After I read Pride and Prejudice, I read the adaption from Mr. Darcy's perspective. I loved the contrast between the two. I was wondering if anyone wrote something similar to that in Mr. Rochester's perspective. I would love to know the name of the book if they did. Thanks in advance to anyone who answers!!
"Would you ever say to me 'stop' If you loved me you'd stop"
"Not in a thousand years"
As far as I know there isn't a novel specifically dedicated to Mr. Rochester that tells the same story of Jane Eyre from his perspective (though I wouldn't be surprised if there is somewhere.) There is however a novel called Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys which is fairly well known. This is a novel that can stand alone without having ever read Jane Eyre, but is based on information given in the original novel.
Wide Sargasso Sea is told partly from the perspective of Bertha, the woman in the attic. It details her childhood and her meeting of Rochester in Jamaica. It then switches to Rochester's point of view where he continues the story of their meeting and her eventual turn towards insanity. Rhys's novel very briefly touches on Bertha's stay in the attic towards the end.
The word of warning I would give before reading this novel however is that, as noted, it's a novel that can stand alone. It is written in a style completely different than Jane Eyre and isn't meant to be the story of Jane Eyre from any other perspective, just an insight into a character (Bertha) that has long fascinated many people. It is often considered a rather feminist novel and it can be argued that Rochester is not painted in the best light. I've had several discussions with people about this novel and those who had not read Jane Eyre before reading it found themselves to be vastly unsympathetic towards Rochester. So, I wouldn't suggest reading Rhys's novel if you're hoping to understand Jane Eyre from another point of view, or if you're especially partial towards Bronte's version of Rochester, but I thought I would note that there is another novel out there that deals with such a great classic.
Also, as a side note, The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde is a fun read. It is a story about an alternate reality where an antagonist is kidnapping book characters and more or less holding them for ransom. Jane Eyre is briefly kidnapped and the protagonist must enter the novel and help set things aright again. It also isn't meant to be a retelling, but it's an entertaining few hours and deals a bit with Jane and Rochester as well as creating a unique reality to read about.
I think there is a novel from Adelle's perspective though, called Thornfield Hall if I remember correctly. I'm not sure who wrote that. Hope that helps.
If there isn't a novel written from Rochester's perspective yet, I call dibs! I love the character and I'd love to write his story, from his perspective. With the risk of sounding like a right nut-job, "people just don't GET him". Adaptations struggle to get to the core of who he is and people tend to judge him a bit too quickly because of his manners (or lack thereof).
I've read "Wide Sargasso Sea", in fact, that was the reason I read it... and once I put it down, my comment was "well, I disagree." Which also sparked that feeling of wanting to write his story. Perhaps I really ought to, instead of just mulling over it thinking "it's a good idea, I'd love to" and not getting around to it. No, sod that! "Edward, I'm coming! Where are you?"
Oh and yes, I'm serious. Rochester is a complex and fascinating character, just that he tends to be misunderstood by a lot of people. I don't claim to be the only one who truly understands him, because I'm sure there are people out there who do, and do so perfectly well. They're just not as vocal as the Darcy fans... :(
^^ May contain ramblings of an easily over-excited fangirl # http://thesqueee.blogspot.com
I was intrigued by the idea that there may be a book out there from his perspective, because like most of you agree, I feel like Rochester is a fascinating character. Anyways, I googled it and got a result!! But then I was disappointed upon reading the reviews. I thought I'd share my result, nevertheless, so you can make your own conclusions:
http://www.amazon.com/Rochester-Novel-Inspired-Charlotte-Brontes/dp/1426916396
Sorry, don't know how to make it clicky!
Yeah I read it in spring last year. It has its merits, but also its flaws. :) Currently waiting for the sequel ("Rochester: Consummation" by JL Niemann) to come out!
^^ May contain ramblings of an easily over-excited fangirl # http://thesqueee.blogspot.com
So you would recommend reading it? Because I am quite intrigued...
shareIt's quite good, but it goes a bit too far with the sexy stuff and does it too early. You could say. So sure, read it if you're Team Rochester, but bear in mind that it's a LOT less prim and proper than the original. Which bugged me.
If you don't mind spoilers, you can read the review I wrote, which goes into the pros and cons in more detail: http://thesqueee.blogspot.com/2010/03/rochester.html
From Darcy's perspective? Didn't even know there was one! :D What's it called? The only non-Austen P&P I've read is Emma Tennant's "Pemberley", but that wasn't from Darcy's p.o.v.
shareThe books from Darcy's perspective:
An Assembly Such as This
Duty and Desire (kind of weird... but still readable)
These Three Remain
By Pamela Aidan
I highly recommend them! And I also beg someone out there to write a *good* book from Rochester's point of view. I'm a writer- but I don't think I could do him justice.
Thanks for the tip! :)
A GOOD book from Rochester's P.O.V. is "Jane Eyre's Husband" by Tara Bradley. It came out earlier this year and I. LOVE. IT!! She did a very good job with the character, I thought. It's more than JE from his perspective, though. It's a prequel, JE from EFR's perspective AND a sequel all rolled into one! :D
^^ May contain ramblings of an easily over-excited fangirl # http://www.thesqueee.co.uk
Awesome! It's on my official to-read list!
Thank you!!!!
Yes, here is the info:
Rochester: A Novel Inspired by Jane Eyre...J.L.Niemann