The Book Addict Reviews: Jane by April Lindner

Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Website | Goodreads
Rating: 3 stars
Won this book in a Paperbackswap game.

In A Nutshell:
I liked the story and applaud April Lindner for having the courage to bring the story of Jane Eyre to a modern setting. However, in modern-day sensibilities, I felt uncomfortable with Jane’s age and lack of experience when it came to her relationship with Nico.

Review:
In high school, I loved Jane Eyre. I impatiently waited for the opportunity to read Jane because I was so excited to see a modern-day adaptation of one of my favorite classics.

In the Author’s Notes, April Lindner discussed some of the reasons adapting this novel was harder than some of the other classics that have modern-day adaptations (in particular she mentions Pride and Prejudice). I found that most of her decisions related to the story worked.  In particular she discussed the difficulty of modernizing the secret hidden on the third floor.  In some ways, I had my doubts that a rock star would really be able to keep that secret, but it was probable. 

However, since this book was geared towards a young adult audience I was not comfortable with Jane’s age and lack of experience with regards to her relationship with Nico. I do understand that in the classic Jane Eyre was young which does not bother me because that was not as uncommon of a practice for the time period that Jane Eyre was written in nor the time period that Jane Eyre is set in. But when I saw the relationship in a modern day context, I was not comfortable particularly as the relationship between Jane and Nico became sexual.

Recommendations:
I would to read April Lindner's book of poetry: