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A review by rubeusbeaky
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
3.0
I waffled over my rating for this book. It's a solid adaptation of Jane Eyre. I'm just not certain if it's /enough/. Modernizing the setting was cute fun. But the fact that it was set in modern ALABAMA is never used to effect. Yes, the wealth disparity is obvious, but that is true comparing any strip mall to any gated community in America. There was no diversity in the characters, no discussion of race or religion or immigration - anything that could have given this narrative some extra OOMPH to hammer home its message about how money = identity.
Like I said, the adaptation was solid. Professions and conflicts translated from 1847 to 2020 worked really well. Extraneous characters or events were trimmed down, the story was neater. And the switching points of view was something Jane Eyre fans have clamored for for years. I especially enjoy that every single narrator is unreliable, so just because you switch perspectives and see from another's point of view, doesn't mean that it's abject truth they're imparting. However, at the end of the day, I feel like /the story/ and the main players in it...were still just Jane Eyre. And if your story is already written for you... how much work is it, really, to change the word "governess" to "dogwalker", change fine china to crystal champagne flutes, an attic to a panic room... I don't know how much original content, how much work was in this work, in the end.
And the twist ending some folks are keen on... I don't know, I found it a little Hollywood, a little too Happy Ending. Not sure what it says when "Sexy, Selfish People Do Terrible Things and Ride Off Into the Sunset."
In the end, there was nothing quotable, artistic, moving, forward-thinking... about this book. It just... was. A straightforward adaptation, plot point to plot point, cover to cover. Not a standout retelling with a fresh author's voice :/.
Like I said, the adaptation was solid. Professions and conflicts translated from 1847 to 2020 worked really well. Extraneous characters or events were trimmed down, the story was neater. And the switching points of view was something Jane Eyre fans have clamored for for years. I especially enjoy that every single narrator is unreliable, so just because you switch perspectives and see from another's point of view, doesn't mean that it's abject truth they're imparting. However, at the end of the day, I feel like /the story/ and the main players in it...were still just Jane Eyre. And if your story is already written for you... how much work is it, really, to change the word "governess" to "dogwalker", change fine china to crystal champagne flutes, an attic to a panic room... I don't know how much original content, how much work was in this work, in the end.
And the twist ending some folks are keen on... I don't know, I found it a little Hollywood, a little too Happy Ending. Not sure what it says when "Sexy, Selfish People Do Terrible Things and Ride Off Into the Sunset."
In the end, there was nothing quotable, artistic, moving, forward-thinking... about this book. It just... was. A straightforward adaptation, plot point to plot point, cover to cover. Not a standout retelling with a fresh author's voice :/.