TOTS 100 Book Review : Jane Eyre

I debated for a long time, which book to review for this campaign, there are so many recent releases that I really want to read but just not had time. As I looked at Tesco’s range, I even came across lots of books that I really enjoyed reading in the past.  However, I kept going back to an old classic. One that I fell in love with many years ago, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

I first read Jane Eyre when I was a teenager. I had no idea, that I would still be revisiting this book, so many years later.

Here is a flavour of the story:

Jane, an orphan is sent to stay with her cruel Aunt. She fights with her cousin and is locked inside a room in the house. When inside, she believes she sees a ghost and faints.  When she awakes she is being cared for by one of the servant of the house (Bessie) it is here that it is decided that Jane should be sent away to school.  What she doesn’t realise is life is going to be just as hard, even worse in fact. As the Headmaster is cruel and is lining his own pockets, the children live lifes of real poverty. She makes a good friend, that she loves but questions her ideals. Typhoid spreads in the schools, and this girl she dies in the arms of Jane one night.

Life improves greatly for Jane, as the school is taken over, and she becomes a good student and eventually a teacher at the school.

She then decideds to go out in the world and become a governess.  This is to me the most significant part. It really shows her strength, in what must have been a particularly scary time for her.  She is accepted at Thornhill, and a flightly french girl called Adele is her ward.

Mr Rochester, owns the estate and is a dark brooding character, who gives the impression of trying not to let anyone in. he begins to soften, and Jane begins to secretly fall in love with him. He is teasing and always seems to be keeping a secret.

One night there is a fire, and Mr Rochester, Jane alerts him to the baze.  He blames one of the servants, again a mysterious character Grace Poole, and that she was drinking.  However he does not ask her to leave, so this arouses Jane’s suspicions even more.

The house is prepared for a group of visitors, one of which Jane see’s as her rival for Mr Rochester affections. My favourite scene, of the whole book is where Rochester dresses up as a gypsy so that he can read everyone’s fortune. The dissapointment when Blanche returns, and the fantastic conversation and slip-ups when he speaks to Jane.

Mr Mason arrives, which quickly changes the mood.

I am going to leave the story there, as I dont want to spoil it just in case any readers of the blog haven’t read it. As the story, really does twist and turn from here.

I have chosen this book for Nikki, from Stressy Mummy, as although I’m not sure if she has read it or not.  I think Nikki will appreciate the strong female character of Jane, and that it is a book that you can completely escape into. It is for me, much more than a romantic novel, it encapsulate a whole time. Jane herself, though comes up against so many traumas, Bronte never portrays her as a helpless women. I just love it, and I hope you do to!

Thank you to Liz from Me and My Shadow, Tesco books and Tots 100 for this opportunity.

Thank you for reading