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mcmoon's review against another edition
4.0
I'm really shocked and dismayed to see some of the 1/2 star reviews of this book. I couldn't put it down! It's a skillfully written modern homage to Jane Eyre (my favorite book of all time), and it retains the original book's passion, elegance, and simplicity with a contemporary twist. Of course, it's not a classic. It's a riff on a classic, but it's an intelligent riff bursting with emotion. In some ways, the book is a study of Jane Eyre disguised as a love letter disguised as a romance novel. It might even help to look at it as an argument in favor of reading Jane Eyre today, exclaiming why the book still matters. As I read Jane, I realized how much we still love a love story where the two protagonists at first seem worlds apart. Their love seems impossible because they come from distinct worlds. Yet some deep and mysterious connection between these two beings permits them to defy social expectations and follow their hearts.
Having read the classic, of course, I had some idea what to expect, but the fresh context made me remember what it was like to discover Jane Eyre for the first time. The book is weakest in its story behind the madwoman in the attic because I did not find all the details credible, and I thought the author could have taken a risk here by changing the original story a bit more. However, I enjoyed Jane's character and her journey, and I found the love story genuinely moving. It was fun to explore these characters as echoes of the original book.
Having read the classic, of course, I had some idea what to expect, but the fresh context made me remember what it was like to discover Jane Eyre for the first time. The book is weakest in its story behind the madwoman in the attic because I did not find all the details credible, and I thought the author could have taken a risk here by changing the original story a bit more. However, I enjoyed Jane's character and her journey, and I found the love story genuinely moving. It was fun to explore these characters as echoes of the original book.
bee_phe's review against another edition
1.0
he asked her to marry him and her response was not "no thanks, you keep someone who bites other people locked in the attic"
listen writing a book is hard, and clearly the author was passionate about the source material, but i neither trusted nor liked a single one of the characters in this book. it was enjoyable because it was so silly
listen writing a book is hard, and clearly the author was passionate about the source material, but i neither trusted nor liked a single one of the characters in this book. it was enjoyable because it was so silly
maecar's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, and Death of parent
lisamchuk's review against another edition
2.0
Jane Eyre retold for today's YA crowd - Rochester is a rock star! Meh. Too predictable and not moody enough.
christyrannosaurus_rex's review against another edition
2.0
Adaptations of classics are very "in" right now so I guess it's no surprise that someone finally did Jane Eyre. Sadly, the modernization leaves something to be desired. Rochester as an aging rock star? Eh. And Jane comes across as somehow more mousy and self-pitying than Bronte's heroine. There are somethings that simply can't translate into modern society. The romance between Jane and her cranky employer is no longer sweet but instead seems a bit creepy as she is nineteen and he is fifty. That may have been normal in Bronte's day but it can't really be updated to our society.
A good idea, if a bit lacking in the execution. However, if it sends curious teens back to the original to see what all the fuss is about, more power to Lindner for increasing teen interest in one of my all-time favorite love stories.
A good idea, if a bit lacking in the execution. However, if it sends curious teens back to the original to see what all the fuss is about, more power to Lindner for increasing teen interest in one of my all-time favorite love stories.
kayteaface's review against another edition
4.0
Never having read Jane Eyre, I didn't know what to expect of this modernized retelling of the story, and had nothing to compare this book to - but I absolutely loved it!
It was such a cute, girly read and it really appealed to my daydreaming teenaged-fangirl side :') At times, it was a bit farfetched and unbelievable but, overall, it was a fun read!
It was such a cute, girly read and it really appealed to my daydreaming teenaged-fangirl side :') At times, it was a bit farfetched and unbelievable but, overall, it was a fun read!
burrowsandbooks's review against another edition
3.0
It was not terrible. But it is no Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte!
laura_cs's review against another edition
5.0
Great re-telling of Jane Eyre in a modern time! I had no complaints and it gave me a shorter version of a Jane Eyre fix that I was sorely in need of.
stephxsu's review against another edition
3.0
Fans of the Charlotte Bronte original will no doubt cheer for this loyal modernization of Jane Eyre. For those of us who are more ambiguous about how we feel about Jane Eyre, however, JANE does little to convince us otherwise.
What April Lindner does best in JANE is capturing the mood and tone of the original story. The tormented romance between the Janes and their employers, the enigmatic attractiveness of the Mr. Rochester character…it’s all here.
What’s missing in JANE, however, is Jane’s inner passion, a part of her that is all too easily overlooked, especially if you’re me and was lukewarm about the original. In Jane Eyre, readers see a fierce determination within her to stay true to herself and speak to her mind. Grown-up Jane, in turn, retains some of this passion and drive, even though on the surface she seems submissive. Jane Moore, on the other hand, starts out as a rather passive and flat character and remains so throughout the story. She feels like she was born an old lady, instead of like how Jane Eyre learned how to hide her fieriness.
Jane Eyre was no Pride and Prejudice for me, and I think that’s what makes it and all subsequent retellings still difficult for me to immerse myself in. I think most people either love or don’t care for Jane Eyre, and the divisions will most likely still stand for this modernization. Bronte fans will cherish the familiarity of this story—the tormented Nico Rathburn, Jane’s levelheadedness, their slowly unfolding romance. And thus the very things that bother people in Jane Eyre will most likely still bother them in JANE. Give the book a try: it’s superbly written and up to the original’s standards, but there’s little it can do to convince you to love it if you weren’t a fan of Jane Eyre in the first place.
What April Lindner does best in JANE is capturing the mood and tone of the original story. The tormented romance between the Janes and their employers, the enigmatic attractiveness of the Mr. Rochester character…it’s all here.
What’s missing in JANE, however, is Jane’s inner passion, a part of her that is all too easily overlooked, especially if you’re me and was lukewarm about the original. In Jane Eyre, readers see a fierce determination within her to stay true to herself and speak to her mind. Grown-up Jane, in turn, retains some of this passion and drive, even though on the surface she seems submissive. Jane Moore, on the other hand, starts out as a rather passive and flat character and remains so throughout the story. She feels like she was born an old lady, instead of like how Jane Eyre learned how to hide her fieriness.
Jane Eyre was no Pride and Prejudice for me, and I think that’s what makes it and all subsequent retellings still difficult for me to immerse myself in. I think most people either love or don’t care for Jane Eyre, and the divisions will most likely still stand for this modernization. Bronte fans will cherish the familiarity of this story—the tormented Nico Rathburn, Jane’s levelheadedness, their slowly unfolding romance. And thus the very things that bother people in Jane Eyre will most likely still bother them in JANE. Give the book a try: it’s superbly written and up to the original’s standards, but there’s little it can do to convince you to love it if you weren’t a fan of Jane Eyre in the first place.
allysonclark's review against another edition
1.5
Let me preface my review by saying that Jane Eyre is, and has been, one of my favorite books for more than a decade. So I was understandably hyped about a modern retelling of the book- especially because I thought it would be a great opportunity to rework some of the outdated elements of the original (hello age gap and employer/employee unhealthy power dynamics)- but unfortunately this retelling simply plopped the old storyline into the modern era and followed the original plot very closely. I wanted to like the book, and I enjoyed the concept, but the execution left a lot to be desired. Fans of Jane Eyre would be better off re-reading the original.