Absolutely and definitely, Jane Steele was one deliciously fun read!
Thank you to both Penguin Books USA and Random House Canada for sending copies of Jane Steele!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Faye’s Gods of Gotham (the first in her Timothy Wilde series) and now own the rest in that series, so there was definitely excitement here in discovering that Faye had written a new novel featuring a twist on the classic Jane Eyre: “Reader, I murdered him.”
I also discovered there was a great deal of love for the audiobook narrator, Susie Riddell, by readers on Litsy. (Are you on Litsy? It’s a fantastic (book lovers) app, right now only available for iPhone users, but I’m so loving my time on it – you can find me there @Penny_LiteraryHoarders) Anyway, that love had me searching for the audio, because as you know by now, we’re complete suckers here for a well-narrated read. And, Susie Riddell was indeed excellent! I was immediately taken in by her completely perfect narration as Jane Steele.
Riddell’s narration of Faye’s pitch-perfect writing made my daily walking routine a very enjoyable one and often made the walks last longer since listening to Riddell read Jane’s story meant I didn’t want it to end too soon. However, as the heat index increasingly climbed to unbearable temperatures, my daily walks drastically declined – to like, not at all! :-) So, at about 40% of the way through the audiobook, I switched to the hardcover.
But, I know with certainty, that whichever format you choose to read Jane Steele, you will not be disappointed in any way! Faye writes with perfection and brilliantly captures the tone and style as is found in Jane Eyre. She brings to life this wonderfully fun heroine, who can at times is also a somewhat reluctant serial killer. I came to think of Jane Steele more as a vigilante, and also a keen feminist, as she only murdered those that so rightfully deserved it! :-)
Faye’s writing is like butter and is truly sumptuous! Her twisted take on Jane Eyre is so wonderfully fun that I gobbled it up in just a few short days. Lyndsay Faye can write her way well out of a paper-bag and I cannot get enough of it, so I am very much looking forward to continuing on with the Timothy Wilde series, although reading this book with its female main character was utterly delightful.
