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mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Suicide
Minor: Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting
Character with mental health issues engages in potentially triggering behavior.
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Reader, I married him."
Kidding! The most famous line from Jane Eyre did not make it into Mrs Rochester's Ghost. This thriller is a modern retelling of the great gothic Bronte classic, Jane Eyre – and one of my all-time favourite books. But in many ways, certainly for the first half of the novel, it actually reads more like Daphne du Maurier's gothic classic, Rebecca – another of my all-time favourite books! (Are you seeing a pattern here...?)
In this book, Jane is a TV writer whose quirky gothic TV show has just gotten cancelled. She's offered a summer tutoring gig for a troubled young teen whose mum has just died and who has been taken in by her estranged father, the fabulously rich Evander (Evan) Edward Rochester. A man who may or may not have killed his wife, Beatrice, after she developed serious psychosis. Whose ghost may or may not be haunting the estate and by extension, Jane herself. Jane doesn't mean to, but she falls for the grumpy and handsome Rochester but struggles to get past the mystery of what happened to Beatrice, or fully trust the man that many accuse of her murder.
It's a slow build, but in this case, it works well. A general feeling of murky wrongness slowly settles over the book like the fog that settles on the Californian cliffs where it is set. Jane cannot stop prying into Rochester's life, and past mysteries – and the former Mrs Rochester is everywhere, much like the first Mrs de Winters. Short of embroidered R's displayed over everything, one can't help but feel claustrophobic at the thought of Beatrice McAdams, who, despite her physical absence, seems to dominate everywhere.
Jane is level-headed, smart, and caring. She really wants to help Sophia, Rochester's estranged daughter, and largely succeeds – mostly by treating her with kindness and respect as a human adult and not a nuisance kid to be overlooked. Sophia, too, grows and matures throughout the book, starting out as a whining child throwing tantrums and maturing into a functioning teenager. All at the hands of Jane.
Rochester is pretty much exactly like he is in the original – gruff, blunt, rich, grumpy and devil-may-care. Marcott very successfully reproduce an authentic Rochester who does justice to the original character.
The one part that I struggled to buy was the romance. Romance as a genre is not my main thing, but I have read a few now and can say that this one lacked chemistry, and felt a bit forced. But... maybe so did Bronte's original? Did 19th century Jane and Rochester really have much on-screen chemistry in the way that, say, Elizabeth and Darcy have chemistry? I'm not so sure. But in any case, that was what was missing from Mrs Rochester's Ghost.
The ending was probably unbelievable in real life but it worked for the book. It stayed true enough while still allowing Marcott breathing room to make the story her own. The one thing I didn't get was what was Beatrice's end game? I thought she cooked up this fake suicide scheme with her sleazy brother? If so, why was she living in a flipping cave and not hiding out with him? Also, if she attacked him, and he knew she was alive, why did he still keep insisting that Rochester killed her? And still left her out in the cave? I know she has serious mental health issues but still. Even if she wouldn't leave the cave because of her weird this-rock-looks-like-Mary-Magdalene thing, he could have brought her food? But then... maybe he just didn't give a shit. He was a really bad person, after all. He was just after the money. Little sis was collateral damage...
Overall, I did like the book despite my couple of concerns. It felt like a solid standalone, but also just gothic enough with elements of a few gothic classics to make it gripping. It carefully borrowed from the original without being a copy/paste of it. It kept me guessing until the end if Beatrice was alive or dead, as I wasn't sure how true to the original it'd be. I even wondered if it really WAS her ghost the whole time. The characters felt right – both in a modern and Victorian-original sense – and the slow burn story addictive enough to keep me reading. Recommend to Jane Eyre/Bronte lovers or anyone who likes slow burn thrillers.
Kidding! The most famous line from Jane Eyre did not make it into Mrs Rochester's Ghost. This thriller is a modern retelling of the great gothic Bronte classic, Jane Eyre – and one of my all-time favourite books. But in many ways, certainly for the first half of the novel, it actually reads more like Daphne du Maurier's gothic classic, Rebecca – another of my all-time favourite books! (Are you seeing a pattern here...?)
In this book, Jane is a TV writer whose quirky gothic TV show has just gotten cancelled. She's offered a summer tutoring gig for a troubled young teen whose mum has just died and who has been taken in by her estranged father, the fabulously rich Evander (Evan) Edward Rochester. A man who may or may not have killed his wife, Beatrice, after she developed serious psychosis. Whose ghost may or may not be haunting the estate and by extension, Jane herself. Jane doesn't mean to, but she falls for the grumpy and handsome Rochester but struggles to get past the mystery of what happened to Beatrice, or fully trust the man that many accuse of her murder.
It's a slow build, but in this case, it works well. A general feeling of murky wrongness slowly settles over the book like the fog that settles on the Californian cliffs where it is set. Jane cannot stop prying into Rochester's life, and past mysteries – and the former Mrs Rochester is everywhere, much like the first Mrs de Winters. Short of embroidered R's displayed over everything, one can't help but feel claustrophobic at the thought of Beatrice McAdams, who, despite her physical absence, seems to dominate everywhere.
Jane is level-headed, smart, and caring. She really wants to help Sophia, Rochester's estranged daughter, and largely succeeds – mostly by treating her with kindness and respect as a human adult and not a nuisance kid to be overlooked. Sophia, too, grows and matures throughout the book, starting out as a whining child throwing tantrums and maturing into a functioning teenager. All at the hands of Jane.
Rochester is pretty much exactly like he is in the original – gruff, blunt, rich, grumpy and devil-may-care. Marcott very successfully reproduce an authentic Rochester who does justice to the original character.
The one part that I struggled to buy was the romance. Romance as a genre is not my main thing, but I have read a few now and can say that this one lacked chemistry, and felt a bit forced. But... maybe so did Bronte's original? Did 19th century Jane and Rochester really have much on-screen chemistry in the way that, say, Elizabeth and Darcy have chemistry? I'm not so sure. But in any case, that was what was missing from Mrs Rochester's Ghost.
The ending was probably unbelievable in real life but it worked for the book. It stayed true enough while still allowing Marcott breathing room to make the story her own. The one thing I didn't get was
Overall, I did like the book despite my couple of concerns. It felt like a solid standalone, but also just gothic enough with elements of a few gothic classics to make it gripping. It carefully borrowed from the original without being a copy/paste of it. It kept me guessing until the end if
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Miscarriage
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really don't know if there is a good way to set Jane Eyre in a modern setting because the original is so ingrained in its own time period and raises issues that a lot of people faced, particularly women, during that time, so putting it in a modern setting was always going to be a challenge, right? I applaud the authors effort for trying though. I think if I was reading this from a purely analytical standpoint (like for a class) and not for enjoyment/entertainment, I probably would've liked it more. The ways Marcott approaches this retelling blends together nicely, and you can definitely see modern interpretations of the original story that are done in clever ways, but the characters...oof.
I felt no connection to the majority of them. Jane was ridiculously naive, which made no sense given all that she's experienced in life prior to the events of this novel. Her friendship with Otis, who lures her to Thorn Bluffs in the first place, feels totally forced and I didn't believe they truly would do anything for one another based on the way they interacted. And then after Rochester is legit "do this," or "don't do that," to her all day, every day, in between: "God damning" her without any sort of preamble, she's all "Reader, I was falling in love with him." The only meaningful relationships that Jane fosters throughout this story is with Rochester's daughter, Sophia, and Ella, a side character who shows up a couple of times, but gave me more to care about than any of the main characters.
The romantic plot in this is totally contrived. Maybe it is in Jane Eyre too, I honestly don't remember, but I think I went into this, hoping for some more balance between thriller and romance. Or like, at least made the falling in love part make more sense. Because it sort of just comes out of no where and Rochester's done absolutely nothing for her to feel this way except be surly and look hot and have a shit ton of money so I'm like??? I don't know, it didn't do anything for me.
I also hated that Rochester has a kid in this and he was constantly more concerned about his potential relationship with Jane than his kid the entire time. Maybe in Victorian Times this could be believable. But like in this day and age, we don't praise absent parents. I just couldn't understand how that wasn't a major red flag to Jane. So again, I was constantly infuriated by how stupid she seemed and how forgiving she was of Rochester for all the shit he pulled on her.
The only reason I finished this was because I wanted to know what happened to Beatrice. And man, it was like...once again, Rochester got to be the hero, and I totally felt like he didn't deserve to be. Once we learn what happens to Beatrice, it's good there were 5 pages left because I don't think I could have stuck around for much more.
I'm not one to leave negative reviews on here very often. And seeing that this author is largely successful (with six other books published), this review likely won't hurt them. I would just not recommend this to anyone.
But in fairness to the author, I don't believe there is anyone who could retell Jane Eyre to a modern audience without infuriating our modern sensibilities. So I feel like the cards were probably stacked against them from the beginning.
I felt no connection to the majority of them. Jane was ridiculously naive, which made no sense given all that she's experienced in life prior to the events of this novel. Her friendship with Otis, who lures her to Thorn Bluffs in the first place, feels totally forced and I didn't believe they truly would do anything for one another based on the way they interacted. And then after Rochester is legit "do this," or "don't do that," to her all day, every day, in between: "God damning" her without any sort of preamble, she's all "Reader, I was falling in love with him." The only meaningful relationships that Jane fosters throughout this story is with Rochester's daughter, Sophia, and Ella, a side character who shows up a couple of times, but gave me more to care about than any of the main characters.
The romantic plot in this is totally contrived. Maybe it is in Jane Eyre too, I honestly don't remember, but I think I went into this, hoping for some more balance between thriller and romance. Or like, at least made the falling in love part make more sense. Because it sort of just comes out of no where and Rochester's done absolutely nothing for her to feel this way except be surly and look hot and have a shit ton of money so I'm like??? I don't know, it didn't do anything for me.
I also hated that Rochester has a kid in this and he was constantly more concerned about his potential relationship with Jane than his kid the entire time. Maybe in Victorian Times this could be believable. But like in this day and age, we don't praise absent parents. I just couldn't understand how that wasn't a major red flag to Jane. So again, I was constantly infuriated by how stupid she seemed and how forgiving she was of Rochester for all the shit he pulled on her.
The only reason I finished this was because I wanted to know what happened to Beatrice. And man, it was like...once again, Rochester got to be the hero, and I totally felt like he didn't deserve to be. Once we learn what happens to Beatrice, it's good there were 5 pages left because I don't think I could have stuck around for much more.
I'm not one to leave negative reviews on here very often. And seeing that this author is largely successful (with six other books published), this review likely won't hurt them. I would just not recommend this to anyone.
But in fairness to the author, I don't believe there is anyone who could retell Jane Eyre to a modern audience without infuriating our modern sensibilities. So I feel like the cards were probably stacked against them from the beginning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a great book to listen to during spooky season. It keeps you guessing throughout what has happened to Mrs. Rochester. Though a bit slow at times, the pace picks up towards the end as you reach the novel’s climax. Definitely recommend to anyone looking for a thrilling mystery with a touch of romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide