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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Murder, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Self harm
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-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:
Yes
This was so good. It was different from what I expected, but certainly not in a bad way. If I weren't in a reading slump for the past weeks, I would have finished it weeks ago.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
I love Jane Eyre and I think Charlotte Bronte is brilliant so I was skeptical that I would like this book. At first I nearly put it down because it seemed so dark but I ended up really loving the story - it just got better and better. Yes its ridiculous. Yes the long paragraphs detailing the wars in India are kind of mind numbing and tbh there is now way I cared enough to understand the intricacies. That being said I still enjoyed this immensely.
I picked this book up because I was intrigued by the whole “Jane Eyre but as a serial killer” premise. I was bored to tears by the classic tale of [b:Jane Eyre|10210|Jane Eyre|Charlotte Brontë|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327867269s/10210.jpg|2977639](an unpopular opinion, I know), and I wanted to see if murder and mayhem would be enough to liven up the story. And it sorta-kinda was!
I say sorta-kinda because while Jane Steele’s life vaguely parallels that of Jane Eyre, and small passages from the classic are interspersed throughout the novel, it’s a completely different story. I went in expecting a [b:Pride and Prejudice and Zombies|5899779|Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, #1)|Seth Grahame-Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320449653s/5899779.jpg|6072122]-type retelling, and that’s not what this is at all. Which isn’t a bad thing, it just doesn’t quite answer the question of whether the original story would have been better with more murder.
I really liked this new, funny, sarcastic, slightly murderous Jane. I have to say slightly murderous because while she does tend to solve her problems with murder, she’s no Jack-the-Ripper. All of her murders have some kind of just motivation behind them, making her more like an opportunistic vigilantly than a serial killer.
All of the non-villain characters were very lovable, and the two romantic relationships Jane has were also fairly believable. While the last half or the book was not as fast-paced as the first, the ending left me all warm and fuzzy because Jane and Charles (this story’s Rochester) go together so well (I'm a sucker for relationships filled with playful banter).
Overall, I really liked this story. It was fun, engaging, and had some really complex relationships. The jury is still out about whether it can really be compared to Charlotte Brontë’s novel, but it’s definitely worth a read.
Side note: I probably liked the book so much because the main characters were so modern in their thinking. Faye sort of got away with it by billing them as outcasts, and “improper,” but if you’re looking for a book seriously reflecting the atmosphere of time period, you might be better off re-reading the original.
I say sorta-kinda because while Jane Steele’s life vaguely parallels that of Jane Eyre, and small passages from the classic are interspersed throughout the novel, it’s a completely different story. I went in expecting a [b:Pride and Prejudice and Zombies|5899779|Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, #1)|Seth Grahame-Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320449653s/5899779.jpg|6072122]-type retelling, and that’s not what this is at all. Which isn’t a bad thing, it just doesn’t quite answer the question of whether the original story would have been better with more murder.
I really liked this new, funny, sarcastic, slightly murderous Jane. I have to say slightly murderous because while she does tend to solve her problems with murder, she’s no Jack-the-Ripper. All of her murders have some kind of just motivation behind them, making her more like an opportunistic vigilantly than a serial killer.
All of the non-villain characters were very lovable, and the two romantic relationships Jane has were also fairly believable. While the last half or the book was not as fast-paced as the first, the ending left me all warm and fuzzy because Jane and Charles (this story’s Rochester) go together so well (I'm a sucker for relationships filled with playful banter).
Overall, I really liked this story. It was fun, engaging, and had some really complex relationships. The jury is still out about whether it can really be compared to Charlotte Brontë’s novel, but it’s definitely worth a read.
Side note: I probably liked the book so much because the main characters were so modern in their thinking. Faye sort of got away with it by billing them as outcasts, and “improper,” but if you’re looking for a book seriously reflecting the atmosphere of time period, you might be better off re-reading the original.
Oh, I really liked this one a lot... it's a spin-off of Jane Eyre (and those do seem to be cropping up, don't they?) with a much tougher first person narrator and a humorously macabre twist. It's Victorian in setting; but you can tell it's historical fiction, because sex is part of the plot in a way you would never, ever see from an actual Victorian author. It's mostly set in a country house, at Jane's school, and in London; but enough of the characters are from India, specifically Sikhs from the Punjab, that their narratives add an extra richness to the setting of the book. This one I'm definitely going to read again.
2020: I re-read this and I LOVE THIS BOOK. It's so dark and funny and I love the narrative voice.
2020: I re-read this and I LOVE THIS BOOK. It's so dark and funny and I love the narrative voice.
Oh my God, ha, I had no idea I was going to enjoy this book THIS MUCH. Don’t get me wrong, the premise is great and there’s such such suuuuuuuch potential to have a story so reflective of such a classic. But Lyndsay Faye blew the barn doors off of its potential and wrote the perfectly delicious, murderous, amusing, compliment to Jane Eyre. She also did so with characters you can adore, and respect, and believe and .... I give this 4.5 stars if I could ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ and 1/2 ⭐️
I read the first 1/3 of this book, then decided that while it isn't an inherently bad book, it just wasn't the right read for me. It wasn't that I couldn't empathize with young Jane Steele, whose murderous actions are only directed at those who place her and her loved ones in dreadful peril. It was more that this novel is only loosely inspired by 'Jane Eyre,' and I was hoping for more resonance with Charlotte Bronte.
I'm pretty sure I received this book in a giveaway, however it took me almost 3 years to read the book so I'm not sure it's relevant-I felt the need to share anyway. I absolutely LOVED this book! I re-read Jane Eyre ahead of this read, to make sure everything would be fresh for this story. I'm really glad I did.
I definitely preferred the beauty of Ms. Bronte's prose more than this book, and I simply adore Jane Eyre, but this book definitely jazzed up a book that *could* be interpreted as drab, if looked at from the wrong perspective. I was thoroughly entertained throughout this read.
I enjoyed absolutely everything about this book. I loved the exotic flair, the characters, and the additional story elements. This Jane absolutely has more flair and a tendency towards the convenient, if violent. None of that detracts from our heroine as a character.
I felt that in addition to the elements of Jane Eyre, there was a lively commentary on the book that I thoroughly enjoyed, there was a murder mystery added to the mix, it was a morbid saga, and this was far more a love story than Jane Eyre-it was modernized in all the right ways.
The only objection I had was in a commentary I read on the cover of the book that this book was "Jane Eyre gets a dose of Dexter." (I should have known better than to trust Cosmopolitan) It was a cheap zinger for recognition of the book, but really this wasn't at all like anything Dexter had to offer. It set me up for the wrong expectation on this book, but I'm glad for the way the book actually was.
I recommend this book to all readers who enjoy a bit of morbid entertainment, those who loved or even like Jane Eyre, and especially those who were chagrined by Jane Eyre on occasion. If you're looking for some engagement and an easier read, this will suit you well.
I definitely preferred the beauty of Ms. Bronte's prose more than this book, and I simply adore Jane Eyre, but this book definitely jazzed up a book that *could* be interpreted as drab, if looked at from the wrong perspective. I was thoroughly entertained throughout this read.
I enjoyed absolutely everything about this book. I loved the exotic flair, the characters, and the additional story elements. This Jane absolutely has more flair and a tendency towards the convenient, if violent. None of that detracts from our heroine as a character.
I felt that in addition to the elements of Jane Eyre, there was a lively commentary on the book that I thoroughly enjoyed, there was a murder mystery added to the mix, it was a morbid saga, and this was far more a love story than Jane Eyre-it was modernized in all the right ways.
The only objection I had was in a commentary I read on the cover of the book that this book was "Jane Eyre gets a dose of Dexter." (I should have known better than to trust Cosmopolitan) It was a cheap zinger for recognition of the book, but really this wasn't at all like anything Dexter had to offer. It set me up for the wrong expectation on this book, but I'm glad for the way the book actually was.
I recommend this book to all readers who enjoy a bit of morbid entertainment, those who loved or even like Jane Eyre, and especially those who were chagrined by Jane Eyre on occasion. If you're looking for some engagement and an easier read, this will suit you well.