emma's review of Agnes Grey (original) (raw)

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emma's Reviews > Agnes Grey

Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë

Agnes Grey
by

32879029

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.

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Reading Progress

October 8, 2018 – Shelved

September 8, 2021 –Started Reading

September 12, 2021 –Finished Reading

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