Becoming Jane Eyre

We recently came across a blog post that described our current - and past, and hopefully future too - feelings, that is, that of sporting an advanced review copy of a book that is weeks or even months away from seeing the light. In our case it was Becoming Jane Eyre, by Sheila Kohler, which has been in the works for quite a while and arrives now in the midst of this year's Brontë biofiction flood.

Becoming Jane Eyre
by Sheila Kohler

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (December 29, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0143115979
ISBN-13: 978-0143115977

Becoming Jane Eyre" is lush and filled with dark sensuality and the tension of unsaid things. The style is quite different from Charlotte Bronte's in Jane Eyre yet the tone and imagery and spirit remain in the same realm. " Jane Eyre" is is my favorite book and Sheila Kohler one of my favorite writers." (Amy Tan)

And while we will publish our full review closer to the publication date, suffice it to say now that you should be writing that date down, because if you like the Brontës - and reading biographical novels about them - then surely you will want to read this book. The cover alone is quite tempting already, isn't it?

The novels opens with Charlotte and Patrick in Manchester, while Patrick is recuperating from his cataract operation and Charlotte is famously beginning to write Jane Eyre. The site now has a blue plaque to mark it, as uploaded by Tony Worrall Foto to Flickr.

A big thank you to the staff at Penguin for letting us have this treat.

Categories: Books, Charlotte Brontë, Fiction, Jane Eyre