Jane Eyre

from the novel by Charlotte Brontë

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“Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! - I have as much soul as you, - and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you!”

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”

"Reader, I married him."

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Jane Eyre was one of the few books I read for school that I just loved. Unfortunately, my mom, on seeing what I was reading, said, (highlight for spoiler) "Did you get to the madwoman in the attic yet?" Thanks a lot, Mom.

So why Jane? She is motivated by a strong sense of wanting to be loved and to hold fast to her belief in right and wrong. Although she works as a teacher and a servant, she is unapologetic about telling the truth and speaking her mind - not from a rude sense of entitlement but because she wants so desperately to be understood and loved for herself.

While offers of love come her way, the terms are unacceptable to her, and so she strikes out on her own rather than submit to anything false. For the time, this book was revolutionary. Part romance, part horror, Gothic as all get out, it's a great read and you'll find yourself cheering Jane on and wanting to see her get everything she asks for.