My Plain Governess

My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you, Harper Collins, for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For everyone who’s ever fallen for the wrong person, even though we agree that Mr. Darcy looks good on paper…and in a wet shirt.

I absolutely loved My Lady Jane when I read it two years ago. In fact, it was my favorite novel in 2016. Hence, I had nothing but high expectations before delving into My Plain Jane. In totality, it was a very entertaining novel although I wasn’t familiar with the story of Jane Eyre. Still, I couldn’t give it five stars because it was compared to My Lady Jane, it was not that good.

For the most part, My Plain Jane retains the main plot points of Jane Eyre. It follows an orphan girl who becomes a governess and falls in love with her suspicious employer. But in this case, Jane Eyre is a seer, which means that she is able to see and communicate with ghosts. Alexander Blackwood, the star agent of a failing organization called the Society for the Relocation of Wayward Spirits, wants to hire Jane. Unfortunately, she doesn’t want to leave her darling Mr. Rochester. Alexander then enlists the help of Charlotte Bronte (yes, she is a character in this book), a talented writer who has taken it upon herself to write a novel about her best friend (Jane Eyre). To simply put it, this book is both a retelling and an origin story of Jane Eyre.

The Lady Janies sure do know how to make their readers laugh. I really had a good time reading this book, especially when they interrupted the narrative to address me and make me feel that I was a part of the story. The authors utilized this tactic in My Lady Jane, and it worked its magic once again in this book. Another magical thing was the cohesion of the writing. The book was written by three different authors, but I didn’t have the feeling that I was comprehending three different writing styles. In other words, the Lady Janies’ respective literary voices were super compatible.

In retrospect, even though Jane Eyre and the other protagonists weren’t problematic in the truest sense of the word, I didn’t become attached to most of them. I did like them, but they were quite plain compared to the characters in My Lady Jane. Looking on the bright side, at least I was very fond of Helen, Jane Eyre’s other best friend who happened to be a ghost. Helen was the primary source of humor in the story, constantly nagging Jane about things both trivial and important. It was also intriguing to see Charlotte Bronte as a fictional character. My reading experience became more meaningful because I often wondered if her personality was inspired by the real Charlotte Bronte. If the authors had to read biographies or whatnot before writing this book, then I applaud them for doing so. In any case, it was not surprising that I was able to relate to her love for reading and writing.

My Plain Jane actually downplayed the romance between Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. This wasn’t necessarily bad because I wasn’t expecting to read a cheesy love story. However, Mr. Rochester lacked character development. He was not in Thornfield Hall most of the time, and most of his brief interactions with Jane Eyre made him seem like a villain. The cause of this phenomenon was eventually explained, but it would’ve been better if I had been given the chance to know the “real” Mr. Rochester. 😉 His “fake” personality was more bothersome than interesting.

The last problem I encountered was the inconsistent pacing. The pacing was generally smooth, but it became rushed, especially during the climax of the book. Many significant things happened in succession to the point that my brain found it hard to keep up. For example, the protagonists were caught in a number of problems throughout the novel, and it didn’t take more than a chapter or two to solve them. Sometimes, this caused the characters to be all over the place as if they could teleport or something.

All things considered, My Plain Jane was an enjoyable and memorable read. If I took my love for My Lady Jane out of the picture, I would probably give this book a higher rating. Still, a four-star rating is high enough. Haha. I can’t wait to read another retelling by the Lady Janies. I wonder who’s gonna be their next inspiration. I’m sure that history has more Janes to write about. xD