Yeah I loved Jane Eyre since ... IDK ever

And a Book from the PoV of Mr. Rochester, I was intrigued

Well in the end it was okay.

Mr. Rochester is the story of yes, that Mr. Rochester. Our gothic love interest that dear Jane Eyre so faithfully fell in love with. Who betrayed her and mislead her. Who eventually was reunited with her.

I am a big fan of Jane Eyre so naturally I jumped at the chance to review a book on this misunderstood hero. What I got was something more than I imagined.

Edward Rochester’s life before Jane takes up much of the book. In fact, Jane doesn’t appear until the last 1/4 of the story, which is both good and bad. If you’re like me, you’re itching to get to the beginning of Jane’s story, when they meet, how they fall in love, etc. But at the same time, Rochester’s story is filled with so much before he even meets Jane, it is really satisfying to see how this man became who he did. And how the mad woman in his attic became his wife.

Truthfully, the story of Rochester’s mad wife is the most interesting thing about the book. (And let’s face it, the most intriguing thing about this man.) Before this, Edward is cast aside, lonely, losing friends and without family love. His story resembles Jane’s closely and I liked reading about his trials and challenges. When he gets to Jamaica, the story really picks up and Rochester is thrown into false friends, a beautiful woman’s orbit and a family web of promises.

The tone of the book perfectly mirrors Jane Eyre. I liked Rochester’s voice, his turmoil and his despair. And the light of hope Jane becomes. He does whine a bit though (as you would I guess if you were suckered into his situation) and he is probably the most emotionally overdramatic character, even in his 30s, behaving like a lovelorn teenager of 14.

Also, the book is a bit long on the front end and because it doesn’t really pick up until Jamaica, I almost set it aside.

Overall, Mr. Rochester is exactly what you would expect. It’s a well written, intriguing and dark tale of one of my favorite gothic heroes. Whether or not you still think he’s a hero, that you’ll have to wait and read.

WHAT DID I THINK OF MR. ROCHESTER BY SARAH SHOEMAKER?
Mr. Rochester by Sarah Shoemaker is obviously a retelling of Jane Eyre from Edward Rochester’s point of view. It’s a book that I was immensely interested in because I actually enjoy retellings and had genuinely liked Jane Eyre back when I read it in high school. As it turns out, I didn’t 100% fall all over myself in love with this book, but it’s actually a decent read.

I think for me, I felt like Mr. Rochester was a comprehensive novel – covering all from birth through marriage to Jane Eyre and the happily ever after. But, that’s a lot of stuff to cover in one book. I felt like there wasn’t enough depth. It is a book where I would have appreciated more exploration of certain events. For example, there’s an affair with an actress which basically felt like it took up 10 pages if that and then it comes back to play an important role later on. Still, if you aren’t looking for a deep dive, I think you’ll end up pleased with this book. I do also wish that I had re-read Jane Eyre beforehand just so I would have more appreciation of this story.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook of Mr. Rochester is narrated by Simon Shepherd. It is 16 hours and 43 minutes long and trust, you feel those minutes at some points. I thought that Shepherd was an appropriate narrator – in that he adds gravity but does not sound like he’s doing TOO much or getting overly emotional. It’s exactly was I thought expect for a book told from the point of view of Edward Rochester. The only thing that impacted me is that at one point I listened to this at 2x because I had to get to another book but listening at 1.25 was ideal and I’d recommend that. Just, I started to get antsy because it felt overly long.

2.5 stars. This is marketed as the "untold" story of Mr. Rochester (the male lead of "Jane Eyre"), but beyond the tenderness of the childhood sections I struggled to see what part of this story hadn't already been captured in Brontë's original tale. Shoemaker is a capable writer, but her Rochester is bland - there's nothing poetic, crotchety, or gregarious about him. He's just a rather boring man who happens to live an interesting life. So even though there are some positive aspects of this novel, and I think it's worth reading if you love "Jane Eyre," it's ultimately a lost opportunity to explore the potential richness of Rochester's voice and perspective

Though I liked the book, I made the decision when I finished not to review it on my site because it didn't fit into my editorial schedule. I may include it in a review post or possibly a book list post in the future.

An incredible reimagining of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre from Edward Rochester's point of view, Sarah Shoemaker's novel is written in with incredible similarity to Bronte's prose, bringing the reader a different perspective of the enigmatic Mr. Rochester and how his life's path led him to Jane Eyre.

I'm between 3 and 4 stars, but chose 3 mostly because of length. This was an pretty interesting story for those who love "Jane Eyre," but it does go on quite extensively, giving you the complete picture of Edward Fairfax Rochester's life. I can't say every moment of this narrative was exceedingly fascinating, but it does all inform his ultimate perceived character, which the author really masterfully tuned into. The length made the book a bit of a slog, at times, though once I hit that last 5 or 6 chapters, I couldn't put it down - the love story reveal is always my favorite of books of this era. I'd quite forgotten how fairly tragic the end is, and how the love story is somewhat bittersweet. In the tragedy, and truly potential for an unhappy ending, I could almost see a connection between the lives of the two sister authors, Charlotte and Emily Bronte. "Wuthering Heights" for all of its passionate, wild, tragic, intensity is also a story of a sad/complicated upbringing, with a kind of acceptance of the fated unhappiness of life, and "Jane Eyre" feels a bit like this at times, albeit startlingly less dark and tormenting, but the pulse of those qualities can still be felt.

While the author did a wonderful job imagining Rochester's life in light of the original "Jane Eyre," I think I simply prefer her perspective over Rochester's. It was reminiscent a bit of "The Goldfinch," actually, in how the fortunately unfortunate boy child is brought up into the world, and must ultimately learn how to see and experience his own life and stop allowing his destiny to be so set in stone.

Anyway, a worthwhile read if a bit long.

Mr. Rochester tells the story of the enigmatic Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre. It starts out when he’s a boy and up through Jane Eyre, all through his eyes.
This was a pretty decent book, especially for those that always wanted to know more about this famous character. I’ve read plenty of books about Mr. Darcy but this is the first I’ve seen from this character. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC of this novel. It is an interesting spin on the events in Jane Eyre from a different point of view.

I really, really wanted to like/love this book because Jane Eyre is perhaps one of my all-time favorite novels but alas it fell flat. Shoemaker didn't bring out the vibrant, electric, troubled Rochester that I knew, loved, and hated. I was hoping to feel a little more empathy toward him or something but instead, I got nothing.

Had to put it down; was bored out of my mind. Interesting to see the avg is four stars; will go back to it to see if I'm missing something ...

Shoemaker offers us a version of Mr Rochester that is both hers and Charlotte Bronte's in a way that I can only describe as miraculous. It is possible that the most faithful Jane Eyre fans (such as I am) will struggle to come to terms with it, but I think that in the end they won't be able to help being won over, just as happened to me.

I should warn the readers not to expect anything like "Wide Sargasso Sea" or the Mr Rochester/Englishman you can find in there: Rhys's novel (or a little section of it) and Shoemaker's "Mr. Rochester" travel along parallel but separate tracks, which can be a good thing or a bad one, depending on the reader.

Definitely recommended.

When I discovered this was a retelling of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre from the perspective of the infamous anti-hero, Edward Fairfox Rochester, I was equal parts as dubious as I was excited. How could a modern writer compare to one of the most infamous authors of all-time? Within a few pages every doubt and fear were assuaged and I was convinced that this was a writer who could do both the original author, and her world-renowned characters, justice.

This is, as the title suggests, the life story of Mr Rochester. In part one the reader is given an insight into his childhood life overshadowed by a boisterous older brother and grieving over his distant father, before spending his teen years in the care of various other instructors in preparation for the, as yet unknown, future plans his father has for him. Part two sees the plans come to fruition and Rochester leaves blustery England for tropical Jamaica. This bears many similarities and yet tells a very different story, to another Jane Eyre retelling, Wide Sargasso Sea. Part three chronicles his return to Britain, and his childhood home, and is the portion that parallels the events of Jane Eyre.

It was interesting to see the equalled reviled as romanticised character able to give his own voice to events. Sharing his entire life story meant the reader was able to understand how the lonely boy became the remote man and it gave reasons for this transition.

The author has left enough of the original story intact, without this merely being a repetition of events. It managed to feel both authentic to Bronte's vision as well as adding something entirely the author's own. The amalgamation of the known with the unknown meant this felt instantly beloved; it felt both like returning to an old favourite whilst maintaining the excitement of falling in love with that favourite for the very first time.

3.5* and have rounded up because the ‘faults’ I had with the book probably won’t be important to anyone else…
I had this book for over a month before I got around to reading it. Part of the reason I think is that sometimes I forget about books that I have on my Kindle. (I really must remedy this!) In addition, I had quite a few books to read for discussion groups as well as new books from the library that were due back in a week or so. (I also have to figure out how to not put so many ‘holds’ on books that I want to read – “so many books, so little time”.)
That said, I did get into reading “Mr. Rochester” and enjoyed this author’s story of Edward Rochester and how he grew up and where. I really enjoyed reading about his childhood and the time he spent in Jamaica. Some of the details were fascinating. For example, how he picked out his big horse!
What I was disappointed in was later on in the book, after Jane Eyre became part of this book. I read “Jane Eyre’ when I was in my teens and then about 10 years ago re-read it, still loving it. Now, I like Jane Eyre and it remains a favorite of mine after all these years, however, I would have enjoyed “Mr. Rochester” more if it had been more or only about HIM. I know, a story about Edward Fairfax Rochester would not be a story about him if Jane Eyre had not entered his life. Perhaps ending when he met Jane or shortly after that. At 453 pages this could have been done. True, if someone had not read “Jane Eyre” then they would have to go to the original and read that one to finish the story. But, would that be such a bad thing?
I also liked the cover. Not that it matters or shouldn’t matter since I don’t ‘judge a book by its cover’ but it’s always nice to see a cover that I appreciate.
I would recommend this book.
Thank you very much NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this. I apologize for taking so long to read it and review it.

Very enjoyable look at Jane Eyre from another character's point of view. I will say that parts of it were a little predictable, but that couldn't be helped given the nature of this story.

Intriguing character but there's no way I'd ever marry him. #mrrochester #JaneEyre #sarahshoemaker #ReaderIMarriedHim #retellings

This didn't work. I desperately wanted it to; Jane Eyre is probably my favorite novel. I was eager to read her story from the perspective of Rochester but I think that's where this book's failure lies: this story is Jane's story and no one else's. It just doesn't work from the perspective of Rochester.

Though Shoemaker tried to mirror this novel and Jane Eyre in the backstory section and Thornfield section, it only felt bloated and then kinda silly. Rochester loving Jane isn't as groundbreaking and scandalous as Jane loving Rochester. He's a man; he can do whatever he wants. That sort of mentality ran through the book from beginning to end. Though Rochester was presented as having a difficult life, it just didn't work. He was still a rich boy (emphasis on boy) who ended up in a marvelous house with whatever he wanted. Jane had to defy social convention in order to gain her happiness; Rochester didn't.

(Also, Rochester reads as overtly feminine. That didn't work either.)

Forgive me if this review doesn't make sense—I'm currently sick in bed. All the same, I expected a lot more.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.*

Loved this book
Didn't want it to end
Highly recommended

After reading “Wide Sargasso Sea”, reading a novel about Mr. Rochester’s life before he meets Jane always has me a bit nervous, because I disliked the characterization of Rochester in that novel. This novel however was a wonderful surprise. I found Mr. Rochester’s characterization from a child to an adult to be very well thought out, and true to the original as created by Charlotte Bronte. And even though the plot has to follow certain milestones in Rochester’s life, the author was able to add a lot of interest and depth to events in between the main ones.

Rochester’s childhood was interesting in how it mirrored Jane Eyre’s in her loneliness. Rochester didn’t quite have it as bad as Jane, but he suffered from indifference, the apparent hatred of his brother, and being sent away to school very young. I thought it was an interesting connection that made this novel read in a similar way to Jane Eyre, as the reader gets to see what events shapes Rochester’s character. These events were charming to read about - the author portrays the time and setting very realistically, and it felt realistic to believe that Rochester had these experiences.

Although the pace of the story could be slow, I always felt engrossed by what was happening. The writing was a big help in this I think. It captured the time’s vernacular without being hard to read, and also painted the characters vividly enough to capture the imagination.

When the story reached the Jane Eyre section, I was very excited to dive in. It was excellently done for the most part, however there was an added plot thread that felt very off to me. It didn’t detract too much from the overall story, but it also didn’t feel necessary. The story parallels “Jane Eyre” pretty closely though, without really diving too much into the romance, so I felt like the first two-thirds of the book was actually the better part.

This was a fantastic read overall, and a great tribute to Jane and Rochester.