A Breath of Eyre
By: Eve Marie Mont
Kengsington Publishing Corporation
ISBN-13: 9780758269485
Emma Townsend has always believed in stories—the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates in her head. Perhaps it’s because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep school, or because her stepmother doesn’t come close to filling the void left by her mother’s death. And her only romantic prospect—apart from a crush on her English teacher—is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma’s confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre…
Reading of Jane’s isolation sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane’s body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense of belonging she’s never known—and an attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane’s story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own…
Review
Emma is truly confused and she feels like she's alone in the world, especially when she's at her prep school (even with her cool new roommate Michelle). Even when she's at home Emma feels like she's slowly been getting erased from the family ever since her Mom died and her Dad got remarried. Also her feelings toward Gray, a boy she's known forever who has a bad reputation, are in turmoil ever since he started paying unexpected attention to her. Plus there's the serious crush she's carrying around for her much older English teacher Mr. Emma is suddenly thrust into a very different situation when she suffers a freak accident the night of a Halloween party. Now she is living in the world of Jane Eyre, a literary character who is also very smart with some hard choices to make. After awhile Emma is so busy living Jane's life that she begins to forget who she is. Will she marry Mr. Rochester and live happily ever after? Or will Emma be sent back to her own reality to pick up the pieces of the people left behind? One thing's for sure, Emma definitely doesn't go the beaten path and there is nothing cliched about her final choice. I truly loved this book! Emma is an interesting main character who is whip-smart, sarcastic, shy and really into her books instead of social interactions. Yet something inside her longs for her life to be different. It's like she's at war with herself and that is very true to what it is to grow up (especially in the teen years). Gray Newman is swoonworthy and fun, the quintessential teenage boy with a few extra layers. That is a rare find, considering a lot of YA authors lately have seemed to write either sociopathic or mentally-middle aged romantic heroes. It's a trend that needs to DIE. I love Emma's journey of romantic and self-discovery. There are a lot of really great points about how comlicated Bertha's psyche really is and how much more of a tragedy that makes her - and how it shows a selfish, blind and unfeeling side to Rochester (the so-called victim). The family relationships in the novel are complex and give you something to think about. Overall a fairly good read that is fast-paced, while being more substantial than most. A joy in many ways and I'm super excited for the next book.
VERDICT: 4.75/5 Stars
*I got this ARC by chance and luck of the draw. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published March 27th, 2012.*
I'm glad you enjoyed this book. I loved it a lot and I can't wait to learn how Emma handles herself in the next book.
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