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.