The second half got better and there was an interesting plot development which actually made me wish the book had been longer. However, after I basically forced myself to pick it up again, I was able get through it pretty quickly. It's very short, but I ended up stopping halfway through and for more than a week I had no desire whatsoever to finish it, it was just so negative. Agnes is hopelessly lonely - she'll never be on the same level as her employers she's not the same social status of the servants, who don't trust her, so basically, she has no one to talk to, and she has almost no free time to make friends in the village anyway.īasically, Agnes Grey is an autobiographical expose on the horrible life of the governess. The oldest daughter is looking for a husband and is pretty heartless, toying with the affections of all the local men, though she pretends to treat Agnes as a friend. The kids are older, only a little younger than Agnes herself.

Her second job is only slightly better, the children are shallow and empty-headed and again, no discipline, yet the parents expect miracles. Needless to say, this job doesn't work out and the reader is relieved when Agnes returns home to the rectory. The children are incredibly spoiled so she never makes any progress, and one of the kids is definitely a psychopath - his parents think it's okay for him to torture little animals and are angry when Agnes tries to put a stop to it. She has all the responsibility of educating the children, but no power to enforce any discipline. Agnes doesn't feel like she's contributing to the household so volunteers to take a position as a governess, basically the only job available to poor women of her social standing.Īnd what a crappy job it is! Agnes is the governess of a rich but wretched family. Money is tight but they're happy, but an unwise investment with the family's savings turns out badly. Her father is a poor clergyman and her mother was from a wealthy family but abandoned them after she married downward for love. So, the setup: young Agnes is growing up happy, though in somewhat difficult financial circumstances, with her sister, and parents. I decided to give it another go for the Victorian Celebration. I didn't finish it and the reaction among the group was just meh. This book languished on the shelves, though I did make a halfhearted attempt a couple of years ago when it was selected for my real-life Classics group. If it weren't for my love of Jane Eyre, I would have given up on the Brontes all together after reading WH). I bought this one several years ago in my quest to read everything by the Brontes, which was delayed after my extreme hatred of Wuthering Heights (I know, it's unfair to compare all three sisters as one entity, but I can't help it.

Another short Victorian, and hopefully a short review to accompany.

Anne bronte novel grey