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cleansky7's review against another edition
I feel like the book was so chained to the Jane Eyre plot that it felt forced and inorganic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
paradise_library's review against another edition
2.0
A good concept, but the language in which it was written was tedious and it felt too old for the setting. I adore Jane Eyre, but a modern retelling should be written in modern prose; alternatively, just write a queer version set in the 1800s!
There were some great characters and I really liked the messages about being your authentic-self, but the love interest didn't work for me and I found parts of it quite problematic. It's also quite slow and long-winded (on account of the meandering plot and flowery language), making it a tough read.
Sadly, despite enjoying the first half, it gradually lost my interest and started to irritate me. I kept picking it up and zoning out, so had to skim to the end and was left feeling underwhelmed.
There were some great characters and I really liked the messages about being your authentic-self, but the love interest didn't work for me and I found parts of it quite problematic. It's also quite slow and long-winded (on account of the meandering plot and flowery language), making it a tough read.
Sadly, despite enjoying the first half, it gradually lost my interest and started to irritate me. I kept picking it up and zoning out, so had to skim to the end and was left feeling underwhelmed.
namelikescrabble's review against another edition
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
ceallaighsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
“In the in-between space of novels he found solace, his own boarding school life reflected in one particular work. He’d followed their trajectories with a prophetic eagerness, the works of great writers a crystal ball through which his own future was revealed, with its big country houses and the always brooding men. England and its green.”
AUTHOR—CA Castle
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR—Cloud Quinn
PUBLISHED—2023
PUBLISHER—Alcove Press
GENRE—contemporary queer gothic genre fiction—Jane Eyre retelling with very strong Turn of the Screw, Pride & Prejudice, Northanger Abbey etc. vibes…
SETTING—modern day in a fictional historic country house in Cambridgeshire, England + flashbacks to a fictional boys’ boarding school
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—genderfluid MC, precocious child character, orphans, boarding school, governess/tutor position at an English country house, privilege & queer presentation, the falseness of the cis-queer vs trans-queer dichotomy, classism, family secrets & drama, forgiveness & learning from our mistakes, gothic literature & the heritage of women writers, self-mythology & how we conceptualize identity
Blurbs:
“A queer, atmospheric reimagining of the classic English gothic novel, paying homage to writers like E M Forster and Charlotte Bronte while also bringing a modern sensibility and contemporary spin. In turns spooky, funny, and romantic…” —Mackenzi Lee, author of Stonewall Honor book and New York Times bestseller The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
My thoughts:
PREMISE—★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Loved it.
EXECUTION—★ ★ ★ ★ Selfishlyyy I wanted a whole lot more just because I am *starved* for this sort of thing but other than that I thought it was excellent.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATION—★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 😘👌🏻
Bridgerton WHO?? (well, bar one very frustrating caveat 🫠) Castle has recreated the vibes of Jane Eyre & the angst of Pride & Prejudice in the modern world with a genderfluid femme-presenting gay man as the absolutely precious, lovable, devastatingly relatable MC who combines the traits of both Jane Eyre & Lizzie Bennett (with a little Virginia Woolf thrown in for good measure) in *the* most satisfying way.
WRITING STYLE—★ ★ ★ .5 perhaps a bit less literary than I expected or would have liked… but the content made up for it
CHARACTERS—★ ★ ★ ★ maybe a tiny bit less complex than I think they could have been but a) I think that was in service to the expectations of the genre (i.e. we had to have our tropes) & b) the characters’ dynamics with each other was *mwah*
STORY/PLOT—★ ★ ★ ★ somewhattt predictable due to the nature of the genre(gothic/romance/retelling, etc.) but interesting & engaging nonetheless
“…he held back from saying anything, sensing with a fluster that the locket could be useful to him at a later date, a clue in the manor’s slowly unfurling mystery. For it was inevitable that in every great house there was a family, and in every great family there was a secret, and only time would reveal it.”
BONUS ELEMENT/S—absolutely *loved* to find a genderfluid MC in this genre & the dynamics between the characters & the romance storyline was very satisfying for me personally as a trans person who has always loved & found a bit of themselves in this genre too.
PHILOSOPHY—Queer inclusivity & acceptance of folks’ autonomous right to self-identify, acknowledgement of the role of privilege & socioculturally systemic classism play in our everyday lives, letting folks & ourselves grow & learn from their/our mistakes, forgiveness, & some found family themes… *mwah* 😙🤌🏻
I would absolutely recommend this book to fans of Jane Eyre, Jane Austen (esp Pride & Prejudice & Northanger Abbey), & just general gothic romance fiction, especially with queer themes. This book is best read on audiobook at 2x speed. I found it to be a tiny bit slow otherwise… It is written in a sort of classic lit + contemporary lit style so at times it feels a bit disjointed simply due to the fact that it’s a bit new & unfamiliar & trends strongly towards genre fiction rather than literary fiction. Which are all good things! it just took me a minute to acclimate myself.
Final note: I would LOVE to see what Castle would do with these characters & themes set in the Georgian period. Totally get why he didn’t for this project but for sheer curiosity (& angst!) I would loveee to see it. SO grateful to him for writing something SO desperately needed in this genre.
“You have such a sentimental view of who I am, and you’re wrong to think it. Other people’s opinions—they do alter me. They alter me immensely. Who I am is conditioned by what other people think I should or should not be. Those torments you speak of? I know them. And those questions you asked yourself—I ask them still. I’m not brave, or anything of the sort. I’m as brave as the leopard that walks out into the world with its spots proudly on display—just doing what is necessary in order to survive, and incapable of enduring the pain that comes with being anybody else.”
★ ★ ★ ★ .75
CW // some painful moments of homo-&transphobia, bullying, animal death (not the dog), death of a parent (cancer)
Spice: 🌶️ (😩 robbed, we were! robbed!!)
Season: Fall
Music pairing: Chopin “Piano Concerto No. 1: Mvmt. 2,” Dario Marianelli & other Austen & Brontë screen adaptation soundtracks…
Further Reading—
Bron’s Bookshelf:
- all the Brontë sisters’ works, but especially: JANE EYRE by Charlotte Brontë
- all of Jane Austen’s works, but especially: NORTHANGER ABBEY by Jane Austen, PRIDE & PREJUDICE by Jane Austen & the 2005 film adaptation
- ORLANDO by Virginia Woolf & the Tilda Swinton film adaptation
- A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN by Virginia Woolf
- THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST by Oscar Wilde & the Penny Dreadful tv series
- MAURICE & other works by EM Forster
- FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley
- LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott
- TESS OF THE D’URBERVILLES by Thomas Hardy
- BLEAK HOUSE & other works by Charles Dickens
- SELECT POEMS by Percy Shelley (pocket edition)
- SELECT POEMS by John Keats (pocket edition)
Additional titles:
- MOST ARDENTLY by Gabe Cole Novoa—TBR
- THE TURN OF THE SCREW AND OTHER GHOST STORIES by Henry James
- BONE CHINA by Laura Purcell
- THE BURIAL PLOT by Elizabeth Macneal—TBR
- THE SECRETS OF HARTWOOD HALL by Katie Lumsden—TBR
- THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY by Oscar Wilde
- THE LOOKING GLASS HOUSE by Vanessa Tait—TBR
- HOGFATHER by Terry Pratchett—TBR
- THE SONNETS AND A LOVER’S COMPLAINT by William Shakespeare
- SELECT POEMS by Edgar Allan Poe (pocket edition)
Check out my review on StopAndSmellTheBooks.com for a selection of my favorite quotes.
raquelraquel's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
_lilbey_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
molliesampson's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
3.5
katemybreathaway's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC
Great concept but execution was a bit lackluster. A gender fluid retelling of Brōnte/Austen era literature drew me in, and Bron goes through a coming of gender age story throughout that is a delight to read. I was drawn in for the first few chapters, but then the writing struggled to keep my interest.
However, the story takes place in the 21st century but is written in a 17th century style that made it confusing to really know when this story took place. I think the overall story would've benefitted by taking place in the 17th century (with that suspension of belief regarding acceptance of queer people) and the story would've been richer for it.
I'd love to see a sequel that follows more of Ada's story as she grows up!
Great concept but execution was a bit lackluster. A gender fluid retelling of Brōnte/Austen era literature drew me in, and Bron goes through a coming of gender age story throughout that is a delight to read. I was drawn in for the first few chapters, but then the writing struggled to keep my interest.
However, the story takes place in the 21st century but is written in a 17th century style that made it confusing to really know when this story took place. I think the overall story would've benefitted by taking place in the 17th century (with that suspension of belief regarding acceptance of queer people) and the story would've been richer for it.
I'd love to see a sequel that follows more of Ada's story as she grows up!