For What It's Worth


Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Review: Jane by April Linder

Jane
Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, a world-famous rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance.
But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is soon tested by an agonizing secret from his past. Torn between her feelings for Nico and his fateful secret, Jane must decide: Does being true to herself mean giving up on true love?
An irresistible romance interwoven with a darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers. (YA)

Review:
Jane is the retelling of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I have never read the original so I’m in no place to compare it to Bronte’s version but I have read in other reviews that it is a fairly faithful retelling.
I adored this book and the characters Jane and Nico. Jane is a prim and proper girl chosen to be the nanny for the impulsive and tortured rock star Nico Rathburn’s daughter.
These two alternately frustrated me and broke my heart. Although their backgrounds are vastly different, they both have suffered a great deal of pain and heartbreak. When Jane and Nico finally get together it’s quite tender and beautiful.
Of course the path to true love is never an easy road and I was frustrated at times by Jane’s timidity and Nico’s impulsiveness and his way of bulldozing over her. It does stay true to their personalities though and I was frustrated in a good way – not a throw the book across the room way. LOL
Both characters grow throughout the story and since it takes place over a span of months instead of mere days it makes their growth and love more believable.
One thing I really enjoyed was Jane’s moral convictions. No matter the temptations of Nico’s wealthy, rock & roll, decadent lifestyle she never wavered. She always tries to stay true to herself even if that means giving up the one you love to maintain your self-respect and pursue your dreams. It also means looking deep into your heart when presented with the option of a loveless yet safer relationship with the beautiful, morally upstanding River, who on paper makes a perfect match for Jane.
I was also very impressed with April Lindner’s writing style. This may have been an update but the writing still evoked the style of the classics without being stuffy or difficult to read.
Loved: Beautiful storytelling. That’s why they call them the classics.
Nitpick: Jane and Nico were sometimes a little too stubborn for their own good.

Rating: 3.5 out of 4 I think Jane would appeal to lovers of the original and to readers who may be intimidated by the classics (*cough* me).
Author's website: http://www.aprillindner.com/
Buy the book! Jane

8 comments:

  1. Thanks for this review. I have gotten this book but have yet to read it.

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  2. Oh, wasn't it wonderful? I loved this retelling. Glad to hear it worked so well for you having not read the original.

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  3. I've heard really good things about this book. I think it's great to do a twist on a classic and I think it will make people want to read the original too.

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  4. Yay! I love a heroine who doesn't remake her personality for the hero. Or one who tries to change /him/ for that matter. They should each change each other in subtle, indirect ways. And yeah, these two are very mule-headed. :-)

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  5. I absolutely adored the classic. I read it for a lit.class and it was all me and my friends could talk about :) So a re-telling, bring it

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  6. I was thinking of reading this and then I saw that he was a rock star and that kinda put me off.But I love the story of Jane Eyre!

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  7. Whereas I have never been tempted by the original Jane this really appeals to me, thanks for the recommendation. I love the cover, so simple and yet quite beautiful.

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  8. Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books. I really must read this retelling.

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