Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

48 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

judassilver's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Confinement, Religious bigotry, and Gaslighting

Minor: Body shaming, Child death, Suicide, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation

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

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

dreamofbookspines's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

I'm kind of shocked I'd never read this (at least as far as I remember), but am glad I finally did. Everybody who messed with my girl Jane Eyre can suck it; she's a queen. I love how sassy she is, and can appreciate how shocking the character must've been at the time it was written. I agree with other reviews I've read that said this is not a romance. Rather, it's not "just" a romance; it's a Gothic novel set in the moors of rural England. Gorgeous and atmospheric.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Gaslighting

Minor: Death of parent

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

discodetective's review against another edition

hopeful 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

4.0

A re-read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Classism

Moderate: Child death, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Suicide, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Colonisation

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

megan_harper's review against another edition

emotional 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? No

2.5

I originally had rated this four stars because it really is very well written and it’s prose is beautiful. But after thinking about it a lot, I brought my reading down quite a bit. I really enjoy the character of Jane however it’s annoying that there were so many God awful human beings who were in charge of caring for her throughout her life.

Jane‘s family who was charged with taking care of her after her parents died terrible. At school, all of the kids are so malnourished that half of them die from an outbreak of typhus, and Jane’s one friend end up dying of consumption. There is also a teacher who accuses Jane of being secretly Jewish masquerading as a Christian. Like, if that were true, do you blame her for not wanting to deal with your antisemitism, lady? Mr. Rochester is an absolute bitch he’s married, but his wife goes nuts so he locks her in the fucking attic And pretends that she doesn’t exist then allegedly he’s super in love with Jane, but he lies to the other woman that he’s courting and finds out she’s a gold digger so then and only then does he profess that he loves Jane.

Later on, seeing the determination that Jane possesses, I was so hopeful that she would not settle for some shitty dude however

she almost takes up her COUSIN (yeah, yeah Victorian England, whatever) on a marriage proposal, but then ends up going back to goddamn Mr. Rochester, who has had his hand amputated and lost an eye and a housefire that his wife that he pretended didn’t exist before she jumped off the roof to her death.  Jane marries this man and spends the rest of her life, taking care of him and having his children. And then somehow he regains his vision back through the love of Jane’s heart.

  Anyway, I liked Jane and like 2 other characters. Everyone else sucks and I demand justice for the first Mrs. Rochester. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry

katie0528's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

A classic gothic tale following the lonely life of Jane Eyre. Orphaned at a young age, raised by an abusive aunt, sent to boarding school, Jane finally sets out on her own to be governess at the remote Thornfield Hall, teaching the illegitimate daughter of the landowner, Mr. Rochester. But as Jane and her employer grow closer, strange things happen around them, threatening their happiness.

The source of the mad wife locked in the attic trope

, this story is full of mysterious intruige, strange servants, ghosts, and other supernatural phenomena that any gothic fan would love

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Classism

Minor: Racism, Slavery, and Terminal illness