An entertaining spin on a classic with thrilling twists and turns.
A retelling of Jane Eyre that offers nods to the original novel while adding entirely new elements.
In 1843 England, John Eyre, having just left his last teaching position after the death of his employer, answers a request for a tutor at Thornfield Hall in Yorkshire. Upon arriving at his new home, John finds that not only is the man who hired him, Mr. Fairfax, not his boss, but that the owner of the house isn’t even present. John meets the two boys he’s expected to teach, but they both seem ill and don’t speak to him. After a time, John acclimates to teaching the boys and living in his new residence, although it always feels gloomy and oppressive due to the constant mists surrounding Thornfield. When John finally does happen upon the head of the household, Mrs. Rochester, it’s quite by accident, and it’s such a surprise that he spooks her horse, causing her to take a fall. Despite this unpleasant introduction, the pair manages to get along well enough; they butt heads on occasion, but they find a strange comfort in each other’s company. John can tell that Mrs. Rochester is haunted by her past—and maybe even by Thornfield itself. It turns out that she may not be the widow she claims to be, and her history may be darker than John could have imagined. In this thrilling remix of Charlotte Brontë’s work, Matthews skillfully transforms a well-known story into a truly original tale. Not only does she switch the main characters’ sexes, she also adds in supernatural aspects, such as eerie mists that attack Mrs. Rochester, and a few other alterations that are best left unspoiled. Told in a combination of prose, letters from Mrs. Rochester to her friend, and diary entries, the tale has a tendency to hop back and forth in time, but the transitions are seamless and easy to follow. Those who are familiar with the classic story will find much to enjoy here, as there are enough references to its inspiration to satisfy fans, but there’s enough new material to intrigue newcomers as well.
An entertaining spin on a classic with thrilling twists and turns.Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2021
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Perfectly Proper Press
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.
A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art.
One day, when 10-year-old Mona removes the necklace given to her by her now-dead grandmother, she experiences a frightening, hour-long bout of blindness. Her parents take her to the doctor, who gives her a variety of tests and also advises that she see a psychiatrist. Her grandfather Henry tells her parents that he will take care of that assignment, but instead, he takes Mona on weekly visits to either the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, where each week they study a single work of art, gazing at it deeply and then discussing its impact and history and the biography of its maker. For the reader’s benefit, Schlesser also describes each of the works in scrupulous detail. As the year goes on, Mona faces the usual challenges of elementary school life and the experiences of being an only child, and slowly begins to understand the causes of her temporary blindness. Primarily an amble through a few dozen of Schlesser’s favorite works of art—some well known and others less so, from Botticelli and da Vinci through Basquiat and Bourgeois—the novel would probably benefit from being read at a leisurely pace. While the dialogue between Henry and the preternaturally patient and precocious Mona sometimes strains credulity, readers who don’t have easy access to the museums of Paris may enjoy this vicarious trip in the company of a guide who focuses equally on that which can be seen and the context that can’t be. Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798889661115
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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