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Jane Eyre (Penguin Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: Charlotte Bronte
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Category: Book
List Price: $8.00
Buy New: $4.40
You Save: $3.60 (45%)
New (54) Collectible (2) from $4.40
Avg. Customer Rating:  29 reviews
Sales Rank: 4242
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 624
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 0141441143
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.8
EAN: 9780141441146
ASIN: 0141441143
Publication Date: August 15, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A new edition of one of Penguins top ten Classicsthe novel that has been teaching true strength of character for generations
(The Guardian)
A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre has dazzled generations of readers with its depiction of a womans quest for freedom. This updated edition features a new introduction discussing the novels political and magical dimensions. Having grown up an orphan in the home of her cruel aunt and at a harsh charity school, Jane Eyre becomes an independent and spirited survivorqualities that serve her well as governess at Thornfield Hall. But when she finds love with her sardonic employer, Rochester, the discovery of his terrible secret forces her to make a choice. Should she stay with him whatever the consequences or follow her convictions, even if it means leaving her beloved?
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| Customer Reviews: Read 24 more reviews...
 One of the Greatest Books in all of English Literature!! October 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books! It is not at all like other great novels -- it is great in it's own way. I was introduced to Jane Eyre by my best friend. I had read the adapted version first, and then my best friend gave me the unadapted Jane Eyre for a birthday present.
The book is about Jane Eyre, and the story is told "by her". Jane is orphaned, and her father's brother (Uncle Reed) takes her into his house, "Gateshead". Jane's uncle dies, and her mean and cruel Aunt Reed keeps Jane only because of a promise Aunt Reed had made to her husband while he was on his deathbed. Aunt Reed treats Jane lower than a servant. Jane's aunt eventually sends her to Lowood Institution, a charity school for girls. At the school, Mr. Brocklehurst, a so-called "good Christian clergyman", skimps on food and clothing, and lots of girls fall sick with Typhus because of it. Jane's best friend, Helen Burns, gets Consumption and dies from the loathsome disease.
Jane is at Lowood Institution for eight years -- two of which are spent as a teacher. Jane soon leaves the school and goes to be a governess at "Thornfield Hall" to Adele Varens, a little French girl. Adele is sweet-tempered and is a bit spoiled. Jane meets the master of the house, Mr. Edward Rochester, but she can't figue out why he is so cold and distant. After being there for a bit, Jane realizes that she is falling in love with him. Jane tells herself that it is absurd, her a mere governess and him so rich and fine a man. Lady Ingram, a rich high-society girl who speaks French fluently and has grace and manners, plus great beauty, seems to be Mr. Rochester's true love.
But there is a mystery in "Thornfield Hall" -- sometimes there is an unearthly laugh that rings through the mansion -- a demonic laugh. It belongs to a lunatic, a person that acts like an animal, and her name is Bertha Mason. Jane believes it comes from a strange servant, Grace Poole. One night, Mr. Rochester's curtains are set aflame in the middle of the night, and when Mr. Richard Mason comes to visit, he is bit and stabbed in the night.
Mr. Rochester tells Jane of his love for her, and Jane accepts him after finding out that he flirted with Lady Ingram only to make her jealous. Just when Jane is standing at the altar, ready to pledge her life to Mr. Rochester, Jane finds out that he is married, his wife is the one to whom the demonic laugh belongs. Jane is faced with the hardest decision that she will ever have to make -- stay and be Mr. Rochester's mistress, or leave "Thornfield Hall". Jane leaves.
Jane finds herself in a place she doesn't know, nearly starving to death.
She stumbles across a nice house, and the kind people take her in. Mr. St. John Rivers and his sisters, Diana and Mary, and a housekeeper named Hannah reside at "Moor House". Jane then goes to teach at a nearby school, where she learns that she and St. John and his sisters are cousins! Jane, though happy with her cousins, misses Mr. Rochester immensly. One night......
(Read the book and you will find out what happens! :-)
Jane Eyre is a wondeful story -- filled with romance, mystery, friendship, kindness and love. The author, Charlotte Bronte, wrote it in five months. Charlotte Bronte once said to a critic, "To you I am neither man nor woman. I come before you as an author only. It is the sole standard by which you have a right to judge me -- the sole ground on which I accept your judgement."
If you have not read this book yet, I encourage you to do so. I hope that my review has been helpful to you. - P. Charles
Great book! September 24, 2008
Recieved this book along with another book and 2 cds. Shipped really fast..Excellent book..a classic for all ages.
It's a classic for a reason September 21, 2008
I'm amused to have been asked to review this by Amazon.com. The book is a classic, and a rip-roaring good read. This version also has a good introduction and helpful endnotes. And I like the cover.
Gothic and Brilliant September 20, 2008
There is a reason this book has remained popular over the last 160 years. One, it is a fantastic novel written by a woman in the Victorian Era and two, it is on the surface, a romance. However, as the story unfolds, one comes to see the novel for what it really is: a Gothic ghost story. I recommend this book to everyone from age 7 to 70. A must read.
An unconventional heroine September 5, 2008
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
In many ways, `Jane Eyre' can be seen as an autobiographical novel. Certainly, Charlotte Bronte drew on her experiences as both pupil and teacher in shaping the character of Jane Eyre. The story of Jane Eyre is a triumph of character and spirit over circumstance. Jane herself is depicted as small and plain and with an independent spirit. She believes, fundamentally, in equality and, absolutely, in the healing power of love.
The story can be read on a number of different levels: as a triumph of `good' over `evil'; as a claim of a woman's independence; and as a love story. I have read it three different times over the past 40 years and have formed different impressions each time. Perhaps on a fourth read I may form another impression altogether different.
`Jane Eyre' is a wonderful mixture of the conventional and the unconventional. Jane is a survivor who uses her strength of character to survive the adversities which form part of her life. Many of the views expressed through the characters had critics arguing about the relative morality of the work. Some of those debates would be viewed with astonishment through our late 20th and early 21st century eyes but in the context of the 19th century it was not accepted that women could be the equal of men.
Charlotte Bronte wrote `Jane Eyre' in 1846, and it was accepted for publication in 1847. Charlotte outlived her younger sisters Emily and Anne and had a number of other novels published: each of her novels is worth reading.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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