You can spend 1 credit every month to get an audiobook
“What a joy to hear a favorite classic performed with excellence! Wanda McCaddon’s skill as a storyteller has the listener soon believing Jane Eyre is speaking directly to him or her…A timeless work flawlessly presented. Winner of the Audiofile Earphones Award.”
AudioFile
Jane Eyre, the plain yet spirited governess, introduced a new kind of heroine to literature: one whose virtuous integrity, sharp intellect, and tireless perseverance broke through class barriers to win equal stature with the man she loved.
Orphaned and subject to a cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity. How she takes up the post of governess at Thornfield Hall, meets and loves Mr. Rochester, and discovers the impediment to their lawful marriage are elements in a story that transcends melodrama to portray a woman’s passionate search for a wider and richer life than that traditionally accorded to her sex in Victorian society.
Hailed by William Makepeace Thackeray as “the masterwork of a great genius,” this impassioned love story is still regarded, over a century after it first appeared, as one of the finest novels in literature.
100%of listeners recommend itof readers recommend it
Overall100%
Narration0%
Based on 5 ratings
Be the first to rate this audiobookBe the first to rate this book
No one has rated or reviewed Jane Eyre yet. Listened to it? Would you recommend it?No one has rated or reviewed Jane Eyre yet. Read it? Would you recommend it?
One of the great classics of Western Literature, and one that I read again and again. Jane Eyre, published more then a hundred and sixty years ago, still thrills me. Erotically charged, yet simply told, Jane Eyre should be required reading for every teen (and adult!) who thinks the Twilight novels are great literature. With Nadia May narrating I now have another way to enjoy my favorite book. I also recommend the superb British mini-series starring Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens.
This is not my first time reading Jane Eyre but this was the best way I could read Jane Eyre. The little details I had once gloss over to get to the interesting parts (correspondence with Jane and Mr. Rochester) was brought to life by the excellent story telling of Wanda McCaddon. Jane Eyre is a classic gothic tale that shows the readers the example of a passionate woman who could not be contained in a plain form. We all heard the story, but reading it shows that the summaries does not give the character justice. The audible version allow me to understand the minor details and enjoy this story on a new level.
This is one of the few Bronte classics that I actually enjoyed. Jane is a delightful character, and Wanda McCaddon's voice adds an extra element of sweetness to her. Some of the dialogue gets a tad flowery and overdone at times (who talked like that, honestly?), but overall this is a fun story with engaging characters.
Brilliantly conceived and beautifully executed...an intellectual and emotional tour de force
One of the greatest novels I have ever read. I was just expecting a sort of Gothic romance, but this is so much more. There may be some spoilers in what follows, but I will try to stick to general, thematic terms rather than disclosing specific plot points.
Jane Eyre is, above all, a novel about the unity, versus the duality, of mind and body, reason and emotion---or, as Brontë puts it, "judgment and feeling"---particularly as this applies to the Christian religion. Christianity is, of course, committed to dualism, but Brontë, though paying lip-service to religion, rejects this, depicting its evil in many of its manifestations. Some of the devout Christian characters she paints as blatant hypocrites, but even those whom Jane respects or even admires, when it comes right down to it, she does not emulate. Jane seeks happiness in this life, here on earth, while even the "good" Christians are doomed to seek it only in the next, and that by sacrificing it in this one.
The basic story idea brilliantly demonstrates Brontë's theme: Jane is given the choice of a loveless marriage, or unmarried love. The latter situation may seem a bit contrived to the modern reader, and indeed it seems as though Brontë herself feels this on some level, as the passionate appeal of Jane's lover is much more convincing than her reason for refusing him---namely, that the laws forbidding both divorce and adultery must be in place for some reason. (That may be generally true, but they clearly don't apply in this case, or make an exception for it.) Even when she is finally able to follow both her heart and her mind, it is only after these Christian principles have resulted in the horrible crippling of her beloved, which damns those principles all the more.
In short, Jane Eyre is a book about a woman's struggle to stay true to her whole self---heart and mind---against Christianity's attacks on both fronts. I don't think it was Brontë's conscious intention to write a novel condemning Christianity for sundering our hearts from our minds, but only what she viewed as corrupt interpretations of it---yet that is what she did, and it is brilliant. Both her heart and her mind were clearly much more dedicated to this life than the next, as Jane Eyre powerfully demonstrates. This is a novel way ahead of its time, in many, many ways.
I read this book a long time ago and wanted to refresh my memory on the storyline before seeing the newest film version (which I didn't end up liking, but that's besides the point). This audio book production was just what I needed to catch myself up on the plot details without going to the effort of sitting down and reading it whenever I get the chance. Nadia May does an excellent job narrating and draws me right in. I knew I loved this story already, but hearing it read out loud was a whole different experience that made the story come to life even more. I would highly recommend this wonderful production of the well-loved classic.
Based on {n} ratingBased on {n} ratingsOverallNarrationWrite a ReviewUpdate My ReviewEdit reviewAdd a written reviewRead moreShow lessLoading reviews…{n} listener has rated this audiobook, but no one has written about it yet. Tell others what you thought.{n} listeners have rated this audiobook, but no one has written about it yet. Tell others what you thought.{n} reader has rated this book, but no one has written about it yet. Tell others what you thought.{n} readers have rated this book, but no one has written about it yet. Tell others what you thought.{n} review{n} reviewsWe couldn't load reviews right now.Reviews aren't available for this title.Showing {shown} of {n} reviewShowing {shown} of {n} reviewsAnonymousYour reviewVerified listenerReviewed in the Downpour appLiked itNot for meYour reviewPublishedUnder reviewNot publishedThanks! We're checking your review. Other listeners will see it once it's approved.Other listeners can't see this review because it doesn't meet our review guidelines. You can edit it and submit it again.You rated this book. Add a few words to help other listeners decide.Write a reviewEdit your review{n} / {max}Posted publicly as {n}Posted anonymouslyShown on downpour.com and in the Downpour appYour name stays privatePost reviewPosting…Thanks! Your rating is in. Add a few words any time.Success!You've successfully submitted your review of {n}.Thanks for your review!We'll publish your review of {n} once it's been checked. Until then, only you can see it.Select overall rating.Keep your headline to 150 characters or fewer.Keep your review to 1000 characters or fewer.Please check the highlighted fields.Your session has ended. Sign in to post your review.Sign inYour account can't post reviews right now. If you think this is a mistake, please contact support.Cannot review title from demo account. Please login or create account and try again.We couldn't find this title. Refresh the page and try again.You're doing that a little too often. Please wait a minute and try again.We couldn't reach Downpour just now, so your review wasn't saved. Please try again.You appear to be offline. Check your connection and try again.Something went wrong. Please try again.We're still setting up your Downpour account. Try again in a few minutes.Your session has ended. Sign in to continue.You can't vote on or report your own review.This review is no longer available.Choose a reason.Keep your note to 300 characters or fewer.HelpfulHelpful, {n}. Sign in to vote.ReportSign in to report this reviewReportedSubmit reportSending…Thanks — our team will take a look.Read the review guidelines
