Jane by April Lindner

Title: Jane
Author: April Lindner
Publisher: Poppy
Publication Date: October 2010
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, 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.

       When I read modernizations or retellings of fairy tales or classic stories, I try to go into them thinkthat they are different, unique tales. That is, I don't compare them to the stories on which they are based. First, its unfair to both the original and the retelling. More importatly, however, it is unfair to me. In doing that, I close myself off to experiencing a novel. For these two reasons, I try not to compare retellings with the originals. With that in mind, I went into Jane viewing it as its own novel not as a retelling of Jane Eyre. In this case, however, it was very difficult to separate the novels because they were so similar. Lindner really stayed true to Jane for the most part. Jane stays true to the tone of Jane Eyre. The gothic nature, the beautiful prose, and the sweeping romances of Jane and Nico were all exactly the same. Sometimes, however, the similarity was to a fault. At times I felt like Jane was just the paraphrased Jane Eyre. There were whole conversations that were almost verbatim.
       In all, I enjoyed the book as a stand alone when not comparing it to the original. Plus, if you've wanted to read the classic version but are afraid or intimidated, this version is much more accessible.

Thanks for reading!
The Book Nook