Anne Eyre
by Summer Day
Plot Summary:
When eighteen year old Anne Eyre accepts a summer job at majestic Thornton Hall, she meets the handsome Nathanial Rochester – a man with a devastating secret. From the writer of Pride & Princesses and Wuthering Nights, Anne Eyre is inspired by the classic, gothic romance, Jane Eyre.
Review:
This novel is a faithful retelling of Jane Eyre, so much so, that it does little that is inventive or refreshing. It felt like a quick summary of the original novel and because of that I found most of the characters to be flat and formulaic. Anne Eyre is the most well-defined character and she has some spunky, fun moments, but on the whole she was disappointing. Her thoughts and feelings are not very well explained and related to her actions.Some of the changes made to the story to make it fit into modern times, felt unrealistic and unoriginal. I did read this story very quickly, as I was curious to see if the author would bring anything new to the narrative so that is a plus, but I was never impressed by the way the author retold the story. Although the writing was generally adequate, and I was glad to see the author throw in some French phrases to lend authenticity to Sophie’s origins, I felt that sometimes the thoughts expressed didn’t follow each other. An example is when Rochester asks Jane when she is coming back, and after a paragraph of Jane’s thoughts, Jane responds with how her Aunt cast her off. These things could be fixed by some editing though. Overall I found this novel disappointing and had hoped for something more.
Sixth book of ten in the 2012 Books of Eyre Reading Challenge
What a bummer. The title of the book and your review caught my attention, but yeah, it doesn't seem like it has any original elements. I won't be adding this one to my list. Best luck with your next Eyre book!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I think the next book will have to be better! :)
DeleteThat is too bad because I was planning to check this one out!
ReplyDeleteI know, I really wanted to like this book!
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