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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I received a free copy of this book from Penguin First to Read in exchange for an honest review.
Strictly speaking, this isn't a retelling--it's more like an homage. Jane Steele does have much in common with Jane Eyre--orphaned, a wicked aunt and cousin, a terrible school, and a mysterious man for whom she works as a governess for his young charge--but she also references her hero, quotes from Bronte's book, and talks about how her life parallels fiction. So, we're meant to believe it's more of a coincidence. Regardless, lines like 'Reader, I murdered him' bring a fun twist to an old story.
The arc of the plot from original book to the twisted version are very similar. But it's in the details where the new book shines. Jane Steele is very different from her namesake--she has a wish to not be wicked, but instead of bemoaning her fate and being penitent... she has a tendency to strike back at those who oppress her. This does, from time to time, end with a corpse, but she still manages to be likeable enough, having some very good reasons and a lot of remorse for her actions.
For me, Jane Eyre's romantic partner is a bit of a flaw in the story--a liar, attempted bigamist, and rather controlling and possessive. Jane Steele's, on the other hand, while having some resemblance in brooding and secrets, felt a bit more real, human, and forgivable.
The darkness of the terrible situations Jane Steele finds herself in are lightened by dashes of hope and humor, keeping the book from being oppressive, and her determination to win her way to happiness makes her a character to be admired. With all the short references and quotes to Jane Eyre, there's no need to have read the original, so I would recommend this for fan and non-fans alike.
Strictly speaking, this isn't a retelling--it's more like an homage. Jane Steele does have much in common with Jane Eyre--orphaned, a wicked aunt and cousin, a terrible school, and a mysterious man for whom she works as a governess for his young charge--but she also references her hero, quotes from Bronte's book, and talks about how her life parallels fiction. So, we're meant to believe it's more of a coincidence. Regardless, lines like 'Reader, I murdered him' bring a fun twist to an old story.
The arc of the plot from original book to the twisted version are very similar. But it's in the details where the new book shines. Jane Steele is very different from her namesake--she has a wish to not be wicked, but instead of bemoaning her fate and being penitent... she has a tendency to strike back at those who oppress her. This does, from time to time, end with a corpse, but she still manages to be likeable enough, having some very good reasons and a lot of remorse for her actions.
For me, Jane Eyre's romantic partner is a bit of a flaw in the story--a liar, attempted bigamist, and rather controlling and possessive. Jane Steele's, on the other hand, while having some resemblance in brooding and secrets, felt a bit more real, human, and forgivable.
The darkness of the terrible situations Jane Steele finds herself in are lightened by dashes of hope and humor, keeping the book from being oppressive, and her determination to win her way to happiness makes her a character to be admired. With all the short references and quotes to Jane Eyre, there's no need to have read the original, so I would recommend this for fan and non-fans alike.
While the content is not my usual fare (I'd much rather escape to something HAPPY), I cannot deny that this author is gifted. Her writing style kept me engaged long past the point I would have stopped reading, were the book written by someone with less talent.
Did you ever wonder what would have happened to Jane Eyre if she had happened to have been a serial killer? Because that is the sort of question I ask myself all the time, and I am very glad that Lyndsay Faye pursued this intriguing question and wrote this lovely book!
I am not really a literary purist. I love my classics, but I also love it when someone does wonderfully sacrilegious things to them (yes, I watch “Penny Dreadful” and I love it, and “The Muppets’ Christmas Carol” is the best version of Scrooge’s story by a long, long shot). “Jane Eyre” is my favorite Regency era novel, but if you’ve read any of my other reviews, you might have guessed that I’d love it even more if it had a bloody murder or two in it (not to mention more sex, but that might just be influenced by the idea of Michael Fassbender as Mr. Rochester…). Enter “Jane Steele”…
All the gritty things the Bronte sisters and Austen could not really write about explicitly because of the day and age’s conventions finally show up on the page. As soon as Jane’s annoying cousin pulled his junk out, I knew this wasn’t going to be your mom’s Regency novel (not a spoiler, that’s like 10 pages in)! Aside from the obvious murders, there is conjugal violence, emotional and psychological abuse, suicide, alcoholism, and sex all over this book. That being said, it is definitely lighter in style than “Jane Eyre”, to the point where it sometimes feel a little bit like really well-written fanfic. Which it is, to a certain level: the protagonist tells you within half a page that she was inspired to write her biography after reading “Jane Eyre”. I see what you did there, Miss Faye!
Please don’t get me wrong: I had a rollicking good time reading this book! I needed something light, fun and engaging to keep me from going batshit insane in the midst of packing to move, and this book fit the bill perfectly. And Miss Jane Steele’s fierce character is the remorseless killer of villains we all wished would show up in Dickens novels to eliminate the horrible boarding school masters, cruel relatives and self-entitled rich suitors. There is something of a vengeful feminist fantasy in the concept, which I have absolutely no problem with. I also dug the setting, the amazing glimpse at the history of the Sikh culture and religion, and the plot for Jane to get back what she believes to be rightfully hers. Because yes, there are murders, but this is not “Dexter: the Victorian Spinoff”; this is the story of a lady who had to kill to survive and protect those she loves, but it’s ultimately more about Jane figuring out who she is than about Jane running around and killing people.
Having read “Jane Eyre” is not mandatory to reading “Jane Steele”; you just might end up enjoying a few references to the original work more if you are familiar with it, but the story holds itself together without any prior knowledge of the Bronte novel being necessary. It is really more an homage than a retelling, with a good dash of mystery and adventure thrown in for good measure. I thought I knew what was going on for the first half of the book, and then I was very pleasantly surprised that I didn’t see the second half’s dénoument coming.
About as soon as I started getting into this book, I ran to the bookstore to get my hands on Faye’s Sherlock Holmes story “Dust and Shadow”! This lady and I sure seem to have loved the same books growing up, and if she can write such a wonderful nod to Jane Eyre, I am really excited to see what treatment she will give the legendary detective. Until I get to “Dust and Shadow”, “Jane Steele” gets 3 ½ stars, rounded to 4, from me!
I am not really a literary purist. I love my classics, but I also love it when someone does wonderfully sacrilegious things to them (yes, I watch “Penny Dreadful” and I love it, and “The Muppets’ Christmas Carol” is the best version of Scrooge’s story by a long, long shot). “Jane Eyre” is my favorite Regency era novel, but if you’ve read any of my other reviews, you might have guessed that I’d love it even more if it had a bloody murder or two in it (not to mention more sex, but that might just be influenced by the idea of Michael Fassbender as Mr. Rochester…). Enter “Jane Steele”…
All the gritty things the Bronte sisters and Austen could not really write about explicitly because of the day and age’s conventions finally show up on the page. As soon as Jane’s annoying cousin pulled his junk out, I knew this wasn’t going to be your mom’s Regency novel (not a spoiler, that’s like 10 pages in)! Aside from the obvious murders, there is conjugal violence, emotional and psychological abuse, suicide, alcoholism, and sex all over this book. That being said, it is definitely lighter in style than “Jane Eyre”, to the point where it sometimes feel a little bit like really well-written fanfic. Which it is, to a certain level: the protagonist tells you within half a page that she was inspired to write her biography after reading “Jane Eyre”. I see what you did there, Miss Faye!
Please don’t get me wrong: I had a rollicking good time reading this book! I needed something light, fun and engaging to keep me from going batshit insane in the midst of packing to move, and this book fit the bill perfectly. And Miss Jane Steele’s fierce character is the remorseless killer of villains we all wished would show up in Dickens novels to eliminate the horrible boarding school masters, cruel relatives and self-entitled rich suitors. There is something of a vengeful feminist fantasy in the concept, which I have absolutely no problem with. I also dug the setting, the amazing glimpse at the history of the Sikh culture and religion, and the plot for Jane to get back what she believes to be rightfully hers. Because yes, there are murders, but this is not “Dexter: the Victorian Spinoff”; this is the story of a lady who had to kill to survive and protect those she loves, but it’s ultimately more about Jane figuring out who she is than about Jane running around and killing people.
Having read “Jane Eyre” is not mandatory to reading “Jane Steele”; you just might end up enjoying a few references to the original work more if you are familiar with it, but the story holds itself together without any prior knowledge of the Bronte novel being necessary. It is really more an homage than a retelling, with a good dash of mystery and adventure thrown in for good measure. I thought I knew what was going on for the first half of the book, and then I was very pleasantly surprised that I didn’t see the second half’s dénoument coming.
About as soon as I started getting into this book, I ran to the bookstore to get my hands on Faye’s Sherlock Holmes story “Dust and Shadow”! This lady and I sure seem to have loved the same books growing up, and if she can write such a wonderful nod to Jane Eyre, I am really excited to see what treatment she will give the legendary detective. Until I get to “Dust and Shadow”, “Jane Steele” gets 3 ½ stars, rounded to 4, from me!
This is such a fun book. It is a little bit mystery, a little bit romance, and a little bit historical fiction. If you are a fan of Jane Eyre there are great nods to the Bronte's work, but you don't need to have read it to appreciate this story. Jane Steele is an atypical hero, a point that is made clear from her opening line where she confesses to multiple murders. Yet despite this I completely empathized with her and cheered her on throughout the tale.
Jane Eyre reimagined as a tough chick and serial killer.
Jane Steele has it tough. She's been forced out of her ancestral home; she's become an orphan; and, then, to make matters worse, her aunt wants to send her to boarding school.
Her aunt gets her way, but not before Jane commits her first murder. Then it's a slippery slope until she discovers that there's a usurper in her ancestral home. She poses as a governess to determine what she can do about it and falls in love with the man and his ready-made family.
Fun read.
Jane Steele has it tough. She's been forced out of her ancestral home; she's become an orphan; and, then, to make matters worse, her aunt wants to send her to boarding school.
Her aunt gets her way, but not before Jane commits her first murder. Then it's a slippery slope until she discovers that there's a usurper in her ancestral home. She poses as a governess to determine what she can do about it and falls in love with the man and his ready-made family.
Fun read.
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes