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Mrs. Rochester's Ghost
In a modern and twisty retelling of Jane Eyre, a young woman must question everything she thinks she knows about love, loyalty, and murder.
Jane has lost job, mother, relationship, even her home. A friend calls to offer an unusual deal—a cottage above the crashing surf of Big Sur on the estate of his employer, Evan Rochester. In return, Jane will tutor his teenage daughter. She accepts.
But nothing is quite as it seems at the Rochester estate. Though he’s been accused of murdering his glamorous and troubled wife, Evan Rochester insists she drowned herself. Jane is skeptical, but she still finds herself falling for the brilliant and secretive entrepreneur and growing close to his daughter.
And yet her deepening feelings for Evan can’t disguise dark suspicions aroused when a ghostly presence repeatedly appears in the night’s mist and fog. Jane embarks on an intense search for answers and uncovers evidence that soon puts Evan’s innocence into question. She’s determined to discover what really happened that fateful night, but what will the truth cost her?
Jane has lost job, mother, relationship, even her home. A friend calls to offer an unusual deal—a cottage above the crashing surf of Big Sur on the estate of his employer, Evan Rochester. In return, Jane will tutor his teenage daughter. She accepts.
But nothing is quite as it seems at the Rochester estate. Though he’s been accused of murdering his glamorous and troubled wife, Evan Rochester insists she drowned herself. Jane is skeptical, but she still finds herself falling for the brilliant and secretive entrepreneur and growing close to his daughter.
And yet her deepening feelings for Evan can’t disguise dark suspicions aroused when a ghostly presence repeatedly appears in the night’s mist and fog. Jane embarks on an intense search for answers and uncovers evidence that soon puts Evan’s innocence into question. She’s determined to discover what really happened that fateful night, but what will the truth cost her?
392 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2021
3214 people are currently reading
9233 people want to read
About the author
Lindsay Marcott
3 books118 followersLindsay Marcott is the author of the Amazon Kindle #1 bestseller Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost and The Producer’s Daughter, as well as six previous novels written as Lindsay Maracotta. Her books have been translated into eleven languages and adapted for several cable movies. She also wrote for the Emmy-nominated HBO series The Hitchhiker and coproduced a number of films, including Hallmark’s The Hollywood Moms Mystery (based on her Fabulously Dead mystery series) as well as the feature Breaking at the Edge.
She lives on the spectacularly scenic coast of California, the setting for her recent novels, along with her husband, a film producer, and two cats who love to steal the limelight. Before writing novels, she held down a variety of jobs ranging from screenwriter to magazine contributor to waitress in a grunge bar -- all of which supplied rich material for her future fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 926 reviews
August 1, 2021
Mrs. Rochester's Ghost by Lindsay Marcott
Mrs. Rochester's Ghost is a modern retelling of the classic, Jane Eyre. Often, I think modern takes on old classics are hampered by the restraints of the original book and that's the case with this story. The choices that a modern woman has are so much more than they were back in the time of Jane Eyre and I have a hard time thinking that this modern Jane would be so forgiving of this modern, secretive Evan (Edward in the original story).
Jane is a down on her luck, having lost her mother to cancer, her boyfriend to cheating, and her New York TV career to cancellation of the longtime show she's written for, and now she is so broke she has to make some tough decisions. When her flaky friend, Otis, begs her to move to Big Sur to tutor for his wealthy boss's daughter, Jane packs up for this new stage in her life. Once there she finds her promised cottage is really a shack and that her boss is extremely rude and grumpy and Otis has probably told more than a few lies.
Evan's wife's death was ruled suicide even though the body was never found but there are rumors that he was a cruel husband who killed his wife for her money. Evan seems to be having financial problems and his attention is more focused on business than his daughter. Things seem very "off" at Thorn Bluffs, in more ways than one. The nighttime fog and mist seems to bring a ghostly figure to Jane's shack, along with sounds and things that go bump in the night. But never fear, Jane is willing to go running around in the foggy dark, chasing shadows in the night, despite the fact that the property seems gloomy and haunted.
Alternating with Jane's chapters are those of Evan's late wife, Beatrice. Through those chapter we gain some extremely unreliable insight to what might have led up to her death. Poor Beatrice had bats in her belfry and her thoughts resemble a horror movie at best. Even if one or more people may have been out to get her, it's obvious that Beatrice was mentally ill and the situation was made worse by her refusal to take her meds. Beatrice's chapters made it hard for me to have any sympathy for her and she might have been better served if we didn't get her point of view in this story.
Publication: August 1, 2021
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC.
Mrs. Rochester's Ghost is a modern retelling of the classic, Jane Eyre. Often, I think modern takes on old classics are hampered by the restraints of the original book and that's the case with this story. The choices that a modern woman has are so much more than they were back in the time of Jane Eyre and I have a hard time thinking that this modern Jane would be so forgiving of this modern, secretive Evan (Edward in the original story).
Jane is a down on her luck, having lost her mother to cancer, her boyfriend to cheating, and her New York TV career to cancellation of the longtime show she's written for, and now she is so broke she has to make some tough decisions. When her flaky friend, Otis, begs her to move to Big Sur to tutor for his wealthy boss's daughter, Jane packs up for this new stage in her life. Once there she finds her promised cottage is really a shack and that her boss is extremely rude and grumpy and Otis has probably told more than a few lies.
Evan's wife's death was ruled suicide even though the body was never found but there are rumors that he was a cruel husband who killed his wife for her money. Evan seems to be having financial problems and his attention is more focused on business than his daughter. Things seem very "off" at Thorn Bluffs, in more ways than one. The nighttime fog and mist seems to bring a ghostly figure to Jane's shack, along with sounds and things that go bump in the night. But never fear, Jane is willing to go running around in the foggy dark, chasing shadows in the night, despite the fact that the property seems gloomy and haunted.
Alternating with Jane's chapters are those of Evan's late wife, Beatrice. Through those chapter we gain some extremely unreliable insight to what might have led up to her death. Poor Beatrice had bats in her belfry and her thoughts resemble a horror movie at best. Even if one or more people may have been out to get her, it's obvious that Beatrice was mentally ill and the situation was made worse by her refusal to take her meds. Beatrice's chapters made it hard for me to have any sympathy for her and she might have been better served if we didn't get her point of view in this story.
Publication: August 1, 2021
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC.
August 17, 2022
Wowza! This is good! Quick correction: This is amazing! It’s so natural to have some doubts when you start reading modern retelling of one of the most brilliant literature masterpieces which fully deserves its high praises for its bold and unique approach to the feminism and introducing us one of the memorable literature characters!
Jane Eyre is deeply layered character: her tragic past, raising herself at orphanage, surviving against challenging life situations, accomplishing to have a brilliant tutoring career, her suffers, her loss, her fights, her defeats, her loneliness.
Reflecting the sad, traumatic, complex layers of the character and recreate her as modern tv writer who suffers from losses including her house, her relationship, her mother is extremely hard and compelling job! But I’m so glad to see, the author successfully reflected both vulnerability and resilience of the character with deep honesty.
The story starts with the introduction to our new Jane: penniless, homeless, trying to heal her wounds. As soon as her friend tells her about a little strange tutoring job takes place in a cottage above the crashing surf of Big Sur where Rochester estate is located, she accepts it. Beggars can’t be choosers and she has nothing to lose!
She meets with eccentric, introvert, anxious Evan Rochester, owner of the estate, her new boss. Her new job is tutoring his daughter Sophia. She easily connects with her. But she also needs to control her blossoming interest in her boss cause Mr. Rochester is rumored to be the murderer of his late wife/ a spectacular supermodel Beatrice. Poor woman was drowned in the ocean outside the estate. Evan did everything to save her.
Jane doesn’t believe in Evan can be cold blooded murder but a ghostly figure starts to follow her in the house. If she wants to get rid of that haunted existence, she needs to find the stunning truth hid behind the death of beloved wife!
This is fresh, exciting, gripping, riveting , unputdownable retelling! I had second thoughts before starting it but as soon as I read a few chapters, I was already hooked even though I knew the main story!
I’m giving satisfying retelling, heart pounding, suspicious, nail biter, anxious four stars! It is greater than I expected and I’m looking forward to read more works of the author.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Thomas&Mercer for sharing this powerful reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
Jane Eyre is deeply layered character: her tragic past, raising herself at orphanage, surviving against challenging life situations, accomplishing to have a brilliant tutoring career, her suffers, her loss, her fights, her defeats, her loneliness.
Reflecting the sad, traumatic, complex layers of the character and recreate her as modern tv writer who suffers from losses including her house, her relationship, her mother is extremely hard and compelling job! But I’m so glad to see, the author successfully reflected both vulnerability and resilience of the character with deep honesty.
The story starts with the introduction to our new Jane: penniless, homeless, trying to heal her wounds. As soon as her friend tells her about a little strange tutoring job takes place in a cottage above the crashing surf of Big Sur where Rochester estate is located, she accepts it. Beggars can’t be choosers and she has nothing to lose!
She meets with eccentric, introvert, anxious Evan Rochester, owner of the estate, her new boss. Her new job is tutoring his daughter Sophia. She easily connects with her. But she also needs to control her blossoming interest in her boss cause Mr. Rochester is rumored to be the murderer of his late wife/ a spectacular supermodel Beatrice. Poor woman was drowned in the ocean outside the estate. Evan did everything to save her.
Jane doesn’t believe in Evan can be cold blooded murder but a ghostly figure starts to follow her in the house. If she wants to get rid of that haunted existence, she needs to find the stunning truth hid behind the death of beloved wife!
This is fresh, exciting, gripping, riveting , unputdownable retelling! I had second thoughts before starting it but as soon as I read a few chapters, I was already hooked even though I knew the main story!
I’m giving satisfying retelling, heart pounding, suspicious, nail biter, anxious four stars! It is greater than I expected and I’m looking forward to read more works of the author.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Thomas&Mercer for sharing this powerful reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
February 28, 2021
2.5 ⭐️
This story is described as a modern, retelling of Jane Eyre, a novel penned in 1847 by Charlotte Bronte.
I almost always enjoy retellings.
I have no problem with new books paying homage to a Classic.
But, sadly, this time, it didn’t work for me.
This Jane, has recently lost her Mom, and her job writing for a TV show, and is very much in debt.
Her friend, Otis, is a personal chef for the notorious Evan Rochester at his estate Thorn Bluffs. He reaches out to Jane with an opportunity for the Summer- Come to California, and live in a cottage above the crashing surf of Big Sur, in exchange for tutoring Evan’s daughter, Sophia.
Jane arrives and is immediately spooked by a ghostly presence that seems to be watching her through her windows at night. It doesn’t help that the housekeeper keeps lighting candles, and hanging religious medallions in an attempt to ward off the misfortune that seems to haunt the place.
Or that Beatrice’s persistent brother, Rick McAdams, is trying to convince Jane that his sister was murdered.
Did Beatrice, a top model and wife to Evan really drown?
Unique to this retelling are chapters from Beatrice from December 17, the day of her drowning.
Are these the delusional ramblings of a troubled woman who has stopped taking her medication?
Or is this the truth of what really happened before she disappeared into the crashing waves?
I found these chapters actually detracted from rather than enhanced the story.
After everything that our modern day Jane learned to be true, when all was said and done, I think she would have been better served by a modern day ending.
I didn’t feel like the love of this Jane and this Mr. Rochester felt strong enough to withstand the test of time.
This title will be available on August 1, 2021.
Thank You to Thomas and Mercer for providing a gifted copy. It was my pleasure to provide a candid review!
This story is described as a modern, retelling of Jane Eyre, a novel penned in 1847 by Charlotte Bronte.
I almost always enjoy retellings.
I have no problem with new books paying homage to a Classic.
But, sadly, this time, it didn’t work for me.
This Jane, has recently lost her Mom, and her job writing for a TV show, and is very much in debt.
Her friend, Otis, is a personal chef for the notorious Evan Rochester at his estate Thorn Bluffs. He reaches out to Jane with an opportunity for the Summer- Come to California, and live in a cottage above the crashing surf of Big Sur, in exchange for tutoring Evan’s daughter, Sophia.
Jane arrives and is immediately spooked by a ghostly presence that seems to be watching her through her windows at night. It doesn’t help that the housekeeper keeps lighting candles, and hanging religious medallions in an attempt to ward off the misfortune that seems to haunt the place.
Or that Beatrice’s persistent brother, Rick McAdams, is trying to convince Jane that his sister was murdered.
Did Beatrice, a top model and wife to Evan really drown?
Unique to this retelling are chapters from Beatrice from December 17, the day of her drowning.
Are these the delusional ramblings of a troubled woman who has stopped taking her medication?
Or is this the truth of what really happened before she disappeared into the crashing waves?
I found these chapters actually detracted from rather than enhanced the story.
After everything that our modern day Jane learned to be true, when all was said and done, I think she would have been better served by a modern day ending.
I didn’t feel like the love of this Jane and this Mr. Rochester felt strong enough to withstand the test of time.
This title will be available on August 1, 2021.
Thank You to Thomas and Mercer for providing a gifted copy. It was my pleasure to provide a candid review!
March 1, 2021
Classic Makeover.
It’s been a long time since reading Jane Eyre, so I was a quarter into the book before I realized that this was a modern re-telling. Mr Rochester, Thornfield, Jane… I felt a little dense when I finally connected.
I loved the setting near Carmel by the Sea with the Thornfield estate sounding so picturesque. I would have jumped at the chance to live there - except for the ghosts and no curtains on the windows.
I also enjoyed Jane’s relationship with Evan’s teen daughter and Evan and Jane’s romantic development. However, I don’t think a modern woman would marry a man who’d recently cheated on her - especially when infidelity happened in her last relationship. So, that aspect didn’t ring true to me.
This was easy to read and maybe the lovely California beach location blinded me a bit because I may not have enjoyed it as much had it been set in another locale.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my reading opportunity by providing an electronic ARC.
It’s been a long time since reading Jane Eyre, so I was a quarter into the book before I realized that this was a modern re-telling. Mr Rochester, Thornfield, Jane… I felt a little dense when I finally connected.
I loved the setting near Carmel by the Sea with the Thornfield estate sounding so picturesque. I would have jumped at the chance to live there - except for the ghosts and no curtains on the windows.
I also enjoyed Jane’s relationship with Evan’s teen daughter and Evan and Jane’s romantic development. However, I don’t think a modern woman would marry a man who’d recently cheated on her - especially when infidelity happened in her last relationship. So, that aspect didn’t ring true to me.
This was easy to read and maybe the lovely California beach location blinded me a bit because I may not have enjoyed it as much had it been set in another locale.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my reading opportunity by providing an electronic ARC.
July 13, 2021
3 Jane Eyre stars
This is a modern-day interpretation of “Jane Eyre” and the author has several plot points that mirror the classic tale. The gothic atmosphere this time is around foggy coastal Monterey with rugged terrain near the estate of Thorn Bluffs (Thornfield Hall in the original) and the initial meeting between Jane and Mr. Rochester is when he falls off a motorcycle (a horse in the original). There’s the mentally unhinged wife Beatrice, a fire, and an attack on a houseguest.
This time Jane is an out-of-work TV writer who moves to California for a chance of starting over when a friend makes an offer of a cottage for the summer in return for tutoring a young teenager. The young teenager is Evan Rochester’s daughter. Jane arrives at the coastal estate and encounters lots of strange things, ghostly appearances, strange howls, and rough riptides. Evan is still under suspicion for killing his wife a few months ago and Jane doesn’t know what to think about his guilt or innocence.
She does bond with the young girl and I liked their relationship along with the collection of dogs at the estate. Of course, there’s a romance brewing between Jane and Mr. Rochester, but is it doomed? As time passes, Jane decides to get to the bottom of things and events build to a dramatic conclusion.
There are chapters from Mrs. Rochester/Beatrice and they are quite disturbing! This one doesn’t quite measure up to the original, although I really wanted it to be a winner! My buddy read with Jayme and Susan was a winner. If you like twists on classic tales, you might also try "The Wife Upstairs" by Rachel Hawkins.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the complimentary copy of this one to read.
This is a modern-day interpretation of “Jane Eyre” and the author has several plot points that mirror the classic tale. The gothic atmosphere this time is around foggy coastal Monterey with rugged terrain near the estate of Thorn Bluffs (Thornfield Hall in the original) and the initial meeting between Jane and Mr. Rochester is when he falls off a motorcycle (a horse in the original). There’s the mentally unhinged wife Beatrice, a fire, and an attack on a houseguest.
This time Jane is an out-of-work TV writer who moves to California for a chance of starting over when a friend makes an offer of a cottage for the summer in return for tutoring a young teenager. The young teenager is Evan Rochester’s daughter. Jane arrives at the coastal estate and encounters lots of strange things, ghostly appearances, strange howls, and rough riptides. Evan is still under suspicion for killing his wife a few months ago and Jane doesn’t know what to think about his guilt or innocence.
She does bond with the young girl and I liked their relationship along with the collection of dogs at the estate. Of course, there’s a romance brewing between Jane and Mr. Rochester, but is it doomed? As time passes, Jane decides to get to the bottom of things and events build to a dramatic conclusion.
There are chapters from Mrs. Rochester/Beatrice and they are quite disturbing! This one doesn’t quite measure up to the original, although I really wanted it to be a winner! My buddy read with Jayme and Susan was a winner. If you like twists on classic tales, you might also try "The Wife Upstairs" by Rachel Hawkins.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the complimentary copy of this one to read.
July 5, 2021
I love Jane Eyre. This is appalling, glad it was free. I just can't...
July 31, 2021
The spooky Yorkshire moors, a crazy woman in the attic, an ambiguous brooding hero, and a stalwart, plain featured and spoken heroine made Jane Eyre a popular classic and by calling on these gothic tones and winning formula that a new author has sparked my interest once again with a modern retelling of the classic.
Janie has lost everything from mother to boyfriend to career as TV story writer and it is in these dismal straights that old friend Otis catches her ready to move across country, take up the job of tutor for a teenager, and do this in the isolated coastal estate of a wealthy man under investigation for murdering his wife.
Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost had the immediate advantage of being set along the California central coast just south of Monterey which is a lovely, very familiar location for me so I can testify that the cool, coastal foggy mists could act on the imagination if one lived in an atmosphere of secrets and mystery that permeated Thorny Bluff, Evander Rochester’s estate.
The author cleverly wove winning elements from the classic into this modern domestic thriller so that there was much for a Jane Eyre fan to recognize and appreciate while also getting to savor fresh elements to plot and characters.
I will say that this story struck me as one of those that will be appreciated with varying degrees depending on how one sorts it out genre-wise. I had to get this clear in my own mind. If I treated it like a romantic suspense which is how it felt at times, I wouldn’t care for it because I simply didn’t see a good romance build up and there was the cheating aspect. However, if I viewed it as a domestic thriller (which is how it is described) with romance elements, I fared much better because there was much more care taken with that than the romance.
Speaking of the thriller side, I’m still on the fence about having the duo narration threads. Janie told the current storyline and Beatrice McAdams, the wife who Evan said drowned though others think he killed her for her money, narrated the details of that last day she was alive. Beatrice is the quintessential unreliable narrator with her delusions and manic thoughts and behavior because she was off her meds. Her narration was intriguing as something different from any previous Jane Eyre retellings and variations I’ve read, but it was also somewhat distracting and took away from the suspense element in Janie’s storyline.
I did feel that the story lagged somewhat after the initial introductions and set up, but it picked back up for me after the midway point. I could see the need of where the author was going with all that and it wasn’t just filler, with character and relationship development needed as well as a slow build of certain plot pieces, but I was impatient to get things moving.
Janie was a typical gothic tale heroine to me. She was susceptible to atmosphere and her imagination was her own worst enemy while at the same time, she was impulsive and gutsy to go nosing about when she suspected she was being watched, followed, and odd things were happening around her not to mention she was living in what she believed was a murder scene and falling in love with a murderer. I shook my head a few times, but ended up just going with it. The original Jane Eyre had a different personality that I appreciated more, but it was still fun to see Janie scared, but still detecting away.
For the longest time, I had no idea if this book was going to follow the original Jane Eyre story through its twists and reveals to the end or if it was going to surprise me with a variation on the ending. This is to say that I had my suspicions about Beatrice McAdams’ death, but I was also unsure if I was reading Evan all wrong. Simply, I had no idea and had to wait until the big reveal.
So, all in all, this was an entertaining, atmospheric modern retelling that did a good job. It definitely had the feel of the classic, but also translated moderately well into a fresh modern domestic thriller. The crowds who enjoy both modern retellings of classics and domestic thrillers that lean toward the old-style gothic are the target audience.
My thanks to Thomas and Mercer for providing the eARC to be read in exchange for an honest review.
Janie has lost everything from mother to boyfriend to career as TV story writer and it is in these dismal straights that old friend Otis catches her ready to move across country, take up the job of tutor for a teenager, and do this in the isolated coastal estate of a wealthy man under investigation for murdering his wife.
Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost had the immediate advantage of being set along the California central coast just south of Monterey which is a lovely, very familiar location for me so I can testify that the cool, coastal foggy mists could act on the imagination if one lived in an atmosphere of secrets and mystery that permeated Thorny Bluff, Evander Rochester’s estate.
The author cleverly wove winning elements from the classic into this modern domestic thriller so that there was much for a Jane Eyre fan to recognize and appreciate while also getting to savor fresh elements to plot and characters.
I will say that this story struck me as one of those that will be appreciated with varying degrees depending on how one sorts it out genre-wise. I had to get this clear in my own mind. If I treated it like a romantic suspense which is how it felt at times, I wouldn’t care for it because I simply didn’t see a good romance build up and there was the cheating aspect. However, if I viewed it as a domestic thriller (which is how it is described) with romance elements, I fared much better because there was much more care taken with that than the romance.
Speaking of the thriller side, I’m still on the fence about having the duo narration threads. Janie told the current storyline and Beatrice McAdams, the wife who Evan said drowned though others think he killed her for her money, narrated the details of that last day she was alive. Beatrice is the quintessential unreliable narrator with her delusions and manic thoughts and behavior because she was off her meds. Her narration was intriguing as something different from any previous Jane Eyre retellings and variations I’ve read, but it was also somewhat distracting and took away from the suspense element in Janie’s storyline.
I did feel that the story lagged somewhat after the initial introductions and set up, but it picked back up for me after the midway point. I could see the need of where the author was going with all that and it wasn’t just filler, with character and relationship development needed as well as a slow build of certain plot pieces, but I was impatient to get things moving.
Janie was a typical gothic tale heroine to me. She was susceptible to atmosphere and her imagination was her own worst enemy while at the same time, she was impulsive and gutsy to go nosing about when she suspected she was being watched, followed, and odd things were happening around her not to mention she was living in what she believed was a murder scene and falling in love with a murderer. I shook my head a few times, but ended up just going with it. The original Jane Eyre had a different personality that I appreciated more, but it was still fun to see Janie scared, but still detecting away.
For the longest time, I had no idea if this book was going to follow the original Jane Eyre story through its twists and reveals to the end or if it was going to surprise me with a variation on the ending. This is to say that I had my suspicions about Beatrice McAdams’ death, but I was also unsure if I was reading Evan all wrong. Simply, I had no idea and had to wait until the big reveal.
So, all in all, this was an entertaining, atmospheric modern retelling that did a good job. It definitely had the feel of the classic, but also translated moderately well into a fresh modern domestic thriller. The crowds who enjoy both modern retellings of classics and domestic thrillers that lean toward the old-style gothic are the target audience.
My thanks to Thomas and Mercer for providing the eARC to be read in exchange for an honest review.
October 13, 2021
Jane Eyre is one of my favourite stories and Jane herself one of my favourite heroines. Her quiet strength, her courage, her independence and pride, her honesty with herself and her capacity for love despite all she has suffered. I was looking for this in Mrs Rochester’s Ghost, and I didn’t find it.
In this modern day retelling, Evan Rochester is widely suspected of murdering his wife, the schizophrenic supermodel Beatrice, when Jane goes to work for him as a tutor for his daughter Sophia.
No strong and moral Jane is this. Here we have a hard drinking, insanely jealous, over imaginative and highly emotional Jane, who leaps to the conclusion that Evan is sleeping with his coworker after literally seeing that coworker once at the beach and she asked her where Evan was, but apparently Jane could tell that she asked in a “proprietary way”. Jane then proceeds to obsess over this Lily, constantly suspecting Evan of being with her, in a manner that seems utterly crazy and like a huge overreaction, especially when Evan by comparison seems completely calm and rational, and reassures her that it’s not true.
So when at the end he reveals that all her suspicions were accurate, it becomes clear that Jane’s irrationality was a result of Evan constantly gaslighting her throughout their ‘relationship’, at which point I was completely over the whole thing. How is that romance? Why on earth would Jane choose to be with someone like that?
There is no punishment for Rochester’s behaviour at the end, either, no denouement, like the original, where he reaps the results of his choices. Nope, he gets everything - the house, Jane, oh - he has to sell one of his planes and they’re not “super rich” anymore. Uh huh.
This was a tacky retelling that upped the ante on the drama of Beatrice’s insanity, told through alternating chapters from her point of view, and completely lost sight of the true character and heroism of the original story.
Oh, there was also the subplot of Sophia, Rochester’s 13 year old daughter (who was Adele his ward in the original story). There’s a touching storyline about how Sophia is going off the rails because she believes her father doesn’t care about her. At the very end, however, this is overshadowed by an incident where she sends nude photos of herself to much older boys so they can judge whether she’s worthy of shagging, marrying or killing. Unfortunately, they all judge her un-shaggable and say they would kill her. The issue of the fact that a 13 year old is sending nudes to 18 year old boys is ignored. Luckily, there’s an epilogue where the narrator is very clear that, two years on, Sophia is now really beautiful. Good news! Now all the older boys will want to sleep with her! Is she closer to her dad? Who knows! Who cares! The important thing is that everyone now recognises that she’s hot.
In this modern day retelling, Evan Rochester is widely suspected of murdering his wife, the schizophrenic supermodel Beatrice, when Jane goes to work for him as a tutor for his daughter Sophia.
No strong and moral Jane is this. Here we have a hard drinking, insanely jealous, over imaginative and highly emotional Jane, who leaps to the conclusion that Evan is sleeping with his coworker after literally seeing that coworker once at the beach and she asked her where Evan was, but apparently Jane could tell that she asked in a “proprietary way”. Jane then proceeds to obsess over this Lily, constantly suspecting Evan of being with her, in a manner that seems utterly crazy and like a huge overreaction, especially when Evan by comparison seems completely calm and rational, and reassures her that it’s not true.
So when at the end he reveals that all her suspicions were accurate, it becomes clear that Jane’s irrationality was a result of Evan constantly gaslighting her throughout their ‘relationship’, at which point I was completely over the whole thing. How is that romance? Why on earth would Jane choose to be with someone like that?
There is no punishment for Rochester’s behaviour at the end, either, no denouement, like the original, where he reaps the results of his choices. Nope, he gets everything - the house, Jane, oh - he has to sell one of his planes and they’re not “super rich” anymore. Uh huh.
This was a tacky retelling that upped the ante on the drama of Beatrice’s insanity, told through alternating chapters from her point of view, and completely lost sight of the true character and heroism of the original story.
Oh, there was also the subplot of Sophia, Rochester’s 13 year old daughter (who was Adele his ward in the original story). There’s a touching storyline about how Sophia is going off the rails because she believes her father doesn’t care about her. At the very end, however, this is overshadowed by an incident where she sends nude photos of herself to much older boys so they can judge whether she’s worthy of shagging, marrying or killing. Unfortunately, they all judge her un-shaggable and say they would kill her. The issue of the fact that a 13 year old is sending nudes to 18 year old boys is ignored. Luckily, there’s an epilogue where the narrator is very clear that, two years on, Sophia is now really beautiful. Good news! Now all the older boys will want to sleep with her! Is she closer to her dad? Who knows! Who cares! The important thing is that everyone now recognises that she’s hot.
October 1, 2021
DNF . I reached 53% of the audiobook and simply could not go on. I struggled to love this book because it is a slight retelling of my favourite book of all time, Jane Eyre and i just couldn't . The writer used some of the original names but the heroes are all uninteresting and undeveloped. Jane is annoying and noisy, Rochester acts like a jerk. The madwoman is creepy in a bad way. Honestly, i could not relate to them AT ALL,maybe because i love Jane Eyre so so very much. I love the prose, the dialogues, the love story, the magic of the book in it's entirety . This piece of literature can not be compared to Charlotte Bronte's masterpiece.
It's amazing that Charlotte Bronte still inspires books and writers but this book is unbearable. I thought i could reach the end of it just out of curiosity but, reader i DNFed it!
It's amazing that Charlotte Bronte still inspires books and writers but this book is unbearable. I thought i could reach the end of it just out of curiosity but, reader i DNFed it!
January 4, 2024
I willingly admit that I read this entire book but wanted to give up after a few chapters. The characters of Beatrice and Evan Rochester matched their 19th century counterparts. But how can someone take a beloved character like Jane Eyre and strip her of all the qualities that made her so memorable? It just didn't jive for me.
Not my cup of tea but others might enjoy.
Goodreads review published 03/01/24
Not my cup of tea but others might enjoy.
Goodreads review published 03/01/24
June 30, 2021
This is the retelling Jane Eyre fans have been waiting for! Chilling. Gothic. Use of original names and characters. A shady husband. Haunting house. Just everything.
Jane's show has been canceled; her mom died; her boyfriend turned out to be less than worthy. Bank account dwindling- what is Jane going to do?
Her long time friend, Otis, offers her a job as his cousin's daughter's tutor. Evan, yes that Evan - husband of the famous Beatrice McAdams who he either murdered or she committed suicide.
Jane packs it up and heads to California.
Beatrice recounts her last months - chilling tales of her jailor husband, the housekeeper witch who watches over her, the constant medication.
Amazing modern day retelling of this classic.
Jane's show has been canceled; her mom died; her boyfriend turned out to be less than worthy. Bank account dwindling- what is Jane going to do?
Her long time friend, Otis, offers her a job as his cousin's daughter's tutor. Evan, yes that Evan - husband of the famous Beatrice McAdams who he either murdered or she committed suicide.
Jane packs it up and heads to California.
Beatrice recounts her last months - chilling tales of her jailor husband, the housekeeper witch who watches over her, the constant medication.
Amazing modern day retelling of this classic.
July 26, 2021
Marcott did a solid job in this amazing retelling of one of my favorite gothic stories, Jane Eyre.
This modern retelling had all the nods to the original story but with a great present day adaptation.
Jane’s life has taken a turn for the worst, and she loses everything including her mother, her relationship, her job and her home. A friend offers her a job tutoring for the eccentric Evan Rochester’s daughter, and she gets to stay in a cottage in Big Sur. While there, Jane right away senses something is wrong, and she is determined to figure it all out.
I enjoyed this creative take on the present day retelling of one of the most beloved classic stories.
This modern retelling had all the nods to the original story but with a great present day adaptation.
Jane’s life has taken a turn for the worst, and she loses everything including her mother, her relationship, her job and her home. A friend offers her a job tutoring for the eccentric Evan Rochester’s daughter, and she gets to stay in a cottage in Big Sur. While there, Jane right away senses something is wrong, and she is determined to figure it all out.
I enjoyed this creative take on the present day retelling of one of the most beloved classic stories.
August 31, 2021
Sorry but this just doesn't work for me. The original Jane Eyre is set two hundred years ago - and the past is a very different country! Transposing this version to the 21st century just doesn't work. I didn't like any of the characters and the love story never rang true.
I found the whole thing tedious, unbelievable and unpleasant.
I found the whole thing tedious, unbelievable and unpleasant.
April 17, 2024
A modern Jane Eyre. Jane takes a job as a tutor to Sophie, a 13 year old, who acts 16, on the Oregon coast. Her boss is Evan Rochester, a tech millionaire whose model wife drowned. I kept waiting for her friends to say, "How funny! Jane and Rochester, like Jane Eyre, "but no one said anything about the elephant in the room! A good retelling.
September 18, 2022
I recently went on record saying that the character of Mr. Rochester doesn't translate well in Jane Eyre retellings. Well, Lindsay Marcott must have seen that review and been like "HOLD MY BEER."
Mrs. Rochester's Ghost didn't try to reinvent the wheel, but it did put a twist on the classic that I think puts the story in a better light in a modern version of it. It didn't try to sugarcoat Rochester or make him into some misunderstood creature. That's probably what I appreciate most about this book. He's allowed to exist as an imperfect and even selfish guy with a bit of a temper. He wasn't whiny like in some other retellings, or frivolous, or weak. Because that's what happens to Rochester when you try to make him "good."
Anyway, Jane herself was likable, and I liked the side characters too. Even the dogs! This had a modern gothic thriller vibe that kept me turning pages.
Of all the Jane Eyre retellings I've read, this is the only one that's allowed to exist.
Mrs. Rochester's Ghost didn't try to reinvent the wheel, but it did put a twist on the classic that I think puts the story in a better light in a modern version of it. It didn't try to sugarcoat Rochester or make him into some misunderstood creature. That's probably what I appreciate most about this book. He's allowed to exist as an imperfect and even selfish guy with a bit of a temper. He wasn't whiny like in some other retellings, or frivolous, or weak. Because that's what happens to Rochester when you try to make him "good."
Anyway, Jane herself was likable, and I liked the side characters too. Even the dogs! This had a modern gothic thriller vibe that kept me turning pages.
Of all the Jane Eyre retellings I've read, this is the only one that's allowed to exist.
November 27, 2021
In Mrs. Rochester's Ghost Lindsay Marcott offers up a modern take on Jane Eyre that's the barest shadow of Bronte's classic and which could easily have stayed tucked away in an attic.
Meet Jane. She's down a job (as a writer on a cancelled Gothic TV show), a boyfriend (and a best friend, since she caught them having sex together), and a parent (her mom recently died of cancer). Between all the medical bills and her current unemployed status, she's also about to be down an apartment, which is why she decides to accept her old friend Otis's offer to move across country to work as a tutor for his wealthy boss's troubled teenaged daughter. Arriving in Big Sur, she immediately falls in love with Thorn Bluffs - and almost immediately with its enigmatic owner, Evan Rochester, a tech investor suspected of murdering his first wife. But the longer Jane stays at Thorn Bluffs the more she feels the presence of the first Mrs. Rochester and the more questions she has about the man she's beginning to think she can't live without.
Marcott's anemic reboot features chapters that alternate in POV between present-day Jane, who is deeply uninteresting on every level, and the first Mrs. Rochester in the days just before her mysterious disappearance. The latter at least is batshit enough to be mildly interesting, though the portrayal of a woman with (unspecified) mental illness aggravated by substance abuse isn't exactly what you'd call sympathetic or nuanced. Mr. Rochester is similarly flat; the simmering tension and leashed sexuality which underpin Bronte's original are entirely lacking here, and thus it's difficult to understand why Jane is so into him (aside from the requirements of the plot). The writing in general is workmanlike at best, and the ending both predictable and a bit confusing.
Perhaps the most telling thing about this book is that on page 64 Jane declares Wuthering Heights the greatest of the Gothic Romances which both a) makes you question her sanity and b) makes you wonder why Marcott isn't spending her time rewriting Emily instead. Those looking for a suspenseful reworking of Jane Eyre had much better skip this ghostly echo and look to Rachel Hawkins's The Wife Upstairs instead.
Meet Jane. She's down a job (as a writer on a cancelled Gothic TV show), a boyfriend (and a best friend, since she caught them having sex together), and a parent (her mom recently died of cancer). Between all the medical bills and her current unemployed status, she's also about to be down an apartment, which is why she decides to accept her old friend Otis's offer to move across country to work as a tutor for his wealthy boss's troubled teenaged daughter. Arriving in Big Sur, she immediately falls in love with Thorn Bluffs - and almost immediately with its enigmatic owner, Evan Rochester, a tech investor suspected of murdering his first wife. But the longer Jane stays at Thorn Bluffs the more she feels the presence of the first Mrs. Rochester and the more questions she has about the man she's beginning to think she can't live without.
Marcott's anemic reboot features chapters that alternate in POV between present-day Jane, who is deeply uninteresting on every level, and the first Mrs. Rochester in the days just before her mysterious disappearance. The latter at least is batshit enough to be mildly interesting, though the portrayal of a woman with (unspecified) mental illness aggravated by substance abuse isn't exactly what you'd call sympathetic or nuanced. Mr. Rochester is similarly flat; the simmering tension and leashed sexuality which underpin Bronte's original are entirely lacking here, and thus it's difficult to understand why Jane is so into him (aside from the requirements of the plot). The writing in general is workmanlike at best, and the ending both predictable and a bit confusing.
Perhaps the most telling thing about this book is that on page 64 Jane declares Wuthering Heights the greatest of the Gothic Romances which both a) makes you question her sanity and b) makes you wonder why Marcott isn't spending her time rewriting Emily instead. Those looking for a suspenseful reworking of Jane Eyre had much better skip this ghostly echo and look to Rachel Hawkins's The Wife Upstairs instead.
January 11, 2021
2.5 stars rounded up to 3. Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost is a modern retelling of Jane Eyre. This novel picks up at the point right before Jane goes to work for Mr. Rochester. Transplanted from England to the west coast, it still has the same sense of gothic unease as the original Jane Eyre.
Jane Eyre is a very difficult book to live up to, and Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost doesn’t quite do it. The only fresh take this novel has is that we get the point of view of both Jane and the first Mrs. Rochester; and I was very disappointed the latter’s portrayal. The original Jane Eyre was written in 1847 and so can get away with portraying Mrs. Rochester as “insane” but in 2021 this seems both wrong and unnecessary. Her character was one dimensional: either sane and on her meds or insane and off her meds. I was hoping for there to be some twist where her character had more to it than that, but it did not.
Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost did not have any surprises that weren’t there in the original Jane Eyre, which a modern retelling should have. All in all, it was a well-written page turner with flaws.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Jane Eyre is a very difficult book to live up to, and Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost doesn’t quite do it. The only fresh take this novel has is that we get the point of view of both Jane and the first Mrs. Rochester; and I was very disappointed the latter’s portrayal. The original Jane Eyre was written in 1847 and so can get away with portraying Mrs. Rochester as “insane” but in 2021 this seems both wrong and unnecessary. Her character was one dimensional: either sane and on her meds or insane and off her meds. I was hoping for there to be some twist where her character had more to it than that, but it did not.
Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost did not have any surprises that weren’t there in the original Jane Eyre, which a modern retelling should have. All in all, it was a well-written page turner with flaws.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 10, 2021
This book was creepy, scary, exciting, mysterious! Great story!
June 27, 2021
This is a contemporary gothic retelling of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. It’s modern, full of twists, and unreliable characters. You won’t know who’s telling the truth until the end.
Jane gets the short end of the stick; her mom loses her battle with cancer, her boyfriend takes up with another woman, and now the TV network show she writes has been cancelled. How is she going to pay the rent on her New York apartment? When she’s offered the chance to move to a little waterfront bungalow in exchange for tutoring Evan Rochester’s daughter, Sophia, in Big Sur, California, she jumps at the chance. Studly Evan is a widowed tech entrepreneur whose gorgeous wife, Beatrice, drowned suddenly. Jane is suspicious and starts investigating, hoping to find the truth behind the supermodel’s death.
You’ll see lots of the same plot points as the classic. Parallel to the original is (1) a poor naïve orphan who travels to teach a young girl, (2) a man who falls off his ride, (3) lots of foggy weather, ghosts, and a great gothic setting and (4) numerous people who attempt to convince Jane that Rochester is not the kind of person she should be spending time with.
This retelling is done in alternating chapters from Jane and Beatrice’s points of view. I felt frustrated because each, on its own, would have made for a great story. However, putting them together didn’t work for me. I felt it watered down the mystery and the romance. The added chapters from Beatrice’s point of view, I thought, took away from the mystery. Despite Modern Jane being more assertive, I wondered at her allowing a ‘player’ into her life.
The re-located setting worked for me as did the atmospheric tension. It’s always risky modernizing a classic and, unfortunately, this one didn’t work for me. I wonder if I’d have liked it if I hadn’t known it was a retelling? Was I comparing the whole time I was reading? Maybe. Read it yourself. Let me know.
I was gifted this advance copy by Lindsay Marcotte, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Jane gets the short end of the stick; her mom loses her battle with cancer, her boyfriend takes up with another woman, and now the TV network show she writes has been cancelled. How is she going to pay the rent on her New York apartment? When she’s offered the chance to move to a little waterfront bungalow in exchange for tutoring Evan Rochester’s daughter, Sophia, in Big Sur, California, she jumps at the chance. Studly Evan is a widowed tech entrepreneur whose gorgeous wife, Beatrice, drowned suddenly. Jane is suspicious and starts investigating, hoping to find the truth behind the supermodel’s death.
You’ll see lots of the same plot points as the classic. Parallel to the original is (1) a poor naïve orphan who travels to teach a young girl, (2) a man who falls off his ride, (3) lots of foggy weather, ghosts, and a great gothic setting and (4) numerous people who attempt to convince Jane that Rochester is not the kind of person she should be spending time with.
This retelling is done in alternating chapters from Jane and Beatrice’s points of view. I felt frustrated because each, on its own, would have made for a great story. However, putting them together didn’t work for me. I felt it watered down the mystery and the romance. The added chapters from Beatrice’s point of view, I thought, took away from the mystery. Despite Modern Jane being more assertive, I wondered at her allowing a ‘player’ into her life.
The re-located setting worked for me as did the atmospheric tension. It’s always risky modernizing a classic and, unfortunately, this one didn’t work for me. I wonder if I’d have liked it if I hadn’t known it was a retelling? Was I comparing the whole time I was reading? Maybe. Read it yourself. Let me know.
I was gifted this advance copy by Lindsay Marcotte, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
December 25, 2021
4 stars
An authentic gothic experience, Mrs. Rochester's Ghost manages to re-tell Jane Eyre with a refreshing modern setting, while staying true to the original's core experience.
Mrs. Rochester's Ghost doesn't deviate too far, maintaining most of the character setups and key plot points; if you've read Jane Eyre, the story beats are easily predictable. However, the novel does an excellent job at repackaging it in captivating new forms: Californian mentality (show biz / tech startup), ultra-rich lifestyle, and small town rumor mill. Most important of all, it preserves the unsettling atmosphere crucial to a great gothic storytelling, expertly toying the dividing line between the supernatural and the psychological disturbance.
I'll be curious to see how Mrs. Rochester's Ghost would fare to readers who are not overly familiar with its reference; as there are sections in this novel (specifically the POV from a particular character), while engaging on their own (and provide some disturbingly graphic imagery), don't contribute much to the overall story — their entertainment value only comes with knowing/comparing how the counterpart was portrayed in Jane Eyre.
Glossy and compulsively readable, Mrs. Rochester's Ghost aims for evocative mood rather than literary depth, and that's all good — sometimes all one needs is a polished, digestible domestic thriller, and this one delivers on those criteria.
An authentic gothic experience, Mrs. Rochester's Ghost manages to re-tell Jane Eyre with a refreshing modern setting, while staying true to the original's core experience.
Mrs. Rochester's Ghost doesn't deviate too far, maintaining most of the character setups and key plot points; if you've read Jane Eyre, the story beats are easily predictable. However, the novel does an excellent job at repackaging it in captivating new forms: Californian mentality (show biz / tech startup), ultra-rich lifestyle, and small town rumor mill. Most important of all, it preserves the unsettling atmosphere crucial to a great gothic storytelling, expertly toying the dividing line between the supernatural and the psychological disturbance.
I'll be curious to see how Mrs. Rochester's Ghost would fare to readers who are not overly familiar with its reference; as there are sections in this novel (specifically the POV from a particular character), while engaging on their own (and provide some disturbingly graphic imagery), don't contribute much to the overall story — their entertainment value only comes with knowing/comparing how the counterpart was portrayed in Jane Eyre.
Glossy and compulsively readable, Mrs. Rochester's Ghost aims for evocative mood rather than literary depth, and that's all good — sometimes all one needs is a polished, digestible domestic thriller, and this one delivers on those criteria.
July 9, 2021
Mrs. Rochester's Ghost
Leave the classics alone and do not attempt to rewrite them for modern times.Very amateurish writing and a futile attempt at improving Jane Eyre. Not worthy of publication. Almost borders on plagarism. Save yourself the aggravation of reading this drivel. A very poorly written book with minimal merit. Surprised this book showed up on Goodreads.
Leave the classics alone and do not attempt to rewrite them for modern times.Very amateurish writing and a futile attempt at improving Jane Eyre. Not worthy of publication. Almost borders on plagarism. Save yourself the aggravation of reading this drivel. A very poorly written book with minimal merit. Surprised this book showed up on Goodreads.
May 5, 2021
First sentence: In my mind, I can picture it clearly. Thorn Bluffs. December 17. Their fourth wedding anniversary.
Premise/plot: Mrs. Rochester's Ghost by Lindsay Marcott is a contemporary retelling of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. This retelling is set in California. Our heroine, Jane, is down on her luck. She's lost her job and her mother within a short span of time. And she's recently discovered her boyfriend and best friend were having an affair. A quick summer getaway (free) sounds like just what she needs. In exchange for tutoring, Jane can stay in a little guest cottage at a big estate--Evan Rochester's estate. Sophia, his daughter, is a mess--and understandably so. These two have the potential to help one another. But Jane discovers in the weeks following that all may not be as it appears. In particular, her employer, Evan Rochester, is still under investigation for the death and/or disappearance of his wife, Beatrice, a former super model.
Jane will have to decide ultimately who she trusts...
My thoughts: Mrs. Rochester's Ghost alternates between two narrators--Beatrice and Jane. (Occasionally we also get the point of view of Evan Rochester.) As I mentioned earlier, it is a retelling of Jane Eyre. Was it successful??? I'll do my best to share my thoughts.
Is it successful as a mystery? Maybe. Mostly. Though I can't help but think that if it was told solely from Jane's point of view it would have been a better mystery/thriller. I think by having dual narration, readers learn a bit too much before the other characters become aware...thus losing some suspense. Even so, there's plenty of elements that make this one a decent mystery with a few gothic elements thrown in.
Is it successful as a romance? NO. Not really. Here's the problem, readers probably won't like to see the main character, Jane, get gaslighted by Evan Rochester for hundreds of pages. It's hard to believe that readers will cheer on this coupling when Mr. Rochester is clearly all about gaslighting the women in his life! Seriously. I don't have a problem with Jane choosing to have a fling with him--against her better judgment and ours--I can't really say I want this relationship to last long term.
Are the relationships well developed? I will say the relationship between Jane and Evan was more lusty-lust than true love. HOWEVER. I will say this, I really did enjoy the developing relationship between Sophia and Jane. It was a gradual building up of trust. It may appear a bit rushed towards the end of the novel. But I will forgive the novel that because this relationship is really the novel's greatest strength. I wouldn't say the novel was character-driven, far from it, but it has at least a little bit of development.
Is it successful as a retelling? In places I feel it does capture the essence of the original. Not in the romance between Jane and Rochester. There are scenes that I felt were inspired directly by the original that come off decently. (For example, Jane being haunted--feeling haunted--and the strange things she almost sees and definitely hears as she stays on the estate.)
I didn't find Mrs. Rochester's Ghost as compelling and engaging as The Wife Upstairs. However, Mrs. Rochester's Ghost definitely has more likeable characters.
Premise/plot: Mrs. Rochester's Ghost by Lindsay Marcott is a contemporary retelling of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. This retelling is set in California. Our heroine, Jane, is down on her luck. She's lost her job and her mother within a short span of time. And she's recently discovered her boyfriend and best friend were having an affair. A quick summer getaway (free) sounds like just what she needs. In exchange for tutoring, Jane can stay in a little guest cottage at a big estate--Evan Rochester's estate. Sophia, his daughter, is a mess--and understandably so. These two have the potential to help one another. But Jane discovers in the weeks following that all may not be as it appears. In particular, her employer, Evan Rochester, is still under investigation for the death and/or disappearance of his wife, Beatrice, a former super model.
Jane will have to decide ultimately who she trusts...
My thoughts: Mrs. Rochester's Ghost alternates between two narrators--Beatrice and Jane. (Occasionally we also get the point of view of Evan Rochester.) As I mentioned earlier, it is a retelling of Jane Eyre. Was it successful??? I'll do my best to share my thoughts.
Is it successful as a mystery? Maybe. Mostly. Though I can't help but think that if it was told solely from Jane's point of view it would have been a better mystery/thriller. I think by having dual narration, readers learn a bit too much before the other characters become aware...thus losing some suspense. Even so, there's plenty of elements that make this one a decent mystery with a few gothic elements thrown in.
Is it successful as a romance? NO. Not really. Here's the problem, readers probably won't like to see the main character, Jane, get gaslighted by Evan Rochester for hundreds of pages. It's hard to believe that readers will cheer on this coupling when Mr. Rochester is clearly all about gaslighting the women in his life! Seriously. I don't have a problem with Jane choosing to have a fling with him--against her better judgment and ours--I can't really say I want this relationship to last long term.
Are the relationships well developed? I will say the relationship between Jane and Evan was more lusty-lust than true love. HOWEVER. I will say this, I really did enjoy the developing relationship between Sophia and Jane. It was a gradual building up of trust. It may appear a bit rushed towards the end of the novel. But I will forgive the novel that because this relationship is really the novel's greatest strength. I wouldn't say the novel was character-driven, far from it, but it has at least a little bit of development.
Is it successful as a retelling? In places I feel it does capture the essence of the original. Not in the romance between Jane and Rochester. There are scenes that I felt were inspired directly by the original that come off decently. (For example, Jane being haunted--feeling haunted--and the strange things she almost sees and definitely hears as she stays on the estate.)
I didn't find Mrs. Rochester's Ghost as compelling and engaging as The Wife Upstairs. However, Mrs. Rochester's Ghost definitely has more likeable characters.
November 17, 2021
4/5 ⭐️
This was super fascinating! I especially loved Beatrice’s chapters and looking into her mind. Definitely a good retelling if you ask me.
This was super fascinating! I especially loved Beatrice’s chapters and looking into her mind. Definitely a good retelling if you ask me.
December 19, 2020
I received a digital copy of this book from Netgally in exchange for an honest review.
A modern and spooky Jane Eyre retelling set on the glamorous California coastline. This retelling is faithful to the original story, while breathing fresh life into the modern version of it's characters. I loved how the author created a rich back story for every person Jane meets. This story is compelling and engaging and I could not put it down.
Jane is a former TV writer looking to put some distance between herself and her recent losses. She comes to the Rochester house at Big Sur to tutor Evan Rochester's daughter Sophia. As Sophia and Jane bond, Jane begins to feel at home at Rochester's estate. Jane also begins to dig into the mysterious disappearance of Evan's first wife Beatrice.
Evan is a venture capitalist who had a tumultuous relationship with supermodel wife, Beatrice. She disappeared and most likely drowned in the ocean outside of their home, while Evan futilely tried to save her. Rumors swirl around Evan, is he a murderer, is he a thief and what really happened to Beatrice?
A modern and spooky Jane Eyre retelling set on the glamorous California coastline. This retelling is faithful to the original story, while breathing fresh life into the modern version of it's characters. I loved how the author created a rich back story for every person Jane meets. This story is compelling and engaging and I could not put it down.
Jane is a former TV writer looking to put some distance between herself and her recent losses. She comes to the Rochester house at Big Sur to tutor Evan Rochester's daughter Sophia. As Sophia and Jane bond, Jane begins to feel at home at Rochester's estate. Jane also begins to dig into the mysterious disappearance of Evan's first wife Beatrice.
Evan is a venture capitalist who had a tumultuous relationship with supermodel wife, Beatrice. She disappeared and most likely drowned in the ocean outside of their home, while Evan futilely tried to save her. Rumors swirl around Evan, is he a murderer, is he a thief and what really happened to Beatrice?
July 3, 2021
I've read a few Jane Eyre retellings, and Mrs. Rochester's Ghost by far comes the closest to the original material and the one I've enjoyed the most. The setting of Mrs. Rochester's Ghost is a sprawling estate on the foggy Central California coast that surprisingly has a very similar atmosphere to the Yorkshire moors. This book gave me all the gothic, spooky vibes that I loved in Jane Eyre.
This book is marketed as a thriller, but it's a gothic mystery, in my opinion, and like the classic, it has a lot of romance. So if you are looking for a thriller, you might be disappointed. But if you are looking for a modern Jane Eyre or a gothic read that will give you chills, I highly recommend this book.
*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley
This book is marketed as a thriller, but it's a gothic mystery, in my opinion, and like the classic, it has a lot of romance. So if you are looking for a thriller, you might be disappointed. But if you are looking for a modern Jane Eyre or a gothic read that will give you chills, I highly recommend this book.
*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley
September 14, 2021
I got this as one of the Amazon First Read choices. I had zero expectations for the book. I just figured if it was a re-tale of Jane Eyre, I would have a bit of an idea of where the story would take me.
Turns out that I thoroughly enjoyed it and it kept me engaged the whole time. It had a nice ghostly feeling to it, which was what I was looking for. It's not a literary masterpiece, but it accomplished its purpose.
Turns out that I thoroughly enjoyed it and it kept me engaged the whole time. It had a nice ghostly feeling to it, which was what I was looking for. It's not a literary masterpiece, but it accomplished its purpose.
April 14, 2022
Maybe I love the original too much, but this one just didn't work for me. I appreciated the updating and the little encounters that matched the original story but tweaked them just a little to make them current. But I did not like this new Jane. I never felt any connection to her and some of the choices made had me wanting to throw the book. I wish I'd loved it.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Edelweiss. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Edelweiss. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
November 1, 2021
I really wanted to love this book as I have read Jane Eyre in the past and really enjoyed it. I was a little bit leary about the connection with the classic, but entered with an open mind. I felt that Jane was a weak character in this book. She is brought in to tutor the daughter and falls for the rakish, lying, dismally developed, Rochester. There was no appeal to this man. I think the most interesting part was the ghost and I kept rooting for her to show herself. The end was just confusing. Everything ends looking positively into the future. I was confused because this did not correspond in any way to what had happened during the book. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.
July 1, 2021
Modern Jane Eyre Fanfiction
I didn't enjoy this modern fanfiction spin on *Jane Eyre* as much as I hoped I would. I did like the mid-California coast location, having been through Big Sur many times. Truly, though, I never saw it as a Gothic setting, but the author did a decent job making Mr. Rochester’s place on that coast feel appropriately creepy and Gothic, often echoing the moody murkiness of the English original. The book goes back and forth between the perspectives of Jane and the first Mrs. Rochester. This use of alternating viewpoints is certainly a twist on the original... but not a good one. Reading the first Mrs. Rochester's ramblings added little to the story. In fact, I think it detracted from it. Even though her chapters take a fair amount of the book, she feels two-dimensional at best. As a nurse who has dealt with people with mental health disorders, people with such afflictions rarely vacillate between the two poles depicted in the book: perfect while on meds or “crazy” when not. We have a far better understanding of mental health and illness today than they had in Victorian times; it would have been nice to see that reflected in modern-day Jane Eyre fanfiction. Honestly, too, I thought the chapters from the former Mrs. Rochester's perspective took away from the book’s mystery and romance. I wasn't wild about this version of Mr. Rochester, either. Frankly, I couldn't quite believe that our modern-day Jane would choose him when he had been unfaithful to her. That had been a problem in a previous relationship of hers.
The author was generally faithful to the original characters and the plot points (major and minor), perhaps too much so. I would have loved to have seen the author take a few more bold steps beyond the alternating viewpoints, creating unique moments (but ones still in line with the original) to make it her own and more modern.
Don’t get me wrong; I usually enjoy fanfiction based on Regency and Victorian novels. I know some more erudite readers believe any fanfiction is necessarily less, but I love to see favorite characters and plots reworked by talented authors. Personally, I can't get enough of great characters like Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Jane Eyre, and Mr. Rochester... so much so that I regularly seek out and enjoy fanfiction that plays with the familiar, well-loved characters and plot points. Unfortunately, all in all, I found myself disappointed in this reworking of a beloved classic.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
I didn't enjoy this modern fanfiction spin on *Jane Eyre* as much as I hoped I would. I did like the mid-California coast location, having been through Big Sur many times. Truly, though, I never saw it as a Gothic setting, but the author did a decent job making Mr. Rochester’s place on that coast feel appropriately creepy and Gothic, often echoing the moody murkiness of the English original. The book goes back and forth between the perspectives of Jane and the first Mrs. Rochester. This use of alternating viewpoints is certainly a twist on the original... but not a good one. Reading the first Mrs. Rochester's ramblings added little to the story. In fact, I think it detracted from it. Even though her chapters take a fair amount of the book, she feels two-dimensional at best. As a nurse who has dealt with people with mental health disorders, people with such afflictions rarely vacillate between the two poles depicted in the book: perfect while on meds or “crazy” when not. We have a far better understanding of mental health and illness today than they had in Victorian times; it would have been nice to see that reflected in modern-day Jane Eyre fanfiction. Honestly, too, I thought the chapters from the former Mrs. Rochester's perspective took away from the book’s mystery and romance. I wasn't wild about this version of Mr. Rochester, either. Frankly, I couldn't quite believe that our modern-day Jane would choose him when he had been unfaithful to her. That had been a problem in a previous relationship of hers.
The author was generally faithful to the original characters and the plot points (major and minor), perhaps too much so. I would have loved to have seen the author take a few more bold steps beyond the alternating viewpoints, creating unique moments (but ones still in line with the original) to make it her own and more modern.
Don’t get me wrong; I usually enjoy fanfiction based on Regency and Victorian novels. I know some more erudite readers believe any fanfiction is necessarily less, but I love to see favorite characters and plots reworked by talented authors. Personally, I can't get enough of great characters like Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Jane Eyre, and Mr. Rochester... so much so that I regularly seek out and enjoy fanfiction that plays with the familiar, well-loved characters and plot points. Unfortunately, all in all, I found myself disappointed in this reworking of a beloved classic.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
April 26, 2022
A modern retelling of Jane Eyre, Mrs. Rochester's Ghost moves from the moors of England to the coast of Big Sur. It trades British uppercrust stuffiness for California glamour, yet still retains the spookiness and mystery of the original gothic tale.
Jane, a screenwriter on a gothic themed televison show has lost her mother, relationship and home when a friend offers her a solution. She becomes a tutor to the daughter of the mysterious Evan Rochester. Suspected of the murder of his glamorous model wife, Jane is drawn to him even though she is unsure of his innocence. When she uncovers some incriminating evidence against him she is determined to find out the truth for herself. Did he murder his wife or did she drown herself as he claims.
There were things in this novel I really enjoyed. The main one being moving the setting to the California coast. The dramatic seascape, while different from Eyre's moors, is portrayed with a similar haunting quality and oozes spookiness. I thought the attempt to glamorize the characters was less effective and felt forced and detracted from the story. I enjoyed this book, but then I enjoy almost anything related to Jane Eyre. Unfortunately, I don't think it was particularly original in it's own right and most of the drama it created was due to the original story. It is also coming on the heels of what I think is a superior retelling and may suffer by comparison. For me it was an enjoyable but possible forgettable read. I thing it would probably be most enjoyed by people not familiar with the original book.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this advance to copy in exchange for a fair and honest revies.
Jane, a screenwriter on a gothic themed televison show has lost her mother, relationship and home when a friend offers her a solution. She becomes a tutor to the daughter of the mysterious Evan Rochester. Suspected of the murder of his glamorous model wife, Jane is drawn to him even though she is unsure of his innocence. When she uncovers some incriminating evidence against him she is determined to find out the truth for herself. Did he murder his wife or did she drown herself as he claims.
There were things in this novel I really enjoyed. The main one being moving the setting to the California coast. The dramatic seascape, while different from Eyre's moors, is portrayed with a similar haunting quality and oozes spookiness. I thought the attempt to glamorize the characters was less effective and felt forced and detracted from the story. I enjoyed this book, but then I enjoy almost anything related to Jane Eyre. Unfortunately, I don't think it was particularly original in it's own right and most of the drama it created was due to the original story. It is also coming on the heels of what I think is a superior retelling and may suffer by comparison. For me it was an enjoyable but possible forgettable read. I thing it would probably be most enjoyed by people not familiar with the original book.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this advance to copy in exchange for a fair and honest revies.
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