Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre is a novel written by Charlotte Bronte, whose pen name at the time was Currer Bell. We are drawn into the book from Jane being a child, whose parents died and who lives with her aunt and uncle. We are scared for her when she is locked in a room for getting into a fight with her cousin. Soon after this terrifying episode, Jane makes her way to a school where she stays for years first as a student and then a teacher. From there, Jane makes her way to the house of Mr Rochester to be a governess for a young girl.

This book is absolutely amazing, probably one of the best and more relateable ones from its era. Jane is an amazing character and a believable woman living in a society where women were still regarded as property. Mr Rochester is painted (in my opinion) as less likeable. His rich lifestyle and his past seem to have taught him to think only about himself and to act out when things do not go his way. Despite this, it is Jane who gets the final say about their relationship, which I liked. All of the characters were well developed throughout the book and as Jane becomes a more self-sufficient young woman, we begin to see a real personality come through.

Of all the classics we are told to read in high school, this one will probably ring the most bells for me. The intrigue woven into the story from the start as well as the complex character development makes it a stellar read and the language unlike so many other books of the same era is uncomplicated.