izumisano 's review for:

Mr. Rochester by Sarah Shoemaker

4.0

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This book is more than I could have ever hoped for. I went in not expecting much. You really can't have high expectations for retellings. You'll only get your heart broken. But I felt like Shoemaker really understood Rochester's character. Really tried to understand his motivations and secret history. There were many times I would go "Ah, that is why he did that." Filling in my blanks of the Jane Eyre story, even if it is not strictly cannon. It renews my interest in Wide Sargasso Sea, but I'm afraid of something that makes Rochester into too much of a villain. I have a weakness for that man. I wished the Jane Eyre parts were fleshed out a bit more. She would often gloss over or summarize their interactions and I really craved more of the dialog. Of course I can read the original novel, but I want everything in one place.