Book 26: The Eyre Affair
Book 26: The Eyre Affair
Writer: Jasper Fforde
Genre: Science Fiction/Comedy
Number of pages: 384
Read This Year: 7572
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: B+
Short Description/Summary of the Book: From Amazon.com
Surreal and hilariously funny, this alternate history, the debut novel of British author Fforde, will appeal to lovers of zany genre work (think Douglas Adams) and lovers of classic literature alike. The scene: Great Britain circa 1985, but a Great Britain where literature has a prominent place in everyday life. For pennies, corner Will-Speak machines will quote Shakespeare; Richard III is performed with audience participation … la Rocky Horror and children swap Henry Fielding bubble-gum cards. In this world where high lit matters, Special Operative Thursday Next (literary detective) seeks to retrieve the stolen manuscript of Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit. The evil Acheron Hades has plans for it: after kidnapping Next's mad-scientist uncle, Mycroft, and commandeering Mycroft's invention, the Prose Portal, which enables people to cross into a literary text, he sends a minion into Chuzzlewit to seize and kill a minor character, thus forever changing the novel. Worse is to come. When the manuscript of Jane Eyre, Next's favorite novel, disappears, and Jane herself is spirited out of the book, Next must pursue Hades inside Charlotte Bront‰'s masterpiece. The plethora of oddly named characters can be confusing, and the story's episodic nature means that the action moves forward in fits and starts. The cartoonish characters are either all good or all bad, but the villain's comeuppance is still satisfying. Witty and clever, this literate romp heralds a fun new series set in a wonderfully original world.
My Thoughts: I got into this book after many, many recommendations from friends. In a bizarre sort of alternate universe where literature is given the prominence of sports stars and books are still national treasures, Thursday Next is a LiteraTec --a detective specializing in literary crimes. When her old professor Acheron Hades steals an early Dickens manuscript, Next is thrown into an adventure trying to track him down. Hades jumps from Dickens to Bronte, and suddenly the beloved Jane Eyre is in jeopardy.
I liked this book, but not as much as I really expected to. The basic premise -- of a lit-lovin' world and a machine that allows passage into works of literature -- is great. The book is wild and silly and highly entertaining. However, the characters are one-dimensional, and the main concern of the book -- the jeopardized Jane Eyre -- is somewhat lost on me, as I frankly don't care for Bronte's work. Had it been a book I preferred and am more familiar with, my enjoyment no doubt would have been greater.
Still, the basic premise and writing style were good enough to keep my attention. I liked this book, and I'll definitely give the next volume in the series a try.
Writer: Jasper Fforde
Genre: Science Fiction/Comedy
Number of pages: 384
Read This Year: 7572
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: B+
Short Description/Summary of the Book: From Amazon.com
Surreal and hilariously funny, this alternate history, the debut novel of British author Fforde, will appeal to lovers of zany genre work (think Douglas Adams) and lovers of classic literature alike. The scene: Great Britain circa 1985, but a Great Britain where literature has a prominent place in everyday life. For pennies, corner Will-Speak machines will quote Shakespeare; Richard III is performed with audience participation … la Rocky Horror and children swap Henry Fielding bubble-gum cards. In this world where high lit matters, Special Operative Thursday Next (literary detective) seeks to retrieve the stolen manuscript of Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit. The evil Acheron Hades has plans for it: after kidnapping Next's mad-scientist uncle, Mycroft, and commandeering Mycroft's invention, the Prose Portal, which enables people to cross into a literary text, he sends a minion into Chuzzlewit to seize and kill a minor character, thus forever changing the novel. Worse is to come. When the manuscript of Jane Eyre, Next's favorite novel, disappears, and Jane herself is spirited out of the book, Next must pursue Hades inside Charlotte Bront‰'s masterpiece. The plethora of oddly named characters can be confusing, and the story's episodic nature means that the action moves forward in fits and starts. The cartoonish characters are either all good or all bad, but the villain's comeuppance is still satisfying. Witty and clever, this literate romp heralds a fun new series set in a wonderfully original world.
My Thoughts: I got into this book after many, many recommendations from friends. In a bizarre sort of alternate universe where literature is given the prominence of sports stars and books are still national treasures, Thursday Next is a LiteraTec --a detective specializing in literary crimes. When her old professor Acheron Hades steals an early Dickens manuscript, Next is thrown into an adventure trying to track him down. Hades jumps from Dickens to Bronte, and suddenly the beloved Jane Eyre is in jeopardy.
I liked this book, but not as much as I really expected to. The basic premise -- of a lit-lovin' world and a machine that allows passage into works of literature -- is great. The book is wild and silly and highly entertaining. However, the characters are one-dimensional, and the main concern of the book -- the jeopardized Jane Eyre -- is somewhat lost on me, as I frankly don't care for Bronte's work. Had it been a book I preferred and am more familiar with, my enjoyment no doubt would have been greater.
Still, the basic premise and writing style were good enough to keep my attention. I liked this book, and I'll definitely give the next volume in the series a try.