by April LindnerPublished: Poppy (October 11, 2010)
Pages: 384
Source: Bought
*This review will contain spoilers, unless you have read the original Jane Eyre.
Summary from Goodreads:
Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, an iconic rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer, and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is tested by a torturous secret from his past.
Part irresistible romance and part darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers.
My thoughts:
In this modern remake of Jane Eyre, our heroine finds herself in a familiar position: no real family, no money and no place to go. But fate will lead Jane Moore to a job as a nanny at a large estate. The estate of Nico Rathburn, rock legend, to be exact. As per Bronte's storyline, Jane soons falls in love with Nico. But secrets are unearth and Jane flees from Thornfield.
Jane was a good retelling of the classic Jane Eyre. It followed enough of the plot line of the original to make it familar, but the new materail gave it it's own edge. It's more of a romance and the "rock star" vibe kep the story in the present. Jane, the main character, did however lack some of the qualities of the real Jane Eyre. She seemed very impressionable and with very little knowledge of Rathburn, she falls head over heals. Rathburn, in turn, lacked the gruffiness of Mr. Rochester. The characters almost seemed like shells of the originals. Thiere whirlwind romahc seemed unbelievable, and I was kind of happy to see Jane leave Thornfield, even through I knew in all likelihood she would return.
All that being said, I did enjoy the story. I loved the familiarness of it and how it left me wanting to reread Jane Eyre. It's a great book of fans of the classic and those wanting a moody romance.
Rating: 3 Stars.
Yeah, I agree that the characters weren't as fleshed out as the originals, but you have to look at how many pages JANE was compared to JANE EYRE. That being said, I enjoyed the story, as well. But I'm a sucker for a retelling, so it was sorta inevitable that I love it :)
ReplyDeleteIt's sad how many classics I have never read...Jane Eyre being one of them :( I think I will make sure I read the original first and then give this retelling a try. Loved your review :)
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your post and said as much in my review. I wanted to desperately love this story, and it was *good* but it wasn't great. I feel like Lindner never truly made the characters her own and thus they became shells of the originals.
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