Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books of all time. I sometimes return to it and read it again for I don't know comfort or whatever. I found The Wide Sargasso Sea to be interesting, but here we have a new perspective on Jane Eyre, following the life of Rochester. Just how does this Byronic hero evolve into the love of one orphaned governesses life? I found the background perspectives to be quite interesting, that Mr. Rochester also had an upbringing with little family love, was sent to an unconventional school and basically tricked into marriage with Bertha.

This stays very true to Bronte's original story, while adding an interesting perspective on behalf of Mr. Rochester.

I was surprised at how much I loved this book! Jane Eyre has always been one of my favorites and while I was initially skeptical about reading Edward's story, I'm so glad I did. it made me go back and read Jane (which I still adore) and appreciate it even more. THat's a good thing. Shoemaker has skillfully and respectfully fleshed out the character. Her writing does mimic the pacing and tenor of Jane, which is also a good thing in my opinion. I imagine some Jane fans will find lots of things to argue with (and I could name a few myself) but let go and just enjoy it for what it is. This reminded me a bit of March, which also seemed a bit blasphemous but became while not an equal favorite with Little Women but one that stands honestly beside it. Thanks to Shoemaker for this and to Netgalley for the ARC.

Jane Eyre has always been one of my favourite books. There’s a darkness to it that I find intriguing. I can’t help but be drawn to the gloomy English moors, the candle lit Thornfield Hall and the raw emotions of the characters. Jane’s resilience and intelligence has also always endeared her to me. I don’t think I have or will ever find another book such as this one. So, being a huge fan of Jane Eyre, I couldn’t wait to read Sarah Shoemaker's novel Mr. Rochester. It provides readers with Edward Rochester's backstory, basically what turned him into the jaded, grumpy and changeful character readers find at the start of Jane Eyre.

I wanted to love this book, I really did. I swept aside all of my fears and reservations about it because sometimes it’s really difficult to let go of something you hold so dear. But in the end, this book was not what I was expecting at all. It sadly ended up being a long, drawn-out examination of a life that didn’t reveal anything new.

My main issue with this book was how Mr. Rochester was portrayed. The character here is sentimental, bland…a nice guy who has some rotten luck. THIS ISN’T THE ROCHESTER I KNOW AND LOVE!!!!! In Jane Eyre, Rochester was never, ever bland. He was intense, dark and unknown. A complete mystery to the reader and after finishing this book, I think it would have been better if it was left that way. Sometimes you just shouldn't mess with something that was already perfect on its own.

I also couldn't identify with the characters and made no connection with the events that happened in the story. Everything felt distant, like the writing didn't allow me to fully become consumed with the story. I was reading it, understanding it but in the end there really wasn't anything that kept me holding on, wanting to turn the page. It felt long, like a lot of work. For me, reading shouldn't be like that. It should be an escape or at least something that challenges your thoughts and beliefs. This book did neither and that disappointed me.

So, do I recommend this book? Hmmm...go read the classic first. If you did enjoy Jane Eyre then I would give this one a chance. You never know, you may actually find the pacing, descriptions and characterizations to your liking. That's the things about reviews, everyone has a different opinion. If you have read Mr. Rochester I would really like to know your thoughts!

Fans of Jane Eyre will enjoy this new novel that explores Mr. Rochester’s story. Young Edward’s childhood is lonely and his efforts to find love are complicated by his aloof father and arrogant older brother. At a young age, he’s sent off to a tutor and then eventually a factory to learn the ways of running a business. Eventually he’s sent to Jamaica where he meets his first wife, the troubled Berthe Mason, and this is when his complications become fraught in a variety of ways. All of this background provides many answers for many of Mr. Rochester’s later insecurities and secrets. In the final part of the novel, Jane Eyre makes her appearance. Edward Rochester’s narration feels authentic, and I found him to be a sympathetic character. This enjoyable novel is a wonderful example of reimagining a classic from another perspective.

Just as I have always been interested in the the women of history who names have been nearly forgotten, often times I am interested in the leading men’s point of view. I thought I had gotten my fill of Eddie Rochester from “Wide Sargasso Sea” but instead it looks like there is room in my library for two different sides of young Rochester. Unlike many of the readers I noticed reviewing, “Jane Eyre” is not the be all and end all for me. It was a fun book to read and it left me with many questions that I found uncomfortable asking my parents about. When you’re 10-11, you don’t want a lecture about good versus bad, anti-hero and the like, you just want a solid answer. I couldn’t find one so I moved on.
Author Sarah Shoemaker did a great job of answering some of those questions I had. Some mysteries were solved and some answers were given. You know the basic formula of how everything will work out but instead of being bored to tears and pushing on for the sake of a “read” label, I found myself intrigued by how she would wrap everything together. While it isn't a perfectly wrapped package, the love for it is there and you can tell a great deal of work went into this. So if you enjoy Jane Eyre and are open to having someone else climb into your prize sandbox, then I recommend you give it a go. If you have Bronte on an altar and consider every word law, then perhaps just re-read “Jane Eyre.”

*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing in exchange for honest feedback*

"What was I? […] most days I felt like a boy still, trying to give the appearance of a man, capable and dependable – and terrified of being found out. I was convinced I was the only young man in all the world who felt like a charlatan."
*
Before diving into Sarah Shoemaker’s debut novel, I first revisited Charlotte Brontë’s timeless classic, Jane Eyre, which I rated 4.5 stars. You can find the full review in a previous post or by clicking here.

As the title implies, Mr. Rochester tells the story of Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester, Jane’s master and eventual husband. We follow young Edward from boyhood to adulthood under his father’s orders. Much like Jane’s narrative, Edward’s is a bildungsroman, split into three parts: he goes to school with several other boys, he learns to run a worsted mill (book one), all culminating in his business prospects in Jamaica and marriage to the beautiful Miss Bertha Antoinetta Mason (book two), followed by his eventual return to his childhood home, Thornfield Hall (book three).

"I had not known it as a child, but now I did: there had never been another home for me, only way stations on a homeward journey that I had somehow always dreamed of making."

After coming back to Thornfield Hall after the death of both his brother and father leave him master, he seeks to conceal his union with the unstable Bertha, instead choosing to traverse abroad to seek out the finer comforts in life.

Then comes Adèle, then Jane, and we know the rest.

This book feels a bit like pulling back the curtains to reveal the man hiding backstage. I thought this book gave an interesting additional perspective to the enigmatic Mr. Rochester. By giving him a voice and delving into his backstory, we get to know more about his character, his motives, and his dreams.

I quite enjoyed this book. The writing was good and the tone felt almost authentically Victorian. Both novels have a similar feel, and though Mr. Rochester is good, I don’t feel like it compared to Jane Eyre. Mr. Rochester’s voice isn’t quite what I was expecting it to be, and to me there was something that didn’t entirely line up with how he was portrayed in Brontë’s masterpiece. I also feel that third part of the book – which essentially condenses the narrative from Jane Eyre from Mr. Rochester’s point-of-view – didn’t really give add too much to what was already told through Jane’s eyes.

However, Sarah Shoemaker’s novel was good in its own right, it is probably not fair to compare the two. The writing itself was good and fully developed. I liked the fact that it mirrored the feel of Jane Eyre in terms of organization as we watch Mr. Rochester grow up. If you liked Jane Eyre, like me, I’d definitely check this book out. It adds another layer to the classic story.

I feel that this book is an overall 3.5 stars, but I will round it up to 4 because it was better than a 3.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review!

From the first page you can tell the author is a Bronte fan. The huge task of giving us the life of Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre was done with a lot of soul, knowledge of the book and genuine love of the character. This is not a retelling of Jane Eyre. This is the entire life of Edward Fairfax Rochester from his point of view. While Jane appears, at the appropriate time in Rochester's life, the book is entirely him. The reader will get great insight into Thornfield Hall and surrounding areas as well as Jamaica and the life and times of different social classes during this time.
Jane Eyre is not my favorite book, but I did enjoy it - maybe even more now that I have Mr. Rochester's life to entwine with Jane's.
I believe this is what Charlotte Bronte might have written. The author is definitely not "an automation - a machine without feelings".

While listening to the pitter-patter on the windows, I finished this fantastic book "Mr. Rochester" by Sarah Shoemaker. This is a great companion book to the ultimate romance (well one of them in my opinion) "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë. I first read "Jane Eyre" in high school, and fell in love with the characters and moody, Gothic story. Shoemaker expands upon this world by providing Edward Rochester's tale.

I don't want to give too much away, but I think Shoemaker provides and interesting take on Rochester's actions. In her book, he isn't necessarily this cold, sharp man that one gets to know in "Jane Eyre". Rochester is a complex character, getting his perspective and his backstory fill in some gaps and although I already loved him as a character, he became more endearing to me after reading this book. Shoemaker writes very well, and she submerges you into this time period. Some historical novels can get a little heavy handed with descriptive, which I don't necessarily dislike, but this novel provides enough detail without overdoing it.

I highly recommend "Mr. Rochester" if you like historical fiction, romance, and Gothic genres. Now, if you haven't read "Jane Eyre", you should really read that first. Do yourself a favor and read that book, it is fantastic and one of the classics. Afterward, when you are wanting more to the story, read Shoemaker's "Mr. Rochester". You won't judge Mr. Rochester so harshly.

"If I had turned my back on my father's plans, my journey would have been entirely different, and while I might have fond a satisfactory sort of life much sooner, I would never have found Jane."

Edward Fairfax Rochester just wants to be happy. For most of his life, he is following orders given to him by his father. As the second son, he will inherit nothing. His elder brother Rowland gets everything - including his beloved childhood home, Thornfield Hall. Edward's father has his entire life planned out for him - from school as a young boy, to working at and managing a wool mill, to university, and finally, to Jamacia to take over the Rochester sugarcane plantation. We follow Mr. Rochester throughout his life, continuing in Paris and eventually back to England - until he meets Jane Eyre. We all know how it ends. But how did we get there? Why is Edward Rochester the cruel and bitter, or at best, jaded man he appears to be when he meets Jane?

We already know Jane's story. This is HIS story.

The beginning chunk of the book shows us Edward in his early schooling days. This was one of my favorite parts of the book, as it really lays out some things about Mr. Rochester; this is where he learns things that will stay with him throughout his life, and makes friends whose wise words and love stay in his heart forever.

"You have to play the cards you were dealt," his dear childhood friend Carrot tells Edward. This line is repeated and is a huge theme in the book, as well as a key to understanding why Mr. Rochester is who he is. He is often dealt a shitty hand (usually on purpose by his father), but he continuously is trying to do the right thing. Morals are very important to Edward, and this is another theme that he struggles with, especially after he falls in love Jane while he is already married. Here I also learned a ton of random facts about philosophy and the history of the British military, which is always a plus. It is evident that a ton of research went into this book, besides just "reading between the lines" of Jane Eyre itself.

The next few parts of the book drag a bit. I wouldn't dare call if boring, because there are a lot of little pieces to this story that eventually add up in the end, or are at least crucial to painting Edward Rochester in a full light. It was just, at times, excruciatingly detailed. Mr. Rochester is a thick novel (not in pages, but in details), and it reads like literature - it should be savored and read slowly, like a rich, chocolate cake. I sometimes got frustrated and distracted because of the slow pace, hence my reluctance in giving a full five stars. (Perhaps this is more my own fault than the book's.)

The most interesting and therefore my favorite part of Edward's tale was meeting Bertha Mason, his eventual wife. When we meet Bertha in Jane Eyre, she is barely a human. She is completely mad - a monster secretly living inside the walls of Thornfield Hall. We can't help but wonder how she got that way. Shoemaker thoroughly examines and explains Bertha's descent into madness, including backstory into all other members of her family in Jamaica. Though Bertha is usually seen as a villain and a hindrance to the love between Jane and Edward, I could not help but pity Miss Mason. Even back in the 1800's, when mental illness was so misunderstood, Jane chimes that is not her fault that Bertha is ill. I applaud Shoemaker for the way she handled such a complicated piece of the story.

As Edward finally returns to Thornfield Hall, after his excursions in Paris and other European cities, I started getting anxious to see the conclusion. The backstory to Rochester's affair with Celine, and then his brief courtship with Blanche Ingram were fairly interesting, but at this point I kept asking "WHERE IS JANE?!".

At one point, during the bits with Gerald Rochester (who, admittedly, I do not even remember from Jane Eyre, oops?), I thought the ending was going to change, that somehow Thornfield would be lost again to Edward, and that he and Jane would run away together. Of course, Shoemaker stays true to the story, but I rather liked feeling doubtful for a bit! If one were to read this without having read Miss Bronte's version, I bet they would be completely shocked at the ending.

The high note of the novel, of course, was watching Edward Rochester fall in love with Jane. In Shoemaker's eyes, it happens a lot sooner than probably most readers would have guessed. It is very close to love at first sight. To me, since I have known and loved Jane for years, his immediate infatuation is totally understandable. While most of the best lines are taken from the original text, I enjoyed the few times Mr. Rochester gets a bit mushy in his thoughts: "As her eyes studied mine, I felt myself falling into a kind of dream. If I could have kept that moment forever, I would have."

To conclude, I very much enjoyed Shoemaker's version of one of my favorite books of all time. I definitely cried at least twice: the first time that bastard sets eyes on Jane, and again, when he finally is able to tell us: "Reader, she married me."

I am sure I shall read it again one day, perhaps after a re-read of Bronte's masterpiece. I urge anyone who loves Jane Eyre to read Mr. Rochester.

Fans of Jane Eyre, take note.

Though it's been many years since my last reading, I have long loved Jane Eyre. It was likely one of the first Gothic novels I ever read and I chased it with Bronte's sister's Wuthering Heights, whose central relationship still puzzles me to this day. Do not give me Cathy and Heathcliff, dear readers. Give me one Edward Rochester and his Jane.

Mr. Rochester attempts to answer the questions which have plagued Eyrites since publication. Who exactly is Rochester? How did he make the decisions he did? Just why does he have an insane wife locked up in the attic???

Mr. Rochester takes us to his childhood and then works its way up to when he and Jane meet. Rochester grew up in Thornfield Hall and feels more kinship to his home than to his distant father and brother. He is a sweet child and it's hard to know what his father would have molded him into had Rochester been allowed to stay at Thornfield. Instead, he is sent away to live with a tutor the day after his 8th birthday. It is the first of a few jarring transitions at the hand of his puppet master father.

It almost seems as if the moment Rochester becomes comfortable where he is and makes friends, his father sends summons to move him along. I really enjoyed seeing Rochester's relationships with Carrot and Touch, the other boys who live with the tutor, and also getting a glimpse of where Rochester's interests first developed. From there he moves on to learn how to run a mill and then finally he heads to Jamaica to look after his father's business.

This was what I was waiting for. I wanted the payoff for how Bertha became the anchor weighing our hero down and I got it. We see Rochester and Bertha meet and once they're married, we see the machinations behind it and the filters come off. It made me angry on his behalf and angry he wouldn't divorce her and just plain angry about the state of mental illness and lack of rights for women in those times. (Though lately it's felt like we're on the precipice of returning to exactly that horror again.)

Rochester copes as best as he can but he doesn't come across as the best guy. Frankly, despite the havoc Bertha wreaked on his life, his privilege was showing. I started to think maybe I didn't want him to end up with Jane after all. (I did not expect to have that reaction!)

Finally, about three-quarters of the way through, Rochester and Jane meet. The plot from Jane Eyre is woven in seamlessly, the dialogue less so. It was jarring to hear Bronte's wording after being lost in Shoemaker's rendering mostly the whole way through.

However, this was where the book really came alive for me and I was thrilled to see Jane and Rochester become closer and know precisely what Rochester, man of mystery, was thinking as it happened. My heart broke for him as he was lost in his agony after the fire. And my heart broke for her and then rejoiced upon her return. Did Rochester deserve Jane's love? Probably not but then again, how many of us deserve life's gifts?

I really enjoyed Shoemaker's interpretation of Rochester's world. It was at times a more favorable depiction, particularly the way slavery is presented while he's in Jamaica, though it's possible I don't remember its source material having an abolitionist bent. After knowing Jane's point of view for so long, I'm glad we got to see Rochester's side of things and try to understand some of his choices.

Reader, I'm so glad he married her and she married him.

A lovely, empathetic insight into the type of circumstances that might have created Mr. Rochester (although his reasoning himself into committing bigamy is still hard to swallow).

Absolutely everything I could ever have hoped for as a reader! I first read Jane Eyre at the age of 19 and I have long been curious to hear what Mr. Rochester had to say for himself. Although Jane and Rochester don't meet until 60% of the book has passed us readers but there is such a great story here. A true read for all the Jane Eyre fans!

I have very mixed feelings about this book and yet I am glad I've read it. A book like this is always going to come with some trepidation as JANE EYRE is my favourite book and a re-take on that concept definitely carries a risk. What appealed to me about the concept of MR ROCHESTER was the idea of his point of view but from childhood to what we know. I definitely felt frustration over how long it took to catch a glimpse of Jane Eyre and I am positive I won't be alone in this. The book had engaging parts and slow descriptive parts. This made me sense a lack of flow in my own enagagement on the whole.

Things I really liked about this book were unexpected, I truly enjoyed child and adolescent Edward Rochester. The idea of his life prior to anything we've ever had a snapshot of in JANE EYRE was totally engaging, showing a rather neglected boy, trying to find affection and fun. Some of the Jamaica story line engaged me and Bertha's mental demise was well written. I am disappointed by the last 30% that's focused on Jane and Edward's story. I don't feel that I learnt that much that's was new, despite having the opportunity to be in Edward's head. I did enjoy a rather unusual twist in this part though.

I am a huge fan of WIDE SARGASSO SEA by Jean Rhys so that's not to say I am opposed to someone writing an alternate to Edward Rochester's life. In fact, the Bertha part of MR ROCHESTER was well conceived and executed which is the focus of WIDE SARGASSO SEA. I just wanted more. I would definitely read Sarah Shoemaker again.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through netgalley in return for a honest review.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

Mr Rochester
By Sarah Shoemaker

A Delightful and Encapsulating novel !

This intriguing novel weaves a interesting back story for Jane Eyre's Edward Rochester.

The second son of a emotionally distant father, who is a wealthy merchant and landowner. Edward later becomes the brooding and dominating master of Thornfield Hall.

Sarah Shoemaker's Mr Rochester is a delightful and encapsulating novel, that captures the essence of Charlotte Bronte's novel and the characters within.
5 Stars !

I greatfully received this ARC through Netgalley from Grand Central Publishing for a honest review.

This is a very competent re-telling of the Jane Eyre story from the point of view of Mr. Rochester. It gives us an insight into Rochester's upbringing and time in Jamaica, all of which lead to an explanation of his character's peculiarities. The tone is good and the language is reminiscent of Bronte's own. I think my main problem with the book was that for me, it didn't bring anything new to the story - it didn't add to the original in any way. I think that the purpose of a re-imagining should be to give the reader a new perspective on familiar and well loved situations and characters and to my mind, this offering doesn't do that. While I don't like the portrait of Rochester as given to us in Wide Sargasso Sea, it does at least purport to be wholly different to the man we find in Jane Eyre. Here, the man takes shape pretty much as you would expect, which just left me a little bit cold.

I really enjoyed this retelling of Janet Eyre through the voice of Mr Rochester. It's nice to finally see the life experiences that shaped him. I plan to recommend this to my serious book club.

I first read Jane Eyre over twenty years ago, right before I entered high school. I was captivated from the very beginning of Jane's story, and have revisited Charlotte Brontë's classic novel five or six times since then. It's the kind of story I can never imagine growing tired of. So, it should come as no surprise that I leapt at the chance to review Sarah Shoemaker's début novel, Mr. Rochester, a retelling of Jane Eyre from the point of view of - you guessed it - Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester.

We first meet Edward as a frightened, lonely eight-year-old boy inhabiting the halls of Thornfield Hall like a ghost. His mother is dead, and his father doesn't have much use for him; Edward isn't the heir, so he's relegated to a life in the shadows, at least during his early years. It's obvious he has a deep and abiding love for his ancestral home, but his father has other plans for him. Shortly after the novel opens, Edward is wrenched from Thornfield Hall and the surrounding countryside and sent to live with a tutor where he will learn everything a second son needs to know in order to prosper. Years later, he is sent to boarding school, a rather cold and indifferent place which will remind readers a bit of where Jane spent her early years.

The novel goes on to detail Edward's life as he travels from England to Jamaica and back again. It touches on everything fans of Jane Eyre might expect, including his affair with the opera dancer whose child eventually becomes his ward, and his ill-fated marriage.

The prose is sometimes a little over the top, consisting of long, elaborately crafted sentences. Most of the time, I found Ms. Shoemaker's writing quite beautiful, but there were a few occasions when I had to reread entire passages over again just to make sure I had grasped their meaning.

I loved that Ms. Shoemaker creates a back story for Edward that answeres so many of the questions readers have had concerning this enigmatic hero without deviating too much from the character Charlotte Brontë crafted over one-hundred-and-fifty years ago. It would have been so easy for her to remake Edward into someone the author never intended him to be, and I respect her immensely for not going that route. She uses her imagination to expand upon the information laid down in Jane Eyre without changing things unduly.

If you read this book just to see Jane again, I must caution you that she doesn't appear until nearly two-thirds of the way through, and Ms. Shoemaker doesn't really shed any new light on the romance between her and Edward. Sure, we see her through Edward's eyes, but it's not all that different from the original novel. I honestly think this final portion is Mr. Rochester’s weakest point, because I was hoping for more than I got out of it. I wanted some of the romantic tension I loved so much in Jane Eyre, and this story doesn’t deliver that. Edward's idea of love is so cold and clinical, and, while we're supposed to believe loving Jane changes all that, Ms. Shoemaker didn't convince me.

Ultimately, however, Mr. Rochester is an engrossing piece of historical fiction with richly drawn characters and some great writing, but it isn't quite the romance I was hoping it would be. I recommend this to people who are fans of story retellings, and to those who are looking to understand Edward Fairfax Rochester a little bit better.

Somehow I have not seen a Jane Eyre adaptation on TV and not read Jane Eyre since Junior High School.
Going into this book fresh was a very nice introduction back into Bronte's Thornfield Hall. And it is Mr. Rochester's time to shine. The reader is presented historical background into why Mr. Rochester is the way he is which is sorely needed I feel. What a great story of being at Blackfield Hall with Mr. Lincoln, receiving a wonderful education and experiencing idyllic romps around the forest with his boyhood pals. There he learns of Jamaica; where his father and brother have run off to while Edward is left behind. But Mr. Lincoln, his teacher, is far more warm and engaging to young "Jam" than his family ever was.
Next to learn about business at a mill, working and living with the Wilson's where he becomes like an adopted son to this childless set of parents. Edward seems destined to always be in his brother, Rowland's shadow, but he trusts his calculating father with his future. When it is finally time for Edward to come of age, travel to Jamaica, run his father's business which was handed to him, and find a wife he is ensnared into machinations that he never thought possible. No wonder a man becomes as cynical as he.
And then we are introduced to Jane Eyre, a governess at Thornfield Hall. Seeing her through Edward's eyes is a perspective I love.
I would rate this a 3.5, but have rounded up to 4 stars on Goodreads. I found this an enjoyable read.

I received this through Netgalley for an honest review.

*** 3.5/5: Liked it to the edge of love- a stage 1 crush

A must-read for any Jane Eyre fan, Mr. Rochester gives us another perspective of the classic novel.



Recommended readers:

If you like Jane Eyre
If you want a slow and steady historical read
Here's my Rankings:

4/5 for characters
3/5 for plot
3.5/5 overall
REVIEW FROM BOOKS FOR HER:

A classic for the ages, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is filled with dark mystery and prideful misunderstandings - leaving us all wondering how so much could be misunderstood. Sarah Shoemaker plays off that wonder - and creates her own story - from Mr. Rochester's point of view. It's a slow and steady read, that sets the reader up for that fateful moment when he and Jane cross paths. It's a must-read for any Jane Eyre fan.

Available now: Mr. Rochester by Sarah Shoemaker

I’ve had this book sitting in my kindle for weeks now because I was waiting to read it and review close to the publication date. After all this time of anticipating Mr. Rochester, I am pleased to say that Sarah Shoemaker did an excellent job in presenting Mr. Rochester’s side of the story and in showing readers how he became to be the man portrayed in the story of Jane Eyre.

The story begins with the childhood of Edward Fairfax Rochester and his early days of life at Thornfield. Following his 8th birthday, Rochester is sent away to a small boarding school where he meets his closest childhood friends and from there Rochester is sent to be an apprentice at a manufacturing mill.

His father has plans for Edward’s life that he never reveals to Edward until the last minute. Edward unwittingly believes that going to Jamaica to handle his father’s business interests is the best thing to happen to him, when in reality, Jamaica is the place where he is most shockingly betrayed by the very people who should have had his best interests at heart.

Mr. Rochester is a novel full of wonderful and decent characters, but also full of deceit, betrayal and scandal. Edward reminded me somewhat of Job from the Bible because of all his suffering. After years of heartache, Edward became the man that we meet in the novel Jane Eyre.

I think it would be fun to read Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester simultaneously, or at least pick up at the point in each book where they first meet. Mr. Rochester would be a great pick for book clubs, as there are many themes presented in the book that would make for interesting discussion.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and had a difficult time putting it down each evening. I know there will be readers who are disappointed that Jane doesn’t appear on the scene until late in the book, but that didn’t bother me in the least because the events that came before Jane were so captivating.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.