Jane by April LinderPages: 373
Grade: 8 + (Some sex, but not graphic. Mild violence and scary scenes)
Description: 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?
Thoughts: The story stays pretty close to the classic, with some obvious upgrades to the setting and the character's lifestyles.
The love story is still a classic - I love the does-he-or-doesn't-he suspense throughout the book and I ultimately really liked Nico. There's no shortage of tension in their relationship and the love story is at the very heart of the novel.
I wasn't crazy about the modern Jane. She is a bit naive for a modern well-educated woman. She makes some fairly questionable decisions throughout the book. Jane Eyre only worked because of the time period - she truly would have starved to death if she hadn't put up with her employers crap. Modern Jane has other options and the book ignores those.
Jane's family is way too stereotypical. Her sister suddenly loves her when she finds out she's marrying a famous rock star? Really? Humans are a bit more complex than that - or at least the ones I want to read about are And why on earth would she have gone to her awful sister when she called? It doesn't make a lot of sense in the context of this story line or the character.
This was one of those books that I really enjoyed while I was reading it but it started to bother me once I was done. The story is fine and there's plenty of tension to keep you reading, however, Jane's character is very flawed and not in a compelling way.
It was okay. It was a fun/romantic read, but you have to ignore a lot from the character of Jane.
