To say I was hesitant about reading Jane Steele is a bit of an understatement. Yes, we had a few glowing, wonderful reviews from ElCicco and yesknopemaybe, and that should have been enough to convince me. But last year I read Jane, a modern retelling of Jane Eyre, and I hated it. HATED IT. I was wary about getting myself into another Jane Eyre story. But this isn’t a retelling of the classic, its more of an homage. And it kicks ass. I’m going to go out on a […]
Reader, I Murdered Him
I’ve read plenty of good books in 2016: books I’ve enjoyed, books that were well-written, books I’d recommend to people. What I haven’t read are books that go above and beyond that. Jane Steele is the first full length novel I’ve read this year that I want to procure a hardcopy of and just fall asleep with after rereading my favorite parts. I want to force it upon friends and strangers alike because it was such a lovely reading experience. Jane Steele is kind of […]
“Reader, I murdered him,”or what if Jane Eyre got a shiv and wasn’t afraid to use it?
A while ago, I read a review of this new book by Lyndsay Faye which indicated that it was about a murderous governess who was a bit like Jane Eyre. While I am not a huge fan of Jane Eyre or the work of the Brontes in general (honestly, Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre and Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights are both tremendous jerks and their women were well shot of them), I already knew from Gods Of Gotham that Lyndsay Faye was a wonderful writer […]
When your husband tells you he killed someone, you might want to be a little nervous
Rebecca is one of those books I was always assumed I had read. I knew the basics of the plot, and of course the famous opening line, “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” When I realized I’d somehow missed reading it, I picked it up. It’s the perfect book to curl up with on a rainy Sunday with a cup of tea. While I didn’t love it as much as everyone else seems to, I certainly enjoyed it. While working as the […]
No. Just no.
You know how sometimes modern adaptations of our favorite classic novels turn out great, and quickly go up on the shelf alongside the original? Bridget Jones. Clueless. For Darkness Shows the Stars. And then there are some that aren’t great, but are ok, and that’s good enough, because it makes us think about how great the original was. Death Comes to Pemberley. Emma: A Modern Retelling. Of course, there are lots that are just lousy. But for some reason, that doesn’t stop me from reading […]
“Running, I soon realized, was the best way to stay ahead of fear.”
In her author’s note, Margot Livesey states quite plainly that the source of inspiration for this book “should be obvious.” It’s been long enough since I’ve read Jane Eyre that I didn’t get to play the details pedant, but The Flight of Gemma Hardy so closely matches the main events of its classic predecessor that my foggy memory had no trouble recalling parallel characters, locations, and plot points once re-imagined through Gemma’s steps. The set-up is familiar: Gemma is orphaned and raised by family members who […]