Jane Eyre

by Charlotte Brontë

She, who had never expected anything from the world around her, let alone love. A childhood which had not offered any solace or comfort, let alone memories to be cherished.

“No sight so sad as that of a naughty child," he began, "especially a naughty little girl. Do you know where the wicked go after death?"

"They go to hell," was my ready and orthodox answer.

"And what is hell? Can you tell me that?"

"A pit full of fire."

"And should you like to fall into that pit, and to be burning there for ever?"

"No, sir."

"What must you do to avoid it?"

I deliberated a moment: my answer, when it did come was objectionable: "I must keep in good health and not die.”

At the age of ten she is sent to Lowood (a school for poor or orphaned girls) by her maternal aunt, the hardships of her already difficult childhood increasing many-fold. After suffering much she finally emerges as a winner, leaving school at the age of eighteen as a confident young woman.

She soon delves into her new found job and starts exploring the possibilities of finally being free to make a new life with whatever was on offer.

The tale takes off from this point. And you will have to read to find out whether she finds love or not. And even if she finds it, how difficult is it a path to tread along. The book is an experience of lifetime, with mysteries unimmaginable and twists that shock you.

Jane as a character is subtle. She is a proper heroine who displays courage and an unflinching belief in what is right. She makes choices which are impossible to make, especially when you have longed for something your entire length of life, and which is now against your own principles. She is practical and does not let her emotions overpower her reasoning. She is a defintion of what true internal beauty is like.

The book has many characters, each one alive and livid in its pages. The emotions captured are so real that you drift to a world, the author had created years ago. It touches your conscience and inspires you to ask questions at moments which you think will decide the path the story will eventually take. 

The liveliest example is the fortune-teller scene...but of course you will have to read this book to know what I mean.

 RATING