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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Fun take on Jane Eyre (a book I didn't care for). Our heroine here is exciting, as are the secondary characters, the plot moves fast, lots of humor and courage and a really sweet romance to boot. High four stars.
more like 1 1/2 stars
i am a fan of retellings, but i think the fatal flaw of this book was that our heroine, jane steele, says from the start how much she loves jane eyre, the book this is a retelling of. direct comparisons are often made within the text, and that was entirely too much for me. additionally, i often times found passages of this overdramatic, stilted, and just a plain slog to get through. it's clear to me that the author is trying to emulate the prose of the 19th century, and i found that very annoying, tragically.
another case of "loved the premise, poor execution."
i am a fan of retellings, but i think the fatal flaw of this book was that our heroine, jane steele, says from the start how much she loves jane eyre, the book this is a retelling of. direct comparisons are often made within the text, and that was entirely too much for me. additionally, i often times found passages of this overdramatic, stilted, and just a plain slog to get through. it's clear to me that the author is trying to emulate the prose of the 19th century, and i found that very annoying, tragically.
another case of "loved the premise, poor execution."
I'm so glad I read this book slowly because there was so much to savor about it. Jane Steele (the book) is not a retelling, it's more of a tribute to Bronte's Jane Eyre. Jane Steele's (the character) favorite book is Jane Eyre, and it just so happens that Steele's life mirrors Eyre's in many forms.
Except that Steele is a murderess.
Faye has done a stunningly fantastic job of developing a similar, yet vastly different, character in Steele. She is witty, sharp, enigmatic, and immensely sympathetic - even when she kills. Her character development was by far my favorite part of the entire book, though closely followed by a plot that kept me on my toes, secondary characters who I adored, and tertiary characters that I loved to hate.
To say that Jane Steele has quickly become a favorite is an understatement. It now ranks right up there with Jane Eyre herself.
Except that Steele is a murderess.
Faye has done a stunningly fantastic job of developing a similar, yet vastly different, character in Steele. She is witty, sharp, enigmatic, and immensely sympathetic - even when she kills. Her character development was by far my favorite part of the entire book, though closely followed by a plot that kept me on my toes, secondary characters who I adored, and tertiary characters that I loved to hate.
To say that Jane Steele has quickly become a favorite is an understatement. It now ranks right up there with Jane Eyre herself.
3.5? This was definitely fun, though it took some getting used to the writing style, and there were moments throughout where I wondered if I had missed a sentence somewhere because something didn’t quite make sense. I was also wondering for most of the book when “Jane Eyre” came into Jane Steele’s life, since her love of the book is mentioned at the very beginning and throughout, but not how old she was when she read it the first time, until near the end - so you don’t know if Jane in the plot is thinking about Jane Eyre, or if only Jane the narrator is. I did appreciate the nod to Rebecca by Du Maurier in the afterword, and I wasn’t at all surprised by the reveal at the climax of the story. Some of the scenes where people are explaining to Jane the intricacies of the intrigue/war/crimes etc were a little info overload.
When I first opened this book, I expected blood-and-guts gorey descriptions from our narrator Jane Eyre turned serial killer. What I got was something so much stranger--and so much better. Jane Steele is sensitive, intelligent, and eloquent. It is not bloodlust that drives her killing, it is loyalty. Though perhaps desensitized to violence, she still harbors very deeply rooted fears of abandonment and loneliness that make her human. Her story aligns with Jane Eyre's only at the most unexpected parts.
I greatly enjoyed Jane as a narrator, her voice and prose being witty at times and extremely vulnerable and honest at others. The writing made the story progress at a perfectly steady pace; never did I wish it to move faster or just get on with it.
I greatly enjoyed Jane as a narrator, her voice and prose being witty at times and extremely vulnerable and honest at others. The writing made the story progress at a perfectly steady pace; never did I wish it to move faster or just get on with it.
3.5 stars
Reader, I loved this until the last third of the book.
A totally unique twist on the story of Bronte's, Jane Eyre, featuring Jane Steele, a murderous orphan/journalist/governess who solves a jewel heist and falls in love.
The writing was imaginary and rich -- to the point that I wish I'd had my own copy instead of a library copy, so I could underline passages.
But the "mystery" involving the Sikh wars and a gaggle of friends/soldiers/mercenaries and a young girl, was way too convoluted for my simple brain to make sense of it.
An imaginary, distinctive book, but one that ended oddly.
Reader, I loved this until the last third of the book.
A totally unique twist on the story of Bronte's, Jane Eyre, featuring Jane Steele, a murderous orphan/journalist/governess who solves a jewel heist and falls in love.
The writing was imaginary and rich -- to the point that I wish I'd had my own copy instead of a library copy, so I could underline passages.
But the "mystery" involving the Sikh wars and a gaggle of friends/soldiers/mercenaries and a young girl, was way too convoluted for my simple brain to make sense of it.
An imaginary, distinctive book, but one that ended oddly.
I'm not really sure how to review Jane Steele fairly. Jane Eyre is one of my top 5 favorite books of all time and, in my opinion, can do no wrong. So it's very difficult for me to review this book in a way that is unbiased because it's second nature to compare Jane Steele to Jane Eyre.
I thought this book would be a revenge story of a woman scored. And while, in some instances it is, it is often in the loosest of terms. A lot of the murders Steele committed were not because of injustices against her directly and it became more difficult to justify her actions. It was hard to root for her not only because she was a psychopath but because I didn't see her having an end goal in mind. What did she think her actions would accomplish in the long run?
My biggest complaint about the story is that I didn't find Steele to be a likable character. I wanted to like her but as time went on and she perpetrated more and more atrocities against others (founded or not), I found myself increasingly being turned off by her personality and actions.
The creative premise, combined with the author's writing skill were the only things keeping me from not giving this book a lower rating.
I thought this book would be a revenge story of a woman scored. And while, in some instances it is, it is often in the loosest of terms. A lot of the murders Steele committed were not because of injustices against her directly and it became more difficult to justify her actions. It was hard to root for her not only because she was a psychopath but because I didn't see her having an end goal in mind. What did she think her actions would accomplish in the long run?
My biggest complaint about the story is that I didn't find Steele to be a likable character. I wanted to like her but as time went on and she perpetrated more and more atrocities against others (founded or not), I found myself increasingly being turned off by her personality and actions.
The creative premise, combined with the author's writing skill were the only things keeping me from not giving this book a lower rating.
I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review originally posted on my blog, Turning Pages.
When I first heard of this book, I was quite intrigued. Jane Eyre was one of the classics I read in high school, just for fun, and have re-read it multiple times. Word was that it was a Jane Eyre re-telling where Jane is a murderer, but in fact the story is inspired by the classic gothic romance and mentions the book often, rather than being a re-telling. But whereas this seems to have bothered some readers, I enjoyed Jane Steele. Jane Steele is a dark, surprisingly funny, and sexy story inspired by Jane Eyre.
Jane Steele is delightfully inspired by Jane Eyre, and some aspects of the plot is mirrored in this book (like the abusive childhood, cruel school, and romance with a mysterious employer). You see some similarities in character, and yet this story is also unique. In Bronte’s novel, she addresses the reader. In Faye’s novel, it feels like the protagonist is directly telling us her story. She addresses the reader at least once per chapter, and always to poke fun of our expectations of classic literature and autobiographies. It balanced the dark tone and subject-matter of the novel well, and made the book quite entertaining. Sometimes the phrasing got a bit repetitious, but mostly I enjoyed it. I also think it’s funny that Jane Steele read Jane Eyre and decided to tell her own story because she found it similar (Jane Eyre is one of her favourite books, actually). And there are quotes from the original throughout.
This novel is much more dark than the work it’s inspired by, however. Jane is abused by multiple men at a young age, one is her cousin who attempts to rape her (he becomes her first accidental murder). Then the headmaster of her school who starves children if they do anything he deems bad. Him starving them has undoubtedly lead to the death of multiple students. He’s also a pervert. Those portions of the book make me incredibly angry, and the abuse is deeply unsettling. From there, Jane murders men who beat their wives, who plan to rape girls. And so when she finally has a chance to escape her life as a vigilante, she takes it. When she becomes a governess at her old childhood home, she begins her redemption. She builds a life where she has friends and family, and she has to then come to terms with her traumatic and dark past. Her tale of redemption is slow going, but once she begins to face her fears she moves on and claims herself quite quickly.
Jane Steele is definitely an anti-heroine, but she feels her only way to survive, and the only way to protect her loved ones, is to kill. She comes to realize that she doesn’t have to kill, that there are other ways to protect yourself and your loved ones. As she faces her past, she comes to learn who she is and feel good about herself. Side note: it seemed to me like Jane is also bi-sexual but I won’t say anything else so as to spoil the story. Sam Quillfeather, the inspector, is a wonderful character too who fights for what's right, and comforts Jane when she blames herself for the abuse. The girl whom Jane teaches, is a wonderful character. She’s strong, brave, and sweet. It’s almost hard to believe she’s under 10 years old because she seems so mature at times, so sure of herself. I love Jane’s friendship with Singh; the two become confidantes and even family. Mr. Thornfield may have his secrets, and may punish himself for things in his past, but he’s caring and witty.
And that brings me to the romance. Jane Steele has sexy and sweet romance (that is of course difficult because the characters must both overcome their tragic pasts). It’s definitely a gradual thing, from friendship to love. But I adore it.
Jane Steele surprised me. It’s not a re-telling, but it is inspired by the classic, and indeed the protagonist loves Bronte’s novel. The story is quite dark as we see all that Jane suffers and then what she does to survive and to protect her loved ones. But the novel balances quite nicely with the steamy romance, the friendships made, and of course the good dose of humour. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it entertained me.
Review originally posted on my blog, Turning Pages.
When I first heard of this book, I was quite intrigued. Jane Eyre was one of the classics I read in high school, just for fun, and have re-read it multiple times. Word was that it was a Jane Eyre re-telling where Jane is a murderer, but in fact the story is inspired by the classic gothic romance and mentions the book often, rather than being a re-telling. But whereas this seems to have bothered some readers, I enjoyed Jane Steele. Jane Steele is a dark, surprisingly funny, and sexy story inspired by Jane Eyre.
Jane Steele is delightfully inspired by Jane Eyre, and some aspects of the plot is mirrored in this book (like the abusive childhood, cruel school, and romance with a mysterious employer). You see some similarities in character, and yet this story is also unique. In Bronte’s novel, she addresses the reader. In Faye’s novel, it feels like the protagonist is directly telling us her story. She addresses the reader at least once per chapter, and always to poke fun of our expectations of classic literature and autobiographies. It balanced the dark tone and subject-matter of the novel well, and made the book quite entertaining. Sometimes the phrasing got a bit repetitious, but mostly I enjoyed it. I also think it’s funny that Jane Steele read Jane Eyre and decided to tell her own story because she found it similar (Jane Eyre is one of her favourite books, actually). And there are quotes from the original throughout.
This novel is much more dark than the work it’s inspired by, however. Jane is abused by multiple men at a young age, one is her cousin who attempts to rape her (he becomes her first accidental murder). Then the headmaster of her school who starves children if they do anything he deems bad. Him starving them has undoubtedly lead to the death of multiple students. He’s also a pervert. Those portions of the book make me incredibly angry, and the abuse is deeply unsettling. From there, Jane murders men who beat their wives, who plan to rape girls. And so when she finally has a chance to escape her life as a vigilante, she takes it. When she becomes a governess at her old childhood home, she begins her redemption. She builds a life where she has friends and family, and she has to then come to terms with her traumatic and dark past. Her tale of redemption is slow going, but once she begins to face her fears she moves on and claims herself quite quickly.
Jane Steele is definitely an anti-heroine, but she feels her only way to survive, and the only way to protect her loved ones, is to kill. She comes to realize that she doesn’t have to kill, that there are other ways to protect yourself and your loved ones. As she faces her past, she comes to learn who she is and feel good about herself. Side note: it seemed to me like Jane is also bi-sexual but I won’t say anything else so as to spoil the story. Sam Quillfeather, the inspector, is a wonderful character too who fights for what's right, and comforts Jane when she blames herself for the abuse. The girl whom Jane teaches, is a wonderful character. She’s strong, brave, and sweet. It’s almost hard to believe she’s under 10 years old because she seems so mature at times, so sure of herself. I love Jane’s friendship with Singh; the two become confidantes and even family. Mr. Thornfield may have his secrets, and may punish himself for things in his past, but he’s caring and witty.
And that brings me to the romance. Jane Steele has sexy and sweet romance (that is of course difficult because the characters must both overcome their tragic pasts). It’s definitely a gradual thing, from friendship to love. But I adore it.
Spoiler
And it’s hilarious how Jane tells readers that Mr. Thornfield and her end up finally getting together. It was one of my favorite scenes in the novel because it was sexy and also witty.Jane Steele surprised me. It’s not a re-telling, but it is inspired by the classic, and indeed the protagonist loves Bronte’s novel. The story is quite dark as we see all that Jane suffers and then what she does to survive and to protect her loved ones. But the novel balances quite nicely with the steamy romance, the friendships made, and of course the good dose of humour. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it entertained me.