Jane Eyre, the plain yet spirited governess, introduced a new kind of heroine in literature—one whose virtuous integrity, sharp intellect, and tireless perseverance broke through class barriers to win equal stature with the man she loved.
Orphaned and subjected to cruelty at Lowood charity school, Jane nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity. The story of how Jane becomes governess at Thornfield Hall, meets and loves Mr. Rochester, and discovers the impediment to their lawful marriage transcends melodrama to portray a woman's passionate search for a wider and richer life than that traditionally accorded to her by Victorian society.
Hailed by William Makepeace Thackeray as "the masterwork of a great genius," this impassioned love story is still regarded, more than a century later, as one of the finest novels in literature.
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“This is an extraordinary book. Although a work of fiction, it is no mere novel, for there is nothing but nature and truth about it...The story is, therefore, unlike all that we have read, with very few exceptions; and for power of thought and expression, we do not know its rival.”
— Era (British newspaper, November 1847)
“One of my very favorites of all time is Jane Eyre. It simply has it all—a marvelous, compelling story told brilliantly, wonderfully realized characters, a gorgeous love story, evocative settings. And the madwoman in the attic. Hard to top it.”
— Nora Roberts, #1 New York Times bestselling author“At the end we are steeped through and through with the genius, the vehemence, the indignation of Charlotte Brontë.”
— Virginia Woolf“Jane Eyre is full of drama: fires, storms, attempted murder, and a mad wife conveniently stashed away in the attic. This is very sexy stuff.”
— Chris Kellett, 500 Great Books by Women“Jane Eyre was the book that made me want to write.”
— Sue Monk Kidd, #1 New York Times bestselling authorBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855) grew up in the isolated parsonage at Haworth, Yorkshire, where her father was curate. She and her sisters Emily and Anne thrived in fantasy worlds that drew on their voracious reading of Shakespeare, romantic, and gothic fiction. Charlotte was employed as a teacher and a governess before she began writing with her sisters. The Professor, her first novel, was rejected for publication until 1857, although Jane Eyre, published in 1847 under a pseudonym, achieved great success.
Juliet Mills is a highly acclaimed actress. She won an Emmy Award for QB VII and a Tony nomination for her role in Five Finger Exercise, and was one of the stars of the daytime drama show Passions.