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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
One of the better Jane Eyre retellings I have read.
I enjoyed this glimpse into Rochester's mindset and retelling of the classic from his perspective. We get a lot of backstory that makes his character more sympathetic, while not feeling out of place with what Charlotte Bronte gave her readers in the original. I do think that the first part of the story, detailing his childhood and young adulthood (before he meets Jane Eyre) was more interesting (if slow-moving), since we are already familiar with what happens once he and Jane cross paths. Perhaps because of this, the author doesn't go into that much detail about their interactions, which left their romance and Rochester's emotional development feeling like it lacked something; I didn't connect with it the same way I connected with the original.
While Sarah Shoemaker sticks quite closely to Bronte's story, there is one subplot that is new. I don't think it clashes with the original, although in the end I'm not sure how much it adds (). I do like, however, that it provides more explanation for events in the original story that were not accounted for ().
For those people who don't understand the appeal of Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre, I would highly recommend you pick this book up! And for those who love him already, you will probably enjoy getting to spend some time with this character during his most formative years.
While Sarah Shoemaker sticks quite closely to Bronte's story, there is one subplot that is new. I don't think it clashes with the original, although in the end I'm not sure how much it adds (
Spoiler
the storyline involving Gerald Rochester... in the end he dies along with Bertha, and all of his scheming comes to nothing.Spoiler
it makes sense that Rowland might have taken advantage of Bertha and then refused to marry her, and that Edward would have been offered up to marry her instead.For those people who don't understand the appeal of Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre, I would highly recommend you pick this book up! And for those who love him already, you will probably enjoy getting to spend some time with this character during his most formative years.
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Seriously impressed by this retelling of Jane Eyre from the viewpoint of Edward Rochester. Overall, an excellent read and highly recommended, especially if you are a Jane Eyre fan.
Jane Eyre isn't one of my favorites and part of why is it is very hard for me to like Rochester's character. He plays Jane when they are at Thornfield Hall, leaving her in doubt of his intentions as he courts a local lady, and his mad wife raves in the attic. So yes, it's hard for me to be all in with this character as a romantic interest.
But Shoemaker wins me over! She gives so much background and depth to Rochester that you can see quite clearly how he ends up at Thornfield Hall and falling for Jane. She makes him human with human failings.
The writing is superb. You are just pulled into this back story and really have a feel for who Rochester was that produced the man who meets Jane.
Be aware that about 60% of the book or more is about Rochester's childhood, his relationship with his father and brother, the loss of his schoolmates (which really gives a connection to Jane's background and grief), and his time in Jamaica where he is led like a lamb to altar slaughter.
My only quibble is that when he is in Jamaica the abuse of slaves is not fully addressed. It is mentioned in passing that this housekeeper is basically his wife's half sister (and a slave). While he gives her her freedom in the end, it is only done AFTER he leaves.
He does not divest himself of the plantation that his father gave him (not talking about his wife's inheritance) so there is no moral high ground for Rochester when it comes to slavery (which he clearly endorses when it benefits him).
The problem with retellings of classics is authors usually just take the original text, slightly reshape it (imagine fluffing a pillow), and presents it as new. It fails miserably in bringing anything new to the table. It's why I gave up reading Pride and Prejudice spin offs as they were incredibly uninspired and boring.
This is certainly not the problem with Mr. Rochester. You'll find plenty of new material that is inspired by the original but is completely fresh. A good solid book that will keep you turning the pages.
Jane Eyre isn't one of my favorites and part of why is it is very hard for me to like Rochester's character. He plays Jane when they are at Thornfield Hall, leaving her in doubt of his intentions as he courts a local lady, and his mad wife raves in the attic. So yes, it's hard for me to be all in with this character as a romantic interest.
But Shoemaker wins me over! She gives so much background and depth to Rochester that you can see quite clearly how he ends up at Thornfield Hall and falling for Jane. She makes him human with human failings.
The writing is superb. You are just pulled into this back story and really have a feel for who Rochester was that produced the man who meets Jane.
Be aware that about 60% of the book or more is about Rochester's childhood, his relationship with his father and brother, the loss of his schoolmates (which really gives a connection to Jane's background and grief), and his time in Jamaica where he is led like a lamb to altar slaughter.
My only quibble is that when he is in Jamaica the abuse of slaves is not fully addressed. It is mentioned in passing that this housekeeper is basically his wife's half sister (and a slave). While he gives her her freedom in the end, it is only done AFTER he leaves.
He does not divest himself of the plantation that his father gave him (not talking about his wife's inheritance) so there is no moral high ground for Rochester when it comes to slavery (which he clearly endorses when it benefits him).
The problem with retellings of classics is authors usually just take the original text, slightly reshape it (imagine fluffing a pillow), and presents it as new. It fails miserably in bringing anything new to the table. It's why I gave up reading Pride and Prejudice spin offs as they were incredibly uninspired and boring.
This is certainly not the problem with Mr. Rochester. You'll find plenty of new material that is inspired by the original but is completely fresh. A good solid book that will keep you turning the pages.
I hate Mr. Rochester -- as in the version from Jane Eyre. I've never understood how some readers find him charming, dreamy, whatever. He's an ass. He's a 40-year-old man who keeps his crazy wife in the attic (sure, sure, because of reasons), toys with the emotions of poor teenage Jane (not to mention Blanche Ingram), then tries to marry her without telling her that he's already married. I hate that Jane actually goes back to him. Ew.
Ms. Shoemaker's version of Rochester (Call me Edward!) starts off much more promising. His father seems to have no emotions at all -- basically ignoring little Edward and issuing missives via letter. His brother is an egotistical ass who delights in torturing Edward whenever possible. At age eight, Edward is sent off to live with an eccentric scholar who privately educates boys in a very progressive way. This is probably the best thing that ever happens to him. He has friends, who are better than his actual brother. Then, in his teens, through another letter, he is ordered into an apprenticeship with a mill owner in another town. There again, he finds some happiness, as the childless mill owner and his wife are very kind people, but there are tragedies, and his father calls for him. After some formal education, he is shipped off to Jamaica to marry Bertha Antoinette Mason, and things go downhill quickly, then his father and brother die, and he's able to return to his beloved Thornfield, but with a burden with a capital B in tow.
I really liked Book 1, all of Edward's formative years, and found myself rooting for the poor kid. Book 2, the Jamaica years, was also very interesting -- Edward finds himself betrayed over and over again. (This differs from [b:Wide Sargasso Sea|25622780|Wide Sargasso Sea|Jean Rhys|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453021061s/25622780.jpg|142647] a lot -- taking place between the end of the slave trade and the end of actual slavery in Jamaica. Also, Jonas and Richard are Bertha's blood relatives.) Even the beginning of Book 3, when Edward first brings Bertha back to Thornfield, with all the adjustments it takes to get her set up, brought new material.
After Jane enters the story, things got a little less interesting. There were a few new additions ( that helped, but at that point Ms. Shoemaker was stuck with Bronte's original Rochester, and, as they say, "You can't polish a turd."
Excellent novel with lots of historical material that I really enjoyed. I just still don't like Rochester.
Ms. Shoemaker's version of Rochester (Call me Edward!) starts off much more promising. His father seems to have no emotions at all -- basically ignoring little Edward and issuing missives via letter. His brother is an egotistical ass who delights in torturing Edward whenever possible. At age eight, Edward is sent off to live with an eccentric scholar who privately educates boys in a very progressive way. This is probably the best thing that ever happens to him. He has friends, who are better than his actual brother. Then, in his teens, through another letter, he is ordered into an apprenticeship with a mill owner in another town. There again, he finds some happiness, as the childless mill owner and his wife are very kind people, but there are tragedies, and his father calls for him. After some formal education, he is shipped off to Jamaica to marry Bertha Antoinette Mason, and things go downhill quickly, then his father and brother die, and he's able to return to his beloved Thornfield, but with a burden with a capital B in tow.
I really liked Book 1, all of Edward's formative years, and found myself rooting for the poor kid. Book 2, the Jamaica years, was also very interesting -- Edward finds himself betrayed over and over again. (This differs from [b:Wide Sargasso Sea|25622780|Wide Sargasso Sea|Jean Rhys|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453021061s/25622780.jpg|142647] a lot -- taking place between the end of the slave trade and the end of actual slavery in Jamaica. Also, Jonas and Richard are Bertha's blood relatives.) Even the beginning of Book 3, when Edward first brings Bertha back to Thornfield, with all the adjustments it takes to get her set up, brought new material.
After Jane enters the story, things got a little less interesting. There were a few new additions (
Spoiler
Bertha's secret baby!Excellent novel with lots of historical material that I really enjoyed. I just still don't like Rochester.
I haven’t met a Jane Eyre retelling that I didn’t like and this one took on the challenge of providing a backstory of Rochester, the elusive and mysterious love interest of our titular heroine.
I’d give this 3.5 stars if Goodreads allowed half stars. I loved the concept of this book and genuinely enjoyed parts of it, but its execution wasn’t perfect.
The opening, in particular, was fairly slow. While I appreciated all the historical and creative detail that Sarah Shoemaker put into building an account of Mr. Rochester’s early life, I think Shoemaker could have accomplished a lot of the same ends — illustrating the experiences that made Rochester crave real relationships and fear losing the people he loves — in fewer pages.
The story definitely picked up when Rochester got to Jamaica, and it was tragically fascinating to read about how everything so quickly fell apart with Bertha. The betrayal and anger Rochester felt at realizing his father essentially traded him away in a business deal was raw and heart-wrenching.
I was glad that Shoemaker didn’t spend too much time on Rochester’s years of wandering and indulgence in Europe, but when the actual “Jane Eyre” story started — two thirds of the way into the book — I felt a little cheated. Certainly I wasn’t expecting Shoemaker to copy and paste Charlotte Brontë’s work, but I was hoping she’d do more than skim over events with paragraphs of summary. This version of Rochester lacked much of the passion and intensity that enthralled me while reading “Jane Eyre”; I picked up this book largely because I wanted to experience those vivid emotions through Rochester’s eyes, but there were only faint echoes of it.
I liked how Shoemaker framed Rochester’s fake courtship of Miss Ingram as his misguided attempt to show Jane how much better she is (though I also wonder if it’s right to justify every mistake of a deeply flawed character). And the subplot not only fit neatly into the original sequence of events, but seemed like something that could have really happened in “Jane Eyre.” This was a great book in a lot of ways; I just wanted a tighter story and a deeper exploration of Jane and Rochester’s relationship.
The opening, in particular, was fairly slow. While I appreciated all the historical and creative detail that Sarah Shoemaker put into building an account of Mr. Rochester’s early life, I think Shoemaker could have accomplished a lot of the same ends — illustrating the experiences that made Rochester crave real relationships and fear losing the people he loves — in fewer pages.
The story definitely picked up when Rochester got to Jamaica, and it was tragically fascinating to read about how everything so quickly fell apart with Bertha. The betrayal and anger Rochester felt at realizing his father essentially traded him away in a business deal was raw and heart-wrenching.
I was glad that Shoemaker didn’t spend too much time on Rochester’s years of wandering and indulgence in Europe, but when the actual “Jane Eyre” story started — two thirds of the way into the book — I felt a little cheated. Certainly I wasn’t expecting Shoemaker to copy and paste Charlotte Brontë’s work, but I was hoping she’d do more than skim over events with paragraphs of summary. This version of Rochester lacked much of the passion and intensity that enthralled me while reading “Jane Eyre”; I picked up this book largely because I wanted to experience those vivid emotions through Rochester’s eyes, but there were only faint echoes of it.
I liked how Shoemaker framed Rochester’s fake courtship of Miss Ingram as his misguided attempt to show Jane how much better she is (though I also wonder if it’s right to justify every mistake of a deeply flawed character). And the subplot not only fit neatly into the original sequence of events, but seemed like something that could have really happened in “Jane Eyre.” This was a great book in a lot of ways; I just wanted a tighter story and a deeper exploration of Jane and Rochester’s relationship.
I usually don't like to read books of this nature, but it was recommended to me, so I jumped in. The author stayed true to the tone of Jane Eyre and made a believable and emotional tale about Mr. Rochester's childhood and the events leading up to Jane Eyre. I absolutely loved it.
I like many had to read Jane Eyre for school. I liked it well enough. I was especially interested when a teacher told me about Wide Sargasso Sea, which i enjoyed. I stumbled upon this book-i have never been fascinated by Mr Rochester like others seem to be about Mr Darcy so i've never read anything else about him-but i thought the author had a good plot direction based on thr inside flap.
I really loved this book!! I would hold this book up in the triumvirate of Jane Eyre lit (JE, WSS, and this one) as being canon. I loved Shoemaker's portrayal of Mr R and his life. Extremely well done!! I was very surprised by how much I did like it. The writing was never bogged down by too much description or inner monologues. Would recommend to anyone who is a fan.
I really loved this book!! I would hold this book up in the triumvirate of Jane Eyre lit (JE, WSS, and this one) as being canon. I loved Shoemaker's portrayal of Mr R and his life. Extremely well done!! I was very surprised by how much I did like it. The writing was never bogged down by too much description or inner monologues. Would recommend to anyone who is a fan.