Customer Reviews

Agnes Grey and Poems (Everyman Paperback Classics)

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I LOVE Charlotte's dramatic and gothic Jane Eyre; I am captivated by the intrigue of Wuthering Heights, but I am charmed and warmed by the gentleness and simply beauty of Agnes Grey. It's plot leaves you wishing that Anne had not died before giving us a sequel! I happened across this jewel of English fiction while searching for Bronte and Austen style books on Amazon.com. Each of the Bronte sisters had a gift for writing and this is one of my favorite novels that I read at least once a year. I like the Everyman's version best because it gives a timeline of the Bronte sisters lives, biographical information about Anne Bronte and includes insights into her life and spiritual growth as a young woman. The poems included at the end of the book are a treasure as well. It is as if, the heroine, Agnes, is actually a reflection of the author herself just as Charlotte reveals her own nature and convictions through Jane Eyre. It is a lovely journey into the social and spiritual struggles and life of a young womean. A finely written piece of literature that should be in every single Christian woman's library.

This work of the lesser known Bronte sister is a short and easy to read classic. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick introduction to the Bronte's work (the reading level would probably be appropriate for middle school and up). However, the book contains definite overtones of Jane Eyre, so much so that I would say if you have read Jane, you need not bother with Agnes. Like Jane, Agnes is also a plain governess longing for love. Unlike Jane, Agnes Grey has far less mystery in her life. I would say that the story's biggest flaw was its overly sentimental plot, which crosses the line into corny at the end. The poetry section is short, but I enjoyed many of the poems. I am not a poetry expert, but the poems seemed to me to be a little like a mix of the styles of Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allen Poe, but the subject matter was always purely sentimental. If you want to try out this style of literature before committing to reading something longer or if you've read Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Villette, and you still crave more of the Bronte's work, then you will probably enjoy Agnes Grey. This particular edition is also a good value.