My Plain Jane

I absolutely adore these books.

This is the 3rd or 4th book by these women that I’ve read, and each book is as entertaining as the last.

To start, these books are written with some historic references and a lot of whimsy. Previous books I’ve read by them have strictly focused on bending historic figures and their fates into more positive, touched-by-magic fates (i.e. Mary, Queen of Scots can turn into a mouse at will type of touched-by-magic).

This novel follows the story of two friends Jane Eyre (yes, that Jane Eyre) and Charlotte Brontë (yes, that Charlotte Brontë). Right off the bat, the twist is that Jane Eyre is a real person, but, additionally, her best friend Helen is a ghost.

Jane is pursued by a Mr. Alexander Blackwood to join the Society, which specializes in relocating pesky ghosts. Jane refuses on account of her being in love with Mr. Rochester, the head of the house where she is employed as governess. Charlotte is an aspiring author and is drawn to the excitement of the Society, despite being unable to see ghosts herself. Nevertheless, Charlotte finds herself on an adventure with Mr. Blackwood as they attempt to recruit Jane to the Society and uncover the truth about the nefarious Mr. Rochester.

I laughed out loud many times while reading this book and found myself intrigued by the storyline – I will say I was not a huge fan of Jane Eyre (the novel) when I read it in high school…it is on my list of books to re-read as an adult. The conversational and casual style of writing helps to pull the reader in to the story and really connect with the characters.

The uniqueness of the authors directly addressing the reader with commentary about a scene or the characters is a draw for me for these books. It aids in the whimsical retelling of these historic figures lives.

For fans of historic fiction, who enjoy a light and easy read with interesting storylines and characters, coupled with a touch of magic, and a whole lot of sarcasm, jokes, and references to today’s pop culture (I did appreciate the nod to Harry Potter in this one!), I’d recommend any book by this team.

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