Agnes Grey

I expected to enjoy Agnes Grey and I did, for the most part, but I did not LOVE it. I feel I may have some unpopular opinions here but this book and I just spent a bunch of time together and I'm glad I read it but I'm not reading to join team Bronte.
First, I did enjoy Agnes' voice. I thought it was a charming story. I love this time period. I thought Agnes was plucky and very optimistic and more than a bit naive. I can see why this has inspired so many young adult writers in modern times. And, yo, I love reading about what people do all day. First breakfast, then a walk, then write letters, then lessons, etc. It makes me feel like I am there.

Now....it was so very charming and twee that I couldn't read it for very long in a single sitting or I found it starting to get on my nerves. Like eating too much candy. Like a pomeranian wearing too many bows.
While I liked Agnes' voice the story reads like one being written by a young girl, a much younger than 23-year-old girl. I had a problem that Agnes had a problem with EVERYBODY. Really, not one person was nice? I get it, her charges were all little bastards and the people she worked for elitist snobs but the staff that brought up Agnes's cases were also awful, none of the rest of the staff were kind? She's kindly with a poor blind woman in the village but that's not friendship, it's pity.
Also, Agnes was not the world's greatest nanny. I know the parents didn't back her up but why was she doing everyone's work for them? WTF? Wasn't there books about being a governess available to read and study? A correspondence course?
And a note about the animal cruelty. There is a ton of animals being harmed for fun, and only one character (one of Agnes's charges) who's character development was shaped by it.
What I'm taking from this is that a simple life can be a lovely life. Mr. Weston was a great character. I also loved Agnes's mom, who married for love. I really like Agnes. It also sheds light on how staff can be treated like furniture.