Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is one of the most famous books, with numerous film adaptations and one of the regulars on must-read lists.
It is a great book, that I, for some reason, read for two years. I started it at the beginning of autumn 2020. I read one fourth of it in English and then moved to other books. I read around 5 books before I returned to Jane Eyre in one of its Russian translations. It wasn't hard for me to read it in English, but reading in your native language is always a comfort zone, and I wanted comfort.
I resumed reading Jane Eyre in December 2020 and finished it in January 2021. In reality it takes much less time to be read, but I read mostly mornings with my coffee before work.
Jane Eyre tells the story of young orphaned Jane since the age of ten until she reaches thirty plus. It is a story of trials and tribulations, inner battles with moral principles, grand true love, sacrifices, loss and regaining in the search of happiness.
Jane is of very strong character. She is smart, courageous and compassionate. We become witnesses of her character building during her years as a student and as a teacher. But mostly during her turbulent love story with Mr. Rochester. When Jane is at a hand distance from her happiness, an obstacle comes between them and Jane needs to make a hard choice whether to surrender to the luring sweetness of their love, or stay true to the moral principles on which her nature is built.
It is enthralling to follow her path. It is fascinating to observe her choices and the reasoning behind them. Written in exquisite language, Jane Eyre is one of the best books I recently read, and one of the best as a whole. Round and interesting characters. Very likable protagonist. I appreciated the Gothic element in this novel, and reading it was a pure delight.
My first acquaintance with Jane Eyre was in my early teenage years, but I remembered just tiny pieces of it, and as a not big fan of film adaptations, I never watched one, so it came to me as something totally new and spoiler free. It is truly amazing how fuller and richer impressions become with age and own experience.
The Bible is a big part of this novel, almost a separate character, but to me, as a non religious person, it didn't feel annoying or repulsive. It holds its own morality but everything is balanced and with good taste.
If I had too rate it, I would give it 5 out of 5.
No wonder, it has held the test of time. A must read.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
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