Agnes Grey suits her name - she's your everyday kinda girl. It's a mellow, simple read compared with the other Bronte sisters' work. Agnes doesn't brave fantastic situations or contend with unusually brilliant, eccentric, or otherwise exaggerated characters. She doesn't face any gargantuan crises. She quietly weathers life's typical ups and downs until she finds the right place for herself. It wasn't, you know, "gripping" - and quiet, passive Agnes took a little warming up to - but I was certainly rooting for her by the end. I liked how all the characters, "good" and "bad," felt like real people you might find anywhere.

You might agree or disagree with the premise and message, but this energetic and inventive story is a painless way to think through the all-too-real issues it raises, and thinking through something again never hurt anyone. The hero's spunk and ingenuity are irresistible. Every installment left me dying to know what happened next, and clicking for more.