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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
I love retellings of familiar stories. I like to see what new insights emerge when a story I know well is told from a different perspective, or moved into a different culture or time period. So, I was really looking forward to this retelling of Jane Eyre from the perspective of Mr. Rochester. My conclusion: it's a perfectly good book, well researched and written, competently fleshing out what we know of Mr. Rochester from the original novel, but it doesn't offer much, if any, new insight to the story.
As a side note, I thought the author's treatment of slavery in Jamaica was too detached. Mr. Rochester comments from time to time that being around slavery hardened him to the horror of it, but the reader doesn't experience that in the story. Maybe that would have been hard to write, but since slavery was omnipresent in Jamaica at the time, it didn't feel honest to have slavery in soft focus for that part of the book.
Bottom line: just reread Jane Eyre or get this book from the library. No need to buy a copy.
As a side note, I thought the author's treatment of slavery in Jamaica was too detached. Mr. Rochester comments from time to time that being around slavery hardened him to the horror of it, but the reader doesn't experience that in the story. Maybe that would have been hard to write, but since slavery was omnipresent in Jamaica at the time, it didn't feel honest to have slavery in soft focus for that part of the book.
Bottom line: just reread Jane Eyre or get this book from the library. No need to buy a copy.
What an accomplishment! Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books, and as far as I’m concerned Edward Rochester is *the* literary boyfriend, so imagine my glee when Ms. Shoemaker’s novel seamlessly picked up where Charlotte Bronte left off. Who knew I could love Edward even more?! Bravo, Sarah - and thank you for this detailed, loving, beautifully-rendered work!
Many have said, and I agree, that the part of the book before Jane enters the picture is the better part. I began to read the book because I was intrigued by the premise, but I soon became drawn into the story itself. When Jane entered, it was disconcerting; was reminded that this is based on another novel. I have read other novels telling the other side of the story, and the main failure here is the integration. I have not read Jane Eyre since high school, but I could tell when Brontë’s words were being inserted into the dialogue, and that shouldn’t be the case in this type of novel. Finally, the novel ended much too quickly and the most intriguing parts of the original were mostly ignored
I'm between 3 and 4 stars, but chose 3 mostly because of length. This was an pretty interesting story for those who love "Jane Eyre," but it does go on quite extensively, giving you the complete picture of Edward Fairfax Rochester's life. I can't say every moment of this narrative was exceedingly fascinating, but it does all inform his ultimate perceived character, which the author really masterfully tuned into. The length made the book a bit of a slog, at times, though once I hit that last 5 or 6 chapters, I couldn't put it down - the love story reveal is always my favorite of books of this era. I'd quite forgotten how fairly tragic the end is, and how the love story is somewhat bittersweet. In the tragedy, and truly potential for an unhappy ending, I could almost see a connection between the lives of the two sister authors, Charlotte and Emily Bronte. "Wuthering Heights" for all of its passionate, wild, tragic, intensity is also a story of a sad/complicated upbringing, with a kind of acceptance of the fated unhappiness of life, and "Jane Eyre" feels a bit like this at times, albeit startlingly less dark and tormenting, but the pulse of those qualities can still be felt.
While the author did a wonderful job imagining Rochester's life in light of the original "Jane Eyre," I think I simply prefer her perspective over Rochester's. It was reminiscent a bit of "The Goldfinch," actually, in how the fortunately unfortunate boy child is brought up into the world, and must ultimately learn how to see and experience his own life and stop allowing his destiny to be so set in stone.
Anyway, a worthwhile read if a bit long.
While the author did a wonderful job imagining Rochester's life in light of the original "Jane Eyre," I think I simply prefer her perspective over Rochester's. It was reminiscent a bit of "The Goldfinch," actually, in how the fortunately unfortunate boy child is brought up into the world, and must ultimately learn how to see and experience his own life and stop allowing his destiny to be so set in stone.
Anyway, a worthwhile read if a bit long.
Mr. Rochester finally gets the opportunity to tell his story. Sarah Shoemaker tells Mr. Rochester's story from boyhood, loving living at Thornfield Hall, to meeting the woman of his dreams. At times the book felt long, but fans of Jane Eyre will enjoy Mr. Rochester.
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just loved getting lost in this story over Christmas
Jane Eyre is my favorite book so I was excited to read the story of Mr. Rochester. Though written by a different author, the style is very similar to Jane Eyre and does a great job at channeling Charlotte Brontë. I was hesitant to read it because it’s “fan fiction” but it was well worth reading!
This. Is. Amazing. Jane Eyre is my favorite books. Hands down. And this book is an incredible companion. Shoemaker takes all of the iconic lines from the original and incorporates them into this new perspective. The two books fit seamlessly. Just, an absolutely beautiful piece of work. From "Reader, I married him" to "Reader, she married me." Absolutely wonderful.
This book was okay, but I didn't enjoy it overmuch. Perhaps it was just me, and I wasn't in the proper mood to enjoy it? It certainly filled in Mr. Rochester's backstory in a plausible and fitting way. I suppose a Byronic hero almost by definition must have lived a life of misery and suffering (and very likely is what Charlotte Bronte envisioned for him), but watching Mr. Rochester race toward disaster at full speed does not make for pleasant reading. Full credit to Shoemaker though, for weaving that sensation of impending doom throughout the story, lightly at the beginning and growing ever stronger as the final crisis approaches.
A minor issue of style, the novel is written in modern English but the quotes from Jane Eyre are Victorian era English, so the grammar and word choice doesn't fit with the characters as pictured in the novel.
My preference as to plot and pacing, this book seemed simultaneously to be long and tedious yet have too many scenes lacking detail, resembling an outline more than a novel. My preference is for the style of Jane Eyre, with only the important scenes in full detail with brief summaries between, rather than trying to fit too many things in and then cut out the details because it is too long.
A minor issue of style, the novel is written in modern English but the quotes from Jane Eyre are Victorian era English, so the grammar and word choice doesn't fit with the characters as pictured in the novel.
My preference as to plot and pacing, this book seemed simultaneously to be long and tedious yet have too many scenes lacking detail, resembling an outline more than a novel. My preference is for the style of Jane Eyre, with only the important scenes in full detail with brief summaries between, rather than trying to fit too many things in and then cut out the details because it is too long.
I never liked Rochester but being a fan of anything and everything Bronte I was curious to see what new insights the book could offer. I wasn't disappointed, it is a very good book. Even with a bar being set so high by Jane Eyre this book does it justice, complements it and adds to it.
I didn't care much for the first part of the book about childhood and adolescence of Rochester but second part quickly became my favorite. Not only due to its exotic setting in Jamaica but also for an opportunity to find out more about Mrs. Rochester, her story and how she became what she became and ended up where she ended up. Third book was more of a claimed retelling of Jane Eyre and at times seemed a bit too familiar so true was the author to the original.
And even though the book not only didn't change my mind about Rochester but made me dislike him a little more, the book is beautifully written and the plot is well thought and would make a great book on its own, not just as a retelling of Jane Eyre. Either way, whether you've read Jane Eyre multiple times or you've never heard of the book, it will be an interesting book to read.
I didn't care much for the first part of the book about childhood and adolescence of Rochester but second part quickly became my favorite. Not only due to its exotic setting in Jamaica but also for an opportunity to find out more about Mrs. Rochester, her story and how she became what she became and ended up where she ended up. Third book was more of a claimed retelling of Jane Eyre and at times seemed a bit too familiar so true was the author to the original.
And even though the book not only didn't change my mind about Rochester but made me dislike him a little more, the book is beautifully written and the plot is well thought and would make a great book on its own, not just as a retelling of Jane Eyre. Either way, whether you've read Jane Eyre multiple times or you've never heard of the book, it will be an interesting book to read.