I was craving another excellent love story after finishing The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I decided to scour some “Greatest Love Stories of All Time” lists on Goodreads. After seeing Jane Eyre on all the lists and remembering that I had a copy, I decided to jump right in. I know many people were forced to read this title in a high school or college literature class, but I was one of the few who managed to avoid it. In all honesty, I’m not usually a fan of “the classics” and generally avoid them due to my track record of mostly hating them (except for The Great Gatsby, which I love). Occasionally, I get my nerve up to tackle one, so I decided it was time for Jane.
I think it’s important to note that I didn’t hate the book overall. But I did hate it as a love story. This, my friends, is not a great love story. In fact, I feel like this is a shining example of what love is not. I understand that this is just my opinion and that there are probably tons of people that were just dying for Jane to end up with her beloved Mr. Rochester, but I was not one of them. The only character that I found myself rooting for throughout the book was the poor “lunatic wife,” who seemed to be cast as the villain but, in fact, I felt was very much a victim. I’d probably be acting out if I was locked in the attic my whole marriage.
Going into this book, I expected more Pride and Prejudice but got more Flowers in the Attic (and yes, *potential* incest makes an appearance). Instead of a great longing for the reunification of the main characters, I mostly got cringe mixed with the ick. And don’t worry, my disgust also extends to the backup love interest who was equally as unworthy as a leading man for swooning.
This will be a good choice if you are looking for a book that offers drama by the boatload and plenty of characters to loath. If you are looking for a great love story, I would not recommend this. I said what I said.
The 2011 film adaptation starring Michael Fassbender was pretty enjoyable. Artistic liberties were taken.
Jane Eyre by