Book Review: Jane by April Lindner

JANE by April Lindner
Publication Date: October 11th 2010 by Poppy
Rating:

Summary: 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, an iconic 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 tested by a torturous secret from his past.

Part irresistible romance and part darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers.

Review Overview:

• Recommended to reluctant classics readers who haven’t read Jane Eyre
• Great chemistry, wonderful story

Yes, I haven’t read Jane Eyre. But over the years, I’ve become pretty acquainted with the plot and the characters. It would be pretty difficult not to be when it’s become so prominent in pop culture. Coming into the book, I had some knowledge of the characters, the forbidden romance, and the plot. I’m pretty sure I read the plot summary on Wikipedia before when I had myself convinced that I would never read Jane Eyre because it’s a classic… and classics are just too boring for me. Well, huh. Funny how that’s changed.

I loved JANE. I found it so easy to relate to her and I love how she’s exactly my age. There’s not too many books out there that involves protagonists of exactly my age so I was loving every single moment of it. I read a couple of reviews that argued that Jane wasn’t as strong of a heroine in this modern retelling as she was in the original, but since I’ve never read the classic, I had nothing to compare it to. As a 19-year-old faced with so much difficulty in her short life, I thought that Jane handled herself very maturely. I know that there are a ton of girls my age that couldn’t have handled her parents death and lack of funds any better than she has.

The one thing that bothered me a little was the fact that I really didn’t know Nico’s age. Was it essential to the story? Not at all. It’s quite obvious that he’s older, but not so old that he could be her father. Still, I found him very charming and I was simply drawn immediately to his character. I loved the chemistry in this book. There was no surprise how it was going to turn out, but I had fun getting there.

I thought that the story of Jane Eyre based on my limited knowledge of the plot worked fantastically in this contemporary setting. I was actually craving to read a story involving a rock star so it was just my luck that I had JANE sitting on my shelf from the library. I am so happy for this book because it’s given me a rare appreciation for classics. I can only imagine how much more I will enjoy Jane Eyre and I cannot wait to get my hands on a pretty leather-bound copy.

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