Jane by April Lindner Review

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Title: Jane
Author: April Lindner (Twitter)
Publisher: Poppy
Publish Date: October 11, 2010
Genre: NA, Contemporary
Pages: 373
Source: Personal Copy

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?
Jane Moore didn't fit in. After facing the tragic deaths of her parents and being left penniless, Jane has to make some drastic changes in her life. She drops out of college and sets to work seeking a nanny job, if only to break even for a little while. But, Jane, the girl who never felt the need or desire to throw herself into pop culture finds herself in an interesting position. Acclaimed rocker, Nico Rathburn, needs a nanny, and her desire to simply survive, rather than seek fame, makes her the perfect match. But Jane soon finds herself very at home at his estate...and she may very well have put her heart in harm's way again. 

A few weeks ago, I do believe I confessed that I'd never read Jane Eyre. Well, I rectified that situation and, despite my initial struggle and reluctance, I found it to be a pretty remarkable read. Back in 2010, Jane was on my TBR, but having not read the book upon which it was based, I never got around to reading it. Drawing upon its classic counterpart, April Lindner weaves the classic tale into a novel that modern-day generations will relate to, empathize with and grow to love. While holding fast to its roots, Jane doesn't hesitate to spin us into a world that is entirely familiar but in a whole new setting, time and place.

I've read a bunch of retellings during my time as a book blogger, and I have to be honest and say that most of them really just haven't lived up. Either they cling too heavily to the classics, or they differ to greatly, and I do admit that it's an incredibly delicate balance for an author to manage. Jane Moore was, however, the epitome of Jane Eyre, and that was my first clue that this book might just have the ability to hold up against the classic. Jane is a very plainspoken, true and honest character. She's extremely forthright in her demeanor, in large part because of her upbringing, but this novel gave us a bit of a more lasting taste of her vulnerability. She's lost a lot, and she has a lot to gain from her job as a nanny in Nico's household, but first she has to almost lower her guard a bit. I was actually also extremely surprised at how well Nico embodied the persona of Mr. Rochester. He's decidedly hot, he's a musician and, for all intents and purposes, he's well above Jane in terms of class. Despite this though, the romance between Jane and Nico is delicious, appealing and flawless, really. Like the layers of an onion, we peel back these careful walls the characters have built and watch as they bare their souls to one another in such a true and honest fashion that we can't help but become invested in their story. Furthermore, the author writes with such a steady, confident hand that it mirrors how we feel about Jane. The prose is simple and stark, but it speaks volumes and lets the plot and romance sing through. In fact, truth be told, the only flaw I could mention about this novel is the slower entrance to the story and the need to fully detach myself from Jane Eyre to be able to full enjoy Jane.

Overall, I was really, really impressed with Jane. I think it's a worth retelling and, despite seeing many poor reviews, I think this book was brilliant, and I love the author's writing style. I give it a 4.5 out of 5 and, though marketed as YA, I would actually recommend this to both YA and NA audiences, especially those who enjoy contemporary fiction and classic story retellings

20 comments:

  1. So glad you enjoyed this one, Melissa! It was definitely one of my favorites of 2010.

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    1. Oh, I'm so glad to hear you loved it, too! I think it's been QUITE underrated in the blogosphere, but I'm quite partial to it, as you see ;)

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  2. I have been interested in this one for ages! Great to hear that you loved it.

    Fab review, Melissa! <33

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    1. It was really, really good, Melanie! I hope you try it out! :)

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  3. Wow, a re-telling that lives up to its classic? I've yet to read one, though I am admittedly scared to read this. Jane Eyre is my absolute FAVORITE book and I've disliked every single movie (and there have been a lot!) of the book, so a re-telling has me utterly terrified. I'll have to throw this on my TBR, though, since it comes so highly recommended from you. Lovely review, Melissa!(:

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    1. Right?! I worry you might be so invested in the classic that this might not work for you, Keertana, but I was really impressed with Lindner's ability to create a new story while never straying too far from the original :)

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  4. I also have the same problems with retellings. More often than not I am left disappointed, so it excites me to see you rating this one so highly! I only just read Jane Eyre this year (by way of free audiobook from SYNC) and I really loved it. You described Jane perfectly so that further reassures me that this author got it right! Yay! Heh, so yeah, I really want to read this now. Thanks, Melissa! Really great review.

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    1. Thanks, Aylee! I hope you end up really enjoying this one. I see from GR that it's kind of a love it or hate it book...luckily, I loved it :)

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  5. Oh my geez. You just convinced me to read Jane Eyre and then this book. :D

    I love retellings and am super excited to read this one!

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    1. Hehe mission accomplished! I think you'll love this one, Ashley!

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  6. I LOVED this re-telling, Melissa! I read Jane Eyre and I totally agree with you, this lives up to the classic and in fact I love this version a little more than the original. I'm so thrilled you did, too!Nico and Jane's romance was just amazing! *sigh* Wonderful review. :)

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    1. Right?! I thought there was no way this would compare, but I love that it took some wee liberties without really straying TOO far.

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  7. I have Jane in my pile of books to be read. I love Jane Eyre and have read a couple of retellings, all of which I've enjoyed. I'm excited this one is a good one! Glad you enjoyed it so much!

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    1. I hope you do read it and love it, Heather! After a lengthy time on my shelf, I was thoroughly impressed with it :)

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  8. I've seen this one before but not read much about it, but I love your thoughts on it. The cover is intriguing and doesn't really look like a contemporary, to be honest. But I love re-tellings and I'm always willing to give them a try. I added this one to my to-read list about halfway thru reading your review just now. Lovely review! xo

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    1. It really doesn't look like a contemp, but it kind of reminds me of that scene from Pride and Prejudice when Lizzie is on the cliff-side just looking at all the nature haha

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  9. YAY! I'm so glad you enjoyed this book, it was one of my favorite reads of 2010.

    "I was actually also extremely surprised at how well Nico embodied the persona of Mr. Rochester. He's decidedly hot, he's a musician..." - I was surprised too, but it works! Who would have thought a rock star Mr. Rochester could have worked so well? Lindner did such a great job with retelling JANE EYRE while still keeping everything fresh.

    Fabulous review :)

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  10. I loved Jane Eyre and I love that cover...this sounds like a re-telling that definitely should be on my TBR!

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  11. I agree that it's a very difficult line for authors to tread when writing a retelling. Personally, I prefer retellings to be overly faithful and reliant on the source material than the other way around. That's awesome, though, that you felt as though Jane wasn't too different or too derivative of the original story! I tend to prefer reading retelling reviews only by those who have actually read the book the retelling is based on - otherwise, how can you properly understand and review the retelling? So needless to say, I found your review to be incredibly useful. I'll have to read this at some point - and also Lindner's retelling of Wuthering Heights, Catherine.

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  12. I agree that this was a really good retelling-I feel like fairy tale retellings tend to be the best because they don't have the strong characterization of a novel but this one did a great job. I still need to check out Catherine, which I'm nervous about because I LOATHE WH!

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