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blewballoon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love the way Mimi Matthews writes, and this was such a cool blend of Jane Eyre and Dracula! I really enjoyed the epistolary segments from the letters and journals that told the Dracula side of the story. I also enjoyed John's slower paced days bonding with the young boys that were underpinned with a layer of foreboding. I think my trouble is that, while I wanted to, I never really warmed up to Mrs. Rochester and felt like John's attachment to her was a little forced. Honestly, that matches up with my feelings with the original Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester, so it's fitting for an adaptation. Overall I had a great time reading this!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Drug use, Blood, Confinement, and Violence
Minor: Kidnapping, Gun violence, Alcohol, Child abuse, Child death, and Vomit
justinkhchen's review against another edition
4.0
An inspiring piece of retelling, John Eyre grabbed my attention just from the title alone—a gender-swapped re-imagination of Jane Eyre. Mimi Matthews' writing maintains much of the old-school gothic lyricism, but there is one additional stroke of creative genius that elevates the novel beyond its one-note elevator pitch. If the book sounds even remotely interesting to you, I would recommend steer away from reading too many reviews, in order to keep a pivotal reveal a surprise.
The one minor drawback I can think of regarding John Eyre, is its faithfulness to the source material. Beyond the gender switch, and sections of new materials, the bulk of the plot is almost a direct one-to-one recreation; depending on one's familiarity with Charlotte Brontë's classic, this new version might not offer enough fresh perspective as a standalone novel—perhaps more of an elevated fanfic.
It is like watching a handsomely made Masterpiece Theatre production, but with a twist. While tonally John Eyre still preserves the style of a past era (it's up to one's preference whether this is a turn-off or not—I actually found it worked out quite well as an audiobook), its core concept is a very modern 'remix' with undeniable appeal, and seems so obvious in hindsight, I'm surprised it hasn't been done prior.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
The one minor drawback I can think of regarding John Eyre, is its faithfulness to the source material. Beyond the gender switch, and sections of new materials, the bulk of the plot is almost a direct one-to-one recreation; depending on one's familiarity with Charlotte Brontë's classic, this new version might not offer enough fresh perspective as a standalone novel—perhaps more of an elevated fanfic.
It is like watching a handsomely made Masterpiece Theatre production, but with a twist. While tonally John Eyre still preserves the style of a past era (it's up to one's preference whether this is a turn-off or not—I actually found it worked out quite well as an audiobook), its core concept is a very modern 'remix' with undeniable appeal, and seems so obvious in hindsight, I'm surprised it hasn't been done prior.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
english_lady03's review against another edition
3.0
I've read quite a number of Mimi Matthews books, and liked all of them. I didn't dislike this one, per se, its just I don't think I really cared for the conclusion and what that made this novel.
Things I did like:
- A gender swapped retelling of Jane Eyre. Mrs Rochester/aka Bertha Mason is an amazing character.
- A strong faith element in what is techncially General Market Fiction
- Victorian Gothic Romance
I can't put what I don't like without serious spoilers, so I won't. I will say it goes beyond the normal "Gothic" territory, and parts of it are like Dracula, which I have not actually read. These elements might not be according to everyone's taste.
Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for approving me for this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
Things I did like:
- A gender swapped retelling of Jane Eyre. Mrs Rochester/aka Bertha Mason is an amazing character.
- A strong faith element in what is techncially General Market Fiction
- Victorian Gothic Romance
I can't put what I don't like without serious spoilers, so I won't. I will say it goes beyond the normal "Gothic" territory, and parts of it are like Dracula, which I have not actually read. These elements might not be according to everyone's taste.
Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for approving me for this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
crimsonpetal's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
barizley's review against another edition
3.0
Creepy and gothic, in a fun way. Love the flipping of the script in which Bertha is the hero and Mr. Rochester is the villain, as nature intended. He sucks in the original book and he sucks in this one (that’s the spoiler).
Would have given it 4 stars except for that ending - woof, what a let down.
Would have given it 4 stars except for that ending - woof, what a let down.
catherineamerica's review against another edition
4.0
3.5. Love Jane Eyre. Fairly compelling retelling. Not sure I liked the “twist” but I saw it coming. I was in denial about it though.
sarah_moynihan's review against another edition
4.0
'Yorkshire, 1843. When disgraced former schoolmaster John Eyre arrives at Thornfield Hall to take up a position as tutor to two peculiar young boys, he enters a world unlike any he’s ever known. Darkness abounds, punctuated by odd bumps in the night, strange creatures on the moor, and a sinister silver mist that never seems to dissipate. And at the center of it all, John’s new employer—a widow as alluring as she is mysterious.
Sixteen months earlier, heiress Bertha Mason embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Marriage wasn’t on her itinerary, but on meeting the enigmatic Edward Rochester, she’s powerless to resist his preternatural charm. In letters and journal entries, she records the story of their rapidly-disintegrating life together, and of her gradual realization that Mr. Rochester isn’t quite the man he appears to be. In fact, he may not be a man at all.
From a cliff-top fortress on the Black Sea coast to an isolated estate in rural England, John and Bertha contend with secrets, danger, and the eternal struggle between light and darkness. Can they help each other vanquish the demons of the past? Or are some evils simply too powerful to conquer?'
_____________________________
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.
John Eyre by Mimi Matthews is a gender-flipped, supernatural gothic retelling of two classic novels.
This one is a bit tough to review without giving some important plot points away, so I will be intentionally vague, but as is clear from the title, one of the two books that this story draws from is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.
I love essentially all books with a supernatural element to them and Mimi Matthews is one of my favorite authors, so I knew going in that I would enjoy the book. But as this is so different from her others, I was curious to see how she would twist these classic novels to blend them together and put her own spin on them. The creepy vibes were great and my favorite element of the story.
What prevented me from giving this book a higher rating was how closely it followed the storyline of one of the books it was based on. It followed very closely and so it hindered the suspense aspect of the plot. I felt that I knew what was coming. As retellings go, it was very well written and enjoyable though, I just wish there had been a greater element of surprise so that it could feed the feeling of suspense, rather than detract from it.
John Eyre is very different from Matthews' previous books and was a fun blend of two classics. I would love to see more gothic style romances by her in the future.
_____
I would like to thank Perfectly Proper Press and NetGalley for sharing an eARC of John Eyre with me. This is my honest review.
Sixteen months earlier, heiress Bertha Mason embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Marriage wasn’t on her itinerary, but on meeting the enigmatic Edward Rochester, she’s powerless to resist his preternatural charm. In letters and journal entries, she records the story of their rapidly-disintegrating life together, and of her gradual realization that Mr. Rochester isn’t quite the man he appears to be. In fact, he may not be a man at all.
From a cliff-top fortress on the Black Sea coast to an isolated estate in rural England, John and Bertha contend with secrets, danger, and the eternal struggle between light and darkness. Can they help each other vanquish the demons of the past? Or are some evils simply too powerful to conquer?'
_____________________________
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.
John Eyre by Mimi Matthews is a gender-flipped, supernatural gothic retelling of two classic novels.
This one is a bit tough to review without giving some important plot points away, so I will be intentionally vague, but as is clear from the title, one of the two books that this story draws from is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.
I love essentially all books with a supernatural element to them and Mimi Matthews is one of my favorite authors, so I knew going in that I would enjoy the book. But as this is so different from her others, I was curious to see how she would twist these classic novels to blend them together and put her own spin on them. The creepy vibes were great and my favorite element of the story.
What prevented me from giving this book a higher rating was how closely it followed the storyline of one of the books it was based on. It followed very closely and so it hindered the suspense aspect of the plot. I felt that I knew what was coming. As retellings go, it was very well written and enjoyable though, I just wish there had been a greater element of surprise so that it could feed the feeling of suspense, rather than detract from it.
John Eyre is very different from Matthews' previous books and was a fun blend of two classics. I would love to see more gothic style romances by her in the future.
_____
I would like to thank Perfectly Proper Press and NetGalley for sharing an eARC of John Eyre with me. This is my honest review.
frompemberleytomiltonblog's review against another edition
5.0
Published at:
https://frompemberleytomilton.wordpress.com/2021/07/25/john-eyre-by-mimi-mathews/
John Eyre is a gender reversed tale of Jane Eyre mashed up with Dracula, but because I’ve never read Dracula, and it’s been many years since I’ve read Jane Eyre, I never felt compelled to compare these stories. In fact, Mathews writing kept me wondering what would happen next at every turn, putting this book in the unputdownable category. I must say the only thing I didn’t like about John Eyre was reaching the last page and realizing I couldn’t continue reading. This book is so good that I couldn’t focus on anything else during the day because my mind kept returning to its pages.
So, why is it so good? First and foremost, the writing is phenomenal! I can say that I’ve felt sadness, horror and even afraid at times. I don’t remember the last time a book made me feel scared, but John Eyre pulled me right into the castle with Bertha and made me feel everything she was feeling.
John Eyre is so well written that the reader is not a bystander of this gothic novel, he is part of it. He starts living every scene with the characters and that is what makes this book memorable.
The main characters were another aspect that captivated me throughout the entire story. I absolutely loved Bertha Rochester. She is a strong female who is not afraid to follow her dreams, and when things go south, she is not afraid to face what is up ahead with a resilience that is admirable. The story takes place in 1843 but it is intertwined with Bertha’s letters and journal entries that reveal to the reader past events which help explain how she became the women she is when John first meets her. This structure of the book, as well all the details the reader slowly uncovers, makes him understand how strong and lonely Bertha must be, and how John Eyre is exactly the companion she needs to have at her side. He is not the typical romantic hero, but he is everything she needs, and their love story was also something I loved in the book.
The love story in John Eyre is not between a lady and her savior or protector, but between a strong woman who only needs someone who trusts and believes in her. Someone she can rely on and who is willing to be her equal. John stepped up to the challenge and conquered my heart by doing it. It was refreshing to see a different type of romantic hero who is not a stereotype character, and to be presented to a heroine who was able to do so much on her own for so long.
Because John Eyre is a gothic novel, there is also a lot of mystery in it and I loved it all, especially the mystery surrounding the boys. I wouldn’t have mind to know a little more about them and how they ended up in the situation we found them.
Summing up, John Eyre is an exciting gothic novel that readers will find difficult to put down. It is extremely well written, full of mystery, and with characters that are well built and hard to forget. It is definitely one of my favorite books this year and I highly recommend it to everyone.
https://frompemberleytomilton.wordpress.com/2021/07/25/john-eyre-by-mimi-mathews/
John Eyre is a gender reversed tale of Jane Eyre mashed up with Dracula, but because I’ve never read Dracula, and it’s been many years since I’ve read Jane Eyre, I never felt compelled to compare these stories. In fact, Mathews writing kept me wondering what would happen next at every turn, putting this book in the unputdownable category. I must say the only thing I didn’t like about John Eyre was reaching the last page and realizing I couldn’t continue reading. This book is so good that I couldn’t focus on anything else during the day because my mind kept returning to its pages.
So, why is it so good? First and foremost, the writing is phenomenal! I can say that I’ve felt sadness, horror and even afraid at times. I don’t remember the last time a book made me feel scared, but John Eyre pulled me right into the castle with Bertha and made me feel everything she was feeling.
John Eyre is so well written that the reader is not a bystander of this gothic novel, he is part of it. He starts living every scene with the characters and that is what makes this book memorable.
The main characters were another aspect that captivated me throughout the entire story. I absolutely loved Bertha Rochester. She is a strong female who is not afraid to follow her dreams, and when things go south, she is not afraid to face what is up ahead with a resilience that is admirable. The story takes place in 1843 but it is intertwined with Bertha’s letters and journal entries that reveal to the reader past events which help explain how she became the women she is when John first meets her. This structure of the book, as well all the details the reader slowly uncovers, makes him understand how strong and lonely Bertha must be, and how John Eyre is exactly the companion she needs to have at her side. He is not the typical romantic hero, but he is everything she needs, and their love story was also something I loved in the book.
The love story in John Eyre is not between a lady and her savior or protector, but between a strong woman who only needs someone who trusts and believes in her. Someone she can rely on and who is willing to be her equal. John stepped up to the challenge and conquered my heart by doing it. It was refreshing to see a different type of romantic hero who is not a stereotype character, and to be presented to a heroine who was able to do so much on her own for so long.
Because John Eyre is a gothic novel, there is also a lot of mystery in it and I loved it all, especially the mystery surrounding the boys. I wouldn’t have mind to know a little more about them and how they ended up in the situation we found them.
Summing up, John Eyre is an exciting gothic novel that readers will find difficult to put down. It is extremely well written, full of mystery, and with characters that are well built and hard to forget. It is definitely one of my favorite books this year and I highly recommend it to everyone.
rosannelortz's review against another edition
5.0
In 1843 England, the schoolteacher John Eyre stands at the graveside of Helen Burns, the woman whom he failed to save from her husband. After all, “He was a man of letters and learning….not a man of action. Not a hero who could have ridden to Helen’s rescue and saved her, damn the consequences.” Plagued by headaches and remembrances, John takes refuge in the drug laudanum, finding himself more and more dependent on the sickly sweet vials.
Wrestling with his despair, and determined to find meaning once again in his vocation, John takes a tutoring position from Mr. Fairfax of Thornfield Hall. Upon arriving at the secluded manor surrounded by strange mists and the howls of wolves, John discovers that Mr. Fairfax is only the butler and a mysteriously absent Mrs. Rochester is the one who has employed him to tutor her two wards. The lads themselves are a startling surprise–shockingly thin, with dark, sunken eyes, they both refuse to speak. None of the servants can quite tell John what country the boys are from and what interest Mrs. Rochester has in them. To make matters worse, John finds that the boys themselves are being dosed with laudanum. Who is this Mrs. Rochester and what can she mean to do with these children?
As John is out walking on the moors, a rider comes upon him suddenly. The horse spooks, the rider is thrown, and John finds himself called upon to aid the newly-returned lady of the house. John quickly discovers that Mrs. Rochester knows her own mind, and that she has secrets she refuses to share. One of these is the exact connection with her wards and where they come from, but another is the strange manservant, Mr. Poole, who creates all sorts of havoc up on the third floor. Mrs. Rochester seems relieved that John is addicted to laudanum as it keeps him dead to the world at night, but as John tries to wean himself off the drug, he discovers some very strange happenings in the corridors of Thornfield Hall.
Yet despite Mrs. Rochester’s mysteriousness, an attraction between her and John begins to grow. When her room fills with smoke one night, John discovers it and pulls her from her bed before she asphyxiates. With that incident, their connection deepens. “Her slim fingers curved around his hand, clasping it warmly, bare skin to bare skin. It was one of the most intimate experiences of John’s recent memory. It made his mouth go dry. Made his heart somersault and his pulse thrum. She gazed at him, her eyes bright. ‘I knew the day I met you that you would be of service to me. I saw it in your face.’ Her voice trembled. ‘But I didn’t dare hope. Not until this moment.'” Just exactly what service John is yet to render Mrs. Rochester, is something, Reader, that you will have to find out for yourself….
John’s tale is interwoven with letters from the past year–letters from Miss Bertha Mason to her friend Miss Blanche Ingram. Bertha is a restless spirit, junketing about the continent, visiting Egypt, and eager to make the acquaintance of intelligent and interesting people. When her contact with Mrs. Wren brings her in the orbit of the lady’s brother, Mr. Rochester, Bertha finds the man charming, agreeable, handsome, enigmatic, and utterly captivating. “I suppose it’s that Mr. Rochester has taken such an interest in me,” she writes Blanche. “He solicits my opinions on a range of topics and has even heeded my advice on occasion.” Strangely enough, the nightlife loving Mr. Rochester, sleeps through the day and is up at all hours “talking and dining and wandering about the city.” Enamored by this new companion, Bertha travels to his estate in Eastern Europe, and soon accepts his proposal of marriage.
Life as Mrs. Rochester turns out to be less glamorous than Bertha expected, however. Mr. Rochester is a peculiar, irritable, and dominating husband. He forbids her to enter certain parts of the castle and becomes violent at times when she crosses his will. When Bertha’s maid Agnes disappears without notice, Bertha’s discomfiture grows. The superstitious villagers seem to be warning her about something, but Bertha cannot understand their language. It is only after finding a secret passageway inside the castle that Bertha’s worst suspicions are confirmed….
From the title, I knew that this book was a retelling of Jane Eyre, and that was enough to make me anticipate it, but to find out that it was a combination of both Jane Eyre and another favorite, Dracula, was a real treat. One of the things that Mimi Matthews very cleverly puts her finger on is a similarity between Bronte’s Mr. Rochester and the blood-sucking Dracula of Bram Stoker’s imagination. Matthews notes that “I used to think Jane Eyre a deeply romantic novel, and Mr. Rochester an equally romantic hero,” however, her opinion changed as she grew older. “I began to notice all the ways that Mr. Rochester exploits Jane’s innocence and takes advantage of his position of power.” Rochester, with his callous and highhanded treatment of women in general and Jane in particular, is not so different from a certain Transylvanian monster.
In the epistolary section of the book, Bertha is a much stronger person than Bram Stoker’s Jonathan Harker. She fights back against the evil surrounding her, finding a way to save both herself and others. Unlike the shrinking Helen Burns of John Eyre’s memories, Bertha is intelligent and capable enough to stand on her own. Her idea of a partner is someone who will stand beside her in the battle of life, not someone who will carry her fainting form to safety. John Eyre turns out to be just that partner–a man intellectual enough to interest her, determined enough to aid her, and loyal enough to love her.
Occasionally, adaptations of great books can feel a little stale (if the author just rehashes the original) or a little sacrilegious (if the author goes off-canon too much and becomes a loose cannon). This book awakens neither of those feelings. The clever gender-reversal makes John Eyre an entirely original character, while the skeleton of the original Bronte story adds anticipation to find out what twists will occur as events play out. The interwoven narrative with the letters heightens the dread of what lies in the third story of Thornfield Hall in a delightfully slow but suspenseful manner.
Those who have read both classics will enjoy the intricacies of this novel the most, but the characters, adventure, and romance are so well-expressed that any reader will appreciate this newest offering from the inimitable Mimi Matthews.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Wrestling with his despair, and determined to find meaning once again in his vocation, John takes a tutoring position from Mr. Fairfax of Thornfield Hall. Upon arriving at the secluded manor surrounded by strange mists and the howls of wolves, John discovers that Mr. Fairfax is only the butler and a mysteriously absent Mrs. Rochester is the one who has employed him to tutor her two wards. The lads themselves are a startling surprise–shockingly thin, with dark, sunken eyes, they both refuse to speak. None of the servants can quite tell John what country the boys are from and what interest Mrs. Rochester has in them. To make matters worse, John finds that the boys themselves are being dosed with laudanum. Who is this Mrs. Rochester and what can she mean to do with these children?
As John is out walking on the moors, a rider comes upon him suddenly. The horse spooks, the rider is thrown, and John finds himself called upon to aid the newly-returned lady of the house. John quickly discovers that Mrs. Rochester knows her own mind, and that she has secrets she refuses to share. One of these is the exact connection with her wards and where they come from, but another is the strange manservant, Mr. Poole, who creates all sorts of havoc up on the third floor. Mrs. Rochester seems relieved that John is addicted to laudanum as it keeps him dead to the world at night, but as John tries to wean himself off the drug, he discovers some very strange happenings in the corridors of Thornfield Hall.
Yet despite Mrs. Rochester’s mysteriousness, an attraction between her and John begins to grow. When her room fills with smoke one night, John discovers it and pulls her from her bed before she asphyxiates. With that incident, their connection deepens. “Her slim fingers curved around his hand, clasping it warmly, bare skin to bare skin. It was one of the most intimate experiences of John’s recent memory. It made his mouth go dry. Made his heart somersault and his pulse thrum. She gazed at him, her eyes bright. ‘I knew the day I met you that you would be of service to me. I saw it in your face.’ Her voice trembled. ‘But I didn’t dare hope. Not until this moment.'” Just exactly what service John is yet to render Mrs. Rochester, is something, Reader, that you will have to find out for yourself….
John’s tale is interwoven with letters from the past year–letters from Miss Bertha Mason to her friend Miss Blanche Ingram. Bertha is a restless spirit, junketing about the continent, visiting Egypt, and eager to make the acquaintance of intelligent and interesting people. When her contact with Mrs. Wren brings her in the orbit of the lady’s brother, Mr. Rochester, Bertha finds the man charming, agreeable, handsome, enigmatic, and utterly captivating. “I suppose it’s that Mr. Rochester has taken such an interest in me,” she writes Blanche. “He solicits my opinions on a range of topics and has even heeded my advice on occasion.” Strangely enough, the nightlife loving Mr. Rochester, sleeps through the day and is up at all hours “talking and dining and wandering about the city.” Enamored by this new companion, Bertha travels to his estate in Eastern Europe, and soon accepts his proposal of marriage.
Life as Mrs. Rochester turns out to be less glamorous than Bertha expected, however. Mr. Rochester is a peculiar, irritable, and dominating husband. He forbids her to enter certain parts of the castle and becomes violent at times when she crosses his will. When Bertha’s maid Agnes disappears without notice, Bertha’s discomfiture grows. The superstitious villagers seem to be warning her about something, but Bertha cannot understand their language. It is only after finding a secret passageway inside the castle that Bertha’s worst suspicions are confirmed….
From the title, I knew that this book was a retelling of Jane Eyre, and that was enough to make me anticipate it, but to find out that it was a combination of both Jane Eyre and another favorite, Dracula, was a real treat. One of the things that Mimi Matthews very cleverly puts her finger on is a similarity between Bronte’s Mr. Rochester and the blood-sucking Dracula of Bram Stoker’s imagination. Matthews notes that “I used to think Jane Eyre a deeply romantic novel, and Mr. Rochester an equally romantic hero,” however, her opinion changed as she grew older. “I began to notice all the ways that Mr. Rochester exploits Jane’s innocence and takes advantage of his position of power.” Rochester, with his callous and highhanded treatment of women in general and Jane in particular, is not so different from a certain Transylvanian monster.
In the epistolary section of the book, Bertha is a much stronger person than Bram Stoker’s Jonathan Harker. She fights back against the evil surrounding her, finding a way to save both herself and others. Unlike the shrinking Helen Burns of John Eyre’s memories, Bertha is intelligent and capable enough to stand on her own. Her idea of a partner is someone who will stand beside her in the battle of life, not someone who will carry her fainting form to safety. John Eyre turns out to be just that partner–a man intellectual enough to interest her, determined enough to aid her, and loyal enough to love her.
Occasionally, adaptations of great books can feel a little stale (if the author just rehashes the original) or a little sacrilegious (if the author goes off-canon too much and becomes a loose cannon). This book awakens neither of those feelings. The clever gender-reversal makes John Eyre an entirely original character, while the skeleton of the original Bronte story adds anticipation to find out what twists will occur as events play out. The interwoven narrative with the letters heightens the dread of what lies in the third story of Thornfield Hall in a delightfully slow but suspenseful manner.
Those who have read both classics will enjoy the intricacies of this novel the most, but the characters, adventure, and romance are so well-expressed that any reader will appreciate this newest offering from the inimitable Mimi Matthews.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.