My Plain Jane

The Lady Janies are back with a re-telling of the beloved (but not by me) Jane Eyre, complete with the brilliant author herself, ghosts, pop culture references, and a happy ending much more satisfying than the novel. At least, that’s my opinion. If you loved My Lady Jane, but even if you haven’t read it, you NEED to pick up My Plain Jane. It’s fun and funny and you’ll breeze right through it. I have read Jane Eyre (not my favorite, tbh) but I think you could appreciate this rendering without having read too much of the original, as long as you understand the basic concept of orphan girl falling in love with old man who runs house she is governess at.

Anyway, this book is narrated by three people: Jane Eyre, above-mentioned orphan who, oh yeah, can see ghosts, including the ghost of her dead friend Helen Burns. Alexander, who is the star agent of the Society for the Relocation of Wayward Spirits who can, obviously, also see ghosts. And Charlotte Bronte, a wily up and coming author who does not want to be left out of the fun, even if she can’t see ghosts.  It all begins when Jane Eyre sees Alexander handling a ghost relocation, he realizes she can see ghosts, and he wants her to join the Society. Of course, she won’t, and off she goes to be the governess for Mr. Rochester and little Adele who sings funny, modern songs meant to shock a crowd. Alexander and Charlotte team up with Charlotte’s brother, also a SOciety agent, Bran, to get Jane on their team, but first they’ll have to lure her away from her love, Mr. Rochester, who just may not be what he seems. There’s a government conspiracy, more ghosts than you can count, bodily takeover, and an almost wedding by the end, and you’ll love the whole dang ride.

Personally, even though I’m an English major, I never LOVED Jane Eyre but I loved how fun the Lady Janies made this retelling. They have such a fun voice and style and I really enjoyed their pop culture references (see if you can find the Harry Potter one!). Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough and hope it’ll get the same fanfare that My Lady Jane did!