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Charlotte Brontë: Jane Eyre (1908, J. M. Dent, E. P. Dutton)

457 pages

English language

Published Jan. 6, 1908 by J. M. Dent, E. P. Dutton.

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(2 reviews)

Jane takes the job of governess and falls in love with the master of the house. The existence of his insane wife forces Jane to leave. The estate burns down leaving the man blind and his insane wife dead. Jane returns to care for him.

98 editions

A worthy classic

This was my first ever Brontë novel (no, really). I was of course familiar with the literary family but had never read any of their work (for no purposeful reason). So it was with a degree of excitement that I started Jane Eyre wondering what the popular Victorian novel could hold.

I enjoyed it from the start, and I enjoyed it more as I devoured it over three days of a holiday. Certain anachronisms aside, the social commentary was informative, and the character of Jane Eyre remarkably fresh given her age. Her personal growth throughout the novel (along with other characters') was probably the best I'd read up until that point.

Some aspects of the story I found a bit weak but overall it was a satisfying ending in the context of the time and place.

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