4 Janes: A Novel

by Marian Yee

Through time, space, and the transcendence of maternal love, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre is reimagined in the parallel lives of one soul searching for meaning, connection, and a place to belong.

Jane Eyre is a missionary’s wife.

A bookseller in Vietnam.

A time traveler.

A hero in a modern gothic tale.

What if Jane’s story didn’t end with her marriage to Edward Rochester? What if she never married him at all?

In one lifetime, Jane travels to India and Burma as Mrs. St. John Rivers. In another, she’s Trang, a young woman selling books in Vietnam, vying for the love of the local priest. Yet another picks up where Brontë left her, now grieving the loss of her child and crossing time and space to find him. And finally, a young Vietnamese-American man searching for himself in Boston, a tutor whose relationship with a veteran feels strangely, achingly familiar…

Each thread tells Jane’s story in sweeping, heartbreaking shades of loss, vulnerability, yearning, and the fierce love of mother and child that withstands time and space. While she may long for something more out of a life she didn’t get to choose, she can still decide what to make of it.

Genres: Retellings, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Novels, Audiobook

261 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2026

Reviews

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

“People were containers of loneliness and fear.”

Author Marian Yee wondered what if Jane Eyre’s story didn’t end when she married Edward Rochester but continued on across time and place….as Mrs. St. John Rivers, a missionary’s wife; as Tran Thi Trang, a book seller in Vietnam; as Jane Eyre Rochester, now a grieving mother; and as Vihn Tran Martin, a tutor struggling with identity.

Her “genre-bending re-telling of Jane Eyre” takes readers on an adventure! I time-traveled to hang out with the four Janes as they grappled with love and duty and appreciated the reminder that even when we are living a life we didn’t choose, we are still responsible for what we make of it.

What a lifetime of experiences and travel for our gothic heroine. I like to go into books blind, not knowing what I’m going to read and not reading the synopsis. That didn’t work so well with this one. I felt lost until I familiarized myself with the author’s goal. That being said, each Jane journey is a separate yet parallel journey and follows Brontë’s Jane as she claims connection and belonging. Read slowly. Give the original Jane time to reveal herself.

This was a big undertaking, but Yee presents a compelling story.

If you enjoy ‘what if’ stories and like breaking free of societal and literary constraints, or are a fan of Brontë’s work, you’ll need to put this on your reading list.

I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Kristen]

Review of listening copy received from Netgalley

DNF @ 26%

As much as I think about Jane Eyre, the book was not a favorite of mine. I requested this from NetGalley thinking it may be interesting to explore different pathways for Jane to travel down… but she’s still very much… her.

The writing is lovely and does read a lot like Brontë. The audiobook narrator had a soft but compelling way of telling the story. It just was not the story continuation I wanted or needed, turns out.

[Kristina Pauls (ARC Reviewer) · Rating 2 out of 5]

PUBLISH DATE: June 30, 2026
The 4 James: A Nov by Marian Yee ⭐️⭐️

DNF at 10% (Audiobook)

I really wanted to like this one. The premise sounded interesting, and I was curious about the Jane Eyre connection, but this book just wasn’t working for me.

I spent the first 10% feeling confused and waiting for things to click into place. There were conversations, memories, angels, alternate lives (maybe?), and I never felt grounded enough in the story to understand what was happening. Usually I don’t mind a book making me work a little, but I found myself trying to figure out the structure instead of becoming invested in the characters.

The audiobook narrator had a soft, pleasant voice and was easy to listen to, so my struggle wasn’t with the narration. The writing itself just felt difficult for me to follow.

This is one of those cases where I can tell the book and I are simply not a good match. Other readers may connect with its style much more than I did, but after 10% I decided to set it aside rather than continue feeling lost.

PUBLISH DATE: June 30, 2026
BOOK TITLE: 4 janes
AUTHOR: Marian Yee
NARRATOR: Elizabeth Knowelden; VyVy Nguyen; David Lee Huynh
PUBLISHER: Brilliance Publishing
FORMAT:Audiobook
DURATION:

I received a complimentary digital ARC [Advanced Readers Copy] of this book via NetGalley. Thank you to the Publisher and the Author for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. As always, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this expecting a reimagining of Jane Eyre’s story and to start with it is. Jane marries St John Rivers and heads to India to be a missionary’s wife. But it the following sections it becomes much more and it’s very hard to Second section follows a young Vietnamese bookseller who is reading a copy of Jane Eyre to help with her English and she dreams of a life of travel and love. The third part we return to a Jane married to Rochester and then the fourth follows a young man searching for identity and love. None of the sections is tied to a particular time. The main focus character seems to slip through time and space, very difficult to explain. At first I wasn’t sure whether this was working but by the end I loved it. (The ending is perfect) There’s echoes of the original novel throughout, madness (and how mad women are treated!), finding love and truth, searching for meaning and finding home, maternal love and so much more. Beautifully done.

[Mohammad Anas · Rating 4 out of 5]

[NetGalley Read #81]
3.75 ⭐️

"In my dreams, I am always looking for someone who is lost to me."

This was trippy. In a sort of good, sometimes bad way. I liked the prose a lot, though. It was very readable even if heavy or depressing at times.

The story is divided into four parts. In the first part, we follow Jane Rivers (formerly Jane Eyre) and her marriage to St. John and their subsequent trip to India in 1851. I liked this part a lot. I started reading Jane Eyre because of this book and I've read about 10 or so Chapters so far and it mostly covers Jane's childhood. So I haven't got a point of reference for this part of Jane's life and how the reimagining works. But I liked it as a story, as its own thing. It introduced some of the science fiction-y or fantasy elements of the story but mostly it focused on Jane coming to grips with her new life and I liked her interaction with Abha and the subsequent guilt and the aftermath. From a character-perspective, this might be my favourite part of the four.

In part two, we follow Tran Thi Trang from 1984 to 1993. Sort of. This part, mostly the character of Father Martin, enraged me. But I guess that's the point. Still, fuck this dude. I liked Tran and her relationship with her sister Loan, the way they overcame hardships and showed resilience in the face of some of the worst circumstances possible. I did not like that we only got three chapters for Tran and it changed to Vinh's perspective for the last chapter. For this part, I did have a point of reference for Vinh's time at the school and the parallels with "Jane Eyre". I guess the problem is that I'd just read the ninth chapter of Jane Eyre and Helen Burns' character and her story made me feel emotional and sad. And I just kept comparing it to that which just made this chapter feel inferior and out of place. In comparison, of course.

In part three, we follow Jane Eyre Rochester basically time travelling (sort of) and tripping balls from Ferndean, 1855 to different time periods in the Vietnam War (and the first Indochina War). This really encapsulates the otherworldly and the magical nature of the story. I liked Jane's various attempts to escape from Mrs. Lodge. She was very crafty and cunning in this part and I liked her trips/visions to the future. Also, one of the only parts where I felt there was a bit of levity or humour, even if overshadowed by the grief of losing her son. And that shift from Ferndean and different places in the wars to just Boston in 1912 came out of nowhere. But I liked that it connected with the last part.

In part four, we follow Vinh Tran Martin in Boston in 2008. We already know a bit about him at this point from part two. Here we follow his story shortly after a heartbreak. This part felt very depressing (and mopey, at times). But I liked Vinh's interactions with Michael and the subsequent relationship (if it can be called that) with Ed and then the revelation of Ed's history and how it connected to the whole story. The Epilogue and the very final painting/memory scene was beautifully written.

It's a short-ish book (230+ pages). Beautiful prose. Heavy themes of loss and suffering and the search for one's identity. I don't know if the decision to remove quotation marks from dialogue is a creative choice or if it's because this is an ARC. If it was a creative choice, I liked it. It enhanced this otherworldly feeling of the story. That being said, it could be off-putting to some. I'd read it again just for the prose, though. This book did give me a reason to read Jane Eyre and, ten chapters in, I'm loving that.

Recommended.

[Nursebookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who loves Jane Eyre, I was excited to read a story that asks, What if Jane's life had taken a different path?

This novel imagines Jane living many different lives across time and place. She is a missionary's wife, a bookseller in Vietnam, a grieving mother, and even a young Vietnamese American man searching for where he belongs. Even though each story is different, they all share the same heart and spirit that made me love Jane in the first place.

What I loved most was that this book isn't really about romance. It's about love in many forms, especially the love between a mother and child. It also explores grief, hope, identity, and the idea that some connections never truly disappear.

I appreciated how the author honored Charlotte Brontë's classic while creating something completely original. It made me think about how our lives can change with different choices, yet who we are at our core often stays the same.

If Jane Eyre has a special place in your heart, I think this book is worth reading.

[Rosh (on a medical break) · Rating 1 out of 5]

In a Nutshell: A historical fiction offering us “4 Janes” similar to the character Jane Eyre. Not a retelling. Four distinct sections with minimal interconnection in plot. Insipid characters, forced lyricism in the writing, random story development. I struggled to reach the finish line. This gets a no from me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Plot Preview:

If you have read Charlotte Brontë’s classic work ‘Jane Eyre’, you know that it ends with her marriage to Edward Rochester. But what if Jane’s destiny lay somewhere else?
In this book, we meet 4 Janes: a missionary’s wife battling a new land and life, a Vietnamese bookseller battling a forbidden crush, a historical time traveller battling a recent grief, and a modern-day immigrant (most probably battling his need for self-identity and love; I lost all interest in the book by then.)
The story comes to us in four distinct sections from the point of view of the four key characters.

I picked this book up for two main reasons: I needed a Jane Eyre retelling for a reading challenge, and I was intrigued by the line in the blurb claiming “Jane Eyre is reimagined in the parallel lives of one soul searching for meaning, connection, and a place to belong.” This declaration isn't wrong. However, it comes to fruition in the most boring way possible, leaving me befuddled as to how such an intriguing premise can end in such a dull read. I have had more than my share of duds in 2026, but this is easily among the bottom ten reads of the year.

The story comes to us from four sections, each with no connection in plot but a minor alluded connection through characters. The sections have separate characters in the lead, and come from varied times and places. The first and third section are from Jane Eyre’s point of view, but her circumstances are vastly different. In Section One, she is married to St. John Rivers (her cousin, whose proposal she declines in the classic novel) after Rochester’s death in the big fire. (IYKYK.) In Section Three, she is married to Rochester as expected, but is struggling to keep a hold on her grief after a painful loss. So the mood in the two sections isn't the same. Sections two and four come from the POV of Vietnamese-origin characters not seen in the original classic. You might wonder how Vietnam pops up in a Jane Eyre retelling, but the connection is established through Section One.

As you can see, the idea is quite clever. Almost like getting four stories for the price of one. I still can't believe such an innovative storyline ended so badly. The issue clearly is with the execution, which didn’t work for me.

For one, there is absolutely no connection between the four tracks, even though the alternate storylines have connected characters. The ending of each section is somewhat incomplete, stopping at a critical point in the character’s life rather than at a happy/settled moment. So the immediate jump to the next section, which is in a totally different place and a different historical period, feels very abrupt. It takes time to adjust to the radical transition.

Further, I never felt connected to any of the characters, whether the ones reprising their roles from the classic or the new entrants. All of them felt insipid and self-absorbed, not because they were vain but because they were constantly moping only about themselves. The first and fourth sections had the strongest chance of being memorable for me because a good chunk of Section One is set in India and Section Four, though set in modern-day USA, is the closest of the four to being a Jane Eyre retelling. However, the Indian content felt very artificial to me. The thinking of the characters was also annoying, though I must say they mostly reflected the ethos of the era. The fourth section could have been a novel by itself with better character development and a deeper narrative. One-fourth of a novel is too short to do justice to a retelling. Moreover, Section Four doesn’t have a single quotation mark for the conversations, and many times, a single para contains spoken dialogues as well as the general narration and inner monologues. My concentration was greatly affected by this writing choice.

All the sections contain at least some mention of religion, but none of the religious content worked for me. (I am a practising Christian, so this isn't a case of a religion-reader mismatch. I just didn’t like the approach of the book towards the faith.) Do note that despite the Christian content, the book cannot be classified as “Christian fiction” because of a few of its plot inclusions.

Lastly, the writing is lyrical, but somehow, it doesn’t feel natural. I felt like it was trying too hard to be literary, and in the process, it lost its impact. This, combined with the random story development within each section, ensured my boredom.

No book works the same for every reader. So I can only hope that this story resonates better with others. It might click more with those who don’t have preconceived expectations from a Jane Eyre retelling and are okay with a meandering narrative. As the content is mostly independent of the classic novel, there is no real need to read the original before attempting this atypical variant. However, you might connect better with the characters if you are familiar with the Brontë work (though it clearly didn’t help me.)

1 star.


My thanks to Little A for providing the DRC of “4 Janes” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn’t work better for me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I follow the Goodreads rating policy:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Lifelong favourite!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I loved the book.
⭐⭐⭐ - I liked the book.
⭐⭐ - I found the book average.
⭐ - I hated the book.
The decimals indicate the degree of the in-between feelings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book made me realize that Bronte's Jane Eyre is perfect as it is. There is no need to reimagine her because her story doesn't work any other way, and loses the magic when removed from the original setting and circumstances.

Here, the alternate iterations of Jane did not work for me. I didn't like her half as much, especially in the version where she married St. John. She lacked the spark and determination of the classic novel, which made this rather tedious to read. I kept setting this aside, thinking I'd come back and get through it, simply because I don't like to DNF. But no desire to resume reading after 5 months is a definite sign to give up.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

[Jes · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

This was fine! Probably like a 2.5, really. Jane Eyre is almost certainly my favorite book. And I like the bits of this that were a retelling. And I also like the parts that were a reinterpretation of the themes in the book. But man is this just unsatisfying. All four parts end ambiguously, to some degree, and it just gets very old by the end. I definitely get that literary fiction is often more concerned with themes than being character driven. But god this feels just plain incoherent sometimes, especially during the supernatural segments. The worst of it was definitely the Jane Eyre Rochester segment. It was less interesting than the other three stories and way more vibe-y.

I think this could've benefited by a longer page count and maybe a stronger editor. Because the first two stories are incredibly strong. But the author gets weird and metaphysical in a way that's hard to follow when it's portrayed so briefly.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is for somebody. I’m not that person. Normally I have a strict rule of finishing what I started if I’ve made it halfway, but I couldn’t this time.

Maybe I misunderstood what I was getting myself into? From the way I read the brief synopsis, Jane Eyre is reincarnated into four different people. Upon reading, thats not the case? Maybe? Unclear.

The first two stories dragged. The third story felt like the author was coming up on their deadline and needed to turn their work in. In this portion we’re following a time traveler? Or a crazy person? We start jumping back and forth in timelines so much it gave me a headache. Ultimately I decided the headache wasn’t worth it for a book I wasn’t enjoying in the first place.

Completion: 171/236 pages

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorite novels is Jane Eyre, and I always enjoy reading retellings of it. And so I couldn’t resist reading Marian Yee’s debut, 4 Janes. This book is divided into four reimaginings of Jane, two continuing from Charlotte Brontë’s established storytelling, and two drawing up entirely new versions of the titular character.

Parts one and three follow the original Jane in the mid-nineteenth century. First, after learning that Mr. Rochester died in the fire, Jane decides to marry St. John, moving with him to India for missionary work. Then in part three, Jane did marry Mr. Rochester, but after the loss of their child, she becomes a time traveler of sorts, always searching for her son.

The other two stories imagine a Vietnamese family between 1984 and 2008. In part two, a bookseller in 1980s Vietnam is secretly in love with a missionary. She has his child, but then her son is stolen away to the United States. The final story follows that same boy, now an adult in 2008. He becomes a tutor for a rich man’s adopted child, ultimately living out his own version of the original Jane Eyre narrative. All four parts are closely connected despite disparate settings and characters.

What I Liked:
- Distinct reimaginings of Jane Eyre. She’s one of literature’s icons, and the original book offered numerous themes to further explore. In 4 Janes, we get to follow two threads from the classic story itself: What if Jane had married St. John after all? Or: What would Jane’s marriage to Mr. Rochester have looked like? Alternately, we get a character in Vietnam who is a fan of Charlotte Brontë’s famous novel, and her son ultimately lives a scenario similar to Jane’s experiences at Thornfield Hall. These four stories span time and space, and in the case of the third one, genre as well. Time travel is certainly more speculative than the other three stories!
- Discussions of race and sexuality added to those of class, gender, and lineage. The original Jane Eyre brought up commentary on identity. Here, a new dimension is added with two of the stories centering Vietnamese characters. The latter, in particular, examines racial identity and racism, in addition to sexuality and gender identity. These themes fit well with the original novel’s analysis of agency and privilege.
- Unconventional storytelling. 4 Janes is neither a traditional novel nor a collection of short stories. Instead, it inhabits a space somewhere in the middle. The four parts are distinct from each other, and yet they intersect in significant ways. Perhaps it’s more like two stories, each divided into two halves. But even then, the past and the present timelines do seem to overlap. Ultimately, this book is not linear or especially easy to follow. It will force you to think outside the normal bounds of a character’s journey through life. It’s abstract and thought-provoking, which can lead to unique interpretations and deeper thinking.

What Didn’t Work for Me:
- It’s not always clear what’s happening. Specifically in part three, in which Jane Eyre Rochester is time traveling to many different years and places, the narrative goes in a much more metaphysical direction. This part was perhaps the most interesting and yet the hardest to follow. I wish it was developed further to make for a slightly more straightforward reading.
- Some stories feel rushed. The above-mentioned time traveling story could have been its own novel. Similarly, the final story, about a gay Vietnamese man and his own Mr. Rochester experience, felt like it could have been a longer retelling. This book is ambitious, but perhaps could have cut one of the parts or increased the total page count.

Audiobook:
The audiobook for 4 Janes comes with multiple narrators. Each one does an excellent job of capturing their particular character and setting. Elizabeth Knowelden has a gentle tone that matches the original Jane Eyre we all know and love. In part two, VyVy Nguyen portrays the Vietnamese woman in the 1980s and David Lee Huynh portrays her son later on. Across the stories, the three narrators do justice to their versions of Jane.

Final Thoughts
4 Janes is a thoughtful and ambitious work of fiction that will appeal to fans of the original Jane Eyre who also crave something more expansive. This novel defies genres or expectations, offering something wholly original and yet in tune with the classic story. It isn’t the easiest read, but I did enjoy the diverse lives Jane got to live here.

Special thanks to Little A, Brilliance Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

* Please read my full review on my blog, Amanda's Book Corner! *

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up because I am a lover of Jane Eyre and remember the first time that I read it as a teenager. I've been obsessed ever since, so I was intrigued by this new twist on a favorite classic.

Yee's prose was so captivating that I felt like I had sunk right into the time and place she was writing about. The descriptions of the people and places were so vivid that it felt like you could reach out and touch the things you were reading about. The emotiveness of the prose was also beautiful. I truly felt the pain, joy, and fear of the people within the stories. For the writing alone, I would recommend you pick up a copy of this book. Nevertheless, I did have a few places where I struggled with the structure of the book

The premise of the book that this book is: "Through time, space, and the transcendence of maternal love, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre is reimagined in the parallel lives of one soul searching for meaning, connection, and a place to belong". I became a little confused because the idea is that it's "one soul" that of Jane Eyre, that we are meant to follow through four different but interconnected stories. However, how can two people have the same soul if they are both alive? At the end of the book, I thought that maybe the book was following the souls of Rochester and Eyre, and that is why the stories unfold the way that they do, but from the details in the text, this seems not to be the case (I believe that the bookseller in Vietnam and the hero of the modern gothic are alive at the same time, which means they cannot both have the same soul, right?).

While I did appreciate how the stories interconnected with one another, I did find the story about the time traveller a little confusing, as I wasn't quite sure if she was the same woman we met in the first story. If she is, that makes more sense narratively, but the book makes it seem like these are four distinct stories, when they are in fact interconnected.

Also, and this is just a personal note. I am so confused how the priest didn't know who he'd been with. Was it dark? Is he dumb? How did that happen?

Overall, this book takes Jane Eyre and adds even greater emotional depth by exploring ideas of love, personal development, and family obligation. If you are a fan of the original novel, this takes the original novel and elaborates on themes merely hinted at in the original by putting Jane in new contexts.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

CONTENT WARNINGS
Moderate: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC against an honest review!


I was quite intrigued with this book, first because it was related to Jane Eyre, then because the synopsis mentioned time travel.

But, when I started reading it, I wasn't compelled to go on. Nothing kept me in the novel. The first part was quite tedious and I stopped reading after that. I thought I would dnf it, but I decided to go with the audiobook, to try and finish it.

The second part was really good. I loved being with Trang in Vietnam, discovering her life, her feelings, her relationship with the people around her. And I only got that she was a "reincarnation" of Jane thanks to the audiobook, with the narrator's pronounciation - I'm sure I would have missed it otherwise. I know it's in the synopsis, but once I'm determined to read a book, I stop going back to this resume; it's often spoilery and I'd rather discover the story on my own. I really had a hard time with Vin being taken by Father Martin! That was awful!

During the third part, I felt detached again, even though we were back with Jane, a character I dearly love in the original novel! I was attached to her not thanks to 4 Janes, but thanks to my memories of Jane Eyre. The time travel felt odd and, sometimes, I couldn't follow and couldn't force myself to - maybe it was also because, again, I wasn't in the novel. During my reading, I didn't understand some scenes that I got later on, which highlights my total lack of involvement while reading. It bothers me because I loved the idea of it and the subject broached was well-handled: grief and, particularly, the loss of a child. I also felt like the writing-style bloomed there, like the parts in which Jane has "crises" really deepened the author's style. I could see fog, mist and the way the character would pass from place to place. But I couldn't stay in the novel.

The last part, I was more in. We follow Vin once he is an adult and I liked what the author proposed here: Vin is Jane and his employer is Rochester. I was rooting for them. But, here, it felt like I was reading a different novel. I had a hard time connecting the different parts. I think I might have liked the book better if we would just have followed Trang and Vin. I get how Jane and Trang are connected, but I'm not convinced.

Finally, I had a hard time with Jane Eyre being both a fictional character in the novel - Trang reads a copy of it - and a real character without it being discussed in any way. It felt confusing, strange, and not in a good way. If 4 Janes had played with this concept, it might not have bothered me, but here, it seems like it's normal for Jane to be both fictional and real.


Unfortunately, I think I completely missed this novel. I'll still try and read another of the author if one comes out.

[Stacey (Bookalorian) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review - Fiction - ARC Ebook - Literary Fiction - Time Travel

Title: 4 Janes by Marian Lee

⭐ Star Rating: 4 ⭐

🎯 Vibe Check: PASS

This book felt like... Jane Eyre collided with The Midnight Library and The Time Traveler's Wife. It's literary, emotional, and definitely one that makes you stop and think.

I was hooked... once I realized where all the different timelines were going. At first I wasn't sure how everything connected, but watching each version of Jane's life slowly weave together was incredibly satisfying.

Did I care about the characters? Yes. Every version of Jane carried the same heart, even though she lived completely different lives. The exploration of grief, identity, and motherhood really hit home.

Tropes included: parallel lives, alternate timelines, time travel, reincarnation, literary retelling, motherhood, self-discovery.

Did they deliver? Absolutely. This wasn't your typical time travel story. It was much more emotional than action-packed, and I loved the way every storyline echoed the others.

This book made me feel: reflective. It asks some big questions about fate, love, grief, and whether we're destined for one life or many.

This book might make you: immediately want to reread Jane Eyre... or finally pick it up if you've never read it.

What didn't work: The beginning was a little confusing while I figured out who everyone was and how the timelines connected. Once it clicked, though, I was completely invested.

Perfect for readers who love... Jane Eyre, The Midnight Library, literary fiction, and character-driven stories that explore the "what ifs" of life.

🚫 Not for readers who dislike... slower-paced literary fiction or stories that ask you to trust the process before everything comes together.

😈 Petty Complaint... I would've loved just a little more time with one or two of the timelines because I became attached to those versions of Jane.

All in all, I thought this was such a unique reimagining of Jane Eyre. It isn't a straight retelling—it's an exploration of how one soul could live many lives while still searching for love, purpose, and belonging. Emotional, beautifully written, and one that will stick with me long after I finish.

Thank you for my gifted E-book from @netgalley

[The Lit · Rating 2 out of 5]

🚨 SPOILER ALERT: READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
​I am giving 4 Janes by Morgan Thomas a 2-star review and logging it as a DNF (Did Not Finish) at 40%. ⭐⭐
​While I really wanted to love this one, the execution unfortunately fell flat for me, making it a tough journey to push through on my listening device.
​ARC Disclosure: Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing an early review copy. All thoughts and reflections shared here are entirely my own.
​The Review
​4 Janes introduces a highly conceptual narrative that aims to explore layered identities, historical intersections, and complex personal structures. The book attempts to weave a deep, atmospheric story that challenges traditional storytelling boundaries. However, because the narrative relies so heavily on abstract thematic transitions and an unconventional structure, the momentum struggles to establish a steady rhythm. While the prose itself displays clear literary ambition, the pacing remains exceptionally stagnant, prioritizing a slow, winding exploration of its concepts over active plot progression or immediate tension.
​The Good
​The premise was very appealing to me! The core concept promises a deeply unique, thought-provoking journey that immediately catches your attention and makes you curious to see how the multi-layered elements will connect.
​The Not So Good
​Once I started listening to the book I just couldn't connect to the story or the characters... the story, the pace... just didn't do it for me. When a book has an agonizingly slow pace, it makes it incredibly difficult to stay grounded in the plot, and unfortunately, the lack of connection to the characters meant I couldn't find a reason to keep pressing play past the 40% mark.
​🎧 AUDIOBOOK PERFORMANCE
​The Narration: The audio was great in itself! The vocal performance was professional, expressive, and did a wonderful job trying to bring the text to life. The narrator provided excellent clarity and tone, meaning the production quality was top-notch even if the underlying story structure and sluggish pacing failed to keep me hooked.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ Review ✨ 4 Janes by Marian Yee

Thanks to Little A, Brilliance Audio, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

I was sucked into this with the premise that there were 4 different Janes, playing on alternate stories of Jane Eyre, but what I didn't realize was how the four stories would all weave together so wonderfully.

The book's synopsis shares these four threads: "In one lifetime, Jane travels to India and Burma as Mrs. St. John Rivers. In another, she’s Trang, a young woman selling books in Vietnam, vying for the love of the local priest. Yet another picks up where Brontë left her, now grieving the loss of her child and crossing time and space to find him. And finally, a young Vietnamese-American man searching for himself in Boston, a tutor whose relationship with a veteran feels strangely, achingly familiar…" And yet, each of these stories connects to the others in a way that shows a sense of yearning that crosses time and space.

I loved the ways that this moved throughout the East in India and Vietnam and confronted legacies of colonialism and empire across centuries. The ways that she wove together these stories with those parts set in the UK and the US was really smart, and kept me hooked in.

However, this book isn't for the faint of heart -- it's conceptual and complex and takes a lot of thinking and tracking. I tried listening to just a bit on audio, but found it hard to track the overlaps of the characters and what was happening. No shade on the quality of the audiobook, I just needed to see this one with my eyes to follow what was happening. 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: literary fiction, retelling-ish
Setting: Vietnam, India, rural UK, Boston
Reminds me of: Jane Eyre
Pub Date: Jun 30 2026

Read this if you like:
⭕️ the OG Jane Eyre
⭕️ reimaginings using popular classic literary characters
⭕️ mult-POV complex conceptual books

[lorenzodulac · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be completely honest, I’m not the biggest fan of the original story. And before anyone comes at me, I’m not saying I don’t like Jane Eyre, I’m saying it’s not really my preferred choice of classic. It’s still good, obviously, better than good. And while I liked 4 Janes and gave it a generous rating, I think people who are really into the original would go crazy over this.
The book itself and the general intention behind it was so cool. We’re following different versions of Jane Eyre, in parallel lives, I guess you could say. She takes different forms, a missionary’s wife, a bookseller in Vietnam, a grieving Jane Eyre Rochester, and a Vinh, a young Vietnamese man. The soul remains one.
The book is so gorgeously written, it’s seriously striking. I really appreciate when books use the power of writing like this author did, it’s not overly lyrical and doesn’t pull you out of the story. But at the same time some quotes in this book hit you before you know what even happened. Especially towards the end while we were following Vinh. I think the writing in general was just beautifully approached.
As for the plot. It did get a bit confusing at times with all the character POVs changing. Because we were following quite a lot of people. But it’s really not a massive problem, you just have to get used to it.
All in all, I think this was a very well written book with a strong concept and plot. I would have preferred to see more of each character because the book itself was a bit short, maybe a bit too short for the story we were being told. But I do think that while this worked for me fine, it could work even better for someone who really likes Jane Eyre more than me. I would give this a four star, pretty much bang on. The writing won me over, but the characters were delightful to follow as well.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for the advance listening copy of 4 Janes. This review is voluntarily given, and all opinions are my own.

****4 stars

Jane Eyre is one of my all-time favorite books, so I went into 4 Janes with both excitement and a little hesitation. Retellings of beloved classics can be tricky, especially when the source material means so much to you. I’m happy to say this one really did justice to the characters and the emotional heart of the original. Often retellings are either "lighter" in nature, or somewhat tongue in cheek and that is not the case here. This is absolutely literary fiction in the same vein as the original book. If the original book was too heavy for you then this likely will be as well.

I appreciated how thoughtfully this story reimagined Jane’s journey while still preserving the resilience, complexity, and emotional depth that make these characters so compelling. There was a lot here to admire, especially in how the different threads connected and built on one another.

That said, this is definitely a long book, and I think the comments I saw about the length were fair. Listening to the audiobook, there were sections where I had to go back and relisten because I felt like I missed something or needed more time to fully connect the threads. This is not a casual, easy audiobook to have on in the background—it really demands your attention.

Even with that, I found it to be a rewarding experience overall. If you love Jane Eyre, enjoy layered storytelling, and appreciate thoughtful retellings that honor the original while doing something fresh, this one is worth picking up.

[Ambre · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I think you could call this a work of modern-day literature. The way Marian Yee blends the stories, jumps through time and space, and yanks on my wistful heartstrings was such a pleasurable way to spend some time, especially since I've always felt a deep connection with Jane Eyre. I found being immersed in all the different worlds to be both dizzying and eye-opening (the research to depict these periods and places, even this briefly, must have been extensive!), and my wistful heart broke because what do you mean THAT happened to Jane in that particular reincarnation (iykyk because we hates them, my precious!)?!? The time travel aspect added a unique sci-fi feel while still maintaining that Victorian vibe for the "original" version of Jane and the Mrs. St. John Rivers version. Although I don't understand the addition of Charlotte, other than as the "other woman" catalyst, especially since she basically disappears after this, except for a few brief mentions.

I quite enjoyed David Lee Huynh's narration (although I had to giggle a bit each time he says "Huế" like it's a question), but I was a bit disappointed by both Elizabeth Knowelden's and VyVy Nguyen's narrations. Knowelden's vocal range didn't stray much from her Jane's, so it made it a little hard to distinguish between the other characters sometimes. Nguyen's performance was incredibly monotone for most of the chapters, and I'm not sure if that was a conscious character choice or not, but it took me out of the story at times, and made it a bit harder to connect with Trang.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an ALC in exchange for an honest review!

[Susan Ballard (subakkabookstuff) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m going to preface this by saying I’m probably the last person to be critiquing a book that is a reimagining of 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘌𝘺𝘳𝘦, since I haven’t read the Classic.

That said, I know enough about it to realize it's a daunting task to take on anything that might be compared to the beloved novel.

Yee takes an interesting approach, reimagining Jane Eyre as if she had a different life than the one she had with Mr. Rochester. Instead, she, or her consciousness, is threaded through four parallel lives, all searching for love and acceptance.

The writing is eloquent, and the settings feel real, from India and Burma to Vietnam and Boston. However, the layered, somewhat unconventional structure of time made me feel untethered from the story and confused about whether these 'Janes' were truly one soul or multiple people.

Certainly a unique and abstract journey, and the ending brought many things together for me. I also appreciated the themes of maternal love and familial obligation that ran throughout, as well as the cameos of the book 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘌𝘺𝘳𝘦 itself. I think this will especially appeal to readers interested in a more speculative reinterpretation.


🎧 Thank you @brilliancepublishing for the gifted audiobook. Narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden, VyVy Nguyen, and David Lee Huynh, I found that pairing my reading with this well-performed audiobook helped me connect with each character as I followed them on their journeys.

Thank you publicist @angelabookspr for this gifted book.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the abridged version of Jane Eyre in high school and loved it. I recently decided to read the unabridged version. With this still fresh in my mind, I read, Marian Yee’s, 4 Jane’s. My first comment about this book is, Wow! The writing is beautiful! The flow and language of the first chapter, where Jane is a missionary’s wife, is very much in Brontë’s voice. It would have fit perfectly if it had been Jane’s decision to marry St. John and travel abroad.

Each chapter in 4 Janes is a unique story on its own but connected to each other and Bronte’s classic by common themes and parallel experiences. In the 2nd chapter, Jane and Trang are connected by their shared strength of character and history of class/poverty. There are also themes of love, loss, belonging, and religion. Although this chapter is very different from the first, I enjoyed it and found it very readable and enjoyable.

The beauty of this book, beyond the crafted writing, is that it highlights and connects us to so many themes, across time and cultures. The stories tie parallel elements to each other and to the classic Jane Eyre story. Familiarity with the original made this an intriguing read. There were also elements of mysticism and spirituality in both versions that I would have loved to discuss with other Jane Eyre fans, in a class, or book club. I think this would help me better understand chapt. 3, where Jane travels across time in search of her son. This book is an enjoyable, thoughtful work, showing the masterful, imaginative talent of its author, M. Yee.

[Katie Bogdan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

One of my resolutions for my reading year was to actually pick up books because they seemed interesting and not just because they have a ton of hype. 4 Janes squarely fell into that category and I'm honestly so glad that I picked this one up.

Told through a series of vignettes tracking Jane Eyre's parallel lives, this genre-bending story follows Bronte's version of Jane Eyre and two original characters created by Yee as they struggle to hold onto their loved ones and find their purpose across time and across the world. Being a big fan of the original novel, I really enjoyed the focus on Jane as a figure whose parallel lives are bound to her capacity for maternal love rather than that of romantic love. It not only illuminated new aspects of the original novel for me, but it grounded the metaphysics and nuance of what Yee brought to the tale in an incredibly poignant way. In a time where our divisions only appear to be deepening, this book is a gentle reminder that our forms do not matter and it is our souls that speak to one other. I will be telling as many people as I can to pick this book up and I look forward to being able to get a copy for myself soon!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little A for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have adored Jane Eyre since I first read it at 17. The experience was deeply formative and Jane’s story strangely comforted me at a time when I was navigating a difficult diagnosis, family turmoil, and social isolation. That 19th century novel read me, even as I read it. I saw that same truth reflected back and amplified in 4 Janes.

4 Janes embraces the incredible power of this nearly 2-century old story and expands upon it, drawing out threads of possibility and expounding on them. The expansion feels natural, like a dialogue that was always meant to happen between Jane herself, and Marian Yee.

It is a study in and an application of the universality of Jane Eyre. Simultaneously a retelling and speculative fiction, it is hard to describe exactly what to expect from this novel (and I had barely any expectations going in). I feel 4 Janes can best be summed up as a powerful exploration of the simple question: ‘what if?’ through the lens of a beloved classic. I feel also that 4 Janes may be a future classic itself, as it steps so boldly into conversation with Jane Eyre and such lofty topics of love, grief, and hope.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

[Onceuponaplace · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 Janes is an ambitious and, for the most part, beautifully handled reimagining of Jane Eyre, one that I found myself drawn into even when I wasn’t entirely convinced by its structure. The idea of a single consciousness refracted across different lives and geographies gives the novel a strong conceptual pull, and there are moments where it really works, especially in the way longing and loss reappear in different forms rather than being tied to one fixed narrative.
That said, I sometimes felt the transitions came a little too quickly, as if each strand was only just beginning to open up before it was set aside for the next. It created an interesting sense of movement, but also a slight distance from the characters at times. Still, the writing itself is undeniably elegant, often lyrical without feeling excessive, and some passages linger because of how carefully they’re shaped.
Even with a few reservations about pacing and depth, the book held my attention throughout, largely because of its emotional intelligence and its willingness to stretch its source material in unexpected directions.

Overall, I came away genuinely moved by it.

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jane Eyre is one of my all time favorite books AND I've been focusing on more Asian writers and stories so 4 Janes feels like something I would love.

4 Janes could be read as short stories, because really, that's what these are. While yes, there is the Jane connection for each story, they all have the power to be their own, individual book. We have Jane, a missionary's wife, Jane, after her marriage to Edward and after the loss of her child. This Jane is able to float through time, visiting other lands and other years. We also a Vietnamese mother and son, a preacher, and a scholar. Each story follows "Jane" navigating love, grief, and loss, with beautiful and full language.

Did I want more from every Jane? Absolutely. The story about Trang can and should be a full length novel in itself. Some of the stories felt rushed and less rich than they could have been. Marian Yee is able to create very distinct worlds for each 'Jane" and I hope that they are able to take these stories and expand the worlds.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[ava elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is based on an advanced reader's copy provided from NetGalley.

It was a joy to read this spellbinding, time travelling novel.

I really loved the way this book was organized. Each of the four parts kept me intrigued and were beautiful in their own way. I particularly loved being in Jane's head; I loved seeing her mind work and how she described the people around her, as well as the things she endured. I found that she was very well written and especially enjoyed reading about her time in India.

The way that relationships are written in this novel was the standout to me. Whether it be Jane's friendships, her relationships, Trang and her sister, or Vinh's romantic attachments, how Yee wrote about them was truly captivating. Definitely my favourite part of this experience.

Yee's writing style definitely stood out to me while I was reading this novel. I liked how, in Jane's parts, Yee was inspired by classic literature, redacting some places and names to make it feel more real. I flew through it as the writing style felt very engaging.

Yee's ability to have everything come together, everything circle back, and everyone parallel each other was very satisfying. I loved all the little threads that reminded me of other aspects of the novel. It was beautiful and cohesive, while still being completely dreamlike. What a wonderful debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Brittany Ellsworth-Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Marian Yee, and Little A for the eARC access to Yee's new novel, 4 Janes.

As a tried-and-true Jane Eyre fan, I was immediately intrigued by the prospect of Jane reincarnating or transcending different lives, particularly in Vietnam. The different lives started out with St. John Rivers, which felt close enough to the original book to start diving in. Eventually, Mr. Rochester also made an appearance as well as a new cast of characters, from a missionary to a bookseller to a Vietnam vet. While I was maybe confused initially about how all the characters tied together and were part of Jane's story, the longer the book went on, the more I found myself quietly realizing parallels to Jane's original story, especially that outside of Thornfield and Mr. Rochester. By the final section of the book, I came to see how all the characters were tied together and appreciated even more the subtle ties to Jane's "original" past. The story provided not only more traditional retellings or embellishments of Jane's story, but offered an expanded view through these new characters that I really enjoyed. Overall, one of the better remakes or retellings of a classic novel I've come across!

#4Janes #NetGalley

[Nicola Friar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bold and creative reimagining of Jane Eyre. It's actually quite difficult to summarise what this novel is actually about. It's obviously based on Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre, but involves souls searching for one another throughout time and space. It begins with an interpretation of what Janes life would be like had she married St. John Rivers in the 1850s. I found this one of the most interesting parts of the novel, but was a little disappointed that it concluded so abruptly. Given the jumping about across timelines, I would have liked to have revisited this for a bit more closure. The second part shifts to Vietnam during the 1980s and 90s to focus one a pair of sisters, and a buried secret. Then there is another version of Jane Eyre who does marry Mr Rochester, but is perhaps none the better for it. Next we move to 1990s USA to focus on another Vietnamese inspired part of the narrative. Finally we flit between USA and Vietnam in 2008 to tie up some loose ends. Overall I enjoyed 4 Janes. I admire the ambition behind such a novel as this. I just found some parts to be unresolved and found the final section of the novel lacking in the sophistication of its earlier parts.

[Kathy Trastevere · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 I commend the author for such an “out of the box” avant- guarde interpretation of Jane Eyre. Fortunately I had just read Jane Eyre, and would not have otherwise enjoyed or understood this novel, which is hard to wrap your head around! I especially enjoyed the story of Trang and Vinh, and the author’s very insightful pairing Jane Eyre’s pain and journey to the same emotions and struggle of the Vietnam characters more than 100 years later. The struggles of humanity as seen in Jane Eyre repeat themselves through time.
I also liked the mirrored missionary stories in which the missionary men always seem to have misplaced superiority doing more harm than good, while the women, Jane and Trang, give selfless love and care, while longing to be truly loved. I like the twist in the Vietnam story that the character of Jane is found in both Trang and her son Vinh. I like how this story downplays the “happily ever after” of romantic love, while celebrating love in general, especially between mother and child.

[jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no doubt 4 Janes is a beautifully, even lyrical at times, written book. Marian Yee can weave words into precise yet elegant sentences to convey the four different short stories throughout, and is one of the main reasons I enjoyed this read. In regards to Jane, I felt as if this book could have been split into two separate stories; the first and third portion and the second and fourth. Dare I say, I would’ve loved a more in-depth story of Trang and her family as my heart was moved the most by the inevitable consequences of love and loss. I also loved the historical blend of Jane and Vietnam, highlighting the contrast between the two, but also the similarities of grief and sorrow.

I do think that the stories were rushed ever so slightly in this condensed form, which can take away connection to the characters and why I favored two out of the four. Nonetheless, it was still a spectacular read.

Thank you NetGalley and Little A for the ARC.