Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë · first published 1847
19% recommend66% neutral16% critical
Why HN recommends it
Enjoyable classic novel that readers say they reread and still find absorbing, with a voice and story that feel different from their usual reading; suits adults who want to catch up on the classics.
Common criticism: Critics find it hard to relate to at a young age, with its 19th-century setting and themes.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The novel is set somewhere in the north of England. Jane's childhood at Gateshead Hall, where she is emotionally and physically abused by her aunt and cousins; her education at Lowood School, where she acquires friends and role models but also suffers privations and oppression; her time as the governess of Thornfield Hall, where she falls in love with her Byronic employer, Edward Rochester; her time with the Rivers family, during which her earnest but cold clergyman cousin, St John Rivers, proposes to her. Will she or will she not marry him?
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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…limited to the sample I've experienced personally but it's over 90%. You need to read a wider selection of books, then. Try, say, The Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice, Of Mice and Men, Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, A Christmas Carol, The Grapes of Wrath, The Time Machine, Dune, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the Foundation series, anything by Ray Bradbury... there's a very long list of books that are not…
on “novelWriter – open-source plain text editor designed for writing novels” ↗…But then, me being me I would probably have wasted that time doing other mundane tasks anyway. Also, some books are worth far more than their actual cost. For instance, I've been reading the classic Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. My regret is that I choose a paperback instead of the hardcover, because this is one book I want to keep for a very long time. (My paperback copy is absolutely fine at the moment,…
on “Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones” ↗I'm a scifi guy but have read Jane Eyre three times. I don't think I can define the appeal. Or why I connect Jane with Beth Harmon and perhaps Lisbeth Salandar.
on “Why the Bronte sisters may have died so young (2019)” ↗I do enjoy some literature. Huck Finn, 1984 and Animal Farm, Brave New World, Jane Eyre, Lord of the Rings come to mind. Didn't care for the Iliad, but I enjoyed Plato. But you mention enjoying words. Now that I think of it, I don't typically enjoy words. I enjoy the ideas that words convey,…
on “James Joyce's "Ulysses": Why you should read this book” ↗If the book addresses human fundamentals instead of transient silliness, it can last forever. The Count of Monte Cristo (1844), Heart of Darkness (1899) and Jane Eyre (1847) are still relevant and enjoyable, for example.
on “Nancy Pearl’s Rule of 50 for dropping a bad book” ↗Jane Eyre. Not my usual kind of book and I didn’t know what to expect, but wanted to catch up on the classics and loved it. Not only beautifully written, it also felt like taking a break outside my usual bubble.
on “Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?” ↗…made me happy: even gray. My eyes were such that literally they Took photographs. Vladimir Nabokov, Pale Fire (1962) Literally, I was (what he often called me) the apple of his eye Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre (1847)
on “Pedants' Favorite Grammar Rules are Probably Fake” ↗…And writing in the margins and marking passages is essential! e.g. I have just about every book of Nietzsche's heavily marked and argued with on almost every page. Also am halfway through reading aloud Jane Eyre to the SO. We've watched a lot of movies together. She, a fan of 'period dramas', was shocked to realize how little any movie version of Jane Eyre (or any great novel) would or could give you of the book—virtually…
on “Ask HN: Have you stopped reading books?” ↗…me happy: even gray. My eyes were such that literally they Took photographs. — Vladimir Nabokov, Pale Fire (1962) Literally, I was (what he often called me) the apple of his eye — Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre (1847)
on “A writer fabricated a series of stories for Atlas Obscura” ↗It's a very cool idea. However, I gave it "Jane Eyre" (a mid-19th century novel by Charlotte Bronte; it's a classic) with the expectation that it will return "Wuthering Heights" – another a classic novel written in mid-19th century by Emily Bronte (yes…
on “Ask HN: What are you working on (August 2024)?” ↗…Forgetting about our own agency and individuality is bad for us, and dangerous for society. “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being, with an independent will.” —Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre “Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions.” ―Primo Levi, If This…
on “It’s still worth blogging in the age of AI” ↗…The Tempest (Shakespeare) - A History of the American People (Paul Johnson) - The Book of Dust (Phillip Pullman) - The Secret Commonwealth (Phillip Pullman) - Valuable Humans in Transit (qntm) - Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) - Sunrise on the Reaping (Suzanne Collins) - Ringworld (Larry Niven) - The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne) - Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck) - Foundation (Isaac Asimov)
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗3. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
Am I the only one here who finds this to be a ridiculous idea? The joy of reading doesn't exactly come from seeing your own name replacing Jane Eyre's.
on “Show HN: Personalize Romeo and Juliet or Pride and Prejudice” ↗…were nonfiction (and maybe the Bible). If a teacher caught you with a mystery or romance book, you'd be spanked in front of the class. In those days you'd feel guilty for spending an entire day reading Jane Eyre.
on “Let Children Get Bored Again” ↗