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abeth_parker's review against another edition
2.0
I knew going in that this book was not nonfiction. It is a fictionalized novel about the life experiences of the Bronte sisters, focusing on Charlotte. Even knowing that the book would not be based entirely on fact and would be partly coming from the author's imagination, I couldn't get in to this book. Of course, there is no way to know what anyone from the past was really like. I still couldn't follow along with the author's view of the experiences of their lives and their family relationships.
The biggest redeeming quality about the book is that it brings out the parallels between the experiences of the sisters and the novels they wrote. Certainly, their lives were to an extent reflected in what they wrote.
The biggest redeeming quality about the book is that it brings out the parallels between the experiences of the sisters and the novels they wrote. Certainly, their lives were to an extent reflected in what they wrote.
dja777's review against another edition
5.0
I'm a longtime fan of Jane Eyre, and I loved how this book gave me a brief snapshot of the life of the author.
melli80's review against another edition
4.0
I am listening to the audio version, so far for my first audio book I am enjoying it.
allison_on_a_book_break's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Not at all what I expected. I know the story of the Bronte family on a surface level and was looking to learn more about them. This book, however, focused more on describing the food on the table or the flowers in the countryside than providing any insight into this tragic family's story. It never mentioned tuberculous by name, doesn't recount how the eldest two died from TB contracted at their boarding school or the deplorable living conditions at said board school, doesn't explain how Charlotte's 2 younger sisters died of the same disease. It just asks a TON of questions in the form of Charlotte's musings when she starts writing Jane Eyre, then draws comparisons between the book and Charlotte's life - skipping anything informational or remotely interesting. On one page she's still writing Jane Eyre, jealous that Emily & Anne receive an offer of publication while her own 1st book was rejected, then about 2 pages later not only is Jane Eyre complete, but it's been published and a rousing success. I could rant with so many more examples of this pattern repeating, but I wasted enough time on this book as it is. Suffice it to say... All of the potentially interesting tidbits and character developing events happen off-page.
Complete waste of time. No insight into any of the girls' lives, other than envy over each other's success. I learned more about the Brontes from a wikipedia page I read years ago while writing Sim's fiction! I will definitely be unhauling this one.
One good thing about it? - it was short.
Complete waste of time. No insight into any of the girls' lives, other than envy over each other's success. I learned more about the Brontes from a wikipedia page I read years ago while writing Sim's fiction! I will definitely be unhauling this one.
One good thing about it? - it was short.
julie_h's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
berls's review
4.0
This review appeared first at Fantasy is More Fun.
I'm so happy I stumbled on Becoming Jane Eyre. I probably wouldn't have found it if I hadn't been looking for a biographical fiction book to fulfill the requirements of a challenge I was doing and that would have been a shame. Becoming Jane Eyre tells the story of Charlotte Bronte - and to a lesser extent, her sisters and brother.
I loved Jane Eyre when it was assigned in high school Freshman English, but I haven't read it since, so it was really neat to have this reminder of the beloved book - which I suddenly want to read again, along with Wuthering Heights, written by Charlotte's sister Emily. Becoming Jane Eyre is brief, focusing on the years where Charlotte first wrote Jane Eyre and when it was published to high acclaim. But the author did a great job giving a feel for the Bronte's childhood through flashbacks, weaving in Charlotte's experiences as motivations or inspirations for her current work.
I'm not sure to what extent this is fictionalized, since I'm only marginally aware of the Bronte's biography - but it certainly felt accurate. There were moments where I felt that I was reading something taken directly from research - not that it pulled me out of the story, but more that as a historian, I was able to imagine the letters or journals the author was using for inspiration. There was also a few hints at some uncomfortable (maybe abusive) relationships - and I'm not sure if I was reading too much into them or if the author was trying to leave some ambiguity because it's something that is ambiguous about the Bronte's.
I'm particularly glad I listened to Becoming Jane Eyre - Jen Taylor did a fantastic job with all the voices. There's lots of accents - from French and British, to Irish and Scottish - and they're all done well, for both men and women. In fact, her delivery of male voices was one of the best I've listened to by a female narrator.
All in all, Becoming Jane Eyre was a real treat and has wet my appetite to reread some old favorites.
I'm so happy I stumbled on Becoming Jane Eyre. I probably wouldn't have found it if I hadn't been looking for a biographical fiction book to fulfill the requirements of a challenge I was doing and that would have been a shame. Becoming Jane Eyre tells the story of Charlotte Bronte - and to a lesser extent, her sisters and brother.
I loved Jane Eyre when it was assigned in high school Freshman English, but I haven't read it since, so it was really neat to have this reminder of the beloved book - which I suddenly want to read again, along with Wuthering Heights, written by Charlotte's sister Emily. Becoming Jane Eyre is brief, focusing on the years where Charlotte first wrote Jane Eyre and when it was published to high acclaim. But the author did a great job giving a feel for the Bronte's childhood through flashbacks, weaving in Charlotte's experiences as motivations or inspirations for her current work.
I'm not sure to what extent this is fictionalized, since I'm only marginally aware of the Bronte's biography - but it certainly felt accurate. There were moments where I felt that I was reading something taken directly from research - not that it pulled me out of the story, but more that as a historian, I was able to imagine the letters or journals the author was using for inspiration. There was also a few hints at some uncomfortable (maybe abusive) relationships - and I'm not sure if I was reading too much into them or if the author was trying to leave some ambiguity because it's something that is ambiguous about the Bronte's.
I'm particularly glad I listened to Becoming Jane Eyre - Jen Taylor did a fantastic job with all the voices. There's lots of accents - from French and British, to Irish and Scottish - and they're all done well, for both men and women. In fact, her delivery of male voices was one of the best I've listened to by a female narrator.
All in all, Becoming Jane Eyre was a real treat and has wet my appetite to reread some old favorites.
pharmdad2007's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty good piece of "historical fiction". Quick read, and worth it.
lagobond's review against another edition
1.0
DNF on page 9. I realize it seems unfair to rate a book without reading it. However, this author suffers from an intolerable case of the question marks, as we can see on page 8.
On a different note... dear publishers, please could we go back to trimming the pages? I realize that deckle edges are a thing with old books, and this is a book set in the 19th century, but there's a reason people invented better production methods. Deckle edges are so frustrating for readers who like to flip back and forth.
He reaches out for her. What does he know of her, or she of him, after all these years? What secrets would he tell her if he could speak? Would she want to hear them? What would he say about his marriage, his parents, his God? Had he chosen her mother for love or for her superior position in society, the fifty pounds a year? Or was it her religion? Did he want her help with his work in the church? Did he think she could advance his career? Was his religion simply a means of advancing socially?Give me a break! This isn't a paragraph in a novel, it's a questionnaire. It tells us nothing and is exhausting (not to mention silly) to read. I gave up when I hit the next barrage of question marks on the following page, and a quick flip through the book confirmed that there were many others ahead.
On a different note... dear publishers, please could we go back to trimming the pages? I realize that deckle edges are a thing with old books, and this is a book set in the 19th century, but there's a reason people invented better production methods. Deckle edges are so frustrating for readers who like to flip back and forth.
editrix's review against another edition
This was just okay. I was bothered by a lot of things (the shift in perspectives to minor characters who illuminate nothing; the lack of creative arc or any urgency; the sneaking suspicion that this was just highbrow fan fiction), but there were some pretty turns of phrases here and there. (“The wide four-poster bed with its diaphanous hangings looks like a ship about to sail.”) The lack of emotional dynamic range was...odd; it felt like the entire book was told in monotone, which is surprising given that the subject was literature known for its high drama.
I chose this as a treading-water book while I waited for something better to arrive in the mail, and it turned out to be just that. I was in the water moving my arms and legs around, and I definitely felt wet, but I didn’t really go anywhere.
I chose this as a treading-water book while I waited for something better to arrive in the mail, and it turned out to be just that. I was in the water moving my arms and legs around, and I definitely felt wet, but I didn’t really go anywhere.