Agnes Grey (Dover Thrift Editions) (original 1847; edition 2006)

There can be no doubt how Anne Bronte felt about her experiences as a governess. Agnes Grey feels very autobiographical in those terms, with the spoiled children and the careless individuals of the upper class leading to a true understanding of how difficult such a position must have been for a young woman of this era. By all reports, Anne was ill suited to that profession and had it foisted upon her by necessity, just as Agnes does. That she wished to build the character of her charges and found that impossible accounts for most of the frustration Agnes feels, and probably it was the same for Anne herself. This parallel gives Agnes Grey a sense of genuineness that helps to propel the story and make one care about the outcome (which though obvious is still gratifying).

What keeps Agnes from being the captivating heroine that we find in Charlotte's Jane Eyre is her perfection. She never makes a rash or flawed judgement; she never sinks to backhanding the despicable children in her care but only strives to show them patience and set an example for them to follow; and she practices too much of goodness, self-sacrifice and strident self-examination. She is, in short, very much the parson's daughter, so we find very little of ourselves in her character. I can assure you I would have pulled Miss Murray's hair before leaving my position and never deigned to visit and comfort her as Lady Ashby. Of course, Agnes deserves a better fate because she reacts as I never would.

I enjoy writing from this period very much, and looking at life through the eyes of a Bronte is always a worthwhile venture. [b:The Tenant of Wildfell Hall|337113|The Tenant of Wildfell Hall|Anne Brontë|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396038659s/337113.jpg|1389477] is still my favorite of Anne's books, but Agnes Grey is well worth reading. I am always amazed by how much talent was displayed by these women at such a very young age. Anne Bronte died at 29. ( )

Read for TBR takedown, 4/4/22. This is the debut novel of Anne Bronte writing under the name Acton Bell. The story is of the governess who is trying to help her family out by working. She engages with these two different jobs which involves spoiled children. The father is ill, the girls of the family do not have good prospects that they'll be able to find marriages because of their poverty. The governess meets various guys while working for the last family of young ladies who are working on marriages. The author worked as a governess and may be based on her own experiences. The book is a classic and will appeal to readers who enjoy reading classics. Agnes Grey is a strong woman and not a character that is "dependent" on males in anyway. Rating 3.5 ( )

I loved this simple and relatively short classic about a young woman who becomes a governess. It's based on Brontë's own experiences as a governess. Horrendous children abound and she is rather abused but she has to earn her keep. She does eventually find some happiness though and it's all quite lovely. My second book of 2018 #backtotheclassics ( )

At the start, I was reminded of my recent read of North and South but Agnes is a different kind of character than Margaret. She doesn't really grow and evolve but she is a narrator of the horrible children and teens she is meant to teach and mostly does ineffective crowd control. The unremitting cruelty of the first set of children, whom I hated so much I have refused to remember their names, was too much and I did end up skipping a page or two but the studied cruelty of Rosalie Murray is a brilliant portrayal. I did expect things to go far worse, I think it could have been a slightly longer novel and develop the end a bit more but I am glad I stuck with it past the torture children.

Couldn't do much with this. Flat characters, uninvolving plot (as far as I was able to make it, that is) ... and once animal cruelty set in with a vengeance I was out of there. ( )