Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

106 reviews

unabanuna's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Read it as a teenager for school but didn't like it - thought I'd give it another go as it might be more enjoyable now as an adult. No, I didn't enjoy it this time around either.
Can appreciate the writing is good etc but just didn't enjoy the book and felt it was a struggle to finish. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

bashsbooks's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

It is my current opinion that Emily Brontë was the best writer amongst her sisters, which is a shame given she has the smallest corpus. 

That said, I liked Charlotte's Jane Eyre better than Anne's Agnes Grey. Jane is an endearing character, one who is far more flexible in her morality and ambiguous in her actions (though not too much so, I assume, to make her unsympathetic to contemporary readers, which is kind of a shame to me as a modern reader, but I digress). Mr. Rochester is a fucking piece of work, and I do hate him, but I totally understand why Jane wants to fuck him. I'm weirdly charmed by St. John Rivers as well, but he's also an asshole, and why are all these men trying to manipulate my girl Jane? On a somewhat related note, it's so funny that Jane's ugly appearance comes up CONSTANTLY. And that Jane's Aunt Mrs. Reed has beef with her. Like, she's ten. 

I'm fascinated by Bertha Mason and the idea of a dude having a crazy wife he keeps in the attic, so I will be reading Wide Sargasso Sea. I also think Jane's life would've been better if she'd decided to be a lesbian spinster with the Rivers sisters. 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Racism, Xenophobia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Racial slurs, Suicide, Alcohol, and Colonisation

-Ableism abound of both the mental and physical varieties -Missionary work portrayed as a good thing

readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicide, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Alcohol

timmytunter's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Suicide, and Grief

philosopher_kj's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Death of parent

whoisrois's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

From Jane Eyre hater to Jane Eyre tolerater 😇 long and so mind numbingly boring in parts but she was ahead of her time tbf! charlotte put your feet up and get the dildo out hen you've done well

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Confinement and Racism

undecidedpersonality's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body horror, Suicide, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

camiandkitread's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 

Charlotte Brontë’s atmospheric novel “Jane Eyre” explores themes of social criticism, personal growth, and romance through the story of its titular heroine. The novel begins with Jane's childhood, which were marked by cruelty and neglect as an orphan under the care of her cruel aunt and cousins. Despite the bleakness of her situation, Jane's resilience shines, setting the stage for her transformation. Her fortunes improve when she secures a position as a governess at Thornfield Hall, where she meets the enigmatic Mr. Edward Rochester. Their initial interactions are fraught with tension until affection slowly blooms between them. However, societal expectations create significant obstacles for their budding romance. 

 

The relationship between Jane and Rochester is further complicated by the revelation of dark, long-hidden secrets that threaten the life they hope to build together. This twist adds suspense and drama, as Jane must confront her own values and make a difficult choice. Brontë skillfully balances elements of mystery and romance with broader themes of social inequality and moral integrity. Jane’s journey is not only about finding love, but also about navigating Victorian social structures and personal dilemmas. 

 

Jane Eyre is a particularly fascinating character due to her morose and introspective personality, which provides her with remarkable depth and complexity. Her life is marked by significant hardships that result in constant self-reflection and character growth. The first-person narration allows readers to intimately experience Jane’s internal struggles, her search for self-worth, and her unwavering commitment to her moral principles. Despite enduring various forms of abuse—both physical and emotional—Jane remains steadfast in her pursuit of authenticity and justice. Her ability to rise above continual adversity makes her a character of enduring relevance, as readers continue to resonate with her personal trials and triumphs. Since its publication in 1847, “Jane Eyre” has remained an influential work, largely due to introspective, melancholic personality. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

hjb_128's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Incest, Racism, and Death of parent

kirjakimalainen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

The writing is great of course but i honestly saw the story more as horror than romance. Like this is absolutely not a relationship i'd want to end up in

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Colonisation

Minor: Suicide