Thursday, March 28, 2013

Book Review: Jane by April Lindner

Title:  Jane
Author:  April Lindner
Genre:  YA romance/retelling
Pages:  373

Rating:  A

Synopsis from goodreads.com:  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, a world-famous 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 soon tested by an agonizing secret from his past. Torn between her feelings for Nico and his fateful secret, Jane must decide: Does being true to herself mean giving up on true love?

An irresistible romance interwoven with a darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre 
promises to enchant a new generation of readers.
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I've been really lazy about writing this review, even though I loved the book.  I read the book on Sunday and waited til now to work on the review, so if it seems shorter than my other reviews, that's why.

Jane is a modern retelling of Jane Eyre, one of my all-time favorite books, and I was sure that modernizing the classic wouldn't work well.  I was wrong.  I loved how Lindner was able to capture the essential story and characters in a contemporary way.  Jane Moore is a recently orphaned college student who has to drop out of school and look for work as a nanny.  Nico Rathburn, this story's Mr. Rochester, is a world-famous rock star with a brooding, gruff manner and a bad-boy past.  Both characters reflected the personas of the originals while also adding their own unique traits.

The story itself is almost identical to the original, so if you've read or seen Jane Eyre, you pretty much now how the story ends.  The major difference between the two stories, besides the modernization and setting in America, is the passion between the two main characters.  Taking place in the present time, the romance is much more physical and charged.

If you like adaptations that don't stray too far (in this case, barely at all) from their original story, then Jane is a must-read.  It has all the same elements as Jane Eyre with a modern twist.  I'm looking forward to seeing how Lindner handles Wuthering Heights in her new book, Catherine.  A

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