Reviews

Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë

gabbybooks91's review against another edition

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3.0

Leí esta novela sin ninguna expectativa y aunque he leído a las otras hermanas Brontë, realmente puedo decir que esta novela pasó sin pena ni gloria.

No me gustó ni me disgustó… y tampoco siento que haya perdido mi tiempo al leerla ya que lo único que encuentro rescatable es que habla de una mujer que decide trabajar para ayudar a su familia económica -hay que recordar que las mujeres en la época victoriana únicamente tenían la opción de casarse o ser solteronas- y que realmente hace una crítica más realista al trabajo como institutriz en el siglo XIX.

Esta es mi opinión y puede haber personas a quienes si les haya gustado,pero no es un libro que yo recomiende leer.

bethanechol's review against another edition

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4.0

A really lovely book. It is not as large, sweeping, complex, dark, or emotional as the other Brontës, and yet I like it better, because the simplicity of the story allows Anne to fully and perfectly tell it, avoiding some confusion that I feel is introduced in the longer and darker Brontë novels (from any of the 3 sisters). It is actually a great deal more like an Austen novel than a typical Brontë in plot, structure, and emotion - though where Jane's medium is wit and irony, Anne's is poetry and morality. Agnes Grey may not have made me laugh as much as Northanger Abbey, but the language was beautiful, and had many moving passages both on scenes of emotion and on the importance of making oneself useful in life (in the context of some very religious references, but I liked it nonetheless). Of note, the romantic ending of this novel was the most satisfying that I've ever read in any Brontë or Austen. Too often such endings are hurried and thrown away, and read more like a newspaper's notice of engagement than a real happy ending. Here, I was smiling constantly through the last two chapters, and the reunion of Agnes with her beau got the true emotional attention in the writing that it deserved. The only reason it is marked 4 stars instead of 5 is that it lacks a masterful sort of literary complexity - and yet its straightforwardness and simplicity is what allow the story to be so well told. Overall, I loved this book! Doubly recommended for all teachers seeking an outlet for frustrations with students or parents.

kimouise's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

writer_in_the_dark's review against another edition

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Somehow this book just wasn't for me. Maybe it was a mistake picking this up while I was in college, already so overwhelmed by all the readings, to read about a character who is in a very overwhelming situation herself. But simultaneously, it felt like nothing has really 'happened' in the book so far, even though I'm almost halfway through- while many events have taken place, they just seem to float around and appear for the sake of having something happen instead of being driven by the consequences of previous events or Agnes's actions. Nor do we know how Agnes felt about these events, how they impacted her, and how she grew (or remained the same) because of them. And this is coming from someone who has read Les Misérables, with more plot and character development in 80 pages (a small fraction of that book) as opposed to almost half of this one. 

And this is more of a me problem than a book problem, but it didn't help that my copy had an extremely vague, misleading blurb, which suggested that it would be a work of historical fiction, so I was thrown off guard as I realised the book was not what I thought it was.

I might pick this up some other time perhaps.

nelliecdownie's review against another edition

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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? Yes

3.0

cosmina_sb19's review against another edition

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

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

emilija287's review against another edition

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medium-paced

2.0

shiradvir's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

chadinguist's review against another edition

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medium-paced

1.5

mrssehardy's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective relaxing 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? No

5.0

This is probably my favorite of all the Brönte sisters books that I have read. There was a hope to this book that I didn't feel in the others. Agnes struggles to find her place and her voice in the story but
ultimately she find both
and the journey is a delightful one. A very present surprise after Wurthing Heights for sure!