faint, I devoured a spoonful or two of my portion without thinking of its taste; but the first edge of hunger blunted, I perceived I had got in hand a nauseous mess. Burned porridge is almost as bad as rotten potatoes; famine itself sickens over it. The spoons were moved slowly. I saw each girl taste her food and try to swallow it, but in most cases the effort was soon relinquished. Breakfast was over and none had breakfasted. Thanks being returned for what we had not got, and the second hymn chanted, the refectory was evacuated for the schoolroom.” (Page 56)After eight years as student and then teacher, she moves on to her first job as a governess for a ward of Mr. Rochester at Thornfield Hall and here she falls in love with her master. And here the story really takes off, with mystery and suspense center stage.Bronte is credited with Jane being one of the original feminists in literature because of her fierce independence and her uncanny ability to pull herself up by her bootstraps and do things that women at that time just didn’t, or couldn’t do. It is generally accepted that she was speaking up for oppressed women of every age.Jane Eyre is a book for the ages, influential but, more importantly, an accessible novel, appealingly written, that has drawn praise from men and women alike through the years. If you’re among the few who have not read it yet, what are you waiting for? It’s a crackerjack of a story, told in radiant prose. Very highly recommended.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Wonderful as ever. What I particularly like about re-reading old favourites is the way that you find something new in them every time. This time it was the significance of the moon in the novel, especially as a forerunner of change.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This classic was the first that I read of it's kind. It has left a lasting impression on me. Loved it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved this book. From the start Jane and her troubles held my attention. I was rooting for her the whole time hoping she would succeed in school as well as life. The romance that turns up by mid book was wonderful and I couldn't put the book down until I knew if Jane and Mr. Rochester would get together or not. Jane Eyre is a book about a strong woman who knows what she wants out of life and love. I definitely want to buy a copy so I can read it again and again.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of the greatest novels I have ever read. I was just expecting a sort of Gothic romance, but this is so much more. There may be some spoilers in what follows, but I will try to stick to general, thematic terms rather than disclosing specific plot points.Jane Eyre is, above all, a novel about the unity, versus the duality, of mind and body, reason and emotion---or, as Brontë puts it, "judgment and feeling"---particularly as this applies to the Christian religion. Christianity is, of course, dedicated to dualism, but Brontë, though paying lip-service to religion, rejects this, depicting its evil in many of its manifestations. Some of the devout Christian characters she paints as blatant hypocrites, but even those whom Jane respects or even admires, when it comes right down to it, she does not emulate. Jane seeks happiness in this life, here on earth, while even the "good" Christians are doomed to seek it only in the next.The basic story idea brilliantly demonstrates Brontë's theme: Jane is given the choice of a loveless marriage, or unmarried love. The latter situation may seem a bit contrived to the modern reader, and indeed it seems as though Brontë herself feels this on some level, as the passionate appeal of Jane's lover is much more convincing than her reason for refusing him---that the laws forbidding both divorce and adultery must be in place for *some* reason. (That may be generally true, but they clearly don't apply in this case, or make an exception for it.) Even when she is finally able to follow both her heart and her mind, it is only after these Christian principles have resulted in the horrible crippling of her beloved, which damns those principles all the more.In short, Jane Eyre is a book about a woman's struggle to stay true to her whole self---heart and mind---against Christianity's attacks on both fronts. I don't think it was Brontë's conscious intention to write a novel condemning Christianity for sundering our hearts from our minds, but only what she viewed as corrupt interpretations of it---yet that is what she did, and it is brilliant. Both her heart and her mind were clearly much more dedicated to this life than the next, as Jane Eyre powerfully demonstrates. This is a novel way ahead of its time, in many, many ways.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I read this one before, but I understood and appreciated it more this time around. I decided to pick it up again after reading Jasper Ffojde's The Eyre Affair to fill in the missing pieces.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A little over long for me, but still a great read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A wonderful book! There were many parts that I loved and I related to certain parts of the book. I did not like the religious content of the book and it became too much near the end. It seemed too distant from the main storyline. Some parts were slow but I'm glad I finally read this classic. I loved the character of Jane!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the first time that I read in english. The story is very romantic. I like the ending of this book. Their real love make me thinking more. Loving each other is very easy, but live on each other for whole life is very difficult. You also can learn more things from this book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Used for the Open University course AA316 'The 19th C novel'. This 'bibliography' is as appealing now as it was then - Jane's youthful rebellion, her courage, the constant struggle against opposing forces and the final, peaceful, outcome, have all made the novel's success. Many themes can become apparent to the discerning reader: postcolonial, marxist, gender-related... The novel has many layers of understanding, as the more we read it, the more we perceive some important background information, because many mysteries get solved in the book: Jane Eyre's origin, the 'madwoman in the attic' s role in Rochester's life, or Jane's family link to the Rivers, for example. As ever, this is a classic novel that should *already* be in your library. If not, then do get a copy! :-)