My Plain Jane (Lady Janies) Hardcover – 26 Jun. 2018

This is an entertaining romp of a book playing fast and loose with Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre ( and Miss Bronte herself). Enjoyable nonsense in an alternative reality to the 19th century original.

I loved My Lady Jane so was excited to see what the authors did with their retelling of Jane Eyre, which is one of my favourite books. Like the first book, this is witty, irreverent, light-hearted escapism that pokes fun at romance tropes and Jane Eyre itself. I couldn’t stop laughing at the number of times poor Jane was called plain. Thankfully, Helen Burns’s cutting commentary punctures any nonsense and questions the numerous ridiculous events that occur.There are three points of view – sixteen-year-old Charlotte Brontë, eighteen-year-old Jane Eyre, and eighteen-year-old Alexander Blackwood. I found every character interesting so none of the chapters felt like they dragged. The inept fifteen-year-old Branwell was another brilliant character. The romance between Charlotte and Alexander was nicely written but I wasn’t quite as involved as I was with Jane Grey and Gifford. Some of my favourite moments were actually the little things such as the governess advert which was basically asking for Mary Poppins. I honestly couldn’t stop laughing at “Die, you evil teacup!” (you’ll understand this more when you read it!).The additions of ghosts to Jane Eyre might seem ridiculous (which it is) but it works. The plot was fun and I loved the references to popular fandoms such as Harry Potter, Princess Bride, The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. It might not have been quite as good as My Lady Jane but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and that’s really the most important thing for me when rating a book. The next book in the series is based on Calamity Jane which already sounds fantastic. If you’re looking for a light-hearted young adult book, then you should definitely try this series.

My Plain Jane is wonderfully fun and fast paced. A great read for those who are a fan of Charlotte Bronte, and themes of the Paranormal.

I feel conflicted with this story. I appreciated the effort. I thought it was well-written. I definitely thought there were humorous parts, in fact, parts that made me laugh out loud.But.But.But.I found it hard to read this book. I found myself not wanting to pick it up at times. There were parts that felt boring and monotonous. The retelling of Jane Eyre is quite a tricky thing. One of the most classic romances of all time, and of course, we all know and are fully aware of how creepy Rochester actually is, but none of us actually care!That didn't bother me though. It didn't bother me that the authors of this book really displayed his creepiness to us all and the silliness of Jane.What did bother me is how uninteresting I found Jane to be. And Charlotte too. Both characters didn't stand out for me and did little to attract me to the story. It took me much longer to finish this book than it did My Lady Jane. A bit of a disappointment.

Such a silly book with amazing twists with the original stories! Very spoopy which is always a must!

Love the new version of an old classic. Actually made me want to re-read the original. Utterly brilliant.

good

I know, I know...the authors apologised "to England" at the beginning of the novel.But still.WHY couldn't a publishing giant like Harper find a line editor (or an English beta reader) to correct the (hundreds) of Americanisms in this England-set book?!I don't care how farcical a novel is meant to be. Mr Brocklehurst shouldn't eat "cookies" or "candy". And Mr Rochester wears TROUSERS, not "pants".Ah, well. Maybe I'm the only one it bothers.Moving on!I've read dozens of Jane Eyre pastiches over the years (even one or two SPICY e-books) and this one, I fear, is the worst. Surely most readers picking up a Jane Eyre-themed novel actually LIKE the story. So the tone the authors chose here is particularly baffling.It's not that the book is too frivolous, or frothy. That's true, but that part works. What didn't work for me were the wink-wink "aren't we moderns SO much more evolved than the people who lived before us?" asides.Not to get too heavy here, but this arrogant and ignorant attitude towards history (fact and fiction) is playing a big part in the polarisation of Western society. And it's lazy.Not for me, "My Plain Jane". To the charity shop box you go!PS: (SPOILER ahead) I am happy that the authors let Branwell live. :)

Sei que três estrelas não é das maiores notas e que significa que esse livro foi só okay, então, antes de mais nada, quero deixar claro que eu tenho um carinho enorme por ele e, apesar de ter dado cinco estrelas para o primeiro da série e ele ter entrado na minha lista de favoritos (duas coisas que esse segundo nem chegou perto de fazer), de nenhum modo eu detestei este daqui ou cheguei a ficar decepcionada. Simplesmente sei que ele não merece mais do que três estrelas e tenho vários motivos para isso.A ideia de juntar a história de Jane Eyre com fantasmas me pareceu brilhante quando li a sinopse desse livro. Para quem leu Jane Eyre, sabe que eles super encaixariam, tanto na ambientação, quanto em vários momentos da vida de Jane. Infelizmente, fazer uma releitura de um livro tão conceituado nunca é fácil e, apesar das três autoras aqui terem encaixado vários detalhes direitinho (como o incêndio do parlamento), muita coisa que veio do livro original deixou a narrativa deslocada. As autoras não conseguiram fazer certas coisas acontecerem naturalmente de um jeito que ficassem paralelas aos acontecimentos do livro original. Muita coisa foi aos tropeços, outras foram apressadas ou só mencionadas (desnecessário, aliás). Elas não pareceram dominar tão bem a estrutura do livro da Charlotte Brontë, pelo menos, não o suficiente para parecer que a história era delas.Outra coisa que me incomodou foi a Jane Eyre. A verdadeira Jane Eyre é simplesmente maravilhosa, complexa e forte, que se recusa a aceitar migalhas de atenção só por ser simples, "feia", pobre e órfã (sim, merece aspas ali). Ela é simplesmente incrível, e as autoras aqui definitivamente não conseguiram passar nem um semblante dessa personalidade. A Jane aqui, aliás, é mera coadjuvante. A Charlotte é claramente a melhor personagem - e a principal. Fiquei triste com isso, e aqui está a única razão a qual posso atribuir um certo sentimento de decepção.Além dela, o outro personagem com narrativa, Alexander, deixou bastante a desejar. Ele foi muito bobo em vários momentos, bem superficial em outros, também parecendo que as autoras não tinham tanto controle ou dominância sobre ele. Como muitos aspectos da narrativa, ele foi construído rápido e desajeitado. O romance do livro poderia também ter sido mais bacana também, admito. Quase preferiria o livro sem qualquer romance.My Plain Jane não é ruim, até que é fofo, e eu sorri em várias partes, mas nenhuma me fez realmente rir, como o primeiro da trilogia. Como eu disse, ainda guardo muito carinho por ele e pela série, e foi uma leitura mais do que agradável. Uma das coisas que me impediram de me decepcionar, talvez, tenha sido o fato de que eu já esperava que ele não fosse tão bom. Então, tente não ler com muitas expectativas. E se prepare para adorar a Charlotte, a verdadeira estrela da história.

Definitivamente esperaba más. Lo sentí bastante lento y no tan divertido como al entrega anterior. Esperaba algo más del romance, simplemente no fue tan entretenido.

While 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.

So great! A bit more serious than My Lady Jane, but still with some great humour and romance. The characters were easy to relate to and I cared intensely about what would happen to them. It amazes me how seamlessly three different authors can work together to create one story. This one reminded me a bit of Cindy Anstey’s books, which I also love. Victorian romance + ghostbusters + the princess bride is truly a recipe for a great book.

The only thing you need to worry about when buying from Amazon is that while the product is good has it been delivered nicely as well? This hold true for this book. The pages or the cover wasn't bent but i received it safely packaged. Even the edges of the pages are crisp and good unlike some of my other buys. As for the story line you cannot go wrong with either brodi Ashton or Jodi meadows or Cynthia hand 's books and all three together makes for a amazing book