A couple of alert readers have pointed us to this new ebook just released for Kindle:
Jane Eyre's Husband - The Life of Edward Rochester [Kindle Edition]
Tara Bradley
Format: Kindle Edition
* File Size: 1101 KB
* Publisher: Kindle Publishing; 1st edition (February 21, 2011)
* Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
* Language: English
* ASIN: B004OYT8KQ
Jane Eyre's Husband tells the fascinating story of Edward Rochester's life in richly textured detail, revealing Rochester’s innermost thoughts, hopes, and passions. This is the Rochester of Charlotte Brontë’s novel: proud, arrogant, privileged, and searching for love and a better life. Beginning with his early years, then continuing to his time in Jamaica and his nightmarish first marriage, his desperate wanderings in Europe, his love for Jane Eyre and the tragedy that follows his attempt to marry her, his recovery from his injuries, and his married life with Jane, this story will take you inside the secret workings of Rochester’s mind.
Edward Rochester is one of literature's most compelling male characters, and this book discloses Rochester’s own intimate experience of his life in vivid narrative. This is a story that is always original, while set firmly within the context of Charlotte Brontë’s work.
Categories: Books, Jane Eyre, Sequels
"Jane Eyre" purists everywhere should be delighted by this book. It's a great read - I found myself pulled along, chapter after chapter, and I stayed up reading it much later than I intended!! This is Rochester's story brought to life with real depth, warmth, humor and sensitivity.
ReplyDeleteHeaven knows, Edward Rochester is one of the great romantic "heroes" of all literature, and many of us want to "know" more about him - his early life, and his private thoughts, hopes, motivations, etc. - beyond what Charlotte Bronte tells us in "Jane Eyre", and that's what Ms. Bradley's book provides.
She has stayed true to what Charlotte Bronte wrote in her original book, while expanding the details of Rochester's life in very believable ways. I think it's quite an achievement to both write an interesting book AND to have that book be faithful to the original, but Ms. Bradley has pulled it off!
I also want to mention that even though it's a Kindle e-book, one *doesn't* need to own a Kindle to read it. I don't have a Kindle; I simply downloaded the FREE software from Amazon's site and was able to read the book on my computer, with the download occurring in less than a minute. Can't beat that for instant gratification! The software can be found at:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_352814002_3?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-6&pf_rd_r=1CR7M3YM45M88H2QRKXP&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=1279039382&pf_rd_i=1000426311
I just finished this book! I was on Amazon last week looking for JE related items and found it. I downloaded the sample first, and by the time I read it I was hooked. I downloaded the book and read it all weekend. It is very long, but like the writer above says, you want to keep reading.
ReplyDeleteThe prologue wets your appetite, but the first couple of chapters are a little dry, lots of description and not much dialogue. But then it starts talking about Rochester instead of his parents and it gets better and better from there. She really shows Rochester as a real person, not just a larger than life character. He is very sad at times and really funny at others. Great book!
Okaydokay, that's another one for the list. (This mission thing is going to keep me busy until the day I die, apparently.) And it's about Rochester as well, squeee! :D
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which, I don't suppose you've heard anything about the supposedly upcoming "Rochester: Consummation" by J.L. Niemann, oh wise ones of BrontëBlog? Then again, if you had, I'm sure you would have posted about it by now. :)
This is a wonderful book, no two ways about it; if you love Rochester and Jane, this book is a 'must have’. Not only would it sit comfortably next to the original on your bookshelf (pity there's no hard copy) it more than holds its own. This is a purchase you most definitely won't regret.
ReplyDeleteIt's not an exaggeration to say that it's worth buying a kindle or downloading the free app software just for this book
Such enthusiastic readers!
ReplyDeleteTraxy: we heard from J.L. Niemann at the end of last year and she said that she was putting the finishing touches and looking into getting it published. Will let you know if/when we hear something new.
Cristina: Thanks! Sounds great, looking forward to hearing more about it! Been wanting to read the sequel ever since I laid my hands on the first one and it said it was going to be a trilogy. :) (Okay, admittedly, my review was rather ambivalent, but still.)
ReplyDeleteDownloaded this e-book and started reading (getting a Kindle for Xmas last year was a brilliant idea!) on my lunch break today, and it's BRILLIANT! If it keeps this up, there will be some serious gushing going on! Tara Bradley should really look into self-publishing as an option - no cost to her, and everyone who wants a copy can order one and have it printed to order. Such a shame it can't take up space in the bookshelf.
I was lucky enough to find this book in its original incarnation, on the Toby Stephens fan fiction site. There are some minor differences between the fan fiction and published versions, which I intend to catalogue for my own satisfaction as soon as I've finished the Kindle version. I downloaded the original version in a panic after a site crash cut off my supply for a few days, so I have both versions available to me.
ReplyDeleteI found it much truer to the original the JL Neumann's book, which I must say was a bit stuffy and far to wrapped up in what Rochester had for dinner on occasion. Both were being written on the TS fansite, pretty much in tandem, and I was FAR MORE excited to see an update of Tara's than Ms. Neumann's.
Tara Bradley stays true to the Rochester of the book while answering all sorts of questions and making him a fully rounded and very interesting character. Highly recommended.
I've only read the first three chapters so far and realised yesterday that its near 12 900 "locations" equals a printed book of about 900 pages. I compared it with a self-printed book I did before Xmas last year - it's rougly 650 pages, which as a Kindle file translates into around 9500 locations. Bradley's book is a THIRD LONGER. So I'm all dizzy with excitement now at the thought of spending a fairly long time (900 pages takes a while to get through, after all, a lot longer than 200 pages would) in the company of Edward Rochester. Especially as it's so far proven to be a book true to the Rochester it feels CB wrote about, and from comments here and on Amazon, it will continue thus and be true to the original. So this may very well be the best JE fan adaptation ever! <3 And there's me thinking £7 was a bit high for a download - I take that back. It's worth a lot more! *total fangasm*
ReplyDelete"Jane Eyre's Husband" now has a website!
ReplyDeletehttps://sites.google.com/site/janeeyreshusband/
Thank you all for your kind comments!
Tara
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteOn this blog we will not tolerate comments that are not expressed with decorum. Everyone can criticize this book or any other book and express their opinions freely but within the boundaries of good taste and correction.
ReplyDeleteBrontëBlog Team
Wonderful to know that all posts within good taste are allowed.
ReplyDeleteI was a bit mislead by reviews when I purchased this book as it was stated that "Jane Eyre purists everywhere will be pleased with this book." Unfortunately, I was not pleased to read about Rochester's manustupration. This is definately not something I would expect to find in 'literature.'
Just my two cents - Perhaps even a dollar's worth!