I received a free advance digital review copy from B&H Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The timing of this release was perfect for me, as I had just re-read Jane Eyre and read the modern retelling The Wife Upstairs. When I requested the review copy of Jane Eyre: A Guide to Reading and Reflecting, I did not realize that one of the author's aims is to spur reflection on Jane Eyre through the lens of Christianity. Though I was not especially interested in that particular perspective, I did not find it to overpower the book, and I still learned a lot and found the book to be a useful guide to better understanding the various literary elements in Jane Eyre.

Karen Swallow Prior provides fascinating background information about Charlotte Bronte's life as well as Jane Eyre's development, publication, and initial reception. Prior also situates Jane Eyre in the Gothic/Romantic literary movement and explores the major themes in the book as a coming of age novel. The text of Jane Eyre itself is then divided into three sections (interestingly, how the original book was published), after each of which Prior offers questions to spur further reflection. All of these elements enhanced my reading and enjoyment of Charlotte Bronte's classic.

Jane Eyre is, of course, a classic and one that many have read or plan to read. This edition includes the full text of the novel along with some added sections. These include a biographical essay on the author. One thing that became clear from reading this was the number of losses that Bronte faced.

This title also includes sections on reading the novel. A number of topics are covered including to what extent the book was autobiographical and other influences on the author as she wrote. The evolution of the novel and Bronte’s originality are also covered as are themes in the work. In addition, there is background on the Gothic novel and Romanticism.

This title is published by a Christian firm. So, there is also a part of the book on reading the novel “as a Christian today,”

Overall, I feel that this edition will be welcomed by readers looking for some insight into Jane Eyre before they read or reread it. There are even some questions for discussion included after each of the novel’s volumes.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

I did not realise this book is mostly a reprint of the whole Jane Eyre book, with a few pages at the beginning explaining a bit about the background of Charlotte Bronte, background and themes of the novel itself, and some thoughts on reading it as a Christian today.

There are some great questions after each volume of the novel but I would have appreciated getting all the answers to the questions so that I can better evaluate other books next time.

Still, this would make a great guide for those who love the novel and other classics and belong to a book club or group that discusses them with a Christian worldview.