Cummins, Amy

English

Scholarworks@UTRGV Univ. of Texas RioGrande Valley

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ScholarWorks @ UTRGV Journal of South Texas English Studies Fall 2010 BOOK REVIEW. April Lindner’s Jane. New York: Hachette Book Group of Little, Brown, and Company, October 2010. 373 pages. (Hardback, $17.99) ISBN 978-0-316-08420-8 Amy Cummins Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/jostes Recommended Citation Cummins, A. (2010). BOOK REVIEW. April Lindner’s Jane. New York: Hachette Book Group of Little, Brown, and Company, October 2010. 373 pages. (Hardback, $17.99) ISBN 978-0-316-08420-8. Jostes: The Journal of South Texas English Studies, 1(1), 1-4. This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks @ UTRGV. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of South Texas English Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UTRGV. For more information, please contact justin.white@utrgv.edu, william.flores01@utrgv.edu. BOOK REVIEW. April Lindner’s Jane. New York: Hachette Book Group of Little, Brown, andCompany, October 2010. 373 pages. (Hardback, $17.99)  ISBN  978-0-316-08420-8By: Amy CumminsThis book review of a newly released novel in the young adult fiction classification is inkeeping with the topic of adaptation for this issue of the Journal of South Texas English Studies.Young adult literature (YAL) frequently reworks classic literature to create engaging new textsthat comment on the originals. Adaptations of canonical texts can be fascinating new texts thatstand alone as literature while connecting with the originating text for an added level of meaning.As Pam Cole demonstrates in Young Adult Literature in the Twenty-First Century (2009), YALspinoffs from canonical texts create opportunities for connecting contemporary literature with theclassical canon (514).The matter of literary lineage is impossible to ignore when reading April Lindner’s Jane(2010), the latest among numerous novels inspired by Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847).Lindner shifts Brontë’s plot and characters into contemporary America, with Jane mirroring theoriginal in ways that may delight fans of Brontë’s masterpiece. Because gender conventions havealtered so greatly since the 1840s, readers might find anachronistic certain characterizations likeJane’s passivity. Jane Moore is no Katniss Everdeen or Tally Youngblood, yet she is notsupposed to be.Lindner’s protagonist drops out of college before graduation because she is suddenlyorphaned and cannot afford tuition. As a nanny rather than a governess, Jane Moore narrates herown story and describes herself as looking “perfectly average” (19).  She takes care of the fiveyear old Madeline, daughter of French pop star Celine and American rock star Nico Rathburn,who is making a comeback. Like the original not in awe of Mr. Rochester, this new Jane speakshonestly to the rock star. Mysterious noises in the third floor, unexplained fire, a torn veil, andthe tree split by lightning make their appearance. Jane realizes that she is in love with NicoRathburn and finds her true home at Thornfield. When he falls in love with her and proposes, sheaccepts. But on their wedding day, Jane learns that Nico has lied to her. As in Brontë’s original,with Bertha Mason Rochester as the “madwoman in the attic,” a psychotic former wife namedBibi is being kept away from the world.While a spiritual struggle between moral duty and earthly happiness makes Brontë’s Janeconflicted about her romantic choice, the updated version does not have this struggle. Theoriginal St. John Rivers, a moral alternative to Edward Rochester who invites Jane to join him asa missionary, held genuine appeal for Jane and Victorian readers. But in Lindner’s adaptation,there is no real chance that Jane will accept the offer from Yale divinity student River St. John tojoin him as a social worker in Haiti.As a reader who treasures Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, I appreciated Lindner’scontemporary retelling. Noting detailed connections with the original was a pleasure for me,although other readers familiar with the original might be less fond of the comparison. Thecharacters and events of Brontë’s novel are managed capably in Lindner’s update, with suspensemaintained even for readers who already know the plot. The well-crafted novel will be enjoyableto someone who has not yet read the original although it functions even better for readers whoalready cherish Jane Eyre.

BOOK REVIEW. April Lindner’s Jane. New York: Hachette Book Group of Little, Brown, and Company, October 2010. 373 pages. (Hardback, $17.99) ISBN 978-0-316-08420-8

https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1067&context=jostes

BOOK REVIEW. April Lindner’s Jane. New York: Hachette Book Group of Little, Brown, and Company, October 2010. 373 pages. (Hardback, $17.99) ISBN 978-0-316-08420-8

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