I adore Jane Eyre. I think it's a gorgeous piece of storytelling so when Jane Steele was offered, with the tag line of 'reader, I murdered him', I was always going to be curious.

Jane Steele isn't a strict retelling, rather it uses similarities and introduces new themes that make it fresh and modern. I liked the eastern influence and I liked that Jane was a balanced character. The writing was confident - Faye has real skill.

Thank you for approving this title for me and I'm sorry it has taken so long to review.

Absolutely loving all of the Austen era texts being revisited over the last few years and this was no exception. I think that this was a great romp with excellent characterisation. Anyone who loves classic lit with a twist will love this book - what's not to love about a book that contains lots of my favourite things: gothic elements, Austen, drinking gin and murder? A surprisingly deft retelling of a much-loved classic with lots of sly nods that true fans will love, but with enough originality to keep them on their toes too! I adored this book and will be buying it for lots of my teacher friends. Will definitely be looking out for more from Faye - definitely one to watch

Well, that was enjoyable! I must confess that Jane Eyre is not one of my favourite classics, but there was not a great connection with that novel, plotwise at least. The heroine, Jane Steele, is an extraordinary and complex character, and although she commits murders, we the readers can sympathise with her as the victims seems somewhat deserving. The Sikh connection is most interesting, and no doubt the result of much research. A splendid read, beautifully written, and I would definitely read more from this author.

Review of digital copy from the publisher.

I liked this book but I didn't love it. I am not completely sure why but it just didn't really work for me. The twist of the book is a really interesting one and I really liked it. I think the first half of the book was much stronger than the second half, but it was generally engaging. Overall it was good, but I expected a bit more from it.

I was really intrigued as to how this novel could possibly work: a reimagining of 'Jane Eyre' in which the main character is a murderous governess. I do love my literature and am open to fresh takes on old ideas, but I couldn't see how she could be sympathetic enough to sustain a whole novel.

Reader, I was wrong. Jane's killing starts off when she is only a child, with the murder of an abusive relative. As she grows, she encounters more and more horrible people who actually seem to deserve their fate. She's less a murderess, more a kind of doler out of dubious justice. On top of this, she's resourceful and feisty and more than suitably interesting to sustain a whole book.

The story itself is detailed, with well researched period detail that goes far beyond the usual Victorian crime novel; Jane becomes involved with the East India Trading Company and a Sikh family, bringing lots of interesting contextual information in for the reader along the way. The only criticism I would have is that the plot is quite convoluted and there were aspects that dragged a little. I guess this reflects the source material, but I like my crime novels with a bit more pace.

Still, a very worthwhile read for those who like crime fiction, 'Jane Eyre' or simply stories told from an interesting point of view.

Oh my god, this book. If you're a fan of Jane Eyre and you consider yourself a feminist then a) let's be best friends and b) you must read this book. It's glorious. Like the heroine of her favourite novel, Jane Steele has suffered the cruelty of her aunt and schoolmaster. Unlike Jane Eyre, however, she doesn't take it lying down, leaving behind the corpses of her tormentors as she moves to London to start her new life. After years of living in the underbelly of the big city, she spots an advertisement for a governess at her old home, the place she believes herself to be the heiress to. Intrigued, she finds herself employed, and eventually enmeshed in the strange household of Mr Thornfield, who has a few secrets of his own...

Jane Steele is a feminist vigilante serial killer, which is basically who I want as the heroine of all books I read from now on, if publishers could be so kind. Where she views herself as wicked for having murdered, the reader can see clearly her sense of justice and, at times, you'll probably revel in the deaths of her victims - from attempted rapists to sanctimonious religious hypocrites who threaten the lives of her friends. As she goes from her aunt's house to boarding school, and on to London, there is plenty of blood and excitement to keep you on your toes.

The second half is probably more 'traditional' in feeling, and slows a little in pace but as she begins to fall in love with Mr Thornfield, and with his extended household, I was equally as captivated as in the first part. It almost feels like a separate book, as Jane works to find out if she is the true heiress to Highgate, and what happened to the mysterious trunk of treasures that Mr Thornfield is so adamant has been lost in another time and place. The references to Sikh and Punjabi culture were fascinating, and not at all what I was expecting from a 'retelling' of Jane Eyre, whilst Mr Thornfield was a much preferable romantic hero to dear Rochester.
The nods to Jane Eyre are clear throughout, and will be a delight to anyone who's a fan of the original book, but this novel certainly stands alone as a work of triumph. I never wanted it to end.

I found the first part of the book to be the most enjoyable part. In the first half of the book, we see Jane trying to deal with her mother's death as well as her horrible aunt and cousin. We then see her being sent to a boarding school. This was my favourite part of the book. The school was terrible but we still got to see friendships being formed.

I found the second part of the story to really drag. The focus of the plot became on the romance between Jane and Charles Thornfield. I liked the way that the romance was created as it was a slow building romance and not an instalove one. However, I didn't particularly like Charles as a love interest I personally found him a little bit boring.

Overall this was a good book but I do feel that the second part dragged my rating down. We'd had quite a lot of build up during the first part and the ending felt a little disappointing. I liked the links that the author made to Jane Eyre in this book. It is being classed as a retelling but I would say that Jane Eyre is more of an inspiration for this story.

I'm very mixed about this book, the concept is brilliant but the execution didn't quite hit the mark for me. I am a fan of all things Jane Eyre but I am not precious about it being mixed up, in fact, I welcome a reimagining of it.

The idea of Jane Steele, psycho, sociopath, murderess was a clever one. Jane was utterly convincing in her 'need' to murder and who she chose; there was always a reason. Yet, I never really liked her, she clearly lacked control, even when she acted to protect. I liked Charles Thornfield initially but my affection for him waned a little too. The side characters were interesting and I loved Clarke, Sahjara and some of the 'baddies'.

This was an interesting read that had an ebb and flow pace. Sometimes I felt the need to skim in order to progress as the pace dragged in parts. However, when it was exciting, it really did engage me. I am ultimately interested in reading more from this author.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

Oh boo. I really wanted to like Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye. I genuinely did. My favourite book is Jane Eyre and so I thought that a book that had so many links to the Bronte classic would naturally be loved by me but it wasn’t.

I have to give kudos to Faye because her style of writing is on point. She continues the selected style throughout the text and never wavers. I think for someone writing outside of the pre-Victorian time period that can be difficult but she manages it excellently. However, I did find the tone to be very glib. The satirical style almost became too jarring.

Jane Steele is a well rounded mystery and Faye masterfully weaves a tale of intrigue but it just didn’t tick all of my boxes.

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye is available now.

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“Reader, I murdered him.” Jane Steele is a gothic retelling of the renowned Jane Eyre written by the celebrated Charlotte Bronte. Crime writer, Lyndsay Faye, creates an entirely new story, whilst appropriating the skeletal structure of the original classic. However, Jane Steele is nothing like the Miss Eyre everyone is familiar with. She is far more headstrong and independent, and also a murderer.

Before readers are discouraged to hear that their beloved Jane is portrayed as a criminal, the murders that occur are more of a homicidal or self-defense nature, as opposed to premeditated serial killing. In fact the first death, occurring when she is a nine year old orphan, is not her fault at all, however it prompts Jane’s wealthy aunt to pack her off to boarding school, and thus the similarities with Jane Eyre commence.

Written in an autobiographical manner, Jane describes her years at the virulent school, where she and the other girls experience abuse at the hands of the ignoble schoolmaster. As readers will recall, Eyre’s life improves in her later school years, however Jane Steele’s education comes to a premature end, resulting in her fending for herself in 19th century London.

As the blurb indicates, Jane returns to the house she grew up in after the death of her aunt, affecting to be a governess for the current owner’s ward. Mr. Charles Thornfield, a bachelor, is Jane Steele’s version of Rochester, minus the wife in the attic. The contents of the cellar, on the other hand, are a different matter…

From a romantic point of view, all happens in a similar manner to Jane Eyre, however this is where the comparisons end. With concealed crimes and secrets, as well as an unsolved murder, the story becomes the thriller it initially proposed to be. The incisive Jane Steele takes matters into her own hands – figuratively and literally – as she determines to resolve the unanswered questions.

Although not written with the intent to be comical, the stark contrasts between original and retelling create humorous scenarios. The nature of the main character in comparison with the time frame, a period where women had very little rights, makes the narrative far more exciting and amusing than the earlier novel – although not necessarily better.

Lyndsay Faye maintains the atmosphere of the 1800s with her affinity for eloquent turns of phrase and choice of words. She is a prolific author full of wonderful ideas; her ability to create a new story out of a well-known classic is a formidable skill. What is admirable is they way in which Faye has made Jane Steele a novel in its own right, and not merely a rip-off of Bronte’s work.

The skillful composition and wording will likely be loved by all, its only downfall being the reaction of hardcore Jane Eyre fans. Those who wish for the classics to be left alone and not pulled apart by contemporary authors or film directors may adopt a negative attitude towards to publication of Jane Steele. On the other hand, many will absolutely love this gothic retelling, appreciate the similarities and enjoy the new twist to the storyline. Personally, I am with the latter group.