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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
Not sure how this book pulled it off, but I couldn't put it down. As a huge fan of Jane Eyre, this book should have been predictable at best (I obviously knew how it would end) and insulting at worst. I first read Jane Eyre in 7th grade and loved it, but as I've gotten older, Rochester has become a more and more fraught character for me. Even as Jane seems like a timeless figure, he seemed more and more to be an outdated, ugly (yet familiar) stereotype of masculinity. Sarah Shoemaker has done away with that, painting a portrait of a hopeful young boy who, through circumstances often beyond his control, becomes a twisted, cynical, angry man who only wants to be good and loved. A great study on a character in desperate need of an update. Bronte fans will revel.
While I think you could enjoy Mr. Rochester without having read Jane Eyre, I assume that most people who read it will have done so because they have positive feelings about the Bronte classic. This book tells the story of Mr. Rochester's life before he met Jane, and continues through the events portrayed in Jane Eyre, from his point of view.
I read Jane Eyre at about 13 and it made a big impression on me, and I think I re-read it in my 20s. As an adult, I later wrote an essay explaining why it was regressive to prefer Jane Eyre to Pride and Prejudice, and felt mildly offended. While I don't really agree with this, because you can love the book for the character of Jane, the chemistry between the lonely hero and heroine, and the way the book admires her unyielding moral stance, it's true that Mr. Rochester makes some choices that are hard to justify - pretending to be about to marry someone else to make Jane jealous, and, oh, bigamy, although under great duress. I enjoyed reading Shoemaker's Mr. Rochester, particularly in the early chapters where the author creates a piercing sense of loneliness completely the equal of Jane's in early life. I was fascinated by the machinations that led Mr. Rochester to marry Bertha. However, when he began to fall in love with Jane in the last third of the book, I was uncomfortably aware of how hard the author was working to make his behaviour seem more likable. This book sort of a felt like "Here, have your problematic cake and eat it too," and I felt like this function was more of a guilty pleasure than the original. When the book got to the really iconic scenes, I forgave it, and just enjoyed.
I read Jane Eyre at about 13 and it made a big impression on me, and I think I re-read it in my 20s. As an adult, I later wrote an essay explaining why it was regressive to prefer Jane Eyre to Pride and Prejudice, and felt mildly offended. While I don't really agree with this, because you can love the book for the character of Jane, the chemistry between the lonely hero and heroine, and the way the book admires her unyielding moral stance, it's true that Mr. Rochester makes some choices that are hard to justify - pretending to be about to marry someone else to make Jane jealous, and, oh, bigamy, although under great duress. I enjoyed reading Shoemaker's Mr. Rochester, particularly in the early chapters where the author creates a piercing sense of loneliness completely the equal of Jane's in early life. I was fascinated by the machinations that led Mr. Rochester to marry Bertha. However, when he began to fall in love with Jane in the last third of the book, I was uncomfortably aware of how hard the author was working to make his behaviour seem more likable. This book sort of a felt like "Here, have your problematic cake and eat it too," and I felt like this function was more of a guilty pleasure than the original. When the book got to the really iconic scenes, I forgave it, and just enjoyed.
While I think you could enjoy Mr. Rochester without having read Jane Eyre, I assume that most people who read it will have done so because they have positive feelings about the Bronte classic. This book tells the story of Mr. Rochester's life before he met Jane, and continues through the events portrayed in Jane Eyre, from his point of view.
I read Jane Eyre at about 13 and it made a big impression on me, and I think I re-read it in my 20s. As an adult, I later wrote an essay explaining why it was regressive to prefer Jane Eyre to Pride and Prejudice, and felt mildly offended. While I don't really agree with this, because you can love the book for the character of Jane, the chemistry between the lonely hero and heroine, and the way the book admires her unyielding moral stance, it's true that Mr. Rochester makes some choices that are hard to justify - pretending to be about to marry someone else to make Jane jealous, and, oh, bigamy, although under great duress. I enjoyed reading Shoemaker's Mr. Rochester, particularly in the early chapters where the author creates a piercing sense of loneliness completely the equal of Jane's in early life. I was fascinated by the machinations that led Mr. Rochester to marry Bertha. However, when he began to fall in love with Jane in the last third of the book, I was uncomfortably aware of how hard the author was working to make his behaviour seem more likable. This book sort of a felt like "Here, have your problematic cake and eat it too," and I felt like this function was more of a guilty pleasure than the original. When the book got to the really iconic scenes, I forgave it, and just enjoyed.
I read Jane Eyre at about 13 and it made a big impression on me, and I think I re-read it in my 20s. As an adult, I later wrote an essay explaining why it was regressive to prefer Jane Eyre to Pride and Prejudice, and felt mildly offended. While I don't really agree with this, because you can love the book for the character of Jane, the chemistry between the lonely hero and heroine, and the way the book admires her unyielding moral stance, it's true that Mr. Rochester makes some choices that are hard to justify - pretending to be about to marry someone else to make Jane jealous, and, oh, bigamy, although under great duress. I enjoyed reading Shoemaker's Mr. Rochester, particularly in the early chapters where the author creates a piercing sense of loneliness completely the equal of Jane's in early life. I was fascinated by the machinations that led Mr. Rochester to marry Bertha. However, when he began to fall in love with Jane in the last third of the book, I was uncomfortably aware of how hard the author was working to make his behaviour seem more likable. This book sort of a felt like "Here, have your problematic cake and eat it too," and I felt like this function was more of a guilty pleasure than the original. When the book got to the really iconic scenes, I forgave it, and just enjoyed.
Definitely makes me want to read the original again.
*** I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
**** There are some minor spoilers for Jane Eyre below.
2/5
To make it clear, I do not see Edward Fairfax Rochester as a romantic hero. The entirety of his relationship with Jane Eyre is based on a power imbalance that is only rectified at the end of the novel. He is blatantly cruel in moments and continually reduces Jane to a child or infant-like status. I came into this book looking to see how Shoemaker would attempt to rectify these issues, but instead, she relies too heavily on the characterization of Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre without making any significant changes in how the reader interacts with him.
Mr. Rochester is a retelling of Jane Eyre from Mr. Rochester’s perspective. It follows Rochester from childhood, through to his marriage to Bertha, and then follows the events of Jane Eyre. I was disappointed by this book because I found that it was trying to justify Rochester’s horrible treatment of Jane through a narrative of a troubled relationship with his father. Rochester’s agency is continually limited by his father, but instead of making him a sympathetic character, it made him a passive actor in his own life. He blames his father for his poor decisions and never takes any accountability for his actions.
Jane Eyre is one of my favourite classics for its evocative writing and exploration of women’s roles in society. The women in this story faded into the background. Both Bertha and Jane are reduced to stereotypes. Bertha is vilified for her use of sexuality to take control of her life and her madness becomes more of a plot point as opposed to an actual exploration of mental health. Jane then becomes a more obvious foil to Betha. She is demure, chaste, and adheres to propriety, but she hardly has a presence in the narrative. All of Rochester’s problematic behaviour towards her is framed as coming from a place of love. He pursues Blanche to make Jane jealous when he has no interests in her. He consistently makes Jane uncomfortable on purpose as a way of asserting his power over her. His cruelty is framed as a type of caring and that is not something I can abide.
There is also a problematic narrative regarding slavery in Jamaica. Rochester is shown to be vehemently against the practice of slavery, but he ends up running a plantation and making a significant amount of money at it. The narrative completely ignores the terrible ways slaves were treated by placing Rochester as the sympathetic plantation owner who does not actually condone slavery. I was rolling my eyes through the entirety of this section of the book. I cannot see why, as a reader, I am supposed to see Rochester as a victim of circumstance in this section of the book. This is when I quite frankly lost interest and just continued reading to see how the sections relating to Jane would turn out. Honestly, I shouldn’t have bothered.
Re-tellings or re-imaginings of classics should bring something new to the table. Mr. Rochester does not do that. Instead, it creates a narrative about a privileged white man’s troubled life because his father was not nice to him. It is just not a narrative I can get behind. Rochester is portrayed as the trajic victim of circumstances beyond his control, but there were so many moments where he had the opportunity to change his actions, but he continually blames others for his failures.
**** There are some minor spoilers for Jane Eyre below.
2/5
To make it clear, I do not see Edward Fairfax Rochester as a romantic hero. The entirety of his relationship with Jane Eyre is based on a power imbalance that is only rectified at the end of the novel. He is blatantly cruel in moments and continually reduces Jane to a child or infant-like status. I came into this book looking to see how Shoemaker would attempt to rectify these issues, but instead, she relies too heavily on the characterization of Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre without making any significant changes in how the reader interacts with him.
Mr. Rochester is a retelling of Jane Eyre from Mr. Rochester’s perspective. It follows Rochester from childhood, through to his marriage to Bertha, and then follows the events of Jane Eyre. I was disappointed by this book because I found that it was trying to justify Rochester’s horrible treatment of Jane through a narrative of a troubled relationship with his father. Rochester’s agency is continually limited by his father, but instead of making him a sympathetic character, it made him a passive actor in his own life. He blames his father for his poor decisions and never takes any accountability for his actions.
Jane Eyre is one of my favourite classics for its evocative writing and exploration of women’s roles in society. The women in this story faded into the background. Both Bertha and Jane are reduced to stereotypes. Bertha is vilified for her use of sexuality to take control of her life and her madness becomes more of a plot point as opposed to an actual exploration of mental health. Jane then becomes a more obvious foil to Betha. She is demure, chaste, and adheres to propriety, but she hardly has a presence in the narrative. All of Rochester’s problematic behaviour towards her is framed as coming from a place of love. He pursues Blanche to make Jane jealous when he has no interests in her. He consistently makes Jane uncomfortable on purpose as a way of asserting his power over her. His cruelty is framed as a type of caring and that is not something I can abide.
There is also a problematic narrative regarding slavery in Jamaica. Rochester is shown to be vehemently against the practice of slavery, but he ends up running a plantation and making a significant amount of money at it. The narrative completely ignores the terrible ways slaves were treated by placing Rochester as the sympathetic plantation owner who does not actually condone slavery. I was rolling my eyes through the entirety of this section of the book. I cannot see why, as a reader, I am supposed to see Rochester as a victim of circumstance in this section of the book. This is when I quite frankly lost interest and just continued reading to see how the sections relating to Jane would turn out. Honestly, I shouldn’t have bothered.
Re-tellings or re-imaginings of classics should bring something new to the table. Mr. Rochester does not do that. Instead, it creates a narrative about a privileged white man’s troubled life because his father was not nice to him. It is just not a narrative I can get behind. Rochester is portrayed as the trajic victim of circumstances beyond his control, but there were so many moments where he had the opportunity to change his actions, but he continually blames others for his failures.
Wonderful version of the story from the perspective of Mr Rochester for one of my all time favorite books.
Just as I have always been interested in the the women of history who names have been nearly forgotten, often times I am interested in the leading men’s point of view. I thought I had gotten my fill of Eddie Rochester from “Wide Sargasso Sea” but instead it looks like there is room in my library for two different sides of young Rochester. Unlike many of the readers I noticed reviewing, “Jane Eyre” is not the be all and end all for me. It was a fun book to read and it left me with many questions that I found uncomfortable asking my parents about. When you’re 10-11, you don’t want a lecture about good versus bad, anti-hero and the like, you just want a solid answer. I couldn’t find one so I moved on.
Author Sarah Shoemaker did a great job of answering some of those questions I had. Some mysteries were solved and some answers were given. You know the basic formula of how everything will work out but instead of being bored to tears and pushing on for the sake of a “read” label, I found myself intrigued by how she would wrap everything together. While it isn't a perfectly wrapped package, the love for it is there and you can tell a great deal of work went into this. So if you enjoy Jane Eyre and are open to having someone else climb into your prize sandbox, then I recommend you give it a go. If you have Bronte on an altar and consider every word law, then perhaps just re-read “Jane Eyre.”
*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing in exchange for honest feedback*
Author Sarah Shoemaker did a great job of answering some of those questions I had. Some mysteries were solved and some answers were given. You know the basic formula of how everything will work out but instead of being bored to tears and pushing on for the sake of a “read” label, I found myself intrigued by how she would wrap everything together. While it isn't a perfectly wrapped package, the love for it is there and you can tell a great deal of work went into this. So if you enjoy Jane Eyre and are open to having someone else climb into your prize sandbox, then I recommend you give it a go. If you have Bronte on an altar and consider every word law, then perhaps just re-read “Jane Eyre.”
*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing in exchange for honest feedback*
Enjoyed the backstory of Edward Rochester, but was quite frustrated with the character's decisions. Didn't really care for him at all, which has colored my impression of the book.
I have very mixed feelings about this book and yet I am glad I've read it. A book like this is always going to come with some trepidation as JANE EYRE is my favourite book and a re-take on that concept definitely carries a risk. What appealed to me about the concept of MR ROCHESTER was the idea of his point of view but from childhood to what we know. I definitely felt frustration over how long it took to catch a glimpse of Jane Eyre and I am positive I won't be alone in this. The book had engaging parts and slow descriptive parts. This made me sense a lack of flow in my own enagagement on the whole.
Things I really liked about this book were unexpected, I truly enjoyed child and adolescent Edward Rochester. The idea of his life prior to anything we've ever had a snapshot of in JANE EYRE was totally engaging, showing a rather neglected boy, trying to find affection and fun. Some of the Jamaica story line engaged me and Bertha's mental demise was well written. I am disappointed by the last 30% that's focused on Jane and Edward's story. I don't feel that I learnt that much that's was new, despite having the opportunity to be in Edward's head. I did enjoy a rather unusual twist in this part though.
I am a huge fan of WIDE SARGASSO SEA by Jean Rhys so that's not to say I am opposed to someone writing an alternate to Edward Rochester's life. In fact, the Bertha part of MR ROCHESTER was well conceived and executed which is the focus of WIDE SARGASSO SEA. I just wanted more. I would definitely read Sarah Shoemaker again.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through netgalley in return for a honest review.
Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.
Things I really liked about this book were unexpected, I truly enjoyed child and adolescent Edward Rochester. The idea of his life prior to anything we've ever had a snapshot of in JANE EYRE was totally engaging, showing a rather neglected boy, trying to find affection and fun. Some of the Jamaica story line engaged me and Bertha's mental demise was well written. I am disappointed by the last 30% that's focused on Jane and Edward's story. I don't feel that I learnt that much that's was new, despite having the opportunity to be in Edward's head. I did enjoy a rather unusual twist in this part though.
I am a huge fan of WIDE SARGASSO SEA by Jean Rhys so that's not to say I am opposed to someone writing an alternate to Edward Rochester's life. In fact, the Bertha part of MR ROCHESTER was well conceived and executed which is the focus of WIDE SARGASSO SEA. I just wanted more. I would definitely read Sarah Shoemaker again.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through netgalley in return for a honest review.
Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.
