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Oct 08, 2017Brontina66 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Although I am normally wary when it comes to books 'inspired' by "Jane Eyre" (sequels, prequels, Jane as a vampire slayer or a detective, etc), I must say that I have really enjoyed this story. First of all, this is not a re-writing of the original novel by Charlotte Bronte. Jane Steele is a young woman who happens to live a complicated life in Victorian England, to have a penchant for murder, and to like the book "Jane Eyre." The story is told with humor and is an interesting foray in the Victorian London underworld, where our Jane feels at ease and where she learns invaluable skills with a knife and with a pen. I don't want to reveal the plot, so I will say that there are occasional similarities with the Bronte book, but this is a far different story. Some important issues are also addressed here, such as children and women's abuse, addictions, or imperialism. I am actually sorry that I didn't know about this book last year, when I took a class on British imperialism and Victorian Lit. I worked on how the distant East 'invades' the tranquility of the English countryside in Wilkie Collins' "The Moonstone" and this book shows how colonial crimes in India have consequences not only on the perpetrators but also on some innocent victims. In any case, I highly suggest reading this book (and "The Moonstone").