Customer Reviews

Jane Eyre (Barron's Book Notes)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I love "Jane Eyre" because it symbolizes the struggle of finding true love & making it last. It also stands for the lowerclasses everywhere, and the obstecles they face. I can personally relate to Jane's story(being an orphan), and after reading it, I wrote a thank-you note to Charlotte! If you think this book is dumb, or not true to life, or too hard to understand, just try to understand it. This is definitely one of those books you either love or hate. -Petra Stedman

I was forced to read this book in my Advanced Placement English class my senior year in high school. At first it was a torture to endure the long descriptions of how horribly Jane was treated as a child. But the more you read, the more it grows on you, and you fall in love with Jane. This is a beautiful love story which proves that looks aren't everything, and that love conquers all. The book is a bit unrealistic at times, but all in all, it is a classic and a beautiful story, worth the time it takes to read the boring part.

I'm not much into classics, but Jane Eyre was magnificent! It was compelling. I sat at the edge of my seat salivating for the ending. Okay, not really salivating. But it was really good!!!

I have been required to pick an author and read two works by the author and then write a research paper about the connecting themes, symbols, and plots of the two novels as part of my eleventh-grade requirements. I selected Charlotte Bronte because I was interested in what her books would be about since I read that she was a feminist and it showed through her writings. I wanted to know how she did this. So, I chose her most famous Jane Eyre and also Villette. I found two major themes that were clear in both. Love and Equality. In both novels, the main character works very hard to prove herself on the same level that the next person is on, never settling for less (this theme is more abundant in Jane Eyre). Also in both, the main character doesn't find true happiness until she finds true love. They both tried to be happy on their own after they had fallen in love but that didn't work. They were only happy when they were by their men, which I think contradicts Bronte's feminism, in a way. Both books contained few symbols, the tree being the biggest in Jane Eyre. I did notice that gardens and plants were almost an obsession in both novels, being mentioned and referred to constantly. I do think, though, that the books were too detailed and very boring at times. They both got exciting towards the end, but all those in-between chapters put me to sleep. I liked Jane Eyre better because I liked the characterization Bronte used with her. I liked her personality. Lucy Snowe, the main character in Vilette, was always depressed and it tended to be annoying to read because Bronte has a good way of making you feel what the character feels. There were a few events in both stories which seemed too much of a coincidence and not enough reality. I pondered what events took place in Bronte's personal life that made her write so much on teaching, love, desperation, depression, and abuse. I haven't yet gotten a chance to read a biography of her to find out, though. I liked these books, Jane Eyre more than Villette, but I don't think I would have read them without this requirement. Maybe Jane Eyre. I would like to know what others think, though

I am a 17 year old male but unlike the stereotype I did find this an excellent book. Jane Eyre has been hijacked by the feminists which is fine and many ways amiable (Eyre dose make one either male or female desire to be a better person) BUT don't be fooled into thinking this is just a girly-love story (which bye the way it also is). The real genius of this novel is found not in seeing Eyre as a girl-power type, why? , well simply because most women are sadly not Jane Eyre's. The women in this novel are individuals including the protagonist. Intelligent men will find this book provocative and interesting and I believe that this book was primarily written for men not women.

I heard this was an excellent novel. So when my class was assigned to read it, I did. It was beyond reproach. I could not believe the garbage forced on innocent readers like me. Sure, the writing is mature, but the contents were sub-par; even for Victorian gothic. If you are assigned to read this "book" (aka: Victorian refuse and female whining to the max) just Cliff Note it.