This book follows the life of orphaned Jane Eyre from childhood to early adulthood. Jane learns to deal with life’s situations as she gets moved from place to place, grows up, becomes a governess, and falls in love. But there may be more going on than meets the eye with the brooding Mr. Rochester and his life at Thornfield Hall.

I had no idea what this book was about when I started it, and I sure was in for a surprise. It was interesting reading about Jane as she grew up and in different situations. There were some time jumps, but the book still felt a little long. I loved that by the time Jane moved to Thornfield Hall to become the governess, I was attached to her character and felt like I knew her because I had already spent so much time reading about her childhood.

Was the age gap between Mr. Rochester and Jane slightly disturbing? Yes. And did I spend some time trying to ignore the fact that he called her little Jane all the time? Also, yes. That being said, I still enjoyed their story and their romance along with the scandal it caused. I was a little disappointed that the “big secret” wasn’t as magical/supernatural as I thought it was going to be. But that also made it more realistic. It’s crazy to think about how our world is so different from how it used to be.