Jane Steele

by Lyndsay Faye

'Reader, I murdered him.' JANE STEELE is a brilliant Gothic retelling of JANE EYRE from Edgar-nominated Lyndsay Faye, for fans of LONGBOURN and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES. 'I loved it' - Elly Griffiths.

Like the heroine of the novel she adores, Jane Steele suffers cruelly at the hands of her aunt and schoolmaster. And like Jane Eyre, they call her wicked - but in her case, she fears the accusation is true. When she flees, she leaves behind the corpses of her tormentors.

A fugitive navigating London's underbelly, Jane rights wrongs on behalf of the have-nots whilst avoiding the noose. Until an advertisement catches her eye. Her aunt has died and the new master at Highgate House, Mr Thornfield, seeks a governess. Anxious to know if she is Highgate's true heir, Jane takes the position and is soon caught up in the household's strange spell. When she falls in love with the mysterious Charles Thornfield, she faces a terrible dilemma: can she possess him - body, soul and secrets - and what if he discovers her murderous past?

• ISBN10: 0399169490
• ISBN13: 9780399169496
• Publish Date: 22 March 2016
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Imprint: G.P. Putnam's Sons
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 432
• Language: English

Reviews

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

Jane Steele caught my eye back at the beginning of the year when I saw the cover and read that it was a Jane Eyre retelling! Admittedly, I've never read Jane Eyre, but I did watch the movie way back when and really enjoyed it. After reading this I kind of do want to read the classic though!

I was a little worried about Jane when I started this book. I was worried that this would just be a book about all the terrible things this woman had done. While I'm totally down for reading a book about a badass heroine, I was afraid she wouldn't have much depth beyond her murdering ways. It's also fair to point out here that I didn't read the synopsis... But it's also fair to point out that the beginning of the book is a lot of morally questionable actions and Jane's justifying them. Since the book begins in Jane's childhood, though, there is plenty of time for her to grow as a character.

Jane ended up being a great character! Her actions were usually questionable and she was certainly not a morally upstanding leading lady, but she was sympathetic and I found that she really grew on me as the book progressed. I loved her friendship with Clark and, although I didn't always agree with her actions, I could appreciate why Jane did the things she did to protect her only friend. Possibly even better was her slow burn relationship with Mr. Thornfield.

Mr. Thornfield was an easy character to love! He was mysterious and tortured and all that, but he was also terribly sweet and loyal. Going into Jane Steele and even most of the way into it, I wasn't sure if there would be any romance. Once I realized there would be one, I was worried about how it would play into the story. But by the time it started picking up, I was invested and really ended up liking it! I loved that both Jane and Mr. Thornfield were both imperfect people and were able to embrace each other because of it rather than in spite of it.

All things considered, I'm not sure I felt like this was really a Jane Eyre retelling. Jane talked about Jane Eyre a lot and compared her story to that Jane's. This felt more like a side-by-side comparison than an actual retelling, but it was still immensely enjoyable and made me want to finally pull the original off my shelf! I also saw that this was "a satirical romance about identity, guilt, goodness, and the nature of lies," but honestly, I didn't see it as satire so much as a good story. I don't know, maybe I'm not smart enough to get it. Either way, I enjoyed this book a lot!

Although Jane Steele was a really fun read, I did have a couple issues with it! The story was really quick until Jane returned to Highgate House to work for Mr. Thornfield at which point it slowed way down. It was still interesting, but the pace definitely lagged a bit and I found myself taking a little longer to get through it. I also felt a little bit weird about the lack of consequences for murder in this book, although it's meant to mean that they were justified.

The ending of this story gave me the warm fuzzies and I really felt like it was wrapped up nicely, if a bit quickly. I wasn't sure what I was getting into with this one, but I really did enjoy this gothic retelling and would definitely recommend it to those who enjoy gothic fiction or likes their heroines morally gray.

[Rinn]

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Also posted on my blog, Rinn Reads.

Jane Eyre is one of my favourite books: after reading it first at school aged 16, I then re-read in 2014. This time round, without the need to analyse every little detail, I absolutely fell in love with it. Ever since then, I’ve been looking out for any Jane Eyre inspired books or retellings, which is why I was so eager to accept a copy of Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye.

Jane Steele is not strictly a retelling of Jane Eyre – Jane Eyre is in fact one of the favourite books of the protagonist, and she often references it. Her story mirrors that of Jane Eyre’s, with some differences, and there are many small references to parts of the book. However, the main difference between this Jane and the original? Jane Steele is a killer. It might seem like a rather outlandish and ridiculous idea, but actually it works so well. Jane Eyre is already a Gothic novel – the huge house, a mysterious employer, strange noises at night and of course the goings on in the attic… Lyndsey Faye takes all of this and adds even more.

This Jane is not the one we know – she is not meek, but cool and cunning. And despite being a killer, she is a likeable character. The book describes her as a ‘serial killer’, but I wouldn’t go as far as that. She kills when she has to – for self-defence, or to protect others, rather than just picking targets at random. But despite knowing from the very beginning that Jane is a murderer, when the murders happen they are still shocking and brutal. Jane Steele is practically the opposite of Jane Eyre in every way – she is confident, sexual, more experience with life, not to mention has slight murderous tendencies… yet despite this, I could easily tie the events of this book back to the original.

There are other differences too. Instead of a ward from France, Mr. Thornfield (Rochester) has a ward from India. Mr. Thornfield is also a lot more open and talkative than Mr. Rochester, but still very mysterious. Lyndsey Faye also reverses some events from the book, e.g. Charles Thornfield spooking Jane’s horse as she is riding down the lane, as opposed to the other way round, which was how Jane Eyre met Mr. Rochester for the first time.

Beautifully written, with a tone that truly evokes the original, Lyndsay Faye’s Jane Steele is a truly gripping book, perfect for fans of Jane Eyre who are looking for something a little bit different. I’ve read a faerie version of Jane Eyre (Ironskin), but I never expected to come across something like this! It is incredibly clever and still original enough to stand out, whilst still drawing from the major events of Jane Eyre. I liked that Jane Steele referenced Bronte’s work herself, somehow that grounded it even more. And if my review isn’t enough to convince you, know that this also comes highly recommended by the Jane Eyre expert herself, Charlene!

[tweetybugshouse]

In the page of this book, dear reader, we find a heroine that life follows that of her favorite character Jane Eyre. You find that this is the type of book where the narrator is basically having a discussion with you as the story unfolds. I was pulled in by the quirky Jane Steele and the tongue that is never tamed. She is determined, she is raked with guilt over those lives she does take, but yet she knows that those lives were not really worth saving. You know that you she feel disgust with Jane for taking the lives of these characters but in turn you relish in what she has done. This author has created a great masterpiece that is sure to delight. I shared many a favorite quote with the author and tagged them #JaneStee