Jane Eyre
Charlotte Brontë · 1847
This book is rated Ages 13+. It isn't available on your library card.
Orphaned, unloved and sent away to a harsh charity school, plain, fiercely honest Jane Eyre grows up to become governess at Thornfield Hall. There she falls for its brooding master, Mr Rochester, while strange laughter echoes through the locked rooms of the third storey.
A gothic romance with cruelty to a child, a death from illness, a fire, a violent attack and a fatal fall. All are shown by the moment before or after, in shadow or at a distance, never in gruesome detail.
Characters
Jane Eyre
A plain, fiercely honest orphan who grows from a rebellious, unloved girl into a governess determined to keep her freedom and self-respect.
Mr Rochester
The proud, moody, sharp-tongued master of Thornfield Hall, who finds in his young governess a mind that matches his own.
St John Rivers
A handsome, cold and ambitious young clergyman of the moors whose iron will and sense of duty bend everyone around him.
Helen Burns
Jane's gentle, bookish friend at Lowood, who bears every unkindness with quiet patience and faith.
Miss Temple
The kind, dignified superintendent of Lowood School, who gives Jane her first taste of fairness and warmth.
Mrs Fairfax
The mild, chatty elderly housekeeper of Thornfield Hall, who welcomes Jane kindly but never quite tells all she knows.
Adèle
Mr Rochester's lively little French ward, fond of pretty frocks and songs, and Jane's pupil at Thornfield.
Blanche Ingram
A dazzling, haughty society beauty who comes to Thornfield and sets her sights firmly on its master.
Mrs Reed
Jane's cold, resentful aunt at Gateshead Hall, who keeps her orphaned niece only out of duty.
Bessie
The quick-tempered but warm-hearted Gateshead nursemaid who scolds Jane, sings to her, and is her only friend there.
Mr Brocklehurst
The stern, pillar-like clergyman who runs Lowood School, preaching hardship to the girls while his own family lives in luxury.
Grace Poole
A silent, hard-faced servant who keeps to Thornfield's third storey, where a strange low laugh is sometimes heard.
About the story
Jane Eyre is an orphan raised by an aunt who resents her and cousins who bully her. Sent away to Lowood, a harsh charity school, she lives through cold, hunger and public shame, and makes her first true friend there. At eighteen she wants a wider life, so she takes a post as governess at Thornfield Hall, a lonely house in the north of England. Its master is the moody, sharp-tongued Mr Rochester, and odd things keep happening on the house's quiet third floor.
Charlotte Brontë first published the novel in 1847 under the pen name Currer Bell. It follows Jane from childhood into adulthood in early nineteenth-century England, moving from gloomy country houses to windswept moors. Its main themes are self-respect, the right to be treated fairly, love and conscience. It also asks how a poor, plain young woman can keep her independence in a world that offers her very little.
Jane tells her own story in a frank, passionate voice that was new for its time and still feels fresh. She famously insists that women feel just as men do. The novel mixes coming-of-age story, romance and Gothic mystery, and it is still one of the most widely read and loved novels in English.
This is a condensed picture-book retelling in 159 illustrated pages, with about 48 minutes of narration by a synthetic voice. The pictures are AI illustrations drawn for this edition. Brontë's full original text is free to read and well worth the time.
Adapted from Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë (1847), public domain.
Questions
What is Jane Eyre about?
It follows Jane Eyre, an orphan, from an unhappy childhood with her aunt and years at a strict charity school to her job as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There she meets its brooding master, Mr Rochester. It is a story about growing up, love and holding on to your self-respect.
Who is the main character in Jane Eyre?
Jane Eyre is the heroine and narrator. She is a poor, plain and fiercely honest young woman who will not give up her principles or her independence. Edward Rochester, the master of Thornfield Hall, is the other central character.
Is Jane Eyre suitable for children or teens?
This edition is rated 13+. The story includes cruelty to a child, illness and death at a boarding school, frightening Gothic scenes and adult romantic themes. These are handled without graphic detail, but they suit teen and adult readers better than young children.
How long does this edition take to read or listen to?
The narration runs about 48 minutes across 159 illustrated pages, so most people can finish it in one or two sittings.
Is this the full text of Jane Eyre?
No. This is a condensed picture-book retelling that follows the main events of the novel. The complete original, first published in 1847, is in the public domain and free to read in full.
Read the text version: every page's caption, with its picture, on one page.
