It's my second time reading this novel and I just can't get into it. A novel about the Luddites sounds interesting but Brontë's writing for this book is not as gripping as it is in Jane Eyre and Villette.

Brontë, at the time of writing, was annoyed that people started to assumed that "Currer Bell" was actually a woman. In this work she tries to write in a more "masculine" manner to throw contemporary readers off. Due to this, Shirley, in my humble opinion, is not as good as her other two novels - however, it's still better than The Professor. It's not her usual style and it shows.

On a final note, I have to say I really hate how the story ends in regards to Shirley. It was a major disappointment.