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Agnes Grey

By Anne Brontë, Angeline Goreau (Contributor)

(137)

| eBook | 9780141904733

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Book Description

When her family becomes impoverished after a disastrous financial speculation, Agnes Grey determines to find work as a governess in order to contribute to their meagre income and assert her independence. But Agnes's enthusiasm is swiftly extinguished as she struggles first with the unmanageable BlooContinue

When her family becomes impoverished after a disastrous financial speculation, Agnes Grey determines to find work as a governess in order to contribute to their meagre income and assert her independence. But Agnes's enthusiasm is swiftly extinguished as she struggles first with the unmanageable Bloomfield children and then with the painful disdain of the haughty Murray family; the only kindness she receives comes from Mr Weston, the sober young curate. Drawing on her own experience, Anne Bront's first novel offers a compelling personal perspective on the desperate position of unmarried, educated women for whom becoming a governess was the only respectable career open in Victorian society.

4 Reviews

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  • 1 person find this helpful

    Having enjoyed "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" so much I decided that I would read Agnes Gray, this was definitely the lesser of the two novels and yet it was still interesting and enjoyable. What I liked most about this book was the extreme frankness with which it was written. Anne didn't attempt to ... (continue)

    Having enjoyed "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" so much I decided that I would read Agnes Gray, this was definitely the lesser of the two novels and yet it was still interesting and enjoyable. What I liked most about this book was the extreme frankness with which it was written. Anne didn't attempt to hide her contempt for the people around her. I loved her descriptions of how horrible the first set of children she had to look after were. It seemed like something out of the worst of modern reality television. I also liked how she admitted her own deficiency when dealing with them, loosing her temper, getting angry and physically violent. The second family she stayed with seemed much more reasonable and I have to say it felt like Agnes' own prejudices kept her from enjoying that position as much as she did. Yes the daughters came across as dreadfully shallow, but they did also seem to want to be friends. Even if Agnes didn't feel sorry for her pupil marrying the horrible Lord I did.

    Agnes as a character was much less outspoken than Helen. She was quiet and awkward. Having read both books I felt like Helen was the ideal and Agnes much more the reality.

    The only downfall in this book was the religion and the romance. The religion felt a little heavy handed at times, particularly the long scene in the poor woman's cottage that went on at the difference between the bad rector and the good curate. Likewise the romance felt a bit artificial. It was almost as if it was just there for convention as if a book about a young woman had to have a romance and end with marriage. The wistful longings seemed a bit out of place, though I did laugh as I was getting a bit bored, just as the narration apologized for boring the reader!

    It was a very quick read, like Tenant it has a nice light style. While not brilliant it was definitely worth reading.

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    Robot-mel said on Sep 23, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • Life as a governess!

    I found this an interesting little book but without any literary merit. The interest lies in that it is undoubtedly based upon Anne's own experience as a governess. It is extremely detailed and exciting reading. Her loneliness is marked by a total lack of help from the parents of the children for wh ... (continue)

    I found this an interesting little book but without any literary merit. The interest lies in that it is undoubtedly based upon Anne's own experience as a governess. It is extremely detailed and exciting reading. Her loneliness is marked by a total lack of help from the parents of the children for whom she was employed; and, more serious, she was allowed no companions or friends other than those of the household. In reality this meant she had no-one to whom she could turn for help or advice. The book reveals something of the type of life lived by the well to-do and how they treated the common people.

    Anne uses the book to put over her evangelical views of her faith. This is particularly evident when Agnes is explaining the Gospel in great detail to one of the college women.

    Fascinating reading! I found it well-worth while

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    GraJon said on Feb 2, 2010 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

  • Poor Agnes! I´m sure she would rather go back home... The story is told by Agnes herself, a young girl who wants to be governess but don´t know anything about the world...

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    Condesa de Vilches said on Nov 6, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • Found this really numbing and pointless. Not even the romantic scenes stirred my experience and that is a lot to say from me. Comparing this to Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights is like comparing wood to ice cream.

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    s u v i said on Mar 24, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

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