review 1: Interesting take on Jane Eyre. I didn't like it, I didn't hate it. I will say it lacks a lot of the gothic charm and depth that is Jane Eyre. The author spent way too much time on leading up to when Gemma moves into Blackbird Hall and after she leaves it. Equal time, if not more, should have been spent on developing the relationship between her and Mr. Sinclair. All of a sudden they were in love and I didn't buy it. As for the reason she didn't go through with the wedding; way lame. At least Mr. Rochester had a nutter in the attic which gave good reason for Jane not to go through with the wedding. Gemma's reason was too self righteous. Stick to the original. review 2: Not as good as the book that inspired it (is anything?), but an engaging read. I can't decide... more if I liked the feeling that I knew what was coming because the basic plot was so close to Jane Eyre or if it got annoying after a while. It was interesting to see how Livesey updated the Jane Eyre story to fit a more modern era, but it did take away some of the sense of discovery, and the "big secret" was nowhere near as dramatic to me as a wife in the attic and made Gemma's reaction seem a little silly, to be honest. less
