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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
If you liked Jane Eyre and ever imagined a Mr. Rochester backstory this book is for you, particularly if your Mr. Rochester backstory is sympathetic to him. My Mr. Rochester was always a bit more unsympathetic: he probably had ad verse life experiences that made him the person he was, but at heart I always felt him to be a natural jerk, albeit a jerk with some appeal. The book was fun to read, particularly if you like the genre.
For centuries, lovers of Charlotte Bronte’s "Jane Eyre" know how the heroine found her way to Mr. Rochester, but what was his life like before Jane arrived?
Full review: https://robyntocker.weebly.com/mr-rochester.html
Full review: https://robyntocker.weebly.com/mr-rochester.html
It felt really flat. This Mr. Rochester seemed to lack the characteristics and depth that made him so... him in Jane Eyre.
As a fan of Jane Eyre, it was an easy choice to pick Mr. Rochester up at the library. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it.
I appreciated the first two-thirds of the book more than the last third. Learning about Edward's childhood and younger years was all new story telling and was very interesting. Once we reached his meeting with Jane, my interest started to wane a bit even if there was added story from his perspective. I think I would have been satisfied with it ending at their meeting. But, the continuation still made sense, so it wasn't bad by any means.
Ms Shoemaker did a very good job with the tone and feel of the book and it's characters. It fit in well with the classic Bronte novel but didn't try too hard, in my opinion, to emulate her voice. Since this book wasn't from Jane's perspective, I think that would have taken away from it.
Right as I finished this, I thought to myself how this could be a very good stand alone book, and I hope Ms Shoemaker continues writing as I would likely read another of her books.
I appreciated the first two-thirds of the book more than the last third. Learning about Edward's childhood and younger years was all new story telling and was very interesting. Once we reached his meeting with Jane, my interest started to wane a bit even if there was added story from his perspective. I think I would have been satisfied with it ending at their meeting. But, the continuation still made sense, so it wasn't bad by any means.
Ms Shoemaker did a very good job with the tone and feel of the book and it's characters. It fit in well with the classic Bronte novel but didn't try too hard, in my opinion, to emulate her voice. Since this book wasn't from Jane's perspective, I think that would have taken away from it.
Right as I finished this, I thought to myself how this could be a very good stand alone book, and I hope Ms Shoemaker continues writing as I would likely read another of her books.
Nothing can quite compare to the original novel of Jane Eyre and I dare say there are enough stories from the man's point of view that this tale probably wasn't necessary, but it was still a compelling read. Shoemaker is a gifted linguist and she does a lovely job of shading in Rochester's layers if still ultimately failing to justify much of his terrible treatment of Jane.
It is not easy to write a book about a character someone else created. It is even harder to do so with a much-loved character -- and to not only do so but do so with a book that is beautifully written and does justice to the character as he was originally written. Sarah Shoemaker has done just that in this beautifully composed book that gives us deeper and fuller insight into Charlotte Bronte's Edward Fairfax Rochester.
Like, I suppose, many readers who have favorite books and characters, I was doubtful that any book could do justice to one of my favorite literary characters. Jane Eyre is one of my all-time favorites, and I've long held up the relationship between Jane and Mr. Rochester as an ideal meeting of equal intellects. Part of me was wary of reading a book that might have the potential of lessening the impact of a book that has been read and reread at some many important stages in my life. After all, I have read enough modern authors' takes on classics to know that it is so easy to do a poor job of capturing the essence of the original. I am happy to say, though, that that is not at all the case with this book.
I was hooked almost from the first line of the book, and once I started reading, I could not put the book down, so anxious was I to get to the resolution even though I knew what would happen. Not only was it fascinating to learn how Edward came to be Jane's Mr. Rochester, but it was also refreshing and illuminating to see those very familiar scenes through his eyes. It is very clear throughout this novel that Shoemaker has more than done her research to get the details right (and that's not surprising, given that she had a career as a librarian). What is particularly commendable, though, is that she's also managed to achieve the voice and tone of Bronte's original novel such that Bronte's words fit seamlessly into the narrative. This book was, in short, a pure delight to read.
Like, I suppose, many readers who have favorite books and characters, I was doubtful that any book could do justice to one of my favorite literary characters. Jane Eyre is one of my all-time favorites, and I've long held up the relationship between Jane and Mr. Rochester as an ideal meeting of equal intellects. Part of me was wary of reading a book that might have the potential of lessening the impact of a book that has been read and reread at some many important stages in my life. After all, I have read enough modern authors' takes on classics to know that it is so easy to do a poor job of capturing the essence of the original. I am happy to say, though, that that is not at all the case with this book.
I was hooked almost from the first line of the book, and once I started reading, I could not put the book down, so anxious was I to get to the resolution even though I knew what would happen. Not only was it fascinating to learn how Edward came to be Jane's Mr. Rochester, but it was also refreshing and illuminating to see those very familiar scenes through his eyes. It is very clear throughout this novel that Shoemaker has more than done her research to get the details right (and that's not surprising, given that she had a career as a librarian). What is particularly commendable, though, is that she's also managed to achieve the voice and tone of Bronte's original novel such that Bronte's words fit seamlessly into the narrative. This book was, in short, a pure delight to read.
worth reading if you want to have another take on Jane Eyre, although the majority of this book takes place long before she comes to Thornfield.
Mr. Rochester started out incredibly strong and then weakened a bit for me as the novel progressed. As a whole, I enjoyed so much of this retelling, even though the novel lost some steam around the 2/3 mark. Sarah Shoemaker's imitation of the Victorian voice was perfect in the first half of this novel and I think that Rochester's childhood narration is as compelling and strong as any of Charles Dickens child-aged narrators. I also loved seeing the parallels between Jane's and Rochester's upbringings. I began to see, in part, why Jane Eyre was so struck by Rochester.
Once Rochester leaves Jamaica to return to Thornfield, the pacing of the novel decelerates and the narration loses some of the simple, but atmospheric detail that made the first half so vibrant. Fortunately, Jane enters the scene at this point and the last third of the novel is a pretty straight forward retelling of one of my favorite novels ever minus the lengthy preaching from St. John Rivers!
Once Rochester leaves Jamaica to return to Thornfield, the pacing of the novel decelerates and the narration loses some of the simple, but atmospheric detail that made the first half so vibrant. Fortunately, Jane enters the scene at this point and the last third of the novel is a pretty straight forward retelling of one of my favorite novels ever minus the lengthy preaching from St. John Rivers!
Great interpretation of Rochester's life. Enjoyable. Didn't really get to experience much of the falling in love part with Jane. Jane barely exists as a character. There is a whole lot more to Bertha's character developed than Jane's.
Books that build off of classics are so difficult to do well. Because only the diehards typically reach for these novels, you have to write something faithful to the source material--because Brontë fans know this story like the back of their hand--but not follow so closely that it is monotonous. This book is nearly perfect in that regard. The first half is brilliantly original and creative, and the writing is so on point throughout the whole. There were some creative decisions I didn't love, but all in all, this was a really interesting and thoughtful take on Edward Rochester.