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    Jane Eyre
    Jane Eyre
    Jane Eyre
    Audiobook18 hours

    Jane Eyre

    Written by Charlotte Bronte

    Narrated by Flo Gibson

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Jane Eyre is the story of a small, plain-faced, intelligent, and passionate English orphan. Jane is abused by her aunt and cousin and then attends a harsh charity school. Through it all she remains strong and determinedly refuses to allow a cruel world to crush her independence or her strength of will. A masterful story of a woman's quest for freedom and love. Jane Eyre is partly autobiographical, and Charlotte Bronte filled it with social criticism and sinister Gothic elements. A must read for anyone wishing to celebrate the indomitable strength of will or encourage it in their growing children.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateFeb 27, 2008
    ISBN9781440796609
    Author

    Charlotte Bronte

    Charlotte Brontë, born in 1816, was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters, and one of the nineteenth century's greatest novelists. She is the author of Villette, The Professor, several collections of poetry, and Jane Eyre, one of English literature's most beloved classics. She died in 1855.

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    Reviews for Jane Eyre

    4.5/5

    287 ratings276 reviews

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    • 2/5
      all about sticking to your gut. good memo for today
    • 5/5
      I think what makes this book so unique for me is the character of Jane herself. She is strong and independent, but always a lady. She has a solidness about her that appeals not only to Rochester, but the reader herself. She has an unwavering moral compass that is neither self-righteous nor judgmental, but is suited to manage the world about her which is often hurtful. She is a plain speaker as well, not exactly fitting into the description of a lady of the times, but fitting into a description of honesty and reliability. When Rochester crosses verbal swords with Jane, she does not back down. She knows what's right, and she will answer thus--but only if asked. She does not judge people, but also won't allow them to judge her without a fight. She unwaveringly follows her own course, even when it means incredible hardship to her person. She refuses the easy route, but always tries to choose what is best for all. When she decides not to marry her cousin, she does so, knowing that he and his sisters will be disappointed, but also knowing that she must choose marriage for love, not comfort.How could one not admire such a character? Jane stands as an example for all strong women who muct reach within themselves for courage to stand up for what is right, and to live a life of grace within the hardships of life itself.
    • 4/5
      I loved this book when I was a teenager. Jane's ability to keep her independance, spirit and principles in the face of the trials life throws at her is inspirational, and the book overflows with a love of passionate life.It is interesting to come back to as an adult though. Rochester/Jane seen with a greater sense of perspective is a very strange relationship. The age-gap, the power imbalence, the utterly messed-up way his courtship of her mostly involves pretending he is going to marry someone else... Their love is remarkable, but it's not really very _nice_.This time I also found myself intregued by the attitudes to marriage and religion. The constant theme, from both Rochester and St John, that they must marry Jane so that they have her secure forever is very claustrophobic. And I think the book shows an unusual attitude to religion - on one hand it is faith in God and morality that Jane uses as a reason to run from Mr Rochester, but at the same time she rejects what many would have seen as the 'God sent' calling from St John. Combined with the supernatural intervention at the point where Jane and Rochester pray for help, this picture of a God who prioritises the fulfilment of romantic love over dutiful work as a missionary is not one commonly found.
    • 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! :-)
    • 5/5
      One of the best 19th century novels ever written. A basic class-struggle romance with an unusual twist of mystery and secrecy create a passionate, enthralling story that is impossible to put down.
    • 5/5
      Jane is a young orphan with no relations who is sent off to boarding school at the age of 10. As a young woman she becomes a governess to Mr. Rochester's French niece. They fall in love with each other, but as they are about to be married, Jane discovers he is hiding a dark secret from his past.I was introduced to this book when I received a copy for my 11th birthday. It has become my most read book, dog-eared and tear-stained. I will pass it on to my grand-daughter in another year with hopes she will also treasure it.
    • 5/5
      Jane Eyre tell the story of a young woman in mid 19th century England, however, any girl/woman who has ever felt out of place and alone can relate to Jane. Yes, it is a story of love, but also a story of a strong female character who, despite all, stays true to herself and her beliefs. She suffers for them, but in the end it all works out (which probably is why it makes it endearing)...so if you've ever felt out of place, "not normal", but wanting to love someone, to feel love returned, then this book is for you.
    • 4/5
      Jane Eyre is orphaned young, sent away to school by her aunt, gains employment as a governess, and falls in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester. Yet many obstacles lie in the path of their happiness ... It’s interesting reading books set in a different time and place, and seeing the sorts of dilemmas faced by characters in that era – unfamiliar in some ways, and yet universal in others. I’m not sure that I always agree with Jane’s thoughts and actions, but I enjoyed the way in which her character, her thought processes, and the dilemmas she faced were portrayed. And I couldn’t help but admire her strength of character and determination; and her gentle yet unyielding nature.
    • 4/5
      The only thing I knew about this book before reading it was that a madwoman was involved. It turned out to be a very enjoyable story of the life of a young woman in England. The insane person is only a minor part of the book.
    • 5/5
      By far one of the best books I've ever read! Jane Eyre, a girl of no importance and the daughter of an unapproved match, lives a troubled life for her first ten years under her aunt’s roof. Her parents died when she was a baby and she was left as Aunt Reed’s charge with no other living relatives that she knew of. When her aunt can no longer stand Jane any more, she sends her to a boarding school where the rules are strict and the headmaster is every bit the tyrant Aunt Reed was. But Jane conquers, becomes a teacher, and then wishes to become a private tutor. After her ad is received and her application accepted, Jane finds herself in the home of a mysterious and strange man, Mr. Rochester, who has put his ward, Adele, under Jane’s tutelage. But then Jane finds herself falling deeply in love with Mr. Rochester, who she could not imagine would love her in return. This, and the strange happenings in Thornfield Hall, give Jane cause to doubt her future. And when Mr. Rochester’s dark secret reveals itself, Jane must question her love and discover what she must do with her life before she can find the happiness she never had. ____________________________________ This is one of those “Can words describe?” books. And while I feel there aren’t very many words that do an adequate job, I will try my best. Can you believe that I haven’t read this book yet? I can’t. For years, people have been telling me, ”Sierra, you have to read this book.” ”Sierra, this is one of the best books I’ve ever read.” ”Oh my GOSH! You haven’t read Jane Eyre?!” ”What are you waiting for, you, the reader, of all people?” So here I am, having read (devoured) the long awaited book that has been loved, cried and giggled over by hordes. And I’m here to tell you people who have not yet read this book – “What. In the world. Are. You. Waiting for?!” (I know…I’m one to talk…but now I know how everyone else feels! haha!) Throughout the course of the book, I got choked up. But there was too much ahead to slow down, stop, and actually cry. However…when I got to the last chapter, I lost it. Tears came and the two-year-old little boy I was babysitting put down his yogurt and stared at me, head cocked to the side, probably completely confused as to why I was smiling and crying at the same time. After all the heartache and sadness, and even the little bits of joy in between, the happiness of the end just overwhelmed me. It was just too beautiful to not feel that way – there was so much emotion in my heart that I felt it would almost burst. Jane is a character I look up to – I want to be like her. Her decisiveness, her courage, her resolution, her faith…it amazed me, and amazes me still, even after the book has been set back on the shelf. She knew what she had to do and she did it – no matter the cost. And the way she loved everyone so unconditionally – especially Mr. Rochester – continually surprised me. Her kind heart, her gentle but firm manner, and her intense love… Wow. I also loved her close study of human nature and how she described and saw people – why she was intrigued by them. Mr. Rochester himself is quite a character. Going into this story, I was NOT expecting him to be the least like he was – physically ugly and mentally independent. He was strange, but yet so perfect for the story. In all my travels through literature, I’ve never met a character like him, and I doubt I ever will again. That character will always be embodied by Mr. Rochester alone. I easily fell for him as Jane did; her love for him was pure; she never once judged him for his faults; she loved him all the more for them. The reader cannot help but feeling the same. I loved seeing his pride break down, slowly but surely, and the way he described the experience after. It was just amazing. As far as the story line and the writing… Both were equally magnificent. The story captured me from the first, especially when I expected the novel to begin when she was older. But I loved every bit of it – every second was glorious, and painful and lovely. I cared for Jane so much that it didn’t matter what she was doing – I wanted to read about her. And Mr. Rochester and St. John and Adele and everyone else. The writing was incredible, down to the very last word. I loved how she wrote most of the time in past tense, and then sometimes slipped smoothly into present tense, showing the reader exactly what it felt like, to be doing instead of remembering. I’m actually not a huge fan of present tense, but this was so perfect I just couldn’t resist liking it. Favorite character: Mr. Rochester because of his originality…and how much I loved his character within the first few pages of his introduction. Favorite aspect: DUH! The love story, of course! Totally intriguing the way it was played out, the intensity of Mr. Rochester’s secret hanging over it part of the time, the rest being Jane’s own doubts about Mr. Rochester’s nature or her sadness over him being engaged to a woman who would not and could not love him – and who he had no passion for either. Oh my gosh this story had me in its clutches and didn’t let me go!!! There are no single words to describe this book. Magnificent and heart-pounding and gut-wrenching are about the best I can do. They are true – as true as true can be – but there is something about the book that can only be felt and understood by reading it yourself. It’s not anything that can be described – it’s an experience. One that I can’t wait to relive again and again and again!!
    • 5/5
      Superb - Dedicated to W.M. Thackeray, Esq. by the Author - First Edition? Illustration of Charlotte Bronte by unknown author
    • 5/5
      Susan Ericksen was an excellent narrator. I loved listening to her read! I first read Jane Eyre three years ago and it was so good to revisit this wonderful book.
    • 4/5
      One of the better Victorian novels I have read, this is carefully constructed, thoughtfully written, and spaces its key events nicely so the plot doesn't sag. I thought the section where the 'gypsy' turns up stretched credibility a tad, but otherwise a nice read with a satisfying ending.
    • 5/5
      Jane Eyre--a governess who is "disconnected, poor, and plain" wins the love of her employer, Edward Rochester. Unfortunately for her, it's not as simple as that, what with class barriers, crazy people stuck in attics, and a relentless cousin bound for India who needs a wife......but that makes it gripping! Do yourself a favor and read it when you have time to read it pretty much in one sitting.--Catherine
    • 3/5
      I did not like this book. It was stale; lacked any interesting imagery, poetic language, intriguing characters, etc. The "romance" between Jane and Rochester was boring, devoid of romance or even any distinguishable affection; Rochester was a domineering asshole and Jane's reunion with her cousins was Deus ex Machina.How is this continually rated one of the best novels of all time? For me, this couldn't have ended fast enough.
    • 5/5
      A novel from another era. I do so love the civility and manners from that time that, too often, are lacking in our own.
    • 4/5
      Wonderful book!. I read this classic some time ago with an online book group. To me there is no greater or tragic love story.
    • 5/5
      Jane Eyre is my new favorite book. It was incredible. As incredible, if not more, than the movie adaptations. My sister had read this book and loved it, and then we watched the movie. I fell in love with the movie, and decided I'd better read the book. I'm so glad I did. The wrting is intricate and beautiful, and expresses completley the feelings of Jane, and how she feels about Mr. Rochester. The love story was so precious and endearing. Jane's world almost shattered when she found out the truth about Rochester's past. But even that could not shake her love for him. She just knew things had to change. How powerful that love must be! This is an absolutely beautiful classic, a book to be re-read continually
    • 5/5
      I LOVED every single word of this book. I can't believe that it took me until the age of 53 to read it.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to LOVE LOVE LOVE this book, and for parts of it, I did. However, there were other parts that really made me consciously aware of how many more pages were left in the book and how much MORE I had left to go - never a good sign.

      I actually really liked the beginning portions when she was younger and had unrefined spunk. I enjoyed the section about her time at school (surprise - I work in education, so that's not really a stretch there). Then, bring on the lunacy - I only wish there had been more of that - I was intrigued, it made the house more interesting. However, not nearly enough time was spent on what could have had a few more scenes...

      Most of the time, I really liked Jane ~ wanted to get some of that spunk back when it came to Miss Ingram, but apparently, she had grown up too much.

      The men in this story annoyed me - they didn't seem very strong at all. Mr. R was better, but still moped around, pining, and her cousin? Really? Just weird. Who wants to marry their cousin only to have a wife to look good? Go Jane - it was one of her better moves.

      Anyhow, I have read it. I didn't need to read it in high school or in college, so this was a first. Eh. Only so-so.
    • 5/5
      For me, the best classic ever. I read it when I was 14 years old and I reread it some months ago and it overcome my expectatives.
    • 5/5
      One of my all-time favorites!!
    • 4/5
      Because of my reservations, I found that this book was surprisingly enjoyable! The emotion conveyed within its pages is truly wonderful, and I found myself being moved by the story within the pages. I loved that Mr. Rochester and Jane both have their faults, are considered kind of ugly or plain, and how their characters evolved over time.Historical context is something I struggled to keep in mind though. I was frustrated with Jane’s quest for independence because her moving from Mr. Rochester’s house to living with the River’s family didn’t really feel like independence to me. But then I realized that I was projecting my twenty-first century expectations on a woman living in the nineteenth century, and my frustrations with her were (mostly) dissipated.
    • 5/5
      It isn't every book that speaks to both the Wild Romantic and the Stern Puritan in me, and since the day I first read Jane Eyre - up in the woods of Michigan, the summer I was twelve - I have revisited it often, and always with pleasure. It is a book that speaks in many tongues, to many people, and presents many faces to the world, all worth exploring... Depending on who you speak to, this is the best and truest love story ever written - a narrative of the suffering and endurance of true love; a commentary on the social and economic subjugation of women in 19th-century England; or an oblique exploration of race and empire. It is all of these things, of course, but for me, the power of Jane Eyre stems from its keenly observed and acutely realized portrait of the conflict between duty and desire.From the very first line, when a hidden Jane looks out onto a rain-soaked world, I entered wholly into the psyche of this character. Her desire to love and be loved, so cruelly denied in her childhood, seemed as piercingly real to me as anything I had ever felt in my own life. Lonely Jane, for all the Gothic trappings that surround her, could be the poster child for that "transcendental homelessness" of which Lukács speaks...So it is, when Jane seems to find a home with Rochester, whose "bad-boy" persona would make any schoolgirl's heart flutter, I could enter with abandon into the almost ecstatic joy of her homecoming, her communion with another soul. Lonely Jane no more...And when Jane discovers the duplicity of her lover, and the insurmountable ethical obstacles to her happiness, her stern devotion to duty, her almost-desperate recourse to principle, permit her a tremendous (but costly) moral victory. To this day, I cannot read the scenes in which Jane must tear herself away from Rochester, or the following passage, without getting chills:Still indomitable was the reply--"I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man. I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad--as I am now. Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? They have a worth--so I have always believed; and if I cannot believe it now, it is because I am insane--quite insane: with my veins running fire, and my heart beating faster than I can count its throbs. Preconceived opinions, foregone determinations, are all I have at this hour to stand by: there I plant my foot."After many travails, Jane does find her happy ending (thank goodness), and having triumphed over her own heart, she is rewarded with her heart's desire. But that conflict, between the desire to be happy and the need to do right, is what gives Jane Eyre its peculiar power. It is Jane herself who is the masterpiece.
    • 5/5
      The "pale little elf" Jane, the master of Thornfield, & that ghostly vampire in the manor attic: a fantasy universe without anything supernatural. With the subtlety of Jane Austen & the harsh bleakness of Charlotte's sister Emily Brontë, this is an exceptional literary product of the Victorian age. The story itself is trivial & incredible at almost every step. But the narration & character gallery - which includes such complex, sorcerous figures as the fanatic clergyman & missionary StJohn Rivers - makes you drown conventional notions of realism & lose yourself in a spare, monochrome, yet infinitely deep simulation.The 2011 film by C Fukunaga does good justice to the book.
    • 5/5
      I first read this as a pre-teen and loved it. Couldn't say how many times I read it, it just struck a very deep chord in me.
    • 5/5
      This is my favorite book of all time. I could read it over and over again every day for the rest of my life. The characters and so alive and rich that I feel for them every time I read it.
    • 5/5
      Read this with a mom-teen book club, very interesting to see young teenagers' reactions. Several didn't like the power relationship between Mr. Rochester & Jane, didn't feel he treated her well, and the fact that their roles were reversed at the end didn't sway their initial opinion that he wasn't a good match for Jane. The adults all loved the romance, of course. What does that say?
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. I loved everything about this book. I loved the reader, Susan Erickson was amazing. I loved the story it was so moving I found myself finding additional time to listen. I loved all the characters.I'm thinking this trying the classics plan of mine this year was a good one!
    • 4/5
      I really should re-read this as I only remember the basic storyline from my reading it as a young person. I know that there are many interesting facets of the novel to be found when it is read with a little more experience behind one!