Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Featuring time travel, an alternate realtiy, and literary detective Thursday Next in England, where literature is taken quite seriously - what a fun ride! My only criticism would be that I felt Thursday should have caught on much, much sooner as to the nature of evil genius Acheron Hades. Since I enjoy author Douglas Adams and loved Jane Eyre, this book was a great fit for me.
"Meet Thursday Next, literary detective without equal, fear or boyfriend. There is another 1985, where London’s criminal gangs have moved into the lucrative literary market, and Thursday Next is on the trail of the new crime wave’s MR Big. Acheron Hades has been kidnapping certain characters from works of fiction and holding them to ransom. Jane Eyre is gone. Missing. Thursday sets out to find a way into the book to repair the damage. But solving crimes against literature isn’t easy when you also have to find time to halt the Crimean War, persuade the man you love to marry you, and figure out who really wrote Shakespeare’s plays. Perhaps today just isn’t going to be Thursday’s day. Join her on a truly breathtaking adventure, and find out for yourself. Fiction will never be the same again..."
After being recommended this (as part of a series) by a very good friend I decided to download the sample on my kindle - ah technology! - and promptly downloaded and read the first book, The Eyre Affair, in 2 sittings! Good thing I was on holiday and had no responsibilities that day, as I dare say I may not have shown up to work!
This holiday was at the end of 2 years of working too much and playing too little, which meant my love of reading had been pushed to the sidelines. I needed an enchanting world to fully immerse myself into and this book fit the bill - fun writing, timely wit, and literary themed excitement. I don't want to give too much away as the reality created by FForde is quite imaginative and specific. I have noticed that some other reviewers are not so keen but I personally feel that the book successfully entertains and whisks you away for a short while - escapism at its finest! Mixed with some literary references (not an issue if you don't get them or haven't read Jane Eyre), and generally silly happenings. This book doesn't pretend to be something it isn't - which I think some reviewers may have missed, they took it all way too seriously!
I'd say this is for anyone looking for a fun and well thought out quick fiction - definitely recommend! That reminds me I started book 2 on my last holiday...
After being recommended this (as part of a series) by a very good friend I decided to download the sample on my kindle - ah technology! - and promptly downloaded and read the first book, The Eyre Affair, in 2 sittings! Good thing I was on holiday and had no responsibilities that day, as I dare say I may not have shown up to work!
This holiday was at the end of 2 years of working too much and playing too little, which meant my love of reading had been pushed to the sidelines. I needed an enchanting world to fully immerse myself into and this book fit the bill - fun writing, timely wit, and literary themed excitement. I don't want to give too much away as the reality created by FForde is quite imaginative and specific. I have noticed that some other reviewers are not so keen but I personally feel that the book successfully entertains and whisks you away for a short while - escapism at its finest! Mixed with some literary references (not an issue if you don't get them or haven't read Jane Eyre), and generally silly happenings. This book doesn't pretend to be something it isn't - which I think some reviewers may have missed, they took it all way too seriously!
I'd say this is for anyone looking for a fun and well thought out quick fiction - definitely recommend! That reminds me I started book 2 on my last holiday...
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
First Foray, Unknown Return
I enjoyed Thursday Next's adventures but didn't find the book compelling. I had a hard time with three things:
1) My Lit degree was some time ago. I suspect this book would be a desperate thriller for a regular reader of the classics, but the threat of changing the story of books by changing the original, while amusing, may have been lost on me.
2) The bad guy had all kinds of amazing superpowers, but it was unclear to me why or how he became powerful, and in the end he was bad for bad's sake only, which I found tedious.
3) I didn't care much about the time travel / war / family elements, and in many cases didn't completely believe (or maybe understand) their impact on the story. For me, they seemed like a refrain to a popular song that the band plays a few too many times because they need to artificially extend their live set.
I'm planning to try one more, perhaps the most recent book instead, to see if Fforde's other work suits me better.
I enjoyed Thursday Next's adventures but didn't find the book compelling. I had a hard time with three things:
1) My Lit degree was some time ago. I suspect this book would be a desperate thriller for a regular reader of the classics, but the threat of changing the story of books by changing the original, while amusing, may have been lost on me.
2) The bad guy had all kinds of amazing superpowers, but it was unclear to me why or how he became powerful, and in the end he was bad for bad's sake only, which I found tedious.
3) I didn't care much about the time travel / war / family elements, and in many cases didn't completely believe (or maybe understand) their impact on the story. For me, they seemed like a refrain to a popular song that the band plays a few too many times because they need to artificially extend their live set.
I'm planning to try one more, perhaps the most recent book instead, to see if Fforde's other work suits me better.
Honestly, the book was great but at times was over my head. I haven't read all the books referenced so I wasn't able to enjoy all the mentions that I'm sure were super clever. Which is my problem, not the author's! It was slow moving at first but the ending ramped up. I wish I was able to stay as engaged as I was during the last 75 pages.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A literature lovers dream! I think if I was more of a classics reader (I don't think I've ever made it through Jane Eyre) I would have caught many more references. I love the idea of a world where time is malleable and people are passionate to the point of violence about who actually wrote Shakespeare's plays!
The idea itself is unique, SpecOps Operative Thursday Next is seconded to a unit to help track down and identify a master literary criminal stealing and changing original book manuscripts. I loved the world Jasper Fforde created, I did not like the romance sub-plot. I thought it was was unnecessary and did not serve the character at all (but this is a series so maybe its all in the name of character growth). The plot itself as quite fun and clearly didn't take itself too seriously!
The idea itself is unique, SpecOps Operative Thursday Next is seconded to a unit to help track down and identify a master literary criminal stealing and changing original book manuscripts. I loved the world Jasper Fforde created, I did not like the romance sub-plot. I thought it was was unnecessary and did not serve the character at all (but this is a series so maybe its all in the name of character growth). The plot itself as quite fun and clearly didn't take itself too seriously!
A fun, self-aware, and extremely British romp in the vein of Discworld, Hitchiker's Guide, or Doctor Who, The Eyre Affair introduces us to the world of Thursday Next, a "SpecOps" operative who specializes in crimes against literature in an alternate world where dodos have been cloned, war is raging in the Crimea, and literature is deadly serious. Up against an almost unbeatable foe, Thursday, in the tradition of all great gumshoes, must grapple with her past, her loves, and her commitment to the job as she is put to her greatest test yet. The book, as the name suggests, pays lots of homage to Jane Eyre, but is a wholly unique entity, playing on the story beats of a detective thriller and introducing us to an alternate world not quite like anything I've ever encountered in literature, both zany and, occasionally, insightful. This is, above all, a love letter to literature, and is itself a delight to dive into, even if it never really moves beyond the genre constraints of the detective format, despite the tantalizing possibilities of Thursday's world. But it's only part one in the series, so we'll see where Next's adventures take us... next.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I do think there are readers out there craving this type of book, which was a fast-paced whirlwind of a book-in-a-book fantasy/mystery combo, but I found there was a bit too much going on and too many storylines. It felt like I read 5 separate books in succession rather than one.
It is obviously intended to be pulpy, and the mystery involving works of literature was captivating, but there were no women characters other than Thursday Next, a couple of family members who had no page time, and a "rival woman" Thursday spats with over an old flame. While I understand this is a pulp novel, it was disappointing to have so many action scenes and fun literary moments with all men featured on the page.
It is obviously intended to be pulpy, and the mystery involving works of literature was captivating, but there were no women characters other than Thursday Next, a couple of family members who had no page time, and a "rival woman" Thursday spats with over an old flame. While I understand this is a pulp novel, it was disappointing to have so many action scenes and fun literary moments with all men featured on the page.
Content Warnings
CW: fatphobia from several characters, including narrator; gun violence and descriptive scenes using guns; descriptions of bullet holes and blood; fire; war and descriptions of it, past recollections of combat and losing comrades