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    Becoming Jane Eyre: A Novel
    Becoming Jane Eyre: A Novel
    Becoming Jane Eyre: A Novel
    Audiobook5 hours

    Becoming Jane Eyre: A Novel

    Written by Sheila Kohler

    Narrated by Jen Taylor

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A beautifully imagined tale of the Bronte sisters and the writing of Jane Eyre. The year is 1846. In a cold parsonage on the gloomy Yorkshire moors, a family seems cursed with disaster. A mother and two children dead. A father sick, without fortune, and hardened by the loss of his two most beloved family members. A son destroyed by alcohol and opiates. And three strong, intelligent young women, reduced to poverty and spinsterhood, with nothing to save them from their fate. Nothing, that is, except their remarkable literary talent. So unfolds the story of the Brontë sisters. At its center are Charlotte and the writing of Jane Eyre. Delicately unraveling the connections between one of fiction's most indelible heroines and the remarkable woman who created her, Sheila Kohler's Becoming Jane Eyre will appeal to fans of historical fiction and, of course, the millions of readers who adore Jane Eyre.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherListen & Live Audio
    Release dateApr 4, 2024
    ISBN9781593165215
    Becoming Jane Eyre: A Novel

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    Reviews for Becoming Jane Eyre

    3.5/5

    77 ratings8 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this story, an interweaving of a fictionalised segment of Charlotte Bronte's life (the period in which she was writing Jane Eyre) and bits from Jane Eyre itself, tracking the development of the novel and the way the story might have come into being. From what I've read of the Brontes' existence, this feels genuine (or at least, plausible) in its bleakness and in its relationships.
    • 2/5
      Interesting to learn more about Bronte and her sister through historical fiction, but very dry.
    • 4/5
      Jane Eyre is one of my all time favourites from the classics and this inspired retelling of the life of Charlotte Bronte, as she writes her novel is written with much respect. The story of the Bronte family, in particular Charlotte and her two younger sisters is an oft told, truly tragic tale. As is said, life is stranger than fiction and at times far more poignant. This is an entirely plausible storyline as to the events leading up to and after the publication of Jane Eyre and although a little slow to start, this is a book any fan of Charlotte Bronte will enjoy.
    • 5/5
      The year is 1846. Somewhere on the outskirts of the industrial town of Manchester, a young woman cares for her critically ill father. Seated in a darkened corner of her father's bedroom, she begins to write the novel which will ultimately become a true classic. As she writes, Charlotte Bronte will be transported by her memories back to the cold, damp parsonage on the bleak Yorkshire moors of Northern England where she has spent her entire life.It is while living in her father's parsonage that Charlotte Bronte received many of her literary influences. Indeed, the Bronte family seems to have been dealt so much tragedy through the years, that it is almost as if they all lived under some sort of a disastrous curse. In turn, Charlotte and her siblings used such personal tragedies as inspiration to write their own literary works.A mother and two of her children die; a sickened father - without fortune - and hardened by the deaths of his wife and two eldest children, is left to raise his four surviving children to adulthood. A much-favored son is ultimately destroyed by alcohol and his addiction to opiates; and three strong, intelligent young women - facing impoverishment and eventual spinsterhood - seemingly have nothing more tangible to save them from their fate: nothing, that is, except their remarkable literary talents.So unfolds a beautifully imagined tale of the Bronte sisters and the writing of the gothic novel Jane Eyre. Sheila Kohler's extensive research and wonderful imagination recreates the Victorian era world of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte - vibrantly bringing to life the indelibly-entwined rivalries of these three loving sisters and struggling young writers. At the center of this poignantly imaginative story is Charlotte Bronte and the writing of her novel Jane Eyre; and the overlapping narratives of author and heroine - including Charlotte's romantic infatuation with a married man.Delicately unraveling the powerful and inextricable connections between one of fiction's most enduring heroines and the remarkable woman who created her, Ms. Kohler's novel will definitely appeal to fans of historical fiction and, of course, the millions of readers who adore Jane Eyre.I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Yes, I have read so much about the Brontes already, but in my opinion this book really brought everything that I learned into sharper focus for me. This was such a poignant novel; written from an entirely different perspective and I really came to understand how difficult it was for the Bronte sisters to follow their passion. I would definitely give this book an A+!
    • 5/5
      Fantastic. Enjoying it so much that I don't even want to recommend it to people, for fear they will find it not as engaging. Wondering how much my own knowledge and obsession of the family contributes to my enjoyment...
    • 2/5
      Somewhat dull, and some of the characterizations rubbed me the wrong way (like Patrick being a total jerk and borderline perving on Charlotte. Yikes!). The writing itself wasn't bad, though, and I quite liked the final page or so.
    • 4/5
      Becoming Jane Eyre by Shelia Kohler, is a fictionalized account of Charlotte Bronte, and in a sense all of the Brontes lives, from 1846 when Charlotte begins writing Jane Eyre in Manchester while caring for her father who was recovering from an eye surgery to her marriage in 1854 and eventual early death. I enjoyed this book because I thought it spoke with a different voice than other fiction books I have read about the Brontes. Sheila Kohler chooses to write her novel in a way that gives us perspective of what all the Brontes think at any given moment not just Charlotte. Her writing even though not in first person also keeps with the tragic, moody and mysterious tone of Jane Eyre. In comparison with the Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James, I thought that the tone of James's novel was one of hope and tragedy whereas with Kohler we maybe see Charlotte and all of her family with a darker, harsher and much different light. I think that uses all of the different family members perspectives is one of the strongest aspect of this book. The only fault I have with the book is minor but I felt it could have been much longer and I would have preferred to have had more information on Arthur Bell Nicholls, whom Charlotte eventually marries. I find him to be such an interesting and evasive character in all of the fiction and biographical novels about her life.
    • 4/5
      This new novel by Sheila Kohler is based on the true story of Charlotte Bronte and the writing of her master work, Jane Eyre. Charlotte and her siblings, Ann, Emily, and Branwell, live with their father in a gloomy parsonage in Yorkshire. They are educated and literate, yet their lives are constrained by their poverty and their autocratic father.The sisters write, but their manuscripts are rejected by one publisher after another. When Reverend Bronte goes to Manchester for a cataract operation, Charlotte accompanies him. During his recovery, she begins writing the story that will become Jane Eyre. Charlotte pours into the novel all the bitterness and heartache she feels.When Charlotte's novel is published and becomes a critical and popular success, the lives of the Bronte family changes. Not only are they now able to afford some small luxuries, but the relationship between the sisters changes. Reverend Bronte can hardly believe that his daughter has written something that has actually been published.Kohler weaves the known facts of the Bronte family, and her knowledge of life in 19th century England, along with her own imaginings. The result is a smart, engaging and well-written novel. If this doesn't send us English lit majors back to re-read the Bronte's, I don't know what will.