Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by megancrews
Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye
Jane Eyre is not the most charming of classic literary heroines. Readers who love her are die-hard fans, and readers who don’t are baffled that she has fans at all. Lindsay Faye’s new book Jane Steele breathes fresh life into this complex classic character. While Faye’s heroine loves Bronte’s classic novel, and even faces some similar experiences as the original Jane, her response to these circumstances makes her a heroine modern readers will swoon for, regardless of how they may have felt about her namesake. While Faye may borrow a few plot points from Bronte, this is not a retelling of Jane Eyre.
Jane Steele is orphaned, and left in the care of an aunt who seems to despise her. Jane is sent to a horrendous boarding school where girls are starved and humiliated. While Eyre accepted these trials as part of her lot, Steele takes matters into her own hands. She begins her story by telling us “Of all my many murders, committed for love and for better reasons, the first was the most important." This Jane is a kind of vigilante, righting the wrongs of society.
After abruptly leaving Lowan Bridge School, then surviving and even thriving in some of London’s less savory streets, she finds a governess position at a large estate owned by Mr. Charles Thornfield. At Highgate House, she finds an intriguing cast of characters. Thornfield, now home in England after years serving in the Punjab, seems to be harboring secrets. His entire household, including his charming young ward are all Sikhs, and in this exotic and strange new household Jane feels more at home than she ever has before.
This newfound happiness is jeopardized when she finds herself falling in love with her employer, even as she tries to hide her own unsavory past. And, can she say for certain she will never murder again?
Jane Steele is orphaned, and left in the care of an aunt who seems to despise her. Jane is sent to a horrendous boarding school where girls are starved and humiliated. While Eyre accepted these trials as part of her lot, Steele takes matters into her own hands. She begins her story by telling us “Of all my many murders, committed for love and for better reasons, the first was the most important." This Jane is a kind of vigilante, righting the wrongs of society.
After abruptly leaving Lowan Bridge School, then surviving and even thriving in some of London’s less savory streets, she finds a governess position at a large estate owned by Mr. Charles Thornfield. At Highgate House, she finds an intriguing cast of characters. Thornfield, now home in England after years serving in the Punjab, seems to be harboring secrets. His entire household, including his charming young ward are all Sikhs, and in this exotic and strange new household Jane feels more at home than she ever has before.
This newfound happiness is jeopardized when she finds herself falling in love with her employer, even as she tries to hide her own unsavory past. And, can she say for certain she will never murder again?