Rating: A-
Release Date: 6/26/18
Synopsis:
You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!)
Or does she?
Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.
My thoughts on the book:
I really adore the Lady Janies' books. Their novels are always fun, hilarious takes on classical novels, and My Plain Jane was no exception. This book, like its predecessor, is one of those light-hearted stories that makes your world feel a little bit brighter, just by reading it. I enjoyed Hand, Meadows, and Ashton's take on Jane Eyre, and agreed with most of their quips about the novel. I wasn't a huge Jane Eyre fan due to my dislike of Rochester, but I have immense respect for both of the Brontë sisters. This book does Brontë's novel justice and pokes fun at some of the ridiculousness in the original story, too. I'd recommend this to anyone who is looking for a fun, unique read.
The characters in this book were amazing. Charlotte, Jane, and Alexander each told the story from their own perspectives, and each character was fully developed and so "human," that I couldn't help but relate to all of them in some way. The secondary characters were equally engaging, and Bran was a particular favorite of mine, as was Helen. I love how they painted Charlotte as a clever, creative, and mischievous teenager. In all of the portraits of the Brontës, they always looked so stern... I prefer to think of Charlotte as these authors created her - an adventurous spirit who appreciated everything in the world around her. I also enjoyed the idea that Charlotte and Jane were friends and that's how Jane Eyre came to be.
The writing was brilliant, of course. These authors are professionals, and it shows in every novel they create. They tempered humor with seriousness, and at times, sadness. I felt a range of emotions while reading this novel and found myself rooting for all of the characters who weren't "nefarious villains." This is a longer novel (when it comes to YA lit, over 450 pages), but I flew through it. The pacing is spot on and nothing feels rushed. The plot has a few holes that may be corrected before the final copy goes to print, but it's also clear (as it was in the last novel) that this is supposed to be a lighthearted story and some of the outlandish plot points are supposed to be accepted for the sake of the story.
Overall, I say give this book (and series) a try. If you're a fan of classical literature, or you just like people named Jane, then you'll love this book. Each novel can be read as a standalone book, too, though there was a cameo from Jane and G from the first book that I enjoyed. This novel is the perfect light summer read. I can't wait to see what these authors come up with next.
Rating: A-
Synopsis:
The comical, fantastical, romantical, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey. In My Lady Jane, coauthors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have created a one-of-a-kind fantasy in the tradition of The Princess Bride, featuring a reluctant king, an even more reluctant queen, a noble steed, and only a passing resemblance to actual history—because sometimes history needs a little help.
At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married off to a stranger and caught up in a conspiracy to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about. Jane gets to be Queen of England.
My thoughts on the book:
I will admit that I was a bit hesitant when it came to this book. I am a history dork (my minor was history), and I am absolutely obsessed with Medieval Europe especially the Tudor and post-Tudor era. Therefore, I wasn't really sure how I'd take a revisionist, comedic history written about Lady Jane Grey. However, Ashton, Hand, and Meadows are three of my favorite authors, and I knew that if anyone could pull this off, they could. As it turns out, I was absolutely enthralled with this novel. It is light, funny, and a ridiculously engaging read. I couldn't put it down. I read it all over the course of 3 days after work, and considering it's over 500 pages, that's a pretty big feat. This was simply a lovely story.
I'm always a bit nervous when I hear about historical fiction reworking actual historical figures, rather than setting a book in a certain time period and creating one's own characters. The authors rarely get the characters "right," in my opinion, and any history buff would say the same thing. We could all nitpick everything to death until the end of time. However, this book didn't really *try* to get the characters right. Since it was a comedy, and the narrators made it clear that it wasn't to be taken seriously, I was able to completely delve into their world, the characters, and the alternate version of the time period. Yes, the language was off, and yes, one of the characters wanted to be called G, which would just never happen in that day and age, but I loved all of the characters, nonetheless. Jane was a strong heroine, and I really loved their version of Elizabeth I. I feel like they actually had Bloody Mary pretty spot on, to be honest. Edward was more engaging than he would have been had they stuck to his actual personality. I wasn't a fan of what they did with Mary, Queen of Scots, but that's because I'm a huge fan of the Scottish Queen.
The writing was cute and casual and incredibly engaging. They had little side notes and parentheticals throughout the novel to let the reader know that they were the ones telling the story. I enjoyed that, and their random (some real, some fake) historical facts, too. They didn't try to pass this off as anything close to authentic for a single second, and I loved that. It took a lot of courage and wit to pull this off. The pacing was quick but not rushed. The ending was adorable. The romances were cute and appropriate for all ages of YA readers. Each author took one one character, and the book was told from 3 perspectives. I have an idea who wrote which character, but I don't want to ruin it for other readers, so I won't hazard my guesses here. In my opinion, this was a courageous, witty, and fun modern day fairy tale. We don't get many actual fairy tales nowadays, and I appreciate these ladies writing one for us.
I'd recommend this book to anyone. Whether you're a fan of romance, historical fiction, comedy, fantasy, or all of the above, you are sure to be charmed by this book.
