Where the Bronte novels began
 Oct 4th, 2004
Advantages:
Likeable story
Disadvantages:
Perhaps only really for the Bronte devotee
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
Would you read it again?
Story
Characters
Readability
How does it compare to similar books?
How does it compare to other works by the same author?
  JOHNV
About me:
Not around a lot these days. Other writing outlets also call!
Member since:13.07.2000
Reviews:229
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Review rated by 30 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
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Read Comment
‘Agnes Grey’, first published in 1847, was the first of two novels from Anne Brontë, the youngest and least-remembered of the three sisters. Partly autobiographical, the character of Agnes is modelled in personality very much on the authoress herself. A gentle, self-effacing young woman who expects little in life, she feels the urge to better herself by leaving her home and parents – much to their regret, and to some extent hers as well – by becoming a governess. Her first employers are the well-to-do Bloomfields at Wellwood House, where Mr and Mrs endlessly indulge their spoilt little brats. After a few months, not surprisingly, despite her efforts to make them better children she has had enough, and the parents make it brutally clear she is not doing her job.
She is dismissed, and moves on to the Murray household at Horton Lodge, to look after their two adolescent daughters, Rosalie and Matilda. While there she loses her heart to the local curate, Mr Weston, a budding romance which
is almost wrecked by the mischievous behaviour of the self-centred Rosalie. The latter marries well, or at least thinks she does, when she accepts the local squire Sir Thomas Ashby. Only then does she find out what an unpleasant piece of work he really is. Fortunately Mr Weston turns out to be very different. It’s a very simple, unpretentious story, and the plot tends to move rather slowly. When compared to the better-known Brontë novels, particularly those of her sisters, it lacks the vivid story of ‘Jane Eyre’ and the raw passion of ‘Wuthering Heights’. Yet I found it more readable than her rather wordy second (and final) yet better remembered work, ‘The Tenant of Wildfell Hall’. (Fact - they seemed obsessed much of the time with the initials W.H.).
Part of the interest in this book lies in the parallels or similarities between Agnes and her creator. Anne herself worked as a governess for two families at various times, and was dismissed by the first after two terms. Perhaps she too attained a measure of self-confidence through her struggles which can be seen when she returns home after the first of these posts, though from what we know of the author in real life, she was undoubtedly a mild-mannered youngest sister very much overshadowed by her siblings. I’ve always believed that it’s more or less impossible to appreciate any of the Brontë novels without at least some passing knowledge of the family’s tragic real life story. Agnes might be pretty meek and mild herself, but not without a certain indomitable spirit, or indeed confidence in her own worth when faced with employers who try to put her down. She is tormented by the insolence of her bloody-minded charges, and made to feel powerless and lonely. There is one pretty unpleasant scene when the loathsome Master Tom Bloomfield is given a nest of chicks by his doting father to play with and ill-treat as he wants, until Agnes defies them and promptly kills the birds herself – merely in order to spare them a more lingering death.
And there’s a lack of mushy sentimentality. Agnes is almost wilfully self-deprecating, for instance when she describes herself: “I could discover no beauty in those marked features, that pale hollow cheek, and ordinary brown hair; there might be intellect in the forehead, there might be expression in the dark grey eyes, but what of that?” It’s almost painfully, realistically brutal in such passages. By and large it’s a pleasant, undemanding and unpretentious read. If the idea of curling up with one of the classics makes you run a mile, this won’t change your mind. And if you’re fascinated by the Brontës in general, it’s probably not the best one to start with. But if you’ve read and enjoyed any of the better known titles, the chances are you’ll probably warm to this as well.
Incidentally, it’s worth noting that ‘Agnes Grey’ was not merely Anne's debut, it was probably the first of the novels written by the sisters and later published - in other words, excluding their childhood ‘Gondal fantasies’. Had Charlotte and Emily not read little sister’s work first, they might not have been encouraged to chance their arms at writing themselves. Without this, there may have been no Jane Eyre or Heathcliff at all. ’Agnes Grey’ is available in the usual range of classics series, such as Penguin, Wordsworth and other publishers, priced from £1.50 upwards. Amazon Marketplace currently has copies from £0.01 upwards (postage might be a little more than that).
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23.05.2007 08:26
i am reading this book right now, and i think it is good! great review!
24.11.2004 12:26
I think you've positioned this book's place in history pretty well. Anne was definitely the least of the three, but there's no shame in being the least talented Bronte sister.
08.10.2004 03:53
A good review, but not a book for me, I think.