My first Brontë ("Bell") novel but definitely not my last - I am so glad that my Victorian Literature class had this on the syllabus! One of the early feminist novels from the realist movement, it portrays the life of a woman before, during, and after she gets her so-called 'fairy tale ending'. As a benefit to studying this novel in school, I was able to get additional insight into the period as well hear from Anne's critics, both current and contemporary (the harshest of which included her sister, Charlotte, who led the charge in getting this book banned).