Jane by April Lindner

Release Date: October 11th, 2010
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 
Source: Won from a giveaway :D

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.

Review: I kept going back and forth wondering if I should buy this but then the book pretty much fell into my hands when I won it from someone a while back. I got some other Jane Eyre goodies but April Lindner's debut was the best prize of all. I read it so quickly and I still go back to it whenever I find myself unsatisfied with a book I'm reading at the moment (or a textbook. *coughs*). I'd heard great things about Jane and all the glowing reviews were right: this one's a keeper. The Jane that Lindner created is similar to the original Jane Eyre in many ways: she's practical, calm, intelligent and she has that quiet strength that her predecessor is so famous for. But this Jane is not a carbon copy---she still manages to be her own person and she's so agreeable. I loved her character. Nico Rathburn also manages to retain certain characteristics from Mr. Rochester but like Jane, he is not an exact tracing of the original. I think what most concerned me was how Lindner was going to pull off Nico Rathburn being a rock star--I kept wondering how that'd work! But it did, and it was well done.

Final Verdict: Pfft, I loved it. Everything from start to finish. The romance between Jane and Nico had all the right sparks and chemistry, the pace was perfect and all the characters you expect to show up do in some form or another. I'm always cautious of telling people to BUY BUY BUY  books but for Jane, I'd make the exception. Go buy this book. It's worth it, I promise. The skeleton of the story comes from Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre but April Lindner's Jane is a fresh, modern retelling worth reading for anyone that loves the original story (or even if you didn't love the original, try this version). Jane stands on its own despite being inspired by another author's tale.  The spirit of Jane Eyre lives on in Jane Moore and April Lindner did a beautiful job of capturing that spirit. 

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A million thank-you's to Eve Marie Mont for sending me the awesome Jane Eyre prize pack that I somehow magically won last August. If Eve's name rings a bell, that's because she's the author of A Breath of Eyre which came out on March 27th! :D