Skip to main content

Jane


Jane, written by debut author April Lindner, is a modern-day YA retelling of Charlotte Bronte's classic novel Jane Eyre.

Jane Moore finds herself in a difficult situation. Her parents sudden death has left her mourning and penniless, forced to drop out of the esteemed college that she'd worked so hard to get into. Not sure what she's going to do once the college forces her out of the dorm rooms, and facing the reality of homelessness, Jane desperately tries to seek out a job.

Being a nanny was never something that striked Jane as a career choice, but it sort of falls into her lap. She lands the position of the nanny at Thornfield Park, the estate of the famous, brooding rock star Nico Rathburn, who's on the edge of a new tour and album.

Despite being plain and completely inexperienced in romance, nineteen-year-old Jane and scandal-ridden Nico seem to have a connection - and though his unpredictable moods are impossible to decipher, Jane finds herself involuntarily drawn to him.

But there are secrets and mystery at Thornfield Park. Abnormal-sounding laughs echoing from the forbidden upstairs stairwell, a suspicious fire started in Nico's bedroom, and questions stubbornly unanswered. Jane finds herself struggling between her intense feelings for Nico, and her own personal sense of values. How can she decide between the two?

As a huge fan of Jane Eyre, I was quite eager to read Jane. Especially because I'd heard that April Lindner was faithful to the original. Which is happily very true -

Jane vibrates with atmosphere and a quiet, yet heavily mysterious, restraint right from the get-go. Jane is relatable and likable with her unassuming personality and grief. The new Thornfield Park that April Lindner has created is a great contemporary version, oozing sophistication and secrets.

I was blown-away by the way Lindner gave Jane Moore a childhood of cruelty and a sore lack of love - just as our beloved Jane Eyre. Though she created this past in different circumstances, the inner pain of Jane is both understandable and heartbreaking, making Jane all the more haunting and engrossing, setting up a main character that is as courageous, soft spoken, sweet, and strong as her classic counterpart.

Moody in the best way, hypnotic and mesmerizing with its hush-hush passions and unspoken meanings, Jane had me flipping pages fast. And the gruff, flashy, inscrutable, seductiveness of Nico clashes with a sublime appeal with Jane's somber, polite, delightfully straightforward, in-the-shadows personality, to create an intensity in the characters and writing that is palpable.

April Lindner made me very happy. She took a beloved novel and simply retold it in the present day. In keeping with the original, she left Jane to be what it is at its very core: a story of two damaged people that fall painfully in love, with all the bruises and euphoria that go with it.

Jane is saturated in breathtaking statements that take the reader aback, creepy, frightening moments that keep you glued to the pages (even when you know what's going on, like me), and a constant sense of torment and raw emotion that is beautiful in an understated way.

After reading some Amazon reviews of Jane I found a common thread: a large majority of readers who loved Jane Eyre loved Jane, those who didn't like Jane Eyre didn't like Jane. However, I want to encourage you to read it either way. And if you haven't read Jane Eyre at all, read Jane! It'll be a little introduction to Jane Eyre for you. April Lindner has truly honored Charlotte Bronte's tale of love, healing, and self-awareness. Though there were a couple liberties I didn't adore in Jane, I overwhelmingly found it to be a lovely contemporary vision.

To wrap up, Jane is wildly romantic, poignant, sensitive and rough-around-the-edges. It is a fantastic, heart-rending debut from an author I will now watch.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

First Step: Admit You Have a Problem

Hi fellow Bibliophiles! I have been rather neglectful to this blog... instead continuing to stay buried in a book as I have during the holidays. I'm hopeful that most of you have been doing this too and can easily accept my apology. Have I been reading? Um, yeah! (Translation: duh.) Just haven't been able to pull myself away long enough to actually WRITE about what I'm reading. Lol. But that's me, a bibliophile, an addict, an addict who's fallen off the wagon and fully embraced her love of reading - especially with all this free time to do so!!! I've also been watching awesome holiday movies, eating yummy, but bad-for-me, food and hanging out with the people I love best! You too? I hope! ;) Anyway, I will return with a new book review next week, most likely on Monday or Tuesday. Thanks for your patience and keep reading!!!

Promotion Celebration for Maximum Ride!!!

Do you love the series Maximum Ride ? How about James Patterson? Are you a huge fan of action-packed books? Well, I’m thrilled to bring to you an opportunity to stock up on some awesome reading!!! ENTER TO WIN A SET OF JAMES PATTERSON PAGETURNERS! MAXIMUM RIDE – IF SHE LIVES, THE WORLD LIVES, IT’S THAT SIMPLE. Read “MAX” - the newest book in the bestselling Maximum Ride series. On sale in paperback 09/01/09! Still reeling from their most recent adventure, Maximum Ride and the rest of the flock must head out to sea to uncover the secret behind a brand new series of disasters—fish are dying off the coast of Hawaii, hundreds of ships are being destroyed. As if that weren’t enough, they’re also being tracked by a criminal mastermind with, oh yeah, an army of mercenaries. Can the flock save themselves and the ocean, and the world, from utter destruction? Now for the rules : The Maximum Ride: Max Promotion is open to legal US residents who are at least 13 years of age as of August 24, 200

Author Q & A - Jan Eldredge Stops By!

Next Wednesday y'all will be getting my oh-so-humble opinion of Evangeline of the Bayou , the Summer 2018 Kids' Indie Next List selection! (That means it was picked via booksellers at independent bookstores countrywide.) Until then, I have a Q&A with the Louisiana born and raised author herself: Jan Eldredge! (Don't forget to come back next week for my review!!) A Conversation with JAN ELDRIDGE Author of Evangeline of the Bayou 1) The glossary in the back of the book is so helpful! Where did you learn about all these creatures? Which creature from the book is your favorite? I have a small, but growing, collection of books about mythical creatures around the world. If I couldn’t find what I was looking for there, I researched library books, online websites, and the occasional documentary. Something that really surprised me as I started learning more about mythical monsters was the number of different cultures that share very similar