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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.
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