An orphan becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall and falls in love with its master, until her wedding day reveals what the house has been hiding.
A long, gripping classic told in one clear voice, with a heroine who says what she thinks, a gothic mystery at its centre and a love story that pays off. It has slow stretches, some French and a few preachy speeches, and it carries child cruelty and a hellfire sermon. Four and a half out of five.
Every guide comes as a video and a full written article. Pick the one you need: the review is spoiler-free, the ending explained is not.
Jane Eyre summarised by address: Gateshead, Lowood, Thornfield, Moor House and Ferndean, with her age, who owns her time, and what she asks or refuses at each, plus our word counts. Full spoilers.
Jane Eyre vs Wuthering Heights: both plots, the heroes, tone and readability, word counts from the epub, and a scorecard. Spoilers for both books.
Jane Eyre (1847) is Charlotte Brontë’s novel about an orphan who becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall and falls in love with its master, Mr Rochester. Jane tells her own story in the first person, and the author’s note to the third edition in our volume is signed Currer Bell.
Below you’ll find Jane Eyre against Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights: plots, heroes, tone, readability and a scorecard, with full spoilers for both. For Wuthering Heights we also have a review, a characters guide, the ending explained, a film comparison and a complete guide.
A long, gripping classic told in one clear voice, with a heroine who says what she thinks, a gothic mystery at its centre and a love story that pays off. It has slow stretches, some French and a few preachy speeches, and it carries child cruelty and a hellfire sermon. Four and a half out of five. Read it if: you want a romance with a spine and a heroine who speaks up; you like gothic mysteries with a locked room and a secret; you prefer one clear narrator over nested voices; you want the easier brontë door before wuthering heights. Skip it if: you want a fast read: it runs about 188,000 words in our edition; slow stretches and long religious speeches lose you; child cruelty and a school death are a hard line; you want the bleakest, darkest brontë: that is wuthering heights.
Jane Eyre summarised by address: Gateshead, Lowood, Thornfield, Moor House and Ferndean, with her age, who owns her time, and what she asks or refuses at each, plus our word counts. Full spoilers. Summary: Jane Eyre →
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë.
An orphan, Jane, is raised by a cruel aunt, sent to a harsh charity school, and becomes governess at Thornfield Hall, where she falls for Mr Rochester. Her wedding is stopped when a solicitor reveals Rochester already has a living wife.
Charlotte Brontë, published in 1847. The author's note to the third edition in our volume is signed Currer Bell.
About 188,000 words in 38 chapters in the Penguin Brontë volume we counted. We give words rather than pages because pages change between editions.
Jane returns to find Thornfield burned and Rochester blind. She marries him, and says she has now been married ten years. Our versus page has full spoilers.
In our opinion, Jane Eyre first: one narrator, a romance that pays off, easier to follow. Wuthering Heights is shorter, darker and harder.
Amazon links. We may earn a commission if you buy through them.
