Book Review: Jane by April Lindner

Jane by April Lindner
Publisher: Poppy
Publication date: October 2010
ISBN: 9780316084208
Source: Library

This modern retelling of Jane Eyre places Mr. Rochester (Nico Rathburn) as a rock star and Jane (Jane Moore) as Nanny to his daughter.  When Jane has to drop out of college when her parents are killed in a car crash and she is left with no money, she applies at a nanny agency.  Placed with the famous and filthy rich Nico Rathburn, a rock star trying to make his comeback, she does not expect to fall in love.  But, Nico has some secrets he's keeping from her and everyone else that just might change everything.

Things I Liked:
I loved the new and fresh face that this put on an old favorite of mine.  I loved watching Nico and Jane fall in love and struggle with their obstacles.  Many have mentioned how they wish she'd changed the story more, but I thought it had enough originality to stand alone.  It was a smart and fun twist on a classic that will hopefully inspire new generations to pick up Jane Eyre.  Some parts I liked:

I would behave with absolute professionalism no matter what debauchery went on around me.  I would stay as anonymous as possible, do my job, and blend in with the furniture.  That should be easy. p 16

The night of Nico's comeback concert was like a diamond necklace, a string of luminous events, each one dazzling in its own right, yet taken together, an excess of riches. p 230

Was I jealous?  Maybe, but as I waited on Hyacinth Avenue in the morning chill, it felt like more than that, as though the higher part of my nature was telling me to walk away from something that could do me harm, something that could erode my soul and my sense of self.  It felt like I was doing the right thing, and maybe I was. p 265

Things I Didn't Like:
I may be a bit of a purist, but I thought she changed some of the motivations of the character too much for my taste. Jane did not feel like the strong-willed but quiet woman with convictions that I adore from the original.  It was a little odd to me to remove religion almost entirely from the book, since Jane's beliefs and even River's were such a huge part of Bronte's book.  I had conflicting feelings about this one, obviously.  It had both good and bad for me.

Read-alikes:
Definitely made me want to read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte again

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@#$
plenty, some quite strong

mrg-factor: XXX
there is quite a bit of this, though not very descriptive

v-factor: ->
not so much violence as debauchery (drug use, etc)

Overall rating: ***

What is your favorite iteration of the Jane Eyre phenomenon? (favorite movie, spin-off, etc)

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