Have you ever read the modern retelling of a classic novel? I have. I read Jane by April Linder. This is the modern retelling of the classic story Jane Eyre. Finally, after knowing the story, I tackled the 550 page book. I have read other classic novels, but this one I liked reading better. It wasn't because of the story, I like all the classic novels I have read, (they must be good to be around for so long), but I liked reading Jane Eyre because I already knew the story. Sometimes when I was reading Sense and Sensibility for example, I got very lost in the old fashioned style writing. By reading the modern retelling first, I already knew what was going to happen so by looking up the words I didn't know, I could get the gist of what the author was describing. This way, I could focus more on the story and compare the differences between the two without having Charlotte Bronte's style of writing be the main factor in the equation. I really enjoyed Jane Eyre for that reason. It was much easier to get through, knowing what would happen next and knowing that the boring spots would eventually resolve into something better.
One thing I didn't like about the story was St. John Rivers. I really disliked his character because of what he thought Jane was. He thought Jane, who was a declared "sister" would happily marry him and move to India without even knowing more about her. He never asked about Mr. Rochester, and never even thought for one second that she would say no. He also seemed very dry compared to Mr. Rochester and the fact that Jane considered going to India to me is just inconsiderable, and an outright atrocious idea.
That sounds like a great book! I never knew that there were books that retold classic novels. It sounds like it would be much easier to read these modern versions of classic novels, and the stories would be much more enjoyable. It sounds like the character St. John Rivers was change a little bit in the modern version of the novel. I suppose that is the down side, that someone could change a great story when they re-write it, or ruin a character. I wonder if there are other books that have been written in modern language? Thanks for sharing Maddie!
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