Book Review: Jane Eyre

Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Brontë
Length: 624 pages
Genre: Fiction

Plot Summary: An orphaned girl raised by a cruel aunt, Jane Eyre endures a harsh childhood before finding strength and friendship at Lowood School. As a young woman, she becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall, where she falls in love with her enigmatic employer, Mr. Rochester. As Jane navigates the complexities of her new life, she is confronted with moral dilemmas, hidden secrets, and questions of love, independence, and personal integrity. Her journey is one of self-discovery, resilience, and the search for a place where she truly belongs.

Review: I first read Jane Eyre in eighth grade. It is likely that back then, I must have found the brooding and mysterious Mr. Rochester a fascinating character. Now, reading as an adult, I find myself urging Jane not to ignore the many red flags in their relationship. While Jane ultimately finds happiness with Rochester and believes them to be well-suited, I can’t overlook how he deceived and gaslit her. Jane’s compassion for Rochester’s troubled past is evident, but many of his hardships are the result of his own poor choices — choices for which he should be held accountable. Rochester does achieve some measure of redemption by the novel’s end, but Brontë’s insistence on making him Jane’s equal still feels somewhat forced.

That said, Brontë’s writing remains exquisite, and her pioneering use of first-person narration gives readers intimate access to Jane’s inner life. The novel’s stream-of-consciousness style was groundbreaking for its time and allows us to experience Jane’s moral and emotional struggles firsthand. Despite my reservations about the central romance, Jane Eyre endures as a powerful exploration of resilience, autonomy, and the search for belonging.

Rating: 3.5/5