Scan barcode
amberpants's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I fell in love with the main character. This book held me captive throughout.
opalthegembookreviews's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
clonimhuiri's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Set before and during the American Civil War, this book follows Jeannette Bébinne, the daughter of an enslaved woman and a plantation owner. Jeannette is born and raised in Louisiana but after her father dies, she is sold into slavery and sent far away from her home.
Jeannette’s journey to freedom takes her across states and through entirely different lives, encountering a range of characters who encourage and influence her along the way - as well as some who try to block her path.
Jeannette’s story is tied in well with the Civil War and American history. I felt that in the first half of the book, the settings changed frequently and readers didn’t get a chance to fully get to know some important characters. However, it was a good read overall.
ailurop0da's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
whodatro's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
eyreguide's review against another edition
4.0
This was a surprising retelling of Jane Eyre because it brought the story into an unexpected backdrop - race and slavery during the American Civil War. The story translates the struggles of young Jane in the original novel at the hands of Mrs. Reed and Mr. Brocklehurst, to the horrific experiences of enslavement, which made Jeannette's story even more impactful.
Jeannette is just as strong willed as Jane, and has the added comfort of having known a loving parent in her father who doted on her and treated her as a general favorite, although it upset his wife. Of course the hatred that Madame Bébinn felt for Jeannette is understandable in one sense - that Jeannette is the product of her husband's infidelity, but in the other sense - that Jeannette is half black - well that takes away all the sympathy we could have felt for her in that situation.
Most of the first half of this book is devoted to Jeannette's experiences as a young girl and I think this aspect is what makes this such an intriguing book. It shows a side of history and humanity that it is important to recognize, as it shaped our country and still has repercussions today. It's very impactful to read about Jeannette's struggle to escape slavery, as well as how it forms her as a woman. And in how it eventually forms the main conflict between her and the "Mr. Rochester" Christian Colchester.
While I enjoyed the romance between Jeannette and Christian - somehow the intensity and the emotional connection just wasn't there. It was hard to follow up with the romance, after such a harrowing and moving depiction of surviving slavery and especially for Jeannette to go through that at a young age. But I did appreciate the nuance in parallel between the original novel and the romance of this one. There is still a sense of mystery, although Colchester's secret is a little different to Rochester. I appreciated the turn this story took, and that the conflict felt right for the characters.
Once Jeannette strikes out again on her own, the author again brings interesting historical realism in how the protagonist becomes a nurse during the Civil War. It felt right for Jeannette, and also added so much to her character for her to show such compassion to others in the face of so much trauma and grief. I felt that this part of the story was also more captivating than the middle section with the romance. And Jeannette gets to reunite with someone that created the perfect, stirring moment that paled a little in comparison to her reunion with Colchester. Which was very sweet in itself, but just not the point of the story.
Jeanette builds some incredible connections with different characters throughout the book, and with the historical realism in the setting - I feel those to be the strong points of the story. The romance and the comparison to Jane Eyre is nice, but if you are at all interested in the setting, this is a wonderful and insightful read.
Jeannette is just as strong willed as Jane, and has the added comfort of having known a loving parent in her father who doted on her and treated her as a general favorite, although it upset his wife. Of course the hatred that Madame Bébinn felt for Jeannette is understandable in one sense - that Jeannette is the product of her husband's infidelity, but in the other sense - that Jeannette is half black - well that takes away all the sympathy we could have felt for her in that situation.
Most of the first half of this book is devoted to Jeannette's experiences as a young girl and I think this aspect is what makes this such an intriguing book. It shows a side of history and humanity that it is important to recognize, as it shaped our country and still has repercussions today. It's very impactful to read about Jeannette's struggle to escape slavery, as well as how it forms her as a woman. And in how it eventually forms the main conflict between her and the "Mr. Rochester" Christian Colchester.
While I enjoyed the romance between Jeannette and Christian - somehow the intensity and the emotional connection just wasn't there. It was hard to follow up with the romance, after such a harrowing and moving depiction of surviving slavery and especially for Jeannette to go through that at a young age. But I did appreciate the nuance in parallel between the original novel and the romance of this one. There is still a sense of mystery, although Colchester's secret is a little different to Rochester. I appreciated the turn this story took, and that the conflict felt right for the characters.
Once Jeannette strikes out again on her own, the author again brings interesting historical realism in how the protagonist becomes a nurse during the Civil War. It felt right for Jeannette, and also added so much to her character for her to show such compassion to others in the face of so much trauma and grief. I felt that this part of the story was also more captivating than the middle section with the romance. And Jeannette gets to reunite with someone that created the perfect, stirring moment that paled a little in comparison to her reunion with Colchester. Which was very sweet in itself, but just not the point of the story.
Jeanette builds some incredible connections with different characters throughout the book, and with the historical realism in the setting - I feel those to be the strong points of the story. The romance and the comparison to Jane Eyre is nice, but if you are at all interested in the setting, this is a wonderful and insightful read.
kelleymarie31's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0