Jane by April Lindner
Poppy • $17.99 • ISBN 9780316084208
On sale October 11, 2010
Set Jane Eyre during contemporary times–and turn Mr. Rochester into a rock star–and you’ve got Jane, the smart and sexy new teen novel from April Lindner. As BookPage’s review attests, this story is not so much inspired by Jane Eyre as it is “a retelling in its truest sense. Lindner, a professor of English, certainly knows her subject, and her affection for Charlotte Brontë’s masterpiece is clear on every page.”
After 19-year-old Jane’s parents die in a car accident, our heroine is forced to drop out of Sarah Lawrence and find a job through a nanny service. Because she’s more into classical music than rock and never reads the tabloids, Jane is placed in the home of Nico Rathburn (it’s better to avoid the fans)–a rocker with a bad boy image and a young daughter. I won’t say more and spoil the ending . . . although if you’ve read Jane Eyre, I think you know where it’s going. Still, it’s a lot of fun to anticipate familiar scenes and watch them play out in a modern setting, and it doesn’t hurt that Jane and Nico have awfully good chemistry.
Since Halloween is just around the corner, here’s a creepy scene that Brontë fans will surely be able to place:
Once again, the house was silent, and I felt myeslf drifting back to sleep. I had just started dreaming when another sound startled me awake. This time it was a laugh–low, suppressed, and deep–that seemed to be coming through the keyhole of my bedroom door. I bolted upright. The room was pitch-dark; the only light would have come in between the slats of the window blinds, but tonight there was no moon. I sat perfectly still, waiting for my eyes to adjust. Had I dreamed that laugh? Had my sleeping mind taken a distant sound–a loon’s cry, maybe?–and distored it?
“Is somebody there?” I whispered, and heard a floorboard creak just outside my door. Then I noticed something that made my heart pound even faster–a faint aroma of sulfur. I switched on the light, crept to the door, and yanked it open. On the carpet, at the top of the stairs, I saw a match smoldering. The air was thick with smoke, but the blue billows seemed to be coming from Mr. Rathburn’s wing, on the opposite side of the house.
What are you reading today?
Also, do you have a favorite retelling of a classic?
Aam currently reading Return to Sullivan’s Island which is great. My favorite classic is still Heidi!
Shoot to Thrill is the latest Monkeywrench novel by P. J. Tracy (a pseudonym for a mother and daughter writing team). The whole series of Monkeywrench mysteries is intelligent, funny, and wonderfully written with memorable and unique characters. The writing gets better with each book.
i am reading “A Murderous Procession,” by Ariana Franklin, her 3rd book, in A Mistress in the Art of Death series. Good historical mystery fiction, love the characters.
I am reading “False Friend” by Myla Goldberg
I am reading an advance copy of “The Distant Hours” by Kate Morton. It is unputdownable (is that a word?) good!
As for retelling of a classic, I love the fairy tales that have been rewritten, such as “The three little wolves and the big, bad pig. Or “The three Blairs”.
My favorite is “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” by Scieszka. The last line of the book is the wolf saying something like “I was framed”.
My current read is “Fall of Giants” by Ken Follett and I’m browsing for a paperback to carry to work. “Fall” is too heavy to carry around.
I am all but finished with “Breaking Night” by Liz Murray. This book is both incredibly sad as well as incredibly uplifting. Liz was born to drug addicted parents who are loving, but disfunctional. Disfunctional due to the drugs and the resulting poverty. Growing up in New York City Liz was exposed to life at its roughest. She overcame the homelessness and eventually works hard at achieving goals that seemed unreachable. Liz has become a tremendous author and public speaker. There has also been a Lifetime movie made from her story.
I am reading “The Last Time I saw You” by Elizabeth Berg and loving it. It is about a 40th High School class reunion and all the ways high school can mark you forever as a certain kind of person.
Going for a quiet read this week with Debbie McComber’s 1022 Evergreen.