This is one of the most beautiful and moving books I have ever read. Several times I had to stop reading because I couldn’t see through my tears.
Jane’s character is incredibly well-written, and I loved how convincingly she grows and develops throughout the story. At the core of her being is a childlike faith in the Lord that undergirds her resolute integrity. I love how the Lord’s care for her is foreshadowed in a nursery rhyme sung over her when she was 10 years old, is developed through her friendship with the fantastically well-written Helen Burns, and blossomed into a life-giving faith that supports her and guides her throughout the novel.
If Jane’s faith and the Lord’s providence comprise the novel’s superstructure, then its beating heart is the “will they / won’t they” romance between Jane and Mr. Rochester. What an unconventional love story! Neither are outwardly attractive. But their beauty is within - waiting to be drawn out either by unexpected affection (in the case of Jane), or by the Lord’s chastisement (in the case of Rochester).
Though some plot developments take a little bit too long to develop, and you definitely need a dictionary handy to translate some of the vocabulary, this was a thoroughly edifying read.
5 / 5 stars
