Book Review: Jane Eyre

Title: Jane Eyre

Author: Charlotte Bronte

Genre: Classics

Rating: 3.5/4 out of 5...I'm not sure if I want to do a 3.5 or a 4...hence the slash

Why Did I Read? Part of the English curriculum and I focused on it with my honors class this past block.

Summary: Jane Eyre is an orphaned young girl living with her aunt that doesn't want her.  The aunt eventually ships her off to a boarding school.  Jane becomes a teacher at the boarding school and then a governess for Mr. Rochester's ward.  As she lives at Rochester's home of Thornhill, she begins to develop feelings for her boss.  Does he return those feelings or is he going to marry someone else? And what will Jane do when she figures out where Rochester's true heart lies?

What Did I Love: I loved how the book kept you guessing.  There were twists and turns, which helped it to be very entertaining.  I enjoyed the themes of the story as well :)

  

What Did I Hate: She often gets on her soap box about something and it occasionally felt like Rochester and Jane would just talk to talk---and it doesn't seem to move anything forward. I also think it is great for the seniors--a lot of good review of symbols/foreshadowing/themes etc. without feeling like it is too simple. And I have had a majority of my students enjoy the story.

Bottom Line: The reason I gave it the slash on the rating was the fact that I wouldn't necessarily recommend it--because I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone.  I would recommend it to people that enjoy classics and have maybe enjoyed Jane Austen and would like something different.