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Jump to navigationJump to searchThe French Dancer's Bastard by Emma Tennant (view source)
Revision as of 09:13, 27 September 2020
, 09:13, 27 September 2020no edit summary
I found the character of Adèle completely convincing along with her mother, Céline Varens. This may be because the author was not greatly constrained by the original and was able to flesh out the characters to her satisfaction. We see Adèle as an eight-year-old and later when she is fourteen. The different ages and attitudes are captured well and the girl seemed more real than in the original. I was less convinced by Edward Rochester, but ''Jane Eyre'' did impose considerable constraints here.
If you enjoyed the original, or this autumn's television serialisation of ''Jane Eyre'' then I think you will find this a good read. It takes nothing away from the original and does open up other lines of thought about what might have happened. I wouldn't advise reading it if you haven't read the original or seen the serialisation.
I don't often comment on book covers, but this one is really quite stunning - courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Thanks to the publishers, Maia Press, for sending us this book.
You might also enjoy [[Becoming Jane Eyre by Sheila Kohler]] or [[Helen by Maria Edgeworth]]. For another reworking of a classic, try [[The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly]].
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|comment=No, it's not actually Fowles, Magda, but a reference to something said in ''Jane Eyre''. There is some copying of style, but not to the point where it becomes painful. It's actually pre-Regency in setting. It's rather difficult to answer the question about anachronisms particularly with regard to sexual morality as Adèle's mother is an actress in name but in fact , seemed little better than a prostitute. She, and her world, feature strongly in the book.
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