My Plain Jane
By Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows
4/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Move over, Charlotte Brontë. The authors of the New York Times bestselling My Lady Jane put an irreverent spin on Jane Eyre—a fantastical tale of mischief, romance, and supernatural mayhem perfect for fans of The Princess Bride or A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue.
You may think you know the story. Penniless orphan Jane Eyre begins a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall, where she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester—and, Reader, she marries him. Or does she?
Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.
Cynthia Hand
The Lady Janies are made up of New York Times bestselling authors Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows. They first met in 2012, when their publishers sent them on a book tour together, and they hit it off so well they decided to write My Lady Jane so they could go on book tours together all the time. Between the three of them they’ve written more than twenty published novels, a bunch of novellas, a handful of short stories, and a couple of really bad poems. They’re friends. They’re writers. They’re fixing history by rewriting one sad story at a time. Learn more at ladyjanies.com.
Read more from Cynthia Hand
My Lady Jane Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Calamity Jane Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for My Plain Jane
159 ratings14 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jane Eyre and Charlotte Bronte are at a pretty miserable school where the headmaster has recently been murdered. Jane can see ghosts, Charlotte is an aspiring writer, and both are wondering what they can do with their lives given the limited options afforded to them in this time period. Enter Alexander of the Society of Relocation of Wayward Spirits. Jane takes a governess position, meets Mr. Rochester, but things don't exactly go down like they did in her book. Allusions and wit abound in this entertaining read.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I was so disappointed in this one, especially after I loved the first one so much. I think the main reason I didn't enjoy this one as much is the characters. They were all so annoying! Jane was just a naïve whiney little thing, I get that she was naïve due to her circumstance and the time period but Jane Gray in the first book was still very strong opinionated girl so that's no excuse. At one point another character describes Jane as very strong and independent which made me actually laugh out loud because it made no sense. That was also one of the very few times that the book made me laugh. The first was just so much funnier. Charlotte was also annoying. She continually stuck her nose into things she shouldn't be, completely selfish and just bratty. Sometimes that can be enduring for a character but there wasn't enough to like about her to make that bearable. I'll still read the next book when it comes out in hopes that it will be more like the first.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A madcap riff on Jane Eyre, involving a ghost hunting society and the Brontë siblings as characters in the story. If you're a Jane Eyre purist, you won't enjoy this, but if you approach it as a completely different story that borrows some character and place names, it's a fun romp. I listened to the audiobook, and it was mostly good, but there were a couple of places where I felt the narrator emphasized the wrong word in the sentence, which hindered comprehension. Still, overall, enjoyable.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5While this team wrote My Lady Jane, aside from a slight nod to that novel, My Plain Jane is a standalone story. The hilarious retelling of Jane Eyre had me snickering from the dedication: For everyone who’s ever fallen for the wrong person, even though we agree that Mr. Darcy looks good on paper . . . and in a wet shirt. And for England (again). We’re really sorry for what we’re about to do to your literature.It helps if you have read Jane Eyre, or at least the "Cliff Notes version," although one of the movies would work, too. There are a good number of references to other popular books and movies, although you don't have to have read them or seen them to enjoy the humor. If you catch it, then there's an extra giggle for you. The addition of ghosts and the Society for the Relocation of Wayward Spirits moves this book from a simple retelling to a re-imagining of the story. Charlotte Bronte was perhaps my favorite character with her glasses and writer's notebook. I also liked Helen, mostly for saying what the reader should have been thinking at times. The editorial comments from the writers had me snickering. I strongly suggest that you not read the book while eating or drinking; I speak from experience!If you liked My Lady Jane, I think you will like this book. If you liked Jane Eyre and aren't a purist about it, you will probably like this book. If you like historical humor or ghost fantasies, you will most likely enjoy the book. If you simply like well-written, humorous books, this should be your cup of tea.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Taking the classic novel "Jane Eyre" and inserting ghosts and Charlotte Bronte into the story make this retelling a lot of fun. Jane can see ghosts and is heavily recruited to help "send them on" but she is having none of it. There is intrigue (ghosts possessing people to do nefarious things) and humor and even a bit of romance where least expected.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I received an ARC of this book for free as part of BookSparks’ YA Summer Reading Challenge.I was so excited to read this book, but it ended up being not quite what I was expecting. I love Jane Eyre (it’s one of my favorite classics) and I expected a fun retelling. I kind of got that, but at the same time kind of didn’t.Also I just want to throw it out there that I have never read My Lady Jane, so I can’t say how it compares to that book. I enjoyed the Jane Eyre aspects of the book a lot. I loved seeing the new takes on classic Jane Eyre scenes and characters. Those were a lot of fun.I also loved the commentary and the little pop culture references, especially the Mary Poppins nanny one in the beginning. However, I wasn’t a huge fan of the ghost hunting storyline. It was a bit much and overtook most of the story. It could have been cut down.The beginning was also a bit slow. It took a while for the story to really get going.As for the characters, I liked having both Jane and Charlotte’s perspectives. But I really didn’t care much for Alexander. I was never that excited to read his parts. Overall, I wanted less ghostbusters and more epic gothic romance.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is the second book in the Lady Janies series and can be read as a stand alone. This was a bit long, but ended up being a fun Jane Eyre retelling. It's more inspired by Jane Eyre than a true retelling. The story is told from 3 POV's (I am assuming each author took a character) and this makes the story a bit long and breaks it up a bit but it worked okay. We hear from Jane, Charlotte Bronte (Jane’s best living friend), and Alexander (young ghost hunter).When Jane begins working at Thornfield Hall things are very odd, Rochester’s temperament is all over the place and there are strange noises from above. Little does Jane know that she has wandered into a dramatic ghost story.The story is written in a very snarky tone and is very cute and funny. I enjoyed it. It does take awhile to get to Thornfield Hall and the story felt a bit drawn out at points. I also thought it ended really abruptly. Overall this was a good retelling of Jane Eyre. It’s fun and easy to read if a bit drawn out. I would recommend to those who enjoy snarky retellings of classic literature involving ghosts.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Have you read JANE EYRE? Well, it is the time to forget what you read. Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have told us the real story including the Royal Society for the Relocation of Wayward Spirits headed by the Duke of Wellington and its star agent Alexander Blackwood.The story begins at Lowood School with the murder its governor Mr. Brocklehurst. Charlotte Bronte is a student at the school and Jane Eyre is one of the teachers. Charlotte is constantly carrying a notebook around with her and jotting down possible story ideas and her observations of things around her. Jane has a secret. She can see ghosts and has one as her best friend. There are plenty of ghosts at the school since privations and disease have caused a number of the girls to die, including Charlotte's two older sisters. When Alexander comes to town to relocate a ghost who is making trouble at the town pub along with is inept assistant Branwell, he meets Jane and tries to recruit her for the Society. Jane didn't like the way he treated the ghost at the pub and refuses. She has decided that she would rather be a governess and has accepted a job with Mr. Rochester. Alexander isn't willing to give up on recruiting Jane but meets Charlotte when he goes to the school. Charlotte would very much like to work for the Society. She can't see ghosts but she thinks she has other skills that would be useful. Charlotte also learns that Blackwood's assistant is actually her brother. The three of them team up to go to Mr. Rochester's to try to convince Jane to give the Society a chance. But Jane has already decided she's in love with Mr. Rochester.This was a fun story filled with parenthetical asides giving social commentary, information addressed to the Reader, and comments that are made with the tongue firmly in cheek. Oh, and don't forget the ghosts and dastardly villain and the various romances.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I have a weakness for Jane Eyre and this humorous adaptation with a few ghosts added made for fun reading. The plot manages to incorporate key elements of the classic novel, but this novel is no retelling, but more of a reimagining. Very fun if you don't get hung up on the details!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A funny quick read that had me laughing out loud at times.
But it just couldn't keep pace for my liking overall. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I really liked it.
I thought it was funny and silly and lovely.
Yay! Ghosts! - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/53.0
I love Jane Eyre, and up to reading any sort of retelling of the story. I found this particular one to be entertaining enough, aside from the preoccupation with corsets. I think the book tried a bit too hard with the humor, and no character was really 3 dimensional (though these types of books generally lack in that area). A solid 3 star read. However, I enjoyed the ghostly twist, as well as the writers pointing out what an ass Mr. Rochester is in Jane Eyre. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Delightful, suspenseful, adorable retelling of Jane Eyre. I highly recommend the audio version.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It was a very different and unique version of a Jane Eyre story. It was a humorous and light hearted, quick witted easy fun read.
I would recommend checking it out for a good, fun read 🙂.