Monday, March 4, 2019

Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë

Author: Anne Brontë
Original title: Agnes Grey
Pages: 224
Edition Language: Russian
Series: no
Format: paperback
Genres: classics
Goodreads

Blurb:    
   Agnes Grey is the touching story of a young girl who decides to enter the world as a governess, but whose bright illusions of acceptance, freedom and friendship are gradually destroyed.

 
My thoughts: 
    It pains me to only give this three stars, mainly because of the tremendous respect I have for the three Bronte sisters, and because Anne was overshadowed by her older sisters, Charlotte and Emily.
     In my view, the book’s major weakness is the relative lack of development in Agnes’ character. While Agnes undergoes some very difficult experiences working as a governess, the Agnes at the end of the novel is more or less the same as the Agnes at the beginning of the novel. Agnes acknowledges that her youth and inexperience contributed to some of the difficulties she faced. However, she never questions herself and never doubts that she’s right, but to me Agnes was rubbish at being a governess. 
    I could not connect and feel for Agnes, with her a very passive character, whose main role was to be an observer to the lives going on around her. I felt that this contributed somewhat to my sense of detachment to the book. I even found myself not being bothered as romance finally entered her life.  
    It was not a bad book, by no means, but it left me without any wish to reread it any time ever. 
Rating:  
    3/5 

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