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fiberreader 's review for:
Mr. Rochester
by Sarah Shoemaker
It is not easy to write a book about a character someone else created. It is even harder to do so with a much-loved character -- and to not only do so but do so with a book that is beautifully written and does justice to the character as he was originally written. Sarah Shoemaker has done just that in this beautifully composed book that gives us deeper and fuller insight into Charlotte Bronte's Edward Fairfax Rochester.
Like, I suppose, many readers who have favorite books and characters, I was doubtful that any book could do justice to one of my favorite literary characters. Jane Eyre is one of my all-time favorites, and I've long held up the relationship between Jane and Mr. Rochester as an ideal meeting of equal intellects. Part of me was wary of reading a book that might have the potential of lessening the impact of a book that has been read and reread at some many important stages in my life. After all, I have read enough modern authors' takes on classics to know that it is so easy to do a poor job of capturing the essence of the original. I am happy to say, though, that that is not at all the case with this book.
I was hooked almost from the first line of the book, and once I started reading, I could not put the book down, so anxious was I to get to the resolution even though I knew what would happen. Not only was it fascinating to learn how Edward came to be Jane's Mr. Rochester, but it was also refreshing and illuminating to see those very familiar scenes through his eyes. It is very clear throughout this novel that Shoemaker has more than done her research to get the details right (and that's not surprising, given that she had a career as a librarian). What is particularly commendable, though, is that she's also managed to achieve the voice and tone of Bronte's original novel such that Bronte's words fit seamlessly into the narrative. This book was, in short, a pure delight to read.
Like, I suppose, many readers who have favorite books and characters, I was doubtful that any book could do justice to one of my favorite literary characters. Jane Eyre is one of my all-time favorites, and I've long held up the relationship between Jane and Mr. Rochester as an ideal meeting of equal intellects. Part of me was wary of reading a book that might have the potential of lessening the impact of a book that has been read and reread at some many important stages in my life. After all, I have read enough modern authors' takes on classics to know that it is so easy to do a poor job of capturing the essence of the original. I am happy to say, though, that that is not at all the case with this book.
I was hooked almost from the first line of the book, and once I started reading, I could not put the book down, so anxious was I to get to the resolution even though I knew what would happen. Not only was it fascinating to learn how Edward came to be Jane's Mr. Rochester, but it was also refreshing and illuminating to see those very familiar scenes through his eyes. It is very clear throughout this novel that Shoemaker has more than done her research to get the details right (and that's not surprising, given that she had a career as a librarian). What is particularly commendable, though, is that she's also managed to achieve the voice and tone of Bronte's original novel such that Bronte's words fit seamlessly into the narrative. This book was, in short, a pure delight to read.