Okay, did you read the book then watch the movie? What did you think? There are books and movies that I know I love (Pride and Prejudice) and then there are ones that I forget how much I like them until I am reading/watching them again.  Jane Eyre is one of the latter for me; it is only when I am immersed in the story that I remember how much I love it.  The version of the film I am talking about is the 2006 BBC miniseries.

Gothic Elements

We can’t discuss Jane Eyre without talking about the Gothic elements that are spread throughout the entire story.  It starts with the visit of the ghost of Jane’s uncle in the ‘red room’, frightening her to the point that she tears her hands up beating on the door. I have to admit, that act alone made me despise the aunt–even before she turns Jane over to the horrible school–and I struggled to reconcile with Jane for forgiving her aunt in the end and helping her aunt when no one else would (but then, I am not nearly as forgiving as Jane is).

Other Gothic elements include the crazy wife in the tower who comes out to try and kill everyone else and the weather as a sympathetic reflection of the Jane’s emotions.  When Jane and Mr. Rochester meet it is a misty dreary day where everything is obscured and in turmoil.  As the summer progresses and their relationship develops, the summer turns pleasant, and when Jane leaves and is left on the moors, the weather again becomes dreary.  Do you love the Gothic elements or think they are a trifle over done?

Houseparty

Mr. Rochester, after getting to know Jane and obviously being attracted to her, brings a party of guests to the house most of whom don’t treat Jane very well. Why do you think he did that? I have a couple of theories, let me know what you think.

One theory, he could have brought the house party, especially Blanche Ingram, in an attempt to remind himself of the world he resides in. Also, as a way to show Jane in a bad light, she is not a social creature, she doesn’t understand the manipulations that Mr. Rochester plays upon those around him who seek him out for his money, and because Jane isn’t pretty–whereas most of the women in the house party are like butterflies (beautiful without much substance who flutter about)–he brought them to remind himself of the beautiful women available to him.

My second theory is that Mr. Rochester brought them to the house in an attempt to justify spending more time with Jane. If he had the guests at the house he wouldn’t feel so guilty about spending time with her and enjoying her company.  Also, bringing the vain shallow women who were only after his money into the house showed how very different Jane is in temperament and ideals.  What do you think, is one theory better than the other or do you have your own theory?

Wedding

When I first read this book in my teens, I cried when the wedding was interrupted and it was revealed that Mr. Rochester was already married.  My heart broke for both Jane and Mr. Rochester and I was so mad at Richard Mason for interrupting the wedding after Jane and Mr. Rochester worked so hard to save his life after his crazy sister attacked him.  Do you think he should have kept quiet after helping to trick Rochester into marrying his crazy sister in the first place? Or did he do the right thing because Rochester was married?

Money vs. Family & Character

One recurring theme is money vs. character and money vs. family.  From the beginning of the story Jane is forced to do without both, the only relatives she knows force her to attend a horrible school where she is abused and starved. Mr. Rochester repeatedly mentions how handsome he is because of the money he has. Finally, Jane is left an inheritance by an uncle she never met and instead of keeping all of it for herself she shares it equally with her River cousins.  This is one of my favorite themes of the book, the value of family and how most people don’t appreciate it because they have never had to do without those bonds.

Mr. Rochester

Mr. Rochester is one of the most complex males in literary fiction (at least in my opinion). He is charming and charismatic while at the same time being selfish and arrogant.  One minute I want to beat him for the way to treats those around him and in the next hold him and promise to love him forever.  Obviously he is incredibly cynical because of the greedy people who flutter around him and because of the marriage he was tricked into making by his own family members.  As a result of the manipulation he endured, he sees no problem with manipulating those around him. I think he does try to be the bigger man in the beginning of his relationship with Jane, treating her well and finally offering her marriage because he loves her and he wants to be loved in return.  I think his baser nature gets the better of him when he tries to convince Jane to run away with him and pretend to be his sister, as if that relationship would remain the platonic one he described for very long. However, for all his faults I still love him and sigh in happiness when he finally gets his Jane back. I would love to read the story from his point of view, all we get is Jane’s. How does he feel when his Jane leaves him, what does he do and how does he adjust after losing everything?

My last question, do you think that Mr. Rochester had to be humbled with his house burning to the ground, his wife dying with him unable to save her and him being permanently injured to be able to have a happy and long time relationship with Jane or do you think he could have been happy with Jane with everything except the wife intact? Or do you think it was just punishment for him to have to suffer without Jane, lost in the dark by himself, for the pain he caused to Jane?

I love this story and am very glad I got to enjoy it with a critical eye, too many times I tend to just enjoy any story without analyzing it but half the greatness of this story is in analyzing it’s many layers and elements. When the 2011 version is released we will have to do a comparison to see which we like better.

One year ago archaeologist Sophie Malone spent what should have been a fun-filled night on a remote island off the coast of Ireland and instead she was hit over the head and left for dead. In The Whisper by Carla Neggers Sophie is trying to find the Celtic treasures she discovered in the cave before she was hit and trying and figure out why she was left for dead in the first place.

Cyrus “Scoop” Wisdom is a Boston cop who almost lost his life to a bomber at his own house, while recooperating in Ireland he meets Sophie, is instantly struck by her spirit and starts to realize that the attempts on both their lives might be more closely connected than anyone suspects and that the killer is trying to finish the job they started.  When Sophie and Coop discover a ritualstic Celtic murder in Boston they must work together to discover who is out to kill them before they are the next victims.  The attraction between the two of them could just be the situation or maybe it could lead to something more permanent, they only way to figure out is to catch the killer first.

The Whisper is the fourth book in the series and not having read the first three books it took me a little bit of time to get down the couples from the previous novels down. Once I was able to figure out who was with whom then I was swept away by the story.  While Scoop and Sophie track down clues in Boston, Josie and Mitchell are following clues in Ireland with both couples trying to figure out their relationships in the midst of the stress of tracking down the killer. As a stand alone novel The Whisper was good mystery with the unexpected killer catching me off guard, as the fourth in a series it felt like it continued on the story line that had been started in the first three books.  There  was enough back story covered in the novel that I didn’t feel like I needed to go read the first three books before I read The Whisper but, having read it, I do want to go back and read more of the history of the other couples and get more details about the serial killer and the ties to the killer in The Whisper.

Reading Order:

The Widow

The Angel

The Mist

Rating:

Title: The Whisper

Author: Carla Neggers

Format: Hardbound, ebook

Page Nos.: 336

ISBN: 978-0778328513

Publisher: Mira

Release Date: June 2010

Available for purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Reviewer: Jessica

**I received a copy of this book from Net Galley but was not required to provide a review and it did not impact my review in any way.

A Forged Letter, A Golden Vial, An Ancient
Curse…

Her expression remained somber, but
excitement crept into her voice. You are the Firstborn She…You must go to
them. You want me to act as bait? Not bait, Emi. A spy. Our Trojan
horse. When Emi Warrin wakes one
night to find a thief in her mother’s house, she has no idea the intruder
has planted a trap – a mysterious letter that will change her life forever.
Lured to the Austrian Alps with Daniel, the man she loves, Emi is thrown
into a perilous, mafia-like world of feuding families and a devastating
curse that spans generations. As the Firstborn She – the only firstborn
female in hundreds of years – only Emi can free her family from the curse
that will soon afflict her as well. But for Emi to break the curse, she
must delve into evil designs. As
Emi struggles to understand her destiny as the Firstborn She, she learns
that everything isn’t as it seems and that all choices have consequences.
Can Emi break the curse before it’s too late?