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A review by justagirlwithabook
The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Jane Shoringfield is a very mathematically, logically-brained single woman in need of a husband. Left as an orphan in the aftermath of war, she's been living out her days with a kind, elderly couple who have decided to make a move to a different city. Jane would become more of a burden if she were to make the move, so instead settles her mind to find herself a husband, marriage being strictly a business transaction, nothing more. Enter Mr. Augustine Lawrence, a talented surgeon with a bit of a hazy past but a willing candidate. His only request is that they keep their nights separate: him at his home at Lindridge Hall, and Jane in a room above the surgery. Things, of course, quickly diverge from the plan and after staying one night at Lawrence's home, Jane realizes things are very wrong and the man she married is entirely not himself but a shell of a man, paranoid and haunted.
This book was advertised as a mix of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell meets Crimson Peak meets Mexican Gothic, and the author, Caitlin Starling, was nominated for a Brom Stoker award. The overall description of the story and other promotional blurbs really hooked me in quickly; they said absolutely everything they needed to in order for me to believe this would be another favorite for the year. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell as well as Mexican Gothic have both been two favorites. I was hopeful that The Death of Jane Lawrence would join their ranks, but it fell a little bit short for me. While I did enjoy it overall, it was missing that special something that leaves me raving and adding a new book to the "favorites" shelf.
What I Enjoyed:
- I loved the classic "something is not right here" vibes that it gave.
- There are definitely a lot of eerie things happening within Lindridge Hall that the reader doesn't fully understand or come to realize until we get more towards the end. As a note, these eerie things aren't creepy enough to leave you wishing you'd read the book only during the day time.
- I enjoyed the little elements of magic that were incorporated.
- I also appreciated the historical elements that were embedded (at one point Augustine and Jane, respectively, use cocaine in order to stay awake and sharpen their focus; another doctor friend of Augustine's visits who seems to have an interesting history with asylums and those suffering from "madness").
What I Didn't Love:
- The magical aspect fell short for me. While I was glad it was incorporated, it felt like it wasn't fully fleshed out to its full potential. There were mathematical elements that were very entwined with the magic system and I didn't find it to work as well as I would've hoped.
- Jane, being incredibly mathematically-focused (always crunching numbers it seemed like), brought a level of logic to the story, which was fine and great to have a main female character who was entirely rational, but, again, the mathematical aspects seemed to take up a bit more of the stage than I would've liked, though the author incorporated it within the magical system, so all of it was very tangled up together.
- The entire story is told from Jane's point of view, and while I wanted to like her, she just wasn't that likeable. I didn't dislike her, but I didn't really love her either.
- There was a bit of a sort of twist at the end that wasn't as well explained as it could've been and there seemed to be some plot holes that were left a bit open.
- In order for it to be anywhere in the realm of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, it would've needed to be twice as long, the magical system significantly more developed, a bit more humor and fun, eclectic characters, and even some other points of view to add more layers of complexity. I went in with really high expectations I think because of the blurbs with all the right words, but it fell a bit short.
Overall, I DID still enjoy this book and entirely think it's a great one to add to your TBR if you enjoy the eerie vibes of Daphne du Maurier's works along with some of the weirdness that Mexican Gothic provided. If you're a big fan of Susanna Clarke and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, set the bar a little lower and you won't be too disappointed.
This book was advertised as a mix of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell meets Crimson Peak meets Mexican Gothic, and the author, Caitlin Starling, was nominated for a Brom Stoker award. The overall description of the story and other promotional blurbs really hooked me in quickly; they said absolutely everything they needed to in order for me to believe this would be another favorite for the year. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell as well as Mexican Gothic have both been two favorites. I was hopeful that The Death of Jane Lawrence would join their ranks, but it fell a little bit short for me. While I did enjoy it overall, it was missing that special something that leaves me raving and adding a new book to the "favorites" shelf.
What I Enjoyed:
- I loved the classic "something is not right here" vibes that it gave.
- There are definitely a lot of eerie things happening within Lindridge Hall that the reader doesn't fully understand or come to realize until we get more towards the end. As a note, these eerie things aren't creepy enough to leave you wishing you'd read the book only during the day time.
- I enjoyed the little elements of magic that were incorporated.
- I also appreciated the historical elements that were embedded (at one point Augustine and Jane, respectively, use cocaine in order to stay awake and sharpen their focus; another doctor friend of Augustine's visits who seems to have an interesting history with asylums and those suffering from "madness").
What I Didn't Love:
- The magical aspect fell short for me. While I was glad it was incorporated, it felt like it wasn't fully fleshed out to its full potential. There were mathematical elements that were very entwined with the magic system and I didn't find it to work as well as I would've hoped.
- Jane, being incredibly mathematically-focused (always crunching numbers it seemed like), brought a level of logic to the story, which was fine and great to have a main female character who was entirely rational, but, again, the mathematical aspects seemed to take up a bit more of the stage than I would've liked, though the author incorporated it within the magical system, so all of it was very tangled up together.
- The entire story is told from Jane's point of view, and while I wanted to like her, she just wasn't that likeable. I didn't dislike her, but I didn't really love her either.
- There was a bit of a sort of twist at the end that wasn't as well explained as it could've been and there seemed to be some plot holes that were left a bit open.
- In order for it to be anywhere in the realm of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, it would've needed to be twice as long, the magical system significantly more developed, a bit more humor and fun, eclectic characters, and even some other points of view to add more layers of complexity. I went in with really high expectations I think because of the blurbs with all the right words, but it fell a bit short.
Overall, I DID still enjoy this book and entirely think it's a great one to add to your TBR if you enjoy the eerie vibes of Daphne du Maurier's works along with some of the weirdness that Mexican Gothic provided. If you're a big fan of Susanna Clarke and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, set the bar a little lower and you won't be too disappointed.