In the last half of this month, my mornings were spent idly with Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë while waiting for the time I had to get to the office. I've been catching up with numerous classic books lately, and considering how long this book had been left untouched on my shelf, I supposed it's considerably wise to make it a priority and change the label this year.
This book contains a coming-of-age story about an orphanage named Jane Eyre, usually described as clever though plain and not handsome. Until the age of 10, Jane lives with her cruel Aunt Reed and her three children before she is finally sent off to a boarding school named Lowood. Despite the hardship, she spends six years as a student there and another two as a teacher. Jane then decides to advertise herself and later be a governess in a grand mansion called Thornfield Hall. Unexpectedly, she falls in love with her rugged and witty master, Mr. Rochester, but she finds out that in order to save her future and character she needs to get out of the arrangement soon.
Focusing on the character development of its name bearer, Jane Eyre was a gothic novel which some said was quite ahead of its time. In a way, I supposed I could agree with that. Exploring her progression from a dependent child to an independent grown woman, reading this book had been a journey full of surprises and qualms. I enjoyed the first two-thirds of this book so much even though sadly I couldn’t say the same about the rest. Jane’s life in Gateshead, Lowood, and then Thornfield was very interesting to read—there’s a charm in it that spelled me to keep going onwards.
However, as soon as Jane had left Thornfield and found sanctuary in Moor House, I suddenly felt the charm no more. It might be an unpopular opinion for all I know but I was even a bit... bored. A part of me thought that perhaps it would be better with lesser narratives—it seemed to me that some parts were a tad too longer than necessary—but the other part argued that this book wouldn’t have felt the same without all the passages that had built it in the first place.
I loved reading about the characters though. It’s fun to see the funny yet peculiar Mr. Rochester in contrast to the curious and serious Jane. The language wasn't as difficult as I had expected, but it's very unfortunate that my copy didn't provide the meaning of some French sentences in it. The little twist towards the ending was quite predictable while the ending itself was an entirely different story. I certainly didn't see that one coming, but it was still believable even though in a way I thought it was too coincidental and rather difficult at the same time.
In conclusion, Jane Eyre was quite an enjoyable read for me, and I really liked the moral of the story. How Jane didn't let her emotion get the best of her and was instead guided by her moral compass was great to witness. I still had some mixed feelings about how Mr. Rochester handled his dark past though, but then again, it's still an interesting book regardless.
Actual rating: 3.3★
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