Helpful Score: 2
Fans of the Charlotte Bronte original will no doubt cheer for this loyal modernization of Jane Eyre. For those of us who are more ambiguous about how we feel about Jane Eyre, however, JANE does little to convince us otherwise.
What April Lindner does best in JANE is capturing the mood and tone of the original story. The tormented romance between the Janes and their employers, the enigmatic attractiveness of the Mr. Rochester characterits all here.
Whats missing in JANE, however, is Janes inner passion, a part of her that is all too easily overlooked, especially if youre me and was lukewarm about the original. In Jane Eyre, readers see a fierce determination within her to stay true to herself and speak to her mind. Grown-up Jane, in turn, retains some of this passion and drive, even though on the surface she seems submissive. Jane Moore, on the other hand, starts out as a rather passive and flat character and remains so throughout the story. She feels like she was born an old lady, instead of like how Jane Eyre learned how to hide her fieriness.
Jane Eyre was no Pride and Prejudice for me, and I think thats what makes it and all subsequent retellings still difficult for me to immerse myself in. I think most people either love or dont care for Jane Eyre, and the divisions will most likely still stand for this modernization. Bronte fans will cherish the familiarity of this storythe tormented Nico Rathburn, Janes levelheadedness, their slowly unfolding romance. And thus the very things that bother people in Jane Eyre will most likely still bother them in JANE. Give the book a try: its superbly written and up to the originals standards, but theres little it can do to convince you to love it if you werent a fan of Jane Eyre in the first place.
What April Lindner does best in JANE is capturing the mood and tone of the original story. The tormented romance between the Janes and their employers, the enigmatic attractiveness of the Mr. Rochester characterits all here.
Whats missing in JANE, however, is Janes inner passion, a part of her that is all too easily overlooked, especially if youre me and was lukewarm about the original. In Jane Eyre, readers see a fierce determination within her to stay true to herself and speak to her mind. Grown-up Jane, in turn, retains some of this passion and drive, even though on the surface she seems submissive. Jane Moore, on the other hand, starts out as a rather passive and flat character and remains so throughout the story. She feels like she was born an old lady, instead of like how Jane Eyre learned how to hide her fieriness.
Jane Eyre was no Pride and Prejudice for me, and I think thats what makes it and all subsequent retellings still difficult for me to immerse myself in. I think most people either love or dont care for Jane Eyre, and the divisions will most likely still stand for this modernization. Bronte fans will cherish the familiarity of this storythe tormented Nico Rathburn, Janes levelheadedness, their slowly unfolding romance. And thus the very things that bother people in Jane Eyre will most likely still bother them in JANE. Give the book a try: its superbly written and up to the originals standards, but theres little it can do to convince you to love it if you werent a fan of Jane Eyre in the first place.
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