Jane Eyre

Did you attend Sunday school as a child? I did and couldn't avoid it without a big battle with my parents. But I have it to thank for introducing me to one of the classics of modern literature.

Jane Eyre. Underdog and plain girl. As an adolescent there was plenty for me to connect with even though I had a loving family and comfortable home.

Won as a Sunday School prize, every TV, film or radio version has sent me back to the book to appreciate the strength of the writing. When I first read it, I didn't realise what a revolutionary book it was at the time. Female writer, strong character and radical concept.

It still moves me when I read it and just like the first time, my heart goes out to this child terrified by shadows in the Red Room.

Great literature.