Agnes Grey

by Anne Brontë, Emilia Fox (Narrator)

Anne Brontë's first novel, Agnes Grey, combines an astute dissection of middle-class social behavior and class attitudes with a wonderful study of Victorian responses to young children which has parallels with debates about education that continue to this day. In writing the novel, Brontë drew on her own experiences, and one can trace in the work many of the trials of the Victorian governess, often stranded far from home, and treated with little respect by her employers, yet expected to control and educate her young charges. Agnes Grey looks at childhood from nursery to adolescence, and it also charts the frustrations of romantic love, as Agnes starts to nurse warmer feelings towards the local curate, Mr. Weston. Sally Shuttleworth's fascinating introduction considers the book's fictional and narrative qualities, its relationship with Victorian child-rearing and the responsibilities of parents, and the changing attitudes to the book influenced by modern concerns for children's rights. The new edition includes a revised and updated bibliography as well as revised notes drawing on the latest critical material.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Romance, 19th Century, Historical Fiction, Victorian, Audiobook

MP3 Book

First published December 1, 1847

About the author

Anne Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the youngest member of the Brontë literary family. Anne's two novels, written in a sharp and ironic style, are completely different from the romanticism followed by her sisters, Emily Brontë and Charlotte Brontë. She wrote in a realistic, rather than a romantic style. Mainly because the re-publication of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was prevented by Charlotte Brontë after Anne's death, she is less known than her sisters. However, her novels, like those of her sisters, have become classics of English literature.

The daughter of a poor Irish clergyman in the Church of England, Anne Brontë lived most of her life with her family at the parish of Haworth on the Yorkshire moors. In Elizabeth Gaskell's biography, Anne's father remembered her as precocious, reporting that once, when she was four years old, in reply to his question about what a child most wanted, she answered: "age and experience".

During her life Anne was particularly close to Emily. When Charlotte's friend Ellen Nussey visited Haworth in 1833, she reported that Emily and Anne were "like twins", "inseparable companions". Together they created imaginary world Gondal after they broke up from Charlotte and Branwell who created another imaginary world – Angria.

For a couple of years she went to a boarding school. At the age of 19 she left Haworth and worked as a governess between 1839 and 1845.

After leaving her teaching position, she fulfilled her literary ambitions. She wrote a volume of poetry with her sisters (Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, 1846) and two novels. Agnes Grey, based upon her experiences as a governess, was published in 1847. Her second and last novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which is considered to be one of the first sustained feminist novels, appeared in 1848 and was an instant, phenomenal success; within six weeks it was sold out.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is perhaps the most shocking of the Brontës' novels. In seeking to present the truth in literature, Anne's depiction of alcoholism and debauchery was profoundly disturbing to 19th-century sensibilities. Helen Graham, the tenant of the title, intrigues Gilbert Markham and gradually she reveals her past as an artist and wife of the dissipated Arthur Huntingdon. The book's brilliance lies in its revelation of the position of women at the time, and its multi-layered plot.

Her sister Emily's death on 19 December 1848 deeply affected Anne and her grief undermined her physical health. Over Christmas, Anne caught influenza. Her symptoms intensified, and in early January, her father sent for a Leeds physician, who diagnosed her condition as consumption, and intimated that it was quite advanced leaving little hope of recovery. Anne met the news with characteristic determination and self-control.

Unlike Emily, Anne took all the recommended medicines, and responded to the advice she was given. That same month she wrote her last poem, " A dreadful darkness closes in", in which she deals with being terminally ill.

In February 1849, Anne decided to make a return visit to Scarborough in the hope that the change of location and fresh sea air might initiate a recovery. However, it was clear that she had little strength left.

Dying, Anne expressed her love and concern for Ellen and Charlotte, and seeing Charlotte's distress, whispered to her to "take courage". Conscious and calm, Anne died at about two o'clock in the afternoon, Monday, 28 May 1849.

Reviews

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of all Bronte books Agnes Grey is definitely the one that reads as if written by a pastor's daughter. There is just a very familiar quality to it, a mix of self-righteousness, martyrdom and judgment, characteristic of "Christian" romances (yes, I have read a couple back in the day).

Not even once during the course of the novel does Agnes make a mistake and therefore she doesn't evolve, change. She is just the most perfectest creature ever who is mistreated by everyone around her. The beginning part of the novel is particularly jarring in this respect - her never-ending complaints about the family she works for as a governess are annoying. Yes, the kids are spoiled and the parents are ignorant, but Agnes herself has absolutely no experience with kids or teaching and in a dire need of Supernanny's advice.

The things are not much better once Agnes moves to her second place of employment. Here, of course, everyone is bad too. (Except the love interest, who is a minister, naturally.) It seems to be Agnes' main purpose to observe and document everyone's follies - from her employees' to fellow servants'. I say enough already.

In spite of the whiny voice of the main character and continuous moralizing, the novel is not a complete loss however. Anne Brontë's talent for social critic reveals itself in the latter part of the novel. Her portrayal of naughty Murray sisters is delicious. Dare I say, you can hear the voice of Jane Austen in some of the passages? And how about those spoiled kids who act as if they are serial killers in the making? I can't not give the author credit for writing about that.

On the other hand, the romance is a bit of a disappointment. It is nothing like twisted and complex relationships in Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. It is a tepid affair, culminating in a "passionate" elbow touching.

Oh well, it's not a bad first effort. I know The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is much better.

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's the thing: I am, at heart, a lover, not a fighter.

Sure, when it comes to young adult books, and to romance, and to thrillers, and to contemporaries, and to historical fiction, and to mysteries, and to...essentially anything that can be categorized as "genre fiction," you may be tempted to call me a hater, due to my uncaring heart and my low ratings and my various rants.

But classics? Literary fiction? All of the most pretentious stuff?

That, my friend, I am fated to like.

So when I don't really, it is an event so stunning and shocking that it threatens to cause earthquakes/turn the world off its axis/dethrone Anya Taylor-Joy as the most beautiful human being of all time.

In other words, change the universe forever.

And I did not really like this book.

Here are the nice things I have to say:
- It's very beautifully written.
- ...
- Um.
- My copy of it is very pretty and little and has gilded pages.

End nice things.

And here, as always, are the things I did not:
- Our main character Agnes is a governess largely for Paying Her Family reasons, and she is so so bad at it. 95% of this book is complaining and I am someone who can only handle hearing one complaint for every two pleasant remarks or I break down entirely.
- Additional bullet point to say that while you may be thinking Emma, aren't most of your reviews you complaining, I refuse to identify hypocrisy within myself and am therefore not listening. Starting now I'm plugging my ears and saying "la la la" like a child whose turn it is to be seeker in hide and seek.
- This romance is a snoozefest. I needed MORE. This was high school crush level and I won't stand for it.
- I will always prefer Pride & Prejudice and Emma and Northanger Abbey to Sense & Sensibility and Mansfield Park because I like my protagonists/love interests/etc. with some SPICE. These two polite religious sweethearts will not get love and fondness from me.

I could probably go on, but I hate typing at length and I hate complaining!

Wait...I'm complaining...about complaining.

I need to get out of here.

Bottom line: Not for me, but Anne, I'll come for you again!

That single sentence was more romance than the whole of this book.

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pre-review

going to go out on a limb and say if you're a governess for 8 kids at different times and all of them turn out bad...

might be a you problem. Team Mischievous Children over Team Agnes Grey.

review to come / 3 stars

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currently-reading updates

well, i'm reading a 19th century british classic, so you know what that means...

summer is over. i'm declaring it autumn.

[Meghhnaa (On a Review-Writing Break!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Views-

My incorrigible propensity for books with Biblical references and teachings, decoyed me into this precious work of gracious civility in the midst of hardships!

“Agnes Grey”, delineates, that amidst all the tormenting, hardships, lamentations and broodings, the tenets of love-laden Christianity, can flourish life, infallibly!
The tenacity of enduring hardships at home and vexations in profession, and abiding by the endearing Christian tenets, earned Agnes a satisfying ending!!

Persistent unshaken firmness, devoted diligence, unwearied perseverance and unceasing care, towards family and profession, qualified Agnes, to earn a happy ending for herself. I applaud the positive ending of this novel, on a happy-note!!

We are often shielded by our own obscurity, and secure ourselves, by closing all doors to vulnerability. But Anne Bronte, audaciously, revealed her life and views, all naked, in this first novel of hers. Commendable!
Isn’t it?

Agnes Grey, is a didactic novel, expounding, the coming-of age, growth, the endurance of exploitation, by the governesses in the Victorian England, and many more stifling issues.

According to me, Agnes Grey, shouldn’t be limited to the hardships and tormenting of the governesses in the Victorian England alone, but can be extrapolated to the modern day and age relationships and friendships!

Agnes, gives her heart and soul to her ailing impoverished family, love and care to the abusive-miscreant children whom she looks after, and respect to her employers, and yet is derided by the condescending and supercilious bosses, and taken for a ride, with frivolity, by the ungrateful, diabolically bickering children.

Analogically, same can be applied to modern day and age relationships, no matter how much love and respect parents shower on their children, no matter how much a human does for another, with sincerity and selflessness, we come across cases, of being taken for granted or being reprimanded. Love and respect, are not always returned back, alike!

Christian principles teach us to stay resilient, to forgive , spread love and surrender (It is not for others, but for the self. I will stay away from delving into Bible and in my fondness for it, do not want to make it a spiritual/religious discourse!).

Agnes Grey, does not retaliate in vengeance for wrong treatment, rather works on changing her job and situation with full tenacity and zeal.
The novel is not an entertainer, but an edifier!
The daily-life problems are compounded by wrong decisions and destiny not unfolding the way they devised or wished to be!

A quick abridged plot-summary: -

Agnes, daughter of a minister of modest means, Mr. Grey, a loving husband and father, with a want to provide and augment his little fortune, risks his money with a merchant, who unfortunately dies in a wreck.
Plunged into debts and swamped in misery and poverty, the family scrupulously cuts-down on expenses and food. Deciding to become a bread-winner for the family, Agnes, decides to get employed as a governess for children of affluent families, with all bright hopes and ardent expectations.
Her first employment is with Bloomfield Family. Rich, condescending, diabolical than what Agnes conceived or envisioned to be, she endures to continue working with the unruly, abusive, miscreant children and the reprimanding bosses. Within an year, she is dismissed on account of slow-growth of the children. Returning back home, she starts searching for a new job, and finally gets employed with the Murrays, and this second job turns out to be a wee better than the first. Though, she still feels ignored!
Agnes helps an old woman, Nancy Brown, with poor eyesight, in reading the Bible, when she consequently ends up meeting Mr. Edward Weston, the new parson. They eventually start getting closer. Meanwhile, her father passes away, when she along with her mother, opens a school, leaving the Murrays and Mr. Weston. One day, she takes a walk by the seashore, and stumbles upon Mr. Weston. He informs her, that he has been looking for her since the time he changed his parsonage. Agnes introduces him to her mother, and accepts Mr. Weston’s proposal. Eventually they get married, and consequently become parents to 3 beautiful children.
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I wish if I could, give heartfelt infinite stars, to this evocative work of Anne Bronte(first-novel). It touched my soul and peeled off various layers, in ways inexplicable. Giving any stars, would be undermining such a work, but still 5-stars (as per the GRs rating-system).

Throughout, the novel, we can witness Agnes renewing her hope and spirit, irrespective of the abuse, frivolity and condemnation she is subjected to! She never gives into vengeance of any kind, and keeps steadying her nerves and stifling the rebellious flutter of her heart! She takes on the arduous journey of her life, with redoubled ardour and zeal! She rises every time, with hopeful exhilarations, irrespective of the profuse disappointments of the yester-day.

This novel is a work or art and hope, edifying the importance and success of Christian tenets and beliefs! I loved it!

Limiting it as a mere depiction of the exploitation of the governesses during the Victorian Era, is totally unfair, in my view. Agnes Grey, holds much more!

[Duane Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

It pains me to only give this three stars, mainly because of the tremendous respect I have for what the three Bronte sisters accomplished in their short lives, and because Anne was overshadowed by her older sisters, Charlotte and Emily. Agnes Grey, the first of Anne's two novels (1847), was overshadowed by Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, also published in 1847. But Agnes Grey did two things: one, it gave us insight into Anne's life, her feelings, because it was partly autobiographical, reflecting her experience as a governess for several years; and two, it helped Anne to open up her literary potential which she used to write her second novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. While it is lesser known than her older sister's classic masterpieces, it's quality puts it at the same level of excellence in my opinion. The three sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, died at the ages of 38, 31, and 29. It staggers the mind to think what they may have accomplished if they had lived another 25 or 30 years. But what they did accomplish was literary immortality, all three of them, and for that I say thank you ladies, well done.

[Carolyn Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Brontë has given us a story of the *highest* caliber in the form of her debut novel, Agnes Grey. It is a true masterpiece and proves that Anne was one of the greatest writers of the 19th century. Although often overshadowed by her sisters, Charlotte and Emily, I believe Anne shines brightest of all.

Agnes Grey was published in December of 1847, when Anne Brontë was 26 years old. It is a semi-autobiographical account of a young governess who experiences the harsh reality and isolation that comes with her role in society. It explores powerful themes of female autonomy, self-worth, education, class dynamics, family, friendship, respect, and love. Anne uses pin point precision to bring these topics to the reader’s attention. I can only imagine (and research about) the immense impact this novel had on its very first readers.

Like Agnes, and myself, Anne was the youngest of her sisters. Often within sibling dynamics, especially between sisters, the youngest is sometimes seen by their families as meek and incapable. *“You think, because I always do as you bid me, I have no judgment of my own: but only trust me — that is all I ask — and you shall see what I can do,”* Agnes pleads to her mother in the very first chapter.

Agnes becomes a governess to help financially support her family, a noble pursuit. She leaves her familiar environment behind, hoping to prove her abilities and obtain a certain level of independence. She soon learns, within the first few hours of her new posting, the brutal truth about her position in an upperclass household and in society at large. *“Kindness, which had been the food of my life through so many years, had lately been so entirely denied me…”,* Agnes confesses in chapter four.

Throughout the entire narrative, Agnes never (not once) loses her self-respect. This is one of the things I admire most about her. Despite being treated as less than by nearly everyone around her, she holds tight to her beliefs and perseveres. Through Agnes, the reader—especially a modern reader, like myself—gets to experience Anne’s own past reality. This is illustrated brilliantly in chapter thirteen: *The Primroses* (one of my very favorites), *“But when I did walk* [with her pupils]*, this first half of the journey was generally a great nuisance to me. As none of the before-mentioned ladies and gentlemen ever noticed me, it was disagreeable to walk beside them, as if listening to what they said, or wishing to be thought one of them, while they talked over me or across, and if their eyes, in speaking, chanced to fall on me, it seemed as if they looked on vacancy — as if they either did not see me, or were very desirous to make it appear so. It was disagreeable, too, to walk behind, and thus appear to acknowledge my own inferiority; for the truth, I consider myself pretty nearly as good as the best of them, and wished them to know that I did so, and not to imagine that I looked upon myself as a mere domestic, who knew her own place too well to walk beside such fine ladies and gentlemen as they were… though her young ladies might choose to have her with them, even condescend to converse with her, when no better company were at hand.”* This scene is fascinating, and heartbreaking, as it gives the reader an honest glimpse into the complexities of Agnes’ (and Anne’s) life and social standing.

Despite her fortitude, eventually, Agnes confesses in chapter eleven, *“Already, I seemed to feel my intellect deteriorating, my heart petrifying, my soul contracting, and I trembled lest my very moral perceptions should become deadened, my distinctions of right and wrong confounded, and all my better faculties be sunk, at last, beneath the baleful influence of such a mode of life. The gross vapours of earth were gathering round me, and closing in upon my inward heaven; and thus it was that Mr. __* [the “hero” of the novel] *rose at length upon me, appearing like the morning star in my horizon, to save me from the fear of utter darkness; and I rejoiced that I had now a subject for contemplation, that was above me, not beneath.”* Through the character of Mr. __, Anne truly gives Agnes, and the reader, a “morning star” in the story’s horizons. Anne knew what qualities women deserve and value in a partner, and she put those qualities into Mr. __’s character.

Firstly, he treats Agnes with the respect and kindness she deserves. A perfect example of his chivalry is found in chapter thirteen, when Agnes explains how, *“At length I descried, high up between the twisted roots of an oak, three lovely primroses, peeping so sweetly from their hiding-place that the tears already started at the sight, but they grew so high above me, that I tried in vain to gather one of two to dream over and to carry with me; I could not reach them, unless I climbed the bank, which I was deterred from doing by hearing a footstep at that moment behind me, and was therefore about to turn away, when I was startled by the words, ‘Allow me to gather them for you, Miss Grey,’ spoken in the grave low tones of a well-known voice. Immediately the flowers were gathered, and in my hand. It was Mr. __ of course — who else would trouble himself to do so much for me?”* … *“It was foolish, perhaps, to feel any gratitude at all, but it seemed to me, at that moment, as if this were a remarkable instance of his good nature, an act of kindness which I could not repay, but never should forget: so utterly unaccustomed was i to receive such civilities, so little prepared to expect them…”*

Secondly, in that same chapter, thirteen, Mr. __ shows his genuine interest in Agnes’ character, thoughts, ideas, and interests. *“…he broke the pause by asking, with a certain quiet abruptness peculiar to himself, if I liked flowers… ‘Yes, very much,’ I answered, ‘wildflowers especially.’ … ‘What are your favorite flowers?’ … ‘Primroses, blue-bells, and heath-blossoms.’* Which he later remembers, another sign of his good character, as told in chapter eighteen (which takes place a few months later), *“He carried in his hand a cluster of beautiful bluebells which he offered to me, observing, with a smile, that though he had not seen me for the last two months, he had not forgotten that bluebells were numbered among my favourite flowers.”* These acts of thoughtfulness and care may appear simple, but to Agnes (and the reader) they feel profound.

Thirdly, he sees Agnes’ true worth, unlike her pupils, their parents, and most of society. As Mr.__ himself admits in chapter fifteen, when Agnes expresses the difficulty she has faced with making friends. *“‘The fault is partly in society, and partly, I should think, in your immediate neighbours, and partly, too, in yourself; for many ladies, in your position, would* make *themselves be noticed and accounted of. But your pupils should be companions for you in some degree; they cannot be many years younger than yourself.’ ‘Oh yes, they are good company sometimes; but I cannot call them friends, nor would they think of bestowing such a name on me - they have other companions better suited to their tastes.’ ‘Perhaps you are too wise for them. How do you amuse yourself when alone - do you read much?’”* This question results in one of my favorite quotes, which I will soon share in relation to another aspect of the story. By sharing this interaction between herself and Mr. __, Agnes gives the reader yet another reason to think highly of him. *“From speaking of books in general, he passed to different books in particular, and proceeded by rapid transitions from topic to topic, till several matters, both of taste and opinion, had been discussed considerably within the space of half an hour, but without embelishment of many observations from himself; he being evidently less bent upon communicating his own thoughts and predilections, than on discovering mine.”*

Fourthly, I must mention a scene that happens in chapter sixteen, which swept me off of my feet. After attending church on a Sunday, Agnes, her pupils, and their parents, have to walk, from the church door to their carriage, in the rain. Everyone gets escorted under an umbrella, except Agnes. That is until Mr. __ comes to the rescue. *“I was about to follow; but Mr. __ had an umbrella too, and offered me the benefit of its shelter, for it was raining heavily. ‘No, thank you, I don’t mind the rain,’ I said. I always lacked common sense when taken by surprise.”* That line made me laugh out loud, because I frequently feel the same way. *“‘But you don’t like it I suppose? - an umbrella will do you no harm at any rate,’ he replied, with a smile that shewed he was not offended, as a man of worse temper or less penetration would have been at such a refusal of his aid. I could not deny the truth of his assertion, and so went with him to the carriage; he even offered me his hand on getting in, an unnecessary piece of civility, but I accepted that too for fear of giving offence. One glance he gave, one little smile at parting at parting - it was but for a moment, but therein I read, or thought I read, a meaning that kindled in my heart a brighter flame of hope than had ever yet arisen.”* This scene, in my humble opinion, is as swoon worthy as Mr. Darcy’s hand flex in the 2005 adaptation of *Pride and Prejudice.*

Lastly, although, as Agnes says in the final chapter,“I could go on for years,” I want to express that although Mr.__ appears to be the “perfect” man, he knows he isn’t. No one is. *“‘If you require perfection…’”* Agnes tells him, in chapter twenty four. *“‘I do not —’,”* he replies. *“‘I have no right to, as being so far from perfect myself.’”*

Woven throughout the story are Agnes’ ardent yearnings. This quote, from chapter fifteen, made my own heart ache alongside hers, *“…as for my thinking of him, I had been doing that, with little intermission, ever since we set out on our journey…”* The passion Anne captures here is more subtle, compared to the dramatic and fiery passion in her sister’s novels, but I think it is just as powerful. Its beauty lies in its relatable universality.

Another theme, which every voracious reader will be able to understand, is how books, as well as libraries, act as a refuge for Agnes. I knew she was a kindred spirit when, in chapter fifteen, she tells Mr. __, as a response to his question which I mentioned earlier, *“‘Reading is my favorite occupation when I have leisure for it, and books to read.’”* Another similarly wonderful quote is found in chapter eleven, *“One bright day in the last week of February, I was walking in the park, enjoying the threefold luxury of solitude, a book, and pleasant weather…”* Speaking from my own experiences, as Anne does throughout this novel, books bring a certain comfort which is entirely unique. Agnes gives voice to this idea perfectly in chapter seventeen when she says, *“…we often naturally seek relief in poetry - and often find it too - … in our own attempts to give utterance to those thoughts and feelings in strains less musical, perchance, but more appropriate, and therefore more penetrating and sympathetic, and, for the time, more soothing, or more powerful to rouse and to unburden the oppressed and swollen heart.”* Books, poetry, and libraries help us understand ourselves and the world around us, even more so when our surroundings are less than pleasant, as they are for Agnes in chapter twenty two. At this point in the story, she is staying at an upperclass house, as a guest, and yet she is still expected to dine separately. Her hostess says, *“‘I will show you the library; I never examined its shelves, but, I dare say, it is full of wise books, and you may go and burrow among them whenever you please…’”* Agnes later replies by saying, *“‘I should prefer having all my meals in this room. … At any rate it would be more agreeable to me.’”* This conversation broke my heart, although, I must confess, I would have felt the same way if I was in her position.

Chapter twenty two also gives the reader a glimpse into the themes of domestic abuse, alcoholism, and female empowerment which Anne later explores and develops in her second, and last, novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. *“…As if there was any good to be done by staying in the room,”* an unhappy wife tells Agnes, *“when he does nothing but grumble and scold when he’s in a bad humour, talk disgusting nonsense when he’s in a good one, and go to sleep on the sofa when he’s too stupid for either, which is most frequently the case now, when he has nothing to do but sot over his wine.”* At the time, narratives of this nature were seldom explored by authors. 19th century society was shocked when Anne Brontë went against these societal norms and therefore advocated for women’s rights. *“‘It’s the husband’s part to please the wife,’* the aforementioned character says to Agnes near the end of chapter twenty two, *‘not hers to please him; and if he isn’t satisfied with her as she is - and thankful to possess her too - he isn’t worthy of her - that’s all.’”* As a modern reader, I feel a great sense of pride in Anne’s courage to rebel and bring these important topics to her reader’s attention. She was, and remains to be, a true inspiration.

Lastly, I want to highlight Anne’s stunning descriptive imagery and how she used it to express emotion. She knew that the weather can greatly impact how people feel, as well as bring life and atmosphere into a story. The last lines of chapter seventeen exemplify this beautifully. *“I seemed to see the black clouds gathering round my native hills, and to hear the angry muttering of a storm that was about to burst, and desolate our hearth.”* That quote left me speechless when I first read it, and it continues to do so every time I return to it.

Agnes Grey ends (I won’t tell you how exactly) on “the sands” of a beach, at sunset. This makes me want to weep whenever I think about it, because Anne’s grave overlooks the sea in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. She traveled there with her sister, Charlotte, as a final attempt to improve her failing health. She loved the coastal town and wanted to experience the seaside scenery one last time. Unfortunately, she died there, at the age of twenty nine, from tuberculosis. She is the only Brontë who is not buried in the family vault, in St Michael and All Angels’ Church in Haworth, West Yorkshire. Although some may see this as Anne’s permanent isolation, I like to believe that it is her final freedom. She gets to look out to the sea she loved so dearly, as Agnes did at the end of *her* story. Once again, this makes me want to weep.

*“And then, the unspeakable purity and freshness of the air! there was just enough wind to keep the whole sea in motion, to make the waves come bounding to the shore, foaming and sparkling, as if wild with glee. Nothing else was stirring - no living creature was visible besides myself. My footsteps were the first to press the firm, unbroken sands; - nothing before had trampled them since last night’s flowing tide had obliterated the deepest marks of yesterday, and left it fair and even, except where the subsiding water had left behind it the traces of dimpled pools, and little running streams. Refreshed, delighted, invigorated, I walked along, forgetting all my cares, feelings as if I had wings to my feet, and could go at least forty miles without fatigue, and experiencing a sense of exhilaration to which I had been an entire stranger since the days of early youth.”* ~ Chapter twenty four, “The Sands”

Thank you, Anne. Thank you for sharing your strength, your courage, your beliefs, and your life changing stories with the world. It is a privilege to feel so deeply connected to you.

[Luís · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book draws from the author's experience as a governess in the first half of the 19th century. It is a world where a distance of two miles is considered far and makes daily visits practically impossible. In this confined world, everyone knows and observes one's neighbors. Young Agnes, the book's protagonist, leaves her close-knit family to work as a governess. With astonishing patience, she does her best to teach the spoiled children of wealthy families. Their parents closely watched her and pointed out every mistake in their children's behavior but gave Agnes no authority over them.
Agnes Grey is not a book with a breathtaking plot but a quiet read that provides a peaceful world to withdraw after the day's work. (Don't read that book in the subway. It won't work.) In this book, you'll find this 19th-century illusion of a kind, quiet, and regular life: Regular mealtimes, a peaceful family life, polite behavior, speech, regular Sunday services, and sound morality. It is a refreshing contrast to modern life. At the same time, the book tells the story of a widow thriving as a freelancer in those times. So, if you want inspiration, this book might be for you. It is interesting to observe how this freelancer acquires customers in yesterday's world, and her working life is relatable. There is also a love story. But, as expected from such a book, it is a serene, peaceful, decent love story. And won't reveal the end until the very last chapter of the book. And the best of it: When putting this book down, I think you will be relieved that you've returned from a world where every word and every look has been cautiously observed and assessed and where you can hold everything you do or say against you forever. You're back to reality, and if you feel like it, you can swear loudly and bang your fist on the table as you do so. (Please wait until I've left the scene.)

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"... for nothing can be taught to any purpose without some little exertion on the part of the learner."

So here we are, finding consolation in reading about the reality of schooling in a novel published almost two centuries ago. That quote is true, my dear Agnes alias Anne. And how come we still don't quote you on each curriculum, on each report card, on each test result?

Well, that is because you let your governess alter ego discover the other eternal truth as well, known to teachers of all curricula: namely that many parents may CLAIM to want to hear the truth about their children, and they may CLAIM to want them to learn and work studiously, but in reality, what they want to hear is praise of their offspring's unique genius, and they also want to be spared the parental effort it takes to instil respect and love of learning in their children - which is contrary to their natural desire to feel superior to the person assigned to take care of the schooling.

Being a governess in upper class Victorian England might sound like a completely different work experience when we compare it to being a school teacher in contemporary Sweden, but it is not. Where effort is avoided, and students are indulged to avoid short term tantrums and conflicts, the exact same situation occurs. A teacher trying to commit to a calling, a profession, will always be the first target for self-involved parents without true inclination for genuine education. Targeting the children is too close to self-criticism.

What I learned - yet again - from reading Agnes Grey is that human nature is the same over time and space, and that change can only happen on an individual, voluntary level. Parenting matters, more than anything else in the world. The ideas we give our children on how to treat our fellow human beings, and on how to approach the privilege of being educated and well cared for, still make all the difference for their development.

Tell students that the teacher is inferior to their parents and should be treated like a servant, and nothing the teacher teaches the students will be judged worth knowing. Tell them, on the other hand, that learning is the magical gate towards a self-determined and independent life, and that the teacher holds the key to the gate, - and the children will be sponges soaking up whatever knowledge they can collect. It is all about the mindset we give our children.

On the sidelines of the main social issue - the hardship of young educated women trying to succeed in the teaching profession - Agnes Grey manages to describe another ordeal of vulnerable female characters: the marrying business. One might get the notion that a woman can only choose between Scylla and Charybdis when making her path between the inhumane treatment of governesses and the eternal unhappiness following a conventional loveless marriage.

Had the youngest Brontë sister lived longer, she might have found a third path for herself - that of a successful writer. As it is, she remains forever contemporary in her honest and critical assessment of social injustice in her own time, based on firsthand experience and accurate rendering of basic psychological structures in upper class parenting.

Is it making me feel hope or despair to realise that there never were any good ol' times? I don't know.

I think it makes me feel hope that ANY society, no matter how dysfunctional and discriminating, can occasionally see the rise of brave and independent spirits like Agnes/Anne who dare to speak up for change. To be the change. To say and act on what is true:

"... for nothing can be taught to any purpose without some little exertion on the part of the learner."

[Henry Avila · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1847, Charlotte Bronte's novel, Jane Eyre, was published, her sister Emily's, book also , Wuthering Heights and finally the 3rd sister, Anne's, Agnes Grey . The first two became classics, the other one, until recently, almost forgotten. An autobiographical novel with a simple plot. Poor clergyman's daughter, becomes a governess, to rich snobs, in order not to be a burden to her family. The father, Richard, lost his money in a bad investment, his ship didn't come in, it sank, worse yet, he owes money too... Agnes's parents and older sister Mary and she, must struggle to survive. It doesn't help that Richard Grey, goes into a deep, prolonged depression, always brooding, and becomes nearly useless. Growing up Agnes, knows little about the rest of the world, seeing only her relatives and educated by them. Reading was her escape from a dull, secluded life. After much persuasion, (the unthinkable idea) Anne gets permission, to leave home and find work, twenty miles from her house, in Yorkshire, the eighteen- year- old, has secured a position, with the Bloomfield family. Four children, Tom,7, Mary Ann, 6, Fanny, 4 , and Harriet, 2, all brats, the little boy likes torturing captured birds. The invariably kindhearted Miss Grey, is powerless to prevent such cruelties, Mrs. Bloomfield, (doesn't care) and had given her a cold reception, putting Agnes, in her place, as a lowly governess. The new servant quickly becomes disillusioned, the world is a harsh place, indeed. The children disobey her, ridicule Agnes, and teaching them becomes impossible. The father, is never around, can't be bothered. She gets dismissed and returns home, to the drab parsonage, but Agnes will try again, this time seventy miles away, yet another unpleasant experience . The Murray's have older children... two young boys and Rosalie at 16, very pretty, almost a woman but immature and selfish, her tomboyish younger sister, Matilda, she would rather ride her horses, than dress up for dances. Her only happiness is the curate, she Agnes, had met, Edward Weston, while visiting a sick old woman, still the plain looking girl, knows her limitations. Soon silly Rosalie, with much encouragement from her social climbing, callous mother, becomes engaged to a rich, evil, drunkard and barbaric aristocrat, Lord Ashby. The flirtatious Rosalie marries him, at a proper age, but loves another, Agnes had warned her, but was laughed at, just a common servant. It is all about money and social position ! Of course later on she, will greatly regret her choice, you can't sleep with gold, it gives no warmth. A chance meeting with Mr. Edward Weston, a man she , never thought, would see again, months after Agnes, had left her work. ... on a lonely quiet beach, in Scarborough, early in the morning, as the glorious sun rose, the two watching the lovely sight, silently, no words were necessary... they knew what each felt...

[Piyangie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agnes Grey is Anne Bronte’s first attempt at a novel. It is partly autobiographic. Young Anne Bronte worked as a governess with a view to support her family. Her time as a governess made her see the precarious position of a governess; they were not servants and nor of the family. This made both quarters at a loss as how to treat a governess. Anne’s time as a governess were filled with bitter experiences and it is not surprising that at Anne’s first attempt at writing that she should bring a female protagonist (Agnes) who undergoes a similar fate as her as a governess. Charlotte Bronte in her “Biographical notice of Ellis and Acton Bell, 1850” stated that “hers (Anne’s) was naturally a sensitive, reserved and dejected nature; what she saw sank very deeply into her mind; it did her harm. She brooded over it till she believed it a duty to reproduce every detail (of course with fictitious characters, incidents, and situations)…”. While Charlotte thought that Anne’s personal experiences and observations did her harm, I think they helped her produce two great literary works which served to convey strong messages to the Victorian society.

The main reason Anne wanted to write the novel was to bring to the light the many difficulties, indignities, discriminations a governess faces while carrying out their duties. She wanted the society to know them, to view things from a governess’s point of view. It is said that many society ladies of the day have expressed their wishes to treat their governesses differently after reading the book. This in itself is the reward for her labours. This shows how successful her story was.

As the title implies, the story of Agnes Grey is focused on the protagonist, Agnes Grey, who is also the narrator of the story. The story flows from Agnes’s childhood to her position as governess and teacher to her marriage and motherhood. If you take the story itself, it is a very simple one. One cannot even say it is an exciting story, except perhaps towards the end. Yet the story binds you with such power that you cannot put it down. It draws you in with its honesty and earnestness. Agnes is not perfect; she has her goodness and many weaknesses. She honestly bares her life to the reader without reservation or justification. This quality in narration makes the readers like Agnes. They can sympathize with her and also empathize with her. Anne’s character employment is clever; the supporting characters she employs in the story helps to bring out and develop the character of Agnes. This is so successfully done, for even if you don’t like Agnes at the beginning, she slowly grows on you, and you end up liking her.

Anne’s writing is beautiful. It may not have the imagination of Emily or the passionate ranting of Charlotte, but there is an earnestness, a truthfulness, a boldness and a tranquility. It is her writing that captures me. This is not to say that I don’t like the writing of Emily or Charlotte, but Anne’s writing is special. It is one of the reasons, among other things, that Anne has become my favourite Bronte. Also I feel Anne’s style is more Austenian, following the writing of the Regency period. Her subject matter is essentially Victorian, but the gravity of Victorian writing is absent from her work. Instead she has adopted the light and beautiful writing of the preceding Regency period.

Agnes Grey is a sensitive story, just like Anne’s other novel The Tenant of the Wildfell Hall . I love this sensitivity, and I love Anne for her sensitivity. The read was interesting and engaging. I enjoyed it.

It is a pity that such a talent was taken away at a young age of thirty before her potentials could be fully realized. However, for her limited life she gifted two great works to the literary world. And we readers will forever be grateful for her for her literary contribution.

More of my reviews can be found at http://piyangiejay.com/

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant Brontë, as always - historically fascinating in terms of examining the role of governesses in the 19th century, and a thoroughly moving love story besides.

Thoughts on rereading - I think I enjoyed this even more. A really interesting, engaging, subtle little story.

[Fernando · Rating 4 out of 5]

"El corazón humano es como una pieza de caucho: se dilata, pero puede estirarse mucho sin llegar a estallar. Si poco más que nada lo perturba, poco menos que todo es necesario para romperlo."

Las hermanas Brontë no se caracterizaban por escribir empalagosas historias de amor ni por retratar mujeres ingenuas y tontas sino todo lo contrario: sus personajes son decididos, valientes y tormentosos; enfrentan lo que la vida les depara con determinación aunque estas características no se observan en forma tan marcada en el caso de Agnes Grey.
Más allá de que no he leído todos los libros de las Brontë (creo que para cerrar un concepto del ideal bronteano debería leer también La inquilina de Wildfell Hall y Vilette), si comparo el carácter de Agnes con el de Jane Eyre o Catalina de Cumbres Borrascosas la encuentro más sosegada y renuente al choque o el conflicto.
Anne Brontë toma todas sus experiencias como institutriz, casualmente iniciadas a sus jóvenes diecinueve años y las vuelca en este alter ego que es Agnes. Ser la menor de las Brontë se nota en su prosa, puesto que no es tan refinada y elevadamente poética como la de su hermana Charlotte ni tan despojada de sutilezas como las de Emily en Cumbres Borrascosas; aunque ello no quiere decir que sea de menor calidad. La novela está escrita en forma amena y no aburre y aunque es más corta que las otras su argumento es parecido pero distinto al de Jane Eyre (mis disculpas por comparar estos dos libros, pero es que tengo sus lecturas muy frescas en mi cabeza). La historia de Agnes está narrada prácticamente como si fuera un diario y en su corta vida, tan corta como lo fue la de la misma Anne nos relata todo lo sucedido desde la salida de su hogar para ayudar a sus padres luego de un desafortunado evento financiero hasta recalar en las mansiones de dos adineradas familias para las que trabajará como institutriz. Debe sacrificarse para ayudar y está decidida a ello.
Hasta ese momento ha sido una chica simple, de su casa. Gris, como su apellido. Pero las nuevas experiencias, golpes y sufrimientos la foguear��n rápidamente en la vida.
En el caso de su estadía en Wellwood como institutriz de los niños Bloomfield (Tom, Mary Ann, Harriet y Fanny) su situación es terrible. Se encuentra rodeada de cuatro niños crueles y despiadados. Verdaderos monstruos de pesadilla a los que no logra doblegar y que además cuentan con la sobreprotección de una madre despótica y un padre frenético que jamás se opondrán a los caprichos de sus hijos. Sumado a esto, los niños poseen una influencia negativa y violenta que proviene de su tío Robson.
Una vez que no puede con su alma para con esta jauría de inadaptados decide volver para probar suerte con otra familia, los Murray, de Horton Lodge y aquí transcurre gran parte de la novela.
En este caso no son niños sino dos muchachas adolescentes, malcriadas y de alta alcurnia, Matilda y Rosalie Murray, que luchan por imponer su apellido en la alta sociedad. Toda la familia Murray es así. Y Agnes es arrastrada a obedecer todo tipo de caprichos. En un momento Agnes lo reconoce luego de conocer a Nancy Brown, una viuda casi ciega, que se transforma en su única compañía y a la que visita para aliviar su soledad: "Mis únicos compañeros habían sido niños desagradables e ignorantes niñas testarudas; y la soledad continuada, que me apartaba de aquella agotadora locura, se había convertido en alivio, en algo que deseaba y valoraba intensamente."
Agnes peca por momentos de ser demasiado permisiva, sumisa y de poco carácter. Es vapuleada por personas de carácter fuerte y agresivo y todo esto va mellando su espíritu. Pero como no todo en estas novelas son espinas, aparecerá un personaje que le dará motivos para sentirse esperanzada: el vicario Edward Weston con lo que su vida tendrá otro aliciente entre tanta abnegación y esfuerzo.
Como comentara previamente, esta novela es mucho más corta que las de sus hermanas y la historia, si bien tiene puntos en común con la de Jane Eyre está muy bien narrada, con personajes a la altura de lo que sucede y un estilo más llano y menos poético que el de Charlotte Brontë pero no por ello menos interesante.
He completado una trilogía de novelas bronteanas y de momento no creo que vaya a leer novelas de estas grandes escritoras de momento.
Puedo aseverar que las hermanas Brontë son un caso único en la literatura y el hecho de que Cumbres Borrascosas, Jane Eyre y Agnes Grey hayan sido publicados en 1847 marca una maravillosa coincidencia literaria.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars *

[Sherwood Smith]

My favorite of the Brontes is Anne. This is my favorite of her novels.

In this and Jane Eyre, we have governess-eye views of the gentry. In Jane Eyre, Jane manages to make herself central (her suffering in being a governess); in Agnes Grey, there is a meticulous look at the thin veneer of civilization over the soi-disant gentry who have all the money and manner but utterly no moral center. The examination of this family is one of the most effective pieces of quiet horror in literature, I think, because it resonates as true. Far more effective than Charlotte's madwoman-in-the-attic histrionics. (Though those, too, smack of reality . . . but not a reality known to Charlotte. I attribute the long habit of Byronic fanfiction for that, as well as for Emily's oeuvre, and Anne's own Tenant)

Rereading for a book group: again, it strikes me how very good Anne was at observations of human behavior, though a sense of Anne is difficult to find. Agnes Grey is nearly invisible, quite a contrast to Charlotte's books, which convey a powerful sense of Charlotte front and center. (And Emily was different from both, writing straight from the id vortex)

[Celeste Corrêa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Brontë (1820-1849), a mais nova e menos famosa das geniais irmãs Brontë, e eu temos uma coincidência especial: compartilhamos o mesmo dia e mês de nascimento, algo que sempre me encheu de orgulho.


Anne Brontë teve de abandonar os estudos por falta de saúde e, posteriormente, foi preceptora em casa de uma família de Thorp Green, onde esteve quatro anos. À semelhança das suas irmãs, a sua dedicação ao ensino, influenciou a sua obra.

«Agnes Grey» é um livro que, apesar de datado em certos aspectos — o ensino doméstico caiu em desuso —, se lê com um enorme prazer e donde podemos retirar verdadeiras lições sobre a problemática do ensino e educação das crianças e jovens, bem como, do péssimo exemplo que alguns pais são para os seus filhos.

Quando os pais ficam arruinados, Agnes Grey, a narradora, torna-se preceptora , o sonho que de resto acalentara desde menina. Tinha dezanove anos e enfrentava com medo e simultaneamente com a coragem de quem se sabe útil à sua família.

Assim, começa a exercer funções na casa dos Bloomfield, onde a vida se foi tornando cada vez mais difícil: a sua autoridade é-lhe negada por pais difíceis e desinteressados e crianças cruéis, selvagens, teimosas, incorrigíveis e excessivamente mimadas.

Agnes é dispensada do seu serviço e injustamente acusada de falta de firmeza e perseverança; mesmo ter sido tão mal sucedida e pouco apreciada, Agnes considera que, depois dessa experiência infeliz, qualquer mudança futura será forçosamente para melhor.

Agnes consegue uma nova colocação na casa dos Murray, onde terá a cargo duas meninas mais velhas, pérfidas, vaidosas e egoístas.
Uma visão detalhada e realista sobre a vida de uma educadora no século XIX com desafios que ainda hoje persistem, como a necessidade de maior valorização dos professores e métodos pedagógicos mais inovadores.


Anne Brontë escreve num estilo claro e simples; as descrições das paisagens e das fisionomias, bem como a crítica à sociedade da época mostram todo o seu talento. A protagonista é uma sobrevivente no meio hostil das famílias ricas que marginalizam as preceptoras.

O livro começa assim:

«Todas as histórias verdadeiras possuem um ensinamento, embora nalgumas seja difícil de encontrar, e, quando se encontre, seja tão pequeno que, tal como acontece a uma noz seca e encarquilhada, mal nos compense do trabalho de lhe quebrar a casca.»

Compensou o trabalho de quebrar a casca da noz; a vida de Agnes Grey é um exemplo inspirador para leitores de qualquer idade.

Well done, Anne!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I’ve been conscious for a while of not having read anything by Anne Bronte and decided it was time to remedy that. This is Anne Bronte’s first novel and has the reputation of being not as good as the second; however I certainly felt that it had its strengths. The story is straightforward; Agnes Grey is the daughter of a clergyman whose family finds itself is straightened circumstances. Agnes decides she must contribute to the family finances and takes a post of a governess. There is an account of her time as a governess in two families. The account paints a fairly bleak picture of life as a governess and of the role of women of a certain class. This is certainly based on Anne’s own experience, apart from the romance at the end.
Anne Bronte has always been seen as a lesser writer than her two sisters; this isn’t my impression. Agnes Grey is a strong minded woman, who very much has a sense of independence, “to go out into the world; to act for myself; to exercise my unused faculties; to try my own unknown powers; to earn my own maintenance”. At the end of the novel when she marries Weston the usual Victorian formula would be that he is rescuing her and providing her with hearth and home. The more perceptive reader will realise that he is not rescuing her, but she is rescuing him. Agnes can be very self-effacing at times and her piety I found somewhat irritating, but she is a much stronger character than many Victorian heroines. .
The nature of work that women of Agnes’s type have to do is portrayed as thankless and degrading with cruel employers and children whom are ungovernable and with no respect to someone they treat as a servant. I think Anne’s portrayal of men is very much different to her sisters. There are no smouldering Byronic heroes like Rochester and Heathcliffe. Most of the men are shallow and self-absorbed. Her idea of a leading man is also different; Weston is not heroic or good-looking. He is serious, bookish, kind with obvious faults and vulnerabilities; very unlike the men her sisters created. This makes her books less easy to film; producers like strong male leads!
I was surprised to find that Anne Bronte is much more radical than her sisters. She is concerned about the rights and working conditions of women who work in virtual slavery in domestic service and portrays the upper and moneyed classes who employ them as cruel and unscrupulous. Shades of a socialist and feminist approach to life and no swooning over emotionally stunted heroes. Agnes Grey does not need Weston at the end of the book; she is running a school with her mother and they are independent. It is a positive choice. I would urge those of you who have not read Anne Bronte yet to do so.

[Kalliope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having watched recently the film To Walk Invisible, and having also finished not long ago Wuthering Heights, while I was reading this I could not but imagine the two sisters, Emily and Anne, sitting around the same table, either in the dining room or in the kitchen, each leaning over a very small notebook and writing away their novels in silence. Both sharing and not sharing; keeping each other’s company, but also guarding the privacy of their thoughts and their writing from the other sister.

And I wondered how was it possible that on the same table those two notebooks were filling with such different fiction. How could these two sisters, apparently so similar in character, with the same upbringing and similar experiences, produce such different works. With Emily’s novel made me dread the falling into Hell, while Anne’s account of a governess made me at times wished for a redeeming Hell.

Agnes Grey is a governess to her very core. Not one does she lose her, very proper, identity. Even in moments of weakness, she does not doubt for an instance her exemplary view of the world. For even if she is very convincing in her neutrality and perfection--that stands out against the rest of the, always faulty, characters--, the reader can at times question whether things, or people, are as outlandish as she presents them to be. I acknowledge that I felt at times like sticking my tongue out at Agnes in a purifying act of rebellion.

May be it was the language, always so composed, so correct, so balanced, so measured, so poised, that made me want to scream, or swear, or run away.

There was one moment in which I had some hope. In a scene I felt that finally Agnes could feel some spite. But no, she immediately corrected the suspicion and states that: I derived a secret gratification from the fact, not that she was vexed, but that she thought she had reason to be so. Definitely, no hope, for she continues: It made me think my hopes were not entirely the offspring of my wishes and imagination.

This non-novel, is nonetheless an extraordinary account of what a curious creature of a governess, in mid 19C England, was. While reading it was inevitable not to ponder about the restricted world for women, and how at this time they needed to fit in a necessary but also potentially alarming education. The account is also saturated with comments on social differences, which made me wonder how conscious was Anne Brönte of the political dimension of some of her sentences.

It was disagreeable to walk behind, and thus appear to acknowledge my own inferiority; for, in truth, I considered myself pretty nearly as good as the best of them, and wished them to know that I did so, and not to imagine that I looked upon myself as a mere domestic, who know her own place to walk beside such fine ladies and gentlemen as they were.

.

And soon onto The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from the fact that Agnes Grey's love interest chides her for being a "perfect bookworm" and says, "Except under particular circumstances, I consider very close and constant study as a waste of time, and an injury to the mind as well as the body," this is a sweet and tender love story.

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite enjoyable. I kept thinking of George MacDonald. Her theology is fascinating and comforting.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Agnes is in desperate need of a visit from Nanny McPhee and I am in desperate need of a Mr Weston.

Utterly charming. Anne’s sharp sardonic wit and waspish humour is so compelling. Agnes Grey perfectly encapsulates the horror of a first job - or my first job, anyway. In theory, this could be satire... were it not for the very real situations Anne depicts. This is ruthless realism; her exposé was an explosive truth that no one wanted to tell - or hear.

“Agnes Grey is a sort of younger sister to Jane Eyre; but inferior in every way” said one reviewer, crushingly. I need to rectify this: what very few people know is that Anne had covered the whole governessing, female self-determination thing way before Charlotte. Agnes Grey had been accepted for publication before Jane Eyre was even completed - Charlotte was still toiling away with her Charlotte/Monsieur Heger fanfiction that no one wanted to publish, AKA: The Professor. And yet Jane Eyre is remembered as the governess novel. Why? The simple reason is that Jane Eyre beat Agnes Grey to the press.

The Brontë sisters sent their three respective debuts to publishers all in the same bundle, receiving rejection after rejection until one fateful day, both Agnes Grey and Wuthering Heights were accepted by Thomas Cautley Newby - The Professor, however, was sent straight back. What should of been a triumph for Anne turned out to be less than perfect. The thing was, Newby was a bit of a chancer. He liked to procrastinate. During the lengthy wait for the dynamic duo to appear on the shelves, Charlotte had produced Jane Eyre, a novel whose core elements must have seemed very familiar to Anne; a plain, governess heroine, the daughter of a poor clergyman, finds love on her own terms - all communicated through an immediate and self conscious first person narrative. Hmm.

Oh, Charlotte. How could you?

Regardless of the fact Charlotte had none too subtly used Anne’s work as a template, Jane Eyre was promptly accepted by a different publisher, Smith, Elder & Co. It was out within a month and met with immediate success. By this time, Newby was still dragging his heels, but when news reached him of Currer Bell’s (Charlotte’s) success, he recognised that he had in his possession two novels by the esteemed author’s brothers, Ellis and Acton - there was some serious money to be made. Finally the books were out - just five months late. Now Anne looked the imitator when she was in fact the pioneer.

Of course, Jane Eyre was a highly romanticised and skewed interpretation of the precarious position of governess (although I do love it, regardless). Agnes Grey is highly autobiographical; sixty instances alone have been identified as being directly drawn from Anne’s own six years experience of the profession. She refused to wear rose-tinted glasses - being the social firebrand that she was, her purpose was reform. Agnes Grey is a deliberate attack of the disparity between the education of boys and girls and its consequences. Girls weren’t prepared for life, nor warned about the dangers of bad men. Even within these 200ish pages, Anne was already hinting at deeply controversial topics like marital abuse that she would later develop into her darker work, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (highly recommend, absolute masterpiece - see my thoughts here ).

Critics however neglected to acknowledge her astute political engagement, asserting that her depiction of corrupt upper class morals and violent, beastly children was simply too monstrous to be true. Instead, they favoured Charlotte’s depiction: more Charlotte/Monsieur Heger fanfiction... but a slightly more coded version.

Which is ridiculous - Charlotte hated governessing and couldn’t manage it for more than eight months; Anne was the one who bit the bullet and endured. (Anne was the only of the four Brontës who managed to pin down a job, period.) On one occasion, the children Charlotte tutored even threw a rock at her which cut her badly on the forehead. She knew the crap governesses had to put up with: humiliation, oppression, isolation, bratty children and disrespectful employers. And yet she blesses Jane with one obedient pupil and a brooding, darkly romantic boss who treats her as an equal. I told you it was fanfiction.

Don’t get me wrong, Agnes Grey is pretty brutal in places, but it’s a novel that makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Why? Two words: Mr Weston. Good old Anne, she gave her heroine a man who is treats women well, who loves and respects her, something that put Anne at odds with her sisters who liked their malevolent Byronic heroes. Mr Weston is a babe and Agnes is at her most endearing when she’s falling for him. He’s full of common sense and genuine affection... and he likes cats. (He even saves a cat at one point, a plot device that is so reliable at making a character likeable, there’s even a book about it: Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need.) Agnes Grey has a healthy and wholesome romance between two decent people who love, respect and cherish each other.

Need I say more?!!

An exceptionally underrated book - and I don’t think the copious editions with grotesque covers really do it any favours, either. A historically fascinating novel that already hints at some of those radical views Anne was brewing up ready for The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, views that were years before her time - but a beautiful, beautiful story and a thoroughly moving romance besides.

[Jesús De la Jara · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Me preguntaba por qué se daba tanta belleza a las que tan mal la utilizaban, y se les negaba a algunas que la convertirían en un beneficio para sí mismas y los demás. Pero Dios es sabio, concluí. Supongo que hay hombres tan vanidosos, egoístas y crueles como ella, y puede que estas mujeres sirvan para castigarlos"

Me ha terminado de gustar si bien el inicio fue un poco desalentador, sin embargo, creo que "La inquilina..." me gusta un poco más, aunque los personajes de ésta son más insoportables que los de "Agnes Grey".
La novela que es relativamente más corta que las demás de las hermanas, empieza con la narración de la personaje principal, en primera persona, Agnes Grey (llamada muchas veces solo Miss Grey), quien tiene a su padre el Sr. Richard Grey (clérigo respetado aunque retirado), su madre y su hermana Mary. Desde el inicio se resalta la austeridad en la que han vivido y cómo están siempre en zozobra económica por lo que un buen día Agnes decide ir a tentar fortuna como institutriz en alguna casa. Parece que Agnes no está en buena condición para hacerlo pero gracias a su gran tesón logra que se le dé la oportunidad. La obra tiene desde luego marcados pasajes autobiográficos.
La primera experiencia se da en la casa de los Bloomfield con sus hijos Tom, Mary Ann y Fanny. Aquí es donde tenemos una gran descripción del carácter de los niños y sus constantes vicios y hace pensar en que el libro más bien debería llamarse "quejas de una institutriz" pues todo el tiempo se ve los defectos que realza la narradora tanto de los niños como de los adultos e incluso los criados, gente realmente perversa todos. Leyéndolo incluso creo se puede deducir un poco de parcialidad de la narradora y de la propia autora, si bien es cierto que logra pintar de una manera bastante creíble y no dudo que lo haya sido en vida en parte las malas maneras de algunos niños de la época. El comportamiento de ellos lamentablemente afecta también a la propia Agnes quien sufre por todos lados vejaciones y desilusiones:

"Puesto que no podía cambiar a mis jóvenes compañeros, tenía mucho miedo de que ellos me empeorasen a mí, que gradualmente me bajasen los sentimientos, las costumbres y las capacidades a su mismo nivel, pero sin impartirme a mí su despreocupación y alegre vivacidad. Ya me parecía notar que se me deterioraba el intelecto, se me petrificaba el corazón, se me encogía el alma y temblaba por si incluso se amortiguaban mis percepciones morales, se confundían mis distinciones entre el bien y el mal y se hundían mis mejores cualidades bajo la influencia de una forma de vida tan malsana"

Es en la segunda experiencia donde las cosas se ponen más interesantes a mi parecer, aunque la desesperanza, característica tan marcada por lo menos de Charlotte y Anne, está siempre presente en el libro como para no olvidar lo trágico de la vida. Allí, Agnes, vuelve a la carga de ser institutriz esta vez en casa de los Murray (Horton Lodge) con los hijos: John, Charles, Matilda y Rosalie Murray. Allí podemos ver el carácter muy bien pintado sobre todo de Matilda quien tiene maneras muy vulgares y lengua de cochero y por otra parte Rosalie cuyo crecimiento en sociedad es narrado por Agnes, quien como su institutriz trata de inculcar buenos valores y sobre todo disminuir algo el exceso de vanidad y coquetería que se va apoderando de la muy hermosa joven.
En el nuevo lugar no faltan los "galanes religiosos" tan típico de las hermanas, en este caso en la comarca también están los señores sir Thomas Ashby, Meltham, Green y Hatfield. Luego se sumará el Sr. Weston, también religioso. Toda la malicia y vanidad de Rosalie es abordada por una incrédula al inicio Agnes quien parece siempre despreciar a su pupila, aunque a veces siente algo de cariño.

"¡El amor! ¡Detesto la palabra! Tal como se aplica a una de nuestro sexo, ¡creo que es un perfecto insulto!"

Me hizo recordar la novela bastante a "Jane Eyre" también hay ratos de desesperanza e ilusión, siempre presente, esto de hecho le da una buena continuidad y emoción a la obra, casi desde las 2/3 partes iniciales pues antes me había aburrido un poco. El tema de la soledad, el aislamiento social, la pesadumbre de la rutina, y una gran importancia a la belleza que siempre está mencionada en las obras de las hermanas Bronte están muy bien descritos. Hay también bastante de moral y religiosidad, en parte por la educación de las hermanas y en parte eso le gustó bastante a la crítica pues en aquella época era algo primordial que las novelas debían cumplir. En resumen un muy buen ejemplo de lo que se puede esperar leyendo a las hermanas Bronte. Terminó por gustarme.

"Los que poseen belleza, que estén agradecidos y la utilicen bien, como cualquier otro don; los que no, que se consuelen y se las arreglen lo mejor que puedan sin ella; desde luego, aunque se le suele sobrestimar, es un don de Dios y no debe despreciarse"

[Jan-Maat]

Finding myself reading a book about a governess I searched around for comparisons, the only one that came to my mind was Jane Eyre written after Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë's big sister Charlotte.

Charlotte in her tale of a governess adds breath taking, astonishing, Gothic elements - childhood punishments, a madwoman in the attic, a dramatic fire, the anguished cry of a lover heard an unfeasible number of miles away, plus liberal anti-French sentiment and race prejudice, Agnes Grey eschews all that, there is nothing flashy here, it is a carefully observed personal narrative, with a self effacing narrator who dominates the narration - there is no space here to question her observations we are deep inside the world of Agnes Grey, a grey lamb, innocent and doomed to suffer - though her suffering will be not very dramatic - this is above all a restrained novel.

The keenness of the narrator's observation seems generally focussed on her status, she hangs awkwardly above the servants but below the masters, unable to command the former or stand up to the latter, but interesting this weak liminal position as a clergyman's daughter turns out to be a position of strength. She can earn money and is not trapped in the closed system of social status and status anxiety of her social superiors that leads them into unhappy marriages the best kind obviously from the point of view of literature.

The meeting during a rainstorm of Agnes Grey and her love interest the curate Mr Weston his first name is only mentioned on the last page of the story so I won't spoiler the surprise in the dwelling of local poor woman Nancy reminded me of the quasi marriage of Dido and Aeneas in a cave during a rainstorm witnessed by a convenient goddess. Pius Aeneas is generally a role model for Agnes - she is determined to earn money as a governess in the first place because of the financial difficulties caused by her Father's speculation. So she sets forth to rescue the family, not from a burning city but from their depleted bank balance. For a hero, the Odyssey can always be the model - hero goes forth, wanders, returns home, but for the heroine, returning home is impossible, instead the Aeneid is the role model for her adventures, she has to leave home and create a new one, generally in conjunction with some local man or other, Charlotte Brontë takes this notion of the destruction of the original home and enforced wanderings further by actually killing off the heroine's parents than Anne does, but the younger sister seems to prefer a more restrained style.

Amusingly although Agnes is to be an educator in this novel, the action suggests that formal education is too late, children in this book model themselves strictly on their near family, just as Agnes will maintain the good habits and moral outlook of her upbringing so too the children she is employed to educate retain the bad habits and attitudes that they have learnt from their parents. This is a novel featuring education which seems ambivalent about the impact of the classroom upon learners, it seems mostly too late to do anything about the children of the rich who are doomed to idleness, animal cruelty, bad marriages and an inability to perceive people of lower social standing as being human, plus ça change.

On which topic I was amused that although in the middle of the novel Agnes has a fairly lengthy digression about beauty and that it is unimportant when we are shown the bad husband Sir Thomas Ashby, we see an ugly man - an ugly character will apparently manifest itself physically, Agnes does not describe herself, but we see her good deeds, even if she does admit to wanting to box the ears of the vicious boy she is meant to be teaching in her first job.

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Brontë is without doubt my favorite of the three Brontë sisters.

Agnes is the narrator and central protagonist of this story. She is the younger of two daughters in a loving family. Her father, a parson, has lost family savings through unwise speculation. He is by nature too trusting, too believing in the goodness of man. His wife and daughters continue to love and support him.

Agnes, determined to never become a burden to her family, looks for a position as a governess.

So why do I like this novel as much as I do? The prose, the character portrayal and how the love story is drawn.

I knew half-way through I could not give the book a rating less than three stars. At this point I was unsure of how the plot-line would be handled but felt that the writing was superb.

The writing is articulate and succinct. Sentiments and thoughts are extremely well expressed. There is a fluidity in the prose that fits each situation--varying from lyrical description of landscapes, to thoughtful, philosophical reasoning, to perceptive descriptions of feelings and finally realistic dialogs. Conversations mirror each character’s personality. In my view the book is worth reading for the prose alone.

There is a love thread, but it Is not allowed to strangle the novel. It never descends into drippy romanticism.

Th characters are each who they are. I love Agnes’ dignity. She is neither proud nor self-demeaning. The coquetry and flirtatious behavior of another character is equally well drawn. This is a novel of its time. I value and applaud the author’s ability to draw different types of women.

I like that the author promotes the strength and dignity of women while at the same time stressing the importance of love as the basis for a good marriage.

Anne Brontë’s writing is realistic.

Emilia Fox narrates the audiobook. The narration performance is fine. I have given it three stars. Although she speaks quickly, every word can easily be heard. It flows well. I dislike that some of the male characters are distinguished as being powerful and in charge through yelling. Here the volume is increased to an unpleasant level.

**********************

Charlotte Brontë: A Fiery Heart by Claire Harman 3 stars
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 2 stars
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë 4 stars
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë 4 stars

[♥️Annete♥️loves❤️books♥️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know when you read a Bronte novel, you can't help but imagine the three sisters, sitting there at the dinning room of their father's parsonage, exchanging ideas and reading passages of what they 've been writing to each other. After reading "Agnes Grey" i have a clearer picture of their characters. Their books, are there to point out the way they thought and felt. What i conclude about them is that the strongest and wildest imagination belongs to Emily, the most passionate, strong and full of emotion to Charlotte and a calm, virtuous and sweet to Anne.
Now, i've discussed about Emily and Charlotte plenty of times and now it's Anne's turn. When you read a book about a governess by Anne Bronte, you can't help but compare her story to that of another governess, you've known for your whole life, Charlotte's "Jane Eyre". Agnes and Jane are both calm, plain, not so beautiful in appearance and have a very low self-esteem. However, the comparison ends there. Jane has ambition and a low-burning fire within her, while Agnes is nothing of the sort, she is calm patient, modest, believe in God with all her heart and soul. To cut a long story short, i loved her! She has no arrogance, speaks only of virtuous matters and follow a quiet life.
She falls in love but not like Emily's Cathy, in a selfish, arrogant way or even as passionately and absolutely as Charlotte's, Jane. Her love for the curate of the parrish, mr Weston is calm and sweet, with no wild passion but with true and honest love. No wonder, she was never considered an equivalent of her sisters in matters of writing. We always talk about Charlotte and Emily and rarely about Anne, maybe because the reader is thirsty for a strong and passionate heroine or hero. A hero with flaws as well as passion and wild love. Some readers keep ignoring her, just because her voice is not as strong as that of her sisters'. Only recently, people begin to appreciate Anne because her books have finally touched a readers heart. Personally, i loved both of her novels and having just finished, Agnes Grey, i can hear, Anne's inner voice. Agnes is Anne. She describes how her heroine felt, how she was ill-treated by the wealthy families she served as a governess. It almost feels like, she doesn't hide anything of herself, it's how she herself, thought and acted, how she was able to love in that pure kind of way.
When you reach, the last pages of Agnes Grey, you can't help but feel sadness, not for, Agnes, who finally finds happiness but for Anne because you get a glimpse of what she dreamt of. She desired this quiet life, married perhaps, to a clergyman, just like her father was and having a kind husband and kids whom she would love and dedicate her life to make them happy but eventually never saw her dream come true. A dream of pure happiness was never fullfilled, except a tragedy that stroke her so hard at only 29 years of age. Pity, that this pure soul left this life so young.
All Bronte sisters, had tragic lives . Just imagine them living a little longer than they did, what other masterpieces we would be left with. I always felt fascinated about their individuals. They are so higher and noble spirits, that i think they still wander the earth and "haunt" the moors of Haworh!
4 bright stars for Anne from me

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Reading is my favourite occupation, when I have leisure for it and books to read.”

I say “Reading is my favourite occupation.” No further discussion.

Don’t we love books with our main protagonists as avid readers?

I find this young woman quite strong willed and providing as is her nature that can be felt or seen throughout the book.

When I talk about the classic short book Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë, I want to talk about how liberating it is to read about a coming of age story that is quite different from all the other similar modern stories.

Agnes becomes a governess for well to do families when her family goes into heavy debts after convincing her parents and siblings. It is the story of her struggles looking after spoilt, cruel kids and families with obnoxious family members.

The most outstanding moments would be the times Agnes speaks her mind quite frankly despite the misogynistic environment she was working in.

There are so many quotable lines that would be enough for me to go for years and years to come that would motivate me to be who I am. Thank you, Agnes.

The writing has a strong voice. It deals with various societal issues on what is acceptable and what is looked down upon for no valid reasons till today.

This short book is a breath of fresh air for me.

Definitely worth it.

[Vanitha Narayan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly compelling read, for a novel having no sensational twists or grand drama. Anne Brontë strikes me as a remarkably mature individual, some might call her preachy or overly religious, but I see her as a deeply principled and stoic human being, deserving of respect.

I loved my time with Agnes Grey, she moved me to tears more than once. After finishing it, I binge-watched documentaries on the Brontë sisters, completely immersed in their world. Anne Brontë has a quiet power to her writing, and she certainly left me in a mood.

[MJ Nicholls · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, let’s diagnose this phenomenon. I first encountered Brontëism—definable as a slavish devotion to every word the sisters put to parchment—at university. I encountered the syndrome in American students who had spent their teens reading comedies of manners and upmarket romance novels and found in the Brontës a vicarious way to eke out their own desires for windswept romances in huge drawing rooms. Then I met British students whose puppy love for Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre made me upchuck several weeks’ worth of pasta. So I cynically diagnosed the Brontë books as über-romance novels female readers held up as examples of the best sort of love possible in life—the love they would have if they could engineer their environment, to which all romantic relationships should aspire. Or versions of those moral-dilemma novels so popular at bookclubs and airports. It frustrated me. It was like having a particular area of literary history cordoned off to me. That I did not like.

Only problem was, I wouldn’t read the books. Now, however, I am reading the books. So this series of reviews is my attempt to understand the phenomenon of the Brontës so I can legitimately express discontent at their contemporary omnipresence, or proclaim my undying love too.

This novel is the first one by “the quiet one” Anne Brontë and describes her experiences as a governess in the homes of several brats. The first preconception smashed is that all Brontë novels are concerned with aristocratic characters: in this novel Agnes is from a lower middle-class family and volunteers to teach rich brats to help pay off her father’s debts. The chapters read like a handbook for being a patient and docile governess who has God on her side, with occasional turns of mannered humour and moments of affecting melodrama. The short chapters make the frequently dreary moments of micro-attention-to-detail regarding modes of deportment and social graces (that bog down so many novels of this period), more bearable. All in all, mildly entertaining. A lesser work from the lesser sister necessary for my experiment. More soon.

N.B. The comments below refer to a review I wiped.
N.N.B. Ever noticed the first initials of the sisters in alphabetical order spells A-C-E? Subliminal tactic?

[Axl Oswaldo · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If happiness in this world is not for me, I will endeavour to promote the welfare of those around me, and my reward shall be hereafter.”

Agnes Grey has been an enjoyable and compelling reading, even more than I could have expected. I just remember I read it all in one sitting, from 11 PM to 5 AM or so, and not being able to stop since I was really interested in the story and its characters.

I could tell this novel is basically the story of how a governess had to deal with her job —from dawn to dusk—, while she was trying to have a meaningful and peaceful life, in the middle of the nineteenth century. Agnes decides to become a governess in order to help her family with her own maintenance, and show them that she is able to do so – this decision will take her to live with two families at which she will become the governess of their children, and where she'll have to face a tough, sometimes cruel world, during her stay in those houses. Topics such as family, friendship, love, and personal growth take place into the novel.

It's clear that Anne Brontë portrayed her own experience as a governess in this book, and even some facts of her own life, for instance, the fact that her father was a clergyman and Agnes' father too; both Anne and Agnes lost some of their siblings, both of them grew up in similar places, and so on. So, I felt this novel quite realistic and personal, as though the author had written a memoir rather than a fiction book – of course, I loved these similitudes very much.

Speaking of my own experience with the Brontës, I'm quite sure this novel is currently my second favorite, just after Jane Eyre; besides, there's no doubt that Anne Brontë has an impressive writing style and is absolutely a great storyteller. For the record, I was attempting to read this book since I read Wuthering Heights last year, but at least in Mexico, it's not that easy to find a physical copy either in Spanish or in English, perhaps due to Anne Brontë is considered the least famous author among the three sisters (?). Eventually, I decided to pick a digital copy, and furthermore, give it a try in its original language – believe me, it has been worth the wait.

All in all, we have a wonderful story, an unforgettable protagonist, and an extraordinary reading experience; could we ask for anything else?

By the way, and for people who have actually read the book, does anyone think that Tom Bloomfield will become a serial killer or something like that when he grows up? That kid just gave me the creeps!

[maryamongstories · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon reread: still as charming and delightful!


"Refreshed, delighted, invigorated, I walked along, forgetting all my cares, feeling as if I had wings to my feet, and could go at least forty miles without fatigue, and experiencing a sense of exhilaration to which I had been an entire stranger since the days of early youth."

This was the first time I've ever read anything by Anne Bronte, and wow was I pleased! Agnes is a delightful character who captured my heart from the start. Born into a lovely, happy family, they lived in a complicated economical situation after losing their fortune, and Agnes wanted to do anything she could to help them.
After becoming a governess, she's faced with a very different reality than hers. Both families that took her in saw Agnes as an inferior being, and were extremely oppressive, thus representing a challenge to do what's apparently impossible - to try and educate spoilt, vain, rude children. This turned out to be even more difficult because of Agnes's position as an educated, working woman who had to support herself, since this represented a huge contrast to these families' moral values, if you can call them that, based on wealth, social status and class-consciousness.
Anne Bronte often asks us, readers, to reflect on what defined this society, its gender roles and class disparity, always with an extremely gentle, calm, elegant tone, that doesn't shy away from also being passionate and charming in its own way.
Rather than having a lot of angst or tragedy, it's an invitation to go on a personal journey with this humble, kind, insecure but strong and brave person who, eventually, finds the perfect balance between her two worlds - the one she's always known, and the one she cannot wait to unravel.
It's also worth noting that the idea some of these people have of love and care is hilarious, and Agnes's (Anne's?) observations about that really made me laugh!
Cannot wait to read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall now!

[Umut · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a weird one really. It won't be my favourite Bronte and not among my favourite Victorian reads for sure.
Actually it started really well. I loved hte coming of age beginning in the book for Agnes Grey and I thought we ventured on some adventures by the time she decided to become a governess. But, after that it went downhill really. I don't understand why we spent so much time for the first house with the wicked children. Then onto another one with other spoiled girls and Agnes' inability to deal with all these.
I didn't enjoy Mr. Weston and the sort of development of the 'romance' between these two, too.
The book had an autobiographical feel to it, and I think it only works when the person is interesting. And I'm sorry to say Agnes isn't all that interesting. I understand there's lots of commentary around class differences, religion, etc. But, it's not written in an entertaining manner.
Overall it felt a bit choppy, ordinary and bland.
It wasn't a bad read, but I didn't have the best time either, so I'll settle on 3 stars.

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be prepared for an emotional roller coaster when you read this Bronte tome.

I tried to read it all in one sitting, but having to attend work intervenied.