I approached Jane Eyre as a sort of literary castor oil, something I knew I should read one of these days but didn't feel much enthusiasm for. I already knew the basic story, and I'm really not into wish-fulfillment women's fiction, even if it is classic Victorian literature. To my surprise, I rather enjoyed it.

A modern editor would probably have cut much of the last third of the book, in which Jane flees from Thornfield Hall after learning Mr. Rochester's deep dark secret, and then spends many chapters with her new family, the Rivers, and not much happens except that a fortune falls into her lap, she has to entertain a marriage proposal, and then she goes off to find Rochester again and discovers him conveniently widowed and in need of an angelic woman to nurse him back to health. So they live happily ever after, the end.

Okay, there are some more details to the last part of the book that make it worth reading, like the studied contrast between the good and noble but cold and severe St. John Rivers and the hot-blooded romantic bad boy Edward Rochester. I did not like Rochester; he's not as horrible as Heathcliff, the romantic bad boy created by Charlotte's sister Emily in Wuthering Heights, but I think both Bronte sisters had some seriously warped ideas about what made a man desirable. Crazily, passionately in love with you and otherwise amoral and willing to destroy anyone and anything that gets between you? Yes, you can probably blame the Brontes in part for this trope that persists in romantic fantasies to this day. Jane Eyre is totally wish-fulfillment for women who want a Rochester or a Heathcliff to obsess over them. But it's a classic and well-written and while I wouldn't say Charlotte Bronte's understanding of human nature was particularly broad or even enlightened, she had a fine eye for the detailed personalities of her small cast of characters in the little world she created.

So, is Jane Eyre worth reading? Definitely.

Yes. I enjoyed hearing the book read by a narrator who had a British accent. It added to the story for me.

yes. I love this story it is unique and fascinating. I could listen to it over and over again.

the ending

wonderful reader

yes

Quality reading and writing

She is a master. She makes listening a joy and interprets the book so that it's dated style of writing and speech is easy to comprehend. I would listen to anything that she reads. I'm sad that it's over!

The wonderful story that I can't stop thinking about and I finished listening more than a week ago!

Wuthering Heights because the unfolding of the characters over time and the life stories as they matured. It was nice.

Jane Eyre.

Wonderful love story.

One of my favorites!

Everything that Juliet Stevenson performs is wonderful. Her reading made the book twice as wonderful.

I hadn't read the book since I was a teen and I had forgotten much of the plot and action. Somehow I had overlayed the actual plot from the book with the black and white movie with Joan Fontaine and Orsen Wells, which is also fabulous but substantially different.

Juliet Stevenson made this Bronte classic come to LIFE!!! Her expression, dramatics and timing made this a joy to listen too!! She is easily my favorite narrator. I loved the story that Bronte painted and the depth of the character. Trust me, when I say you will find a bit of yourself in the character Jane. I am definitely PLEASED!!

Jane Austen's: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility; Virgina Wolfe's Mrs. Dalloway.

Absolutely. The language is so beautiful it is meant to be heard.

I love historical fiction, example Kate Mortonson books. I decided to try a book actually written in the past and was wonderfully surprised.

I don't even know where to begin. It was beautifully written and read.

A classic love story for modern women.

Given the book was written over a 100 years ago I was blown away by the portrait of independent minded female characters.

A much loved story from young adult reading days, great to revisit in an audio format. Love her stoicism and conviction that she was equal to others.

Great narration, good use of accents which is so important in an English setting.

this is such a beautiful story, and the audiobook narration is very well done. a definite recommend!