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kair_ree 's review for:
Jane & Edward: A Modern Reimagining of Jane Eyre
by Melodie Edwards
I struggled between giving 1 or 2 stars for this, but in the end, I couldn't give it a bump up. I don't know why I always get my hopes up for a Jane Eyre retelling. It's basically impossible- especially in a real world, modern setting.
This is not a good retelling but I don't think it's a very good book on it's own either.
Our heroine, Jane is fine in her modern form, I guess. She works for the most part, but Edward is a total mess. I couldn't understand why Jane would ever be attracted to him and their chemistry is borderline non existent. His wife in the attic scandal is so boringly preposterous that it takes all the air out of the story and Edward just seems like a chump and an idiot. He's supposed to be a great lawyer and yet he couldn't find his way out of the situation? Whatever. The resolution to this storyline is also kind of gross.
Jane and Edward's banter is okay, but the great romantic moments in this are bogged down by settings that are just weird. I can't think of a less romantic place for a to happen than a stairwell during a fire drill. That scene was so awkward and the build up to it even worse. I've never known anyone in good health who needed to train to walk down stairs or who got out of breath from going down them when there wasn't an emergency. It's tedious, but not strenuous, even if you're going down dozens of them (I should know- I worked on the 42nd floor of a building and had to walk down them during a fire drill). I was scratching my head and wondering why this was the setting the author landed on- like who thinks, oh I'll take the pinnacle of a love story and stick it in a confined, dark, echoey space full of other people that are trying to move as quickly as possible? It took away all the romance and made the scene completely lackluster.
Also Jane Raine??? I should have stopped reading right then and there.
Anyway. This has a lot of positive reviews and I'm stumped by them.
This is not a good retelling but I don't think it's a very good book on it's own either.
Our heroine, Jane is fine in her modern form, I guess. She works for the most part, but Edward is a total mess. I couldn't understand why Jane would ever be attracted to him and their chemistry is borderline non existent. His wife in the attic scandal is so boringly preposterous that it takes all the air out of the story and Edward just seems like a chump and an idiot. He's supposed to be a great lawyer and yet he couldn't find his way out of the situation? Whatever. The resolution to this storyline is also kind of gross.
Jane and Edward's banter is okay, but the great romantic moments in this are bogged down by settings that are just weird. I can't think of a less romantic place for a
Spoiler
declaration of loveAlso Jane Raine??? I should have stopped reading right then and there.
Anyway. This has a lot of positive reviews and I'm stumped by them.