Review: Jane

Jane by April Lindner
Grade: C+
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.

The Good: Pride and Prejudice is retold so often, and while I love P&P, it was refreshing to find a retelling of another classic.  How Lindner transferred the book to a modern setting was interesting, and I'll talk about that more later.  Since I haven't read Jane Eyre yet, I can't say how it really compared to the original.  I do know some things about Jane Eyre, though, thanks to Wish You Were Eyre.  The best characters were the St. Johns.

The Bad: Jane was a bit too flat.  She didn't grow and change.  The progression of the plot didn't flow well.  I know in the original, Jane's childhood is included and I feel this might've been important to her character development.  In this book, when she finally meets Nico Rathburn, I have no clue how she went from not recognizing him on the road to suddenly knowing who he was.  It's pretty much impossible in this day and age to not have seen at least one picture of the top stars.  I also feel the romance moved much too quickly.  Is it like that in the original?

The Ugly: Nico swears quite a bit (f-words, s-words, etc.), although it's something Jane doesn't like.  There's a character who calls Jane several inappropriate names (can't say who, without spoiling something from Jane Eyre and Jane).  Romance felt, unfortunately, very modern YA with several things implied in conversation and then later done by Nico and Jane.

The Verdict: I was so eager to like this book.  I went into it knowing nothing but the synopsis and that my friend recommended it.  Unfortunately, it fell very short of my expectations.  If you're okay with all the things in "The Ugly," I'd say give it a try and let me know if you felt differently.

Also, tomorrow's RANDOM FRIDAY topic will be Back to School thoughts.  My post will be up in the afternoon, since I have co-op from 8:30-2:00, and I'll also have thoughts from my first Friday back.