January 9, 2023
Though Edwards opens her debut with a paean to Jane Eyre, her Toronto law firm–set contemporary retelling shows zero understanding of its source, sapping the story of gothic atmosphere, religious subplots, and thematic explorations of morality, justice, and redemption to create a shallow workplace rom-com replete with random changes for the sake of random change. Jane Raine is a former foster child who, after quite a lot of dithering, quits waitressing to become a legal secretary to fiery-tempered secret softie Edward Rosen, the pointlessly renamed Rochester character, whose persona as a woke 21st-century feminist is immediately undermined by his “Gift of Fear”–level, office-destroying temper tantrums and his secret past. Though none of the original story beats or characters are competently translated, Rosen’s dark secret and how it resolves is particularly nonsensical and Jane’s means of achieving independence post-reveal are insultingly regressive and give her much less dignity than her 19th-century counterpart. The book does not succeed in its own rights either, as it is very oddly paced, with key emotional beats intercut with abrupt flashbacks. Readers can take a pass on this one. Agent: Melissa Edwards, Stonesong.
December 16, 2022
DEBUT The bleak moors of Jane Eyre are transformed into the cutthroat streets of Toronto's financial district in this rom-com twist on Charlotte Bront�'s classic novel. Jane Raine was orphaned at a young age and grew up in the foster system, independent but poor. Now in her 20s and tired of her dead-end job, she enrolls in college, which lands her a job as a legal assistant at a prestigious downtown Toronto law firm. Her new boss is the notorious Edward Rosen, a loud, short-tempered senior partner who has scared away all his previous assistants. Jane (and the reader) can see past Edward's bluster to the sensitive man underneath as he is drawn to his patient, intelligent assistant. Fans of Jane Eyre will enjoy spotting the Easter eggs, including that the upper floor of the firm is nicknamed "the attic." More importantly, the love story stays faithful to the original, with the addition of some spice. VERDICT Edwards's debut is a retelling that will please both diehard Bront� devotees and contemporary romance readers.--Kathryn Howe
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