I got to be honest. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Jane Eyre. It has a Dickensian ambience to it in the sense that Jane goes from a penniless governess to inheriting a decent sum of money from an uncle she has never met.

Jane is a very independent character, and Bronte's close first person narrative was a game changer in novel writing. But there is something equally Je ne sais pa's about Jane that I cannot put my finger on. The whole novel feels more like she is just pining for Rochester even when she is in the discovery of her new found cousins. Her mind always comes back to Rochester. And while it is supposed to read as a bildungsroman novel, I find the characters lacking substance. I realise my opinions on this are very controversial but I am neither amazed or disappointed, I'm simply meh about the whole story. A novel I've always wanted to read, celebrated as it is. Personally, I think it would have been better if Jane had found out Rochester had died and continued leading a very independent lifestyle - perhaps meeting some other person. Again this is more personal opinion. Rochester is just so possessive and controlling, he's a big red flag and even when he has lost his sight and his jealousy shows... I don't know, I just think Jane could have done better.

Overall I'm disappointed and not very enthused.