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A review by behindpaperbacks
The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Death of Jane Lawrence was a captivating, atmospheric horror novel, infused with a sweeping Gothic love story.
The book follows Jane Shoringfield, who proposes a marriage of convenience to the local doctor Augustine Lawrence. By marrying him, she will be able to pursue her work as an accountant and, in return, she will do Dr. Lawrence's books. Reluctantly, he agrees, under one condition: Jane will never stay at night at his estate, Lindridge Hall. When chance does put Jane under Lindridge Hall's crumbling roof, Jane soon realizes something there is very, very wrong and her new husband might not be who she thought he was.
I had a great time reading this book. The atmosphere and themes fit nicely with other Gothic classics such as Rebecca, Jane Eyre, and The Haunting of Hill House (both the books and the Netflix show!), while still being unique. Jane, the main character, is a pragmatic and independent woman, who, at the beginning of the book, simply wants to pursue her career and be independent from her guardians. Yet, she finds herself charmed by Augustine. So much so, she ignores his strange request of her never stepping foot in his estate.
In a lot of ways, the beginning of the book reminded me of Jane Eyre and Rebecca. We have a crumbling mansion, an eerie atmosphere and a wide-eyed heroine falling for an older man she barely knows whose estate hides some dark secrets. I, for one, believe Mr. Rochester doesn't deserve shit. So naturally, I was a bit frustrated at Jane's naivete. Likewise, I found Augustine to be pathetic and Jane deserved far better than him. Thankfully, she realized that too in the course of the book. Jane's perception of Augustine changed as soon as she found out more about his past. I loved that we finally had a Gothic heroine that raged at her love interest, that was horrified at the things her husband hid from her.
Now, I'm a wimp. I get scared by horror very easily. In this instance, I was fine, however. Aspects were spooky and some parts featured a lot of gore, but I wasn't terrified. The author definitely delivered on the atmosphere of dread and the feeling of being haunted. As a Gothic fiction fan, I was having a blast. The gore-y parts during Augustine's operations added some interesting characterization for both Augustine and Jane. A comparison to both Frankenstein and Crimson Peak seems apt.
The ending of the book was where the story took a dive for me. I liked that, in contrast to Rebecca, for example, there was an actual haunting and actual magic here. But the way magic worked here honestly went over my head and I wasn't quite following the ending. With that being said, I still enjoyed the conclusion to the book and will pick up the author's other books for sure!
I gave The Death of Jane Lawrence 4/5 stars and recommend it to fans of Gothic fiction like Jane Eyre and the Netflix show The Haunting of Hill House.
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The Death of Jane Lawrence was a captivating, atmospheric horror novel, infused with a sweeping Gothic love story.
The book follows Jane Shoringfield, who proposes a marriage of convenience to the local doctor Augustine Lawrence. By marrying him, she will be able to pursue her work as an accountant and, in return, she will do Dr. Lawrence's books. Reluctantly, he agrees, under one condition: Jane will never stay at night at his estate, Lindridge Hall. When chance does put Jane under Lindridge Hall's crumbling roof, Jane soon realizes something there is very, very wrong and her new husband might not be who she thought he was.
I had a great time reading this book. The atmosphere and themes fit nicely with other Gothic classics such as Rebecca, Jane Eyre, and The Haunting of Hill House (both the books and the Netflix show!), while still being unique. Jane, the main character, is a pragmatic and independent woman, who, at the beginning of the book, simply wants to pursue her career and be independent from her guardians. Yet, she finds herself charmed by Augustine. So much so, she ignores his strange request of her never stepping foot in his estate.
In a lot of ways, the beginning of the book reminded me of Jane Eyre and Rebecca. We have a crumbling mansion, an eerie atmosphere and a wide-eyed heroine falling for an older man she barely knows whose estate hides some dark secrets. I, for one, believe Mr. Rochester doesn't deserve shit. So naturally, I was a bit frustrated at Jane's naivete. Likewise, I found Augustine to be pathetic and Jane deserved far better than him. Thankfully, she realized that too in the course of the book. Jane's perception of Augustine changed as soon as she found out more about his past. I loved that we finally had a Gothic heroine that raged at her love interest, that was horrified at the things her husband hid from her.
Now, I'm a wimp. I get scared by horror very easily. In this instance, I was fine, however. Aspects were spooky and some parts featured a lot of gore, but I wasn't terrified. The author definitely delivered on the atmosphere of dread and the feeling of being haunted. As a Gothic fiction fan, I was having a blast. The gore-y parts during Augustine's operations added some interesting characterization for both Augustine and Jane. A comparison to both Frankenstein and Crimson Peak seems apt.
The ending of the book was where the story took a dive for me. I liked that, in contrast to Rebecca, for example, there was an actual haunting and actual magic here. But the way magic worked here honestly went over my head and I wasn't quite following the ending. With that being said, I still enjoyed the conclusion to the book and will pick up the author's other books for sure!
I gave The Death of Jane Lawrence 4/5 stars and recommend it to fans of Gothic fiction like Jane Eyre and the Netflix show The Haunting of Hill House.
Bookstagram | Twitter | Blog | Booktube
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gaslighting, Grief, and Body horror