by Anne Brontë
First published 1847
Agnes Grey watches her family's comfortable life crumble when a failed investment leaves them nearly penniless. Determined to help restore their income and prove her worth, she takes a position as governess despite her family's doubts about her capabilities. Her first employer, the Bloomfield family, subjects her to their wild, undisciplined children who seem bent on making her life miserable. When that position ends, Agnes moves to the Murray household, where she faces a different torment. The Murrays treat her with cold superiority, making her feel invisible and worthless. Only Mr Weston, the local curate, shows her genuine respect and kindness. Through Agnes's struggles, Anne Brontë reveals the harsh reality facing educated women of limited means in Victorian England, where working as a governess offered respectability but little dignity or security.
Genres: classics, historical-fiction, adult-fiction, british-literature, 19th-century, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, social-commentary
Setting: England, Victorian England
Period: 19th Century
226 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books