May is ending and that means a new chapter of my life is about to begin. I moved to the Twin Cities partly because of the school where I'll be getting my MLIS degree from. I moved here in the fall because I wanted there to be enough time to find a job and get settled in my own place. Neither of those things has happened. But this summer I'll take my first class and start the process of obtaining my second masters degree. Life doesn't look how I imagined it would but I'm exactly where I need to be. All in due time, all in due time.

Read and Reading

The best thing I read this month was Dating-Ish, the sixth book in Penny Reid's wonderful Knitting In The City series. My review will be up tomorrow. So many feels!

The Shadow Land cements Elizabeth Kostova as one of my favorite authors, which is saying something since this is the third novel she's written in 12 years. Her books are worth the wait. Reminiscent of her first novel The Historian, The Shadow Land combines two of my favorite genres: past-present storylines and what I like to call "kickass lady academic embroiled in a mystery." It is a rich and winding tale through Bulagaria, a country I didn't know much about. We follow Alexandra and her new friend Bobby as they try to track down a family and stay one step ahead of whoever is after them. And in between, we learn about pre-WWII Bulgaria leading up to the present, as well as the tragedy in Alexandra's past. I wasn't sure about Alexandra at first but she grew on me, especially as secondary characters were introduced. One portion is a first-person account of a post-WWII Bulgarian prison camp and these chapters were hard to read because of how awful conditions were but I appreciated Kostova's depiction of how one might try to retain a sense of themselves and where their minds would go in order to physically keep going. During this part of the book, when the next chapter would bring us back to the present storyline, it felt like a relief. I think this is part of why I like Kostova's work so much, however. We feel what the characters feel and experience what they're experiencing through her detailed prose. Not every author has that gift. Her previous two books made me want to know the mystery and the history of those settings but I felt this one more deeply, perhaps because of how hard things have been in Bulgaria since the war and the limitations in place on its inhabitants. As for the mystery, I had a pretty good idea of who was behind it all but the resolution still managed to surprise me and it ends on a promising note. Although, I could have kept reading about Alexandra, Bobby, and Neven for quite some time. 

I have mixed feelings about King's Cage (Aveyard), the third installment of the Red Queen series. I still find the world-building to be extremely compelling, as well as relevant to today. Each successive book drives home the tensions between the Silvers and the Reds and the moral repugnance of the way the Silvers enslave the Reds. There is no clear way forward for these factions but the newbloods show there might be a third way and the new alliance in this book shows the Red Guard, Montfort, and Command working to integrate Silvers, Reds, and newbloods. This was fascinating and while the analogy doesn't hold up entirely when we think about race and privilege in our world, there's a lot for us to take away. (You can read the rest of my review on Goodreads. Because thoughts, I have them.)

I rarely read historical fiction but when I saw Angela of Feeding My Addiction Book Reviews, who also eschews HF, raved about this one, I decided to give A Lady's Code Of Misconduct (Duran) a try. I'm so glad I did! The writing and the characters immediately grabbed me. My heart went out to Jane who is a victim of circumstance given the limited options for women at that time. To see how she held onto hope, in spite of her limitations, and then grabbed at the random opportunity life threw her way was inspiring. Crispin has a lot of enemies and when he's left for dead, Jane seizes her chance at happiness and finds someone (at Crispin's original recommendation) to forge the marriage license. Only Crispin survives! And he has amnesia and doesn't remember the person he became! He's no longer acting like Jane's enemy! Are you catching my excitement about these developments??? Duran wove together a marvelous plot and readers are kept guessing at how Crispin will respond once his memory returns and whether the feelings he and Jane have for each other will survive. I loved the slowly built romance, the intrigue, and the character growth. I could have lived in this world forever! 

You can see all the books I've read at Goodreads. 

Currently reading: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (Alexander), The Art Of Happiness (Dalai Lama), Write Naked: A Bestseller's Secrets to Writing Romance and Navigating the Path to Success (Probst), Emotional Agility (David), Strange The Dreamer (Taylor)

Music:

I was incredibly saddened by the death of Chris Cornell. His music meant a lot to me over the years. Even though the video for Black Hole Sun scarred me for life! But that song aside, Soundgarden and Audioslave's music greatly spoke to me and I also appreciated the way he was open about his addiction and all that he overcame. I've been listening to some of my favorites, like I Am The Highway and Tell Me How To Live. The music takes me back to a specific point in my life but also keeps me tethered to the present. That's the power of Chris Cornell.

Let the record reflect, I, Leigh Kramer, voluntarily and purposefully listen to Harry Styles AND I LIKE IT. (I don't know who I am anymore.) I have never understood the appeal of his former band but his solo album is catchy and impressive and my kind of angsty. Plus. it shows just how talented he is. I love catching the nods to the music that inspires him. Current favorite songs: Sign Of The Times, Carolina, Sea Creature. (If you don't want to consider listening to HS, stay far away from Dame Sophie and do not under any circumstances watch his Carpool Karaoke. Definitely do not watch Harry and James sing Endless Love.)

I've been listening to the radio in my car more often. 96.3 is an alternative station and while I wish they'd play more hard rock (I NEED MY HARD ROCK!), I've been impressed by the variety. (Fun fact: in Chicago, 96.3 is B96 and it plays club music.)

New discoveries: Khalid, Alessia Cara

Listen to the What I'm Into playlist.

Podcasts:

Everyone- and I mean EVERYONE- needs to listen to Reply All's What Kind Of Idiot Gets Phished? I haven't stopped thinking about it for the past week and a half since it aired. I'm not saying I'm paranoid...but I'm paranoid.

W. Kamau Bell's episode on How To Be Amazing with Michael Ian Black was everything I'd hoped it would be. I love him! One of my few regrets from my time in San Francisco is I never made it to one of his stand-up shows. One of these days... Other highlights from the HTBA archives: Ira Glass, Lin-Manuel Miranda.

I was so nostalgic while listening to Overdue's discussion of From The Mixed-up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. One of my favorite books as a kid!

Literally every episode of Code Switch from this month:

• Talking Black-ish with Star Yara Shahidi and Creator Kenya Barris
• The Blessing (And Curse?) Of Miss Saigon
• Master Of None's Alan Yang Unpacks Season 2
• Japanese Americans Exiled In Utah
• We're Still Talking Abut "My Family's Slave"

Episode #80 on What Should I Read Next? was one of the show's best. Cori's thoughts on racial equity and empathy were fascinating and I could have listened to a whole episode of just that but the book discussion was interesting too.

The only thing wrong with Gabourey Sidibe's episode on Death, Sex, & Money is it wasn't long enough! I loved hearing more about her start as an actor and her thoughts and feelings about her body. It made me want to read her book!

I haven't watched Elisabeth Moss in anything other than The West Wing so I was not expecting to enjoy her episode on Off Camera with Sam Jones as much as I did. Her thoughts on creativity and what it takes to make it as an artist were super interesting and I liked hearing more about how her career began. While I don't plan on watching The Handmaid's Tale (too intense/violent for me), I really appreciated learning about her role as a producer and getting to hear all the behind-the-scenes stuff.

This American Life episode #615: The Beginning Of Now freaked me out and made me despair anew over the state of politics but I think it's important to be aware of the Republican machinations behind this last election. TAL re-aired #218: Act V, which is about prisoners who put on Hamlet, and it's some of the best storytelling I've encountered in a while. One of the prisoner's insights into Hamlet had me seeing the play in a brand new light.

Highlights: 

• My friend Chris Ann's husband Todd is an amazing cook and made us some of the best steak I've had. Still thinking about that meal. The conversation was pretty great too!

• I had some credits thanks to people using my Book Of The Month referral link and tossed in two more books. Is there anything better than book mail? Once I'm no longer buried under library books and ARCs, I plan on conquering these. I've heard mixed reviews of the new Paula Hawkins (of The Girl On The Train fame) and The Love Interest so we'll see.

• Addie and I had dinner at Oak Eatery (the food and service were top notch!) and then went to see Lauren Winner speak as part of the Faith & Life Lecture series. It was really neat to see her but the highlight of the night was time with Addie.

• My friend Kelley came into town to visit our mutual friend Annie and it was such a delight to see her! She wasn't in Nashville the last time I visited so it had been almost 2 years since we'd seen each other. The three of us went to the giant Bryn Mawr neighborhood garage sale. I couldn't believe how many houses participated! I found some awesome wedge heels for $3. Afterward we sipped mimosas on the porch and got a late lunch at Nong's Thai. The weather was perfect, as was the conversation.

• I put in two more stints of pet-sitting and that should be it for a while: first, Gus the cat who is the best snuggler and then sweet Foxy dog.

• My roommate and I have been ships in the night so we scheduled a time to hang out. We went for a walk around the neighborhood and discovered not one but two Little Free Libraries and then we watched Jim Gaffigan's new comedy special (leaf hospice cracked me up!) 

• Somehow a month passed without Karin and I hanging out, which is unprecedented. We planned on watching a movie once her girls went to bed but instead we gabbed the night away. It was good to catch up and maybe next time we'll do something other than talk. Maybe.

• Annie surprised me with a bottle of Butter, one of my favorite chardonnays, which she didn't know. She is such a good friend! I love sitting in her living room and hanging out.

• Kelly and I met up for lunch at Pizza Luce. Now that I'm temping, it's been tricky to find time to see each other but she drove down close to where I'm working. I ate my favorite muffaletta sandwich and we talked through summer plans and what we're learning and it was just what I needed.

• I've been missing San Francisco lately and since I can't get back for a visit right now, eating pho here was the next best solution. Haley, Roger, and one of their children met me at Quang's and I had pho ga and it was almost as good as my favorite place in SF. I'll definitely be back! We talked about the Enneagram and books so it was pretty much the best conversation. Afterward, Haley and I went to Izzy's because she told me they have dairy-free options, which perked up my ears. I tried the DF chocolate peanut butter and it was delicious. It's not too far from school so I have a feeling I'll be stopping in there before class when I need a treat.

• I used to talk with friends on the phone alllll the time but it's become more rare in this day and age of Voxer and texting. It made me appreciate my respective phone calls with Linda and Barbara that much more. It was so good to talk about anything and everything with them.

Favorite Instagram:

I always wish for more wish flowers.

(If you want to follow me on Instagram, my user name is leighkramer.)

What I'm Into Link Up Guidelines:

1. Today’s link-up will stay open for one week. The next What I'm Into link up will be Saturday July 1. 

2. Link the unique URL of your post, not your blog's home page. Readers peruse link ups months after the fact and you want to make it easy for them to find your What I'm Into post.

3. Please include the What I'm Into button or mention you're linking up with What I'm Into at Leigh Kramer.

4. Visit at least 2 other posts in the linkup!

What have you been into this month? 

Disclosure: Affiliate links included in this post.  If you click through, any purchase you make supports this site.

I am, as my friend's boyfriend likes to say, indoorsy. While I enjoy going on a nice hike or simply basking in the sun, I rarely think of doing so.

Most of my athletic endeavors, like joining the college crew team or hiking the Grand Canyon, occurred because friends invited me and I'm so grateful for those experiences. 

But I never think to simply go for a walk by myself. I can walk with purpose, such as going to a restaurant or a store, but simply going for a solitary stroll doesn't cross my mind. 

Part of this is because of the messages drilled into me as a child: don't walk on the prairie path by yourself, always be aware of your surroundings...basically all boiling down to the messages women receive on how not to be raped. I've never been assaulted but the specter is ever present. (Don't get me started on how we should actually be teaching men not to rape, instead of hypotheticals that don't protect women in the end.)

And part of this is simply because I like being in the comfort of my home. I like curling up with a good book or hosting friends for dinner.  

It's something I've thought a lot about over the years. I wish I was a more active person and there have been periods of my life where this was true. I walked nearly every day I lived in San Francisco. I'd get off the bus and walk 11 blocks to the office. I'd walk to the grocery store and I'd walk down to Devil's Teeth for my favorite breakfast sandwich. It became a way of life and it was a little disconcerting to move to the Twin Cities and revert to driving my car all the time.

"Walking is mapping with your feet. It helps you piece a city together, connecting up neighborhoods that might otherwise have remained discrete entities, different planets bound to each other, sustained yet remote. I like seeing how in fact they blend into one another, I like noticing the boundaries between them. Walking helps me feel at home." p. 27-8

I read Lauren Elkin's book Flaneuse: Women Walk The City In Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice, and London a couple of months ago and it made me think even more about my own experiences of walking in the cities I've lived. Because of all the walking I did in San Francisco, I do know that city- or at least the neighborhoods I most frequented- better than any other place I've lived. And as I read the book, I realized I want to know the Twin Cities in a similar fashion. I'm trying to push myself to explore on foot, even if it's only a few blocks around where I'm living. I like Elkin's idea of how walking can help us feel more at home in the world. 

I want to see how walking here changes me because of what and whom I encounter. The more we learn about a place, the more we learn about ourselves. I absolutely believe this is true and I think pushing past the fears and vulnerabilities that hold me back from taking solitary walks will further embody this lesson. 

Last month I decided to explore the neighborhood where I was catsitting. I've stayed there a few times and thought I had a good idea of what the surrounding blocks offered. I was wrong.

Walking opened my eyes to so many things.

The cutest birdhouse I've ever seen

This house had All Are Welcome Here signs in at least 4 or 5 different languages. At least half of the surrounding blocks had these signs and Black Lives Matter signs. LOVED this.

House crush.

This was the coolest, most unexpected discovery. This marked the house of Arthur, Edith, and Mary Lee who moved to the neighborhood in 1931, the first African American family to do so. People were not pleased. Arthur's friends stood in a protective ring around the house to safeguard it and the family and eventually the crowd went away. According to the sign, there hasn't been a white mob demonstrating against housing integration since. That makes it sound like Minnesota hasn't had a problem with racism since, which of course couldn't be further from the truth. But I was heartened to learn about the Lees and their friends' bravery. I hope the neighborhood learned to truly welcome them.

I see this neighborhood in a completely different light thanks to a 30 minute walk. 

Last week my roommate and I went for a walk through our neighborhood. We walked past the beautiful pond and past houses undergoing renovations and a huge fairy town. (There's no other way to describe the magic. I love elf and fairy houses.) Then the piece de resistance: we stumbled onto not one but two Little Free Libraries. While I already liked this neighborhood, the two Little Free Libraries cemented that feeling. I'm already contemplating what books I can leave and what new discoveries I'll make.

And yes, I'm absolutely going back to the house with the fairy town.

Disclosure: Affiliate links included in this post.

Maud: A Novel Inspired By The Life Of L.M. Montgomery- Melanie J. Fishbane

My Review - 4 Stars

Do you have a special place in your heart for Anne Of Green Gables? Then you're going to want to pay attention.

Taking cues from Loving Frank and The Paris Wife, Melanie Fishbane researched Montgomery's life and developed this fictionalized account. While I have long loved the work of Lucy Maud, I didn't know much about her childhood before reading this.

There are obvious comparisons between Maud's life and that of her beloved characters Anne Shirley and Emily Starr. While I've heard Emily is a closer read on Montgomery's life, Maud reminded me much more of Anne. At the same time, the novel paints a stark picture of what happened to one Lucy Maud Montgomery. 

After the death of her mother, Maud grows up being passed around between family members. No one wants her for long, whether due to financial hardship or an inability to tame her tongue. Maud makes the best of her circumstances, longing for her father to send for her but when he finally does, the results only serve to break her heart anew. I was deeply sad she did not have her own Marilla and Matthew to give her the home she longed for.

At the same time, Maud is blessed to have wonderful bosom friends and a cadre of suitors. In fact, I found myself a little jealous over how many young men vied for her hand, especially since she wasn't all that interested in picking one. But I also admired her dedication to her dream of becoming a writer above all else and it was interesting to see the teachers who encouraged her and her beginning attempts toward making it.

My heart went out to Montgomery and based on where the book ends, I'm hopeful Fishbane will write a follow up. I want to see how Montgomery's foray into adulthood treats her. Although based on the reading I did after finished this, I'm not all that hopeful about her happily ever after. Perhaps this is why she wrote Anne and Emily, to give her characters her idealized life.

Synopsis

Fourteen-year-old Lucy Maud Montgomery—Maud to her friends—has a dream: to go to college and, just like her idol, Louisa May Alcott, become a writer. But living with her grandparents on Prince Edward Island, she worries that this dream will never come true. Her grandfather has strong opinions about a woman’s place in the world, and they do not include spending good money on college. Luckily, she has a teacher to believe in her, and good friends to support her, including Nate, the Baptist minister’s stepson and the smartest boy in the class. If only he weren’t a Baptist; her Presbyterian grandparents would never approve. Then again, Maud isn’t sure she wants to settle down with a boy—her dreams of being a writer are much more important.

Life changes for Maud when she goes out West to live with her father and his new wife and daughter. Her new home offers her another chance at love, as well as attending school, but tensions increase as Maud discovers her stepmother’s plans for her, which threaten Maud’s future—and her happiness—forever.

Buy The Book Here:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Disclosure: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Affiliate links included in this post.

The Simplicity Of Cider - Amy E. Reichert

My Review - 4 Stars

What a marvelous cast of characters! This novel made me want to hop in my car and head straight for Wisconsin until I landed in a family-run apple orchard.

Sanna and her father Einars have a simple life. Their days take place in the orchards passed down to them for generations. Everything revolves around the apples, whether trying to figure out how to continue the heirloom trees or coming up with the perfect cider blend. Sanna hides in her work and hides from the townspeople. She's convinced herself that this is enough but the particular ache of never being chosen emanates from each page.

Isaac has taken his son Bass (also nicknamed Minnow, Wahoo, etc.) on a road trip across the country for the summer. It is an adventure but it is also a way for Isaac to postpone telling his son that his mother (and Isaac's ex-wife) died. This is a terrible idea but Isaac doesn't see a way forward and he wants to protect his son from grief. When they wind up in Door County, Einars hires Isaac to help out for the season. This disrupts Sanna's quiet life and she has no idea of the ways knowing Isaac will change her.

Isaac and Sanna have to find a way to work together once Einars has an accident. Between Einars' recovery and outside forces threatening the farm, this would be enough to move the plot along but Reichert has imbued her characters with unique gifts and opportunities and I was fascinated by the results. 

Sanna has synesthesia in the form of tasting colors in the apples she uses to make cider. I loved learning more about the process of blending cider and the particular types of apples she used. It's a beautiful art and I only wished I could taste the results. The orchard reminded me of our family farm (my mom's side of the family). While ours was a dairy farm, there's something special about a family working together on the land but with today's generation, it's no longer a given this will continue on. Indeed, it was interesting to see how Sanna's brother Anders chose a different profession and the ways this splintered their relationship.

Sanna's character arc was the most compelling to me. Learning about the ways she'd been hurt over the years deeply resonated with me, even though I haven't had the same experiences. I could understand her compulsion to drill her life down the essentials no matter how isolating, to keep her expectations low, to let her work be enough. Watching her take a chance on Isaac and begin to make peace with her past was lovely to see, particularly in how this plays out with her estranged mother.

"'Before you came here, I was content, but I didn't know the joy of being part of something bigger and more special. You've shown me I want more than contentment. I want happiness. I may never find it outside of these moments, but at least I'll always have them in my heart.'" p. 238

I loved how we got to see Isaac's perspective and how he was immediately drawn toward Sanna in spite of all the reasons why he should not pursue her. I loved how tender he was with her and how he recognized that while she'd been hurt, she was not incomplete and that her independence would make her choosing him that much more special. The scene with the dancing tree was incredible.

While Sanna and Isaac's relationship is compelling, it's not the thrust of the novel and I found the family elements, as well as the orchard operations and the efforts to save it, made for such a great reading experience. This would make a great summer (or fall) read. I had a hard time putting it down, even as I wanted to luxuriate over the well-paced story.  

Synopsis

Fall in love with The Simplicity of Cider, the charming new novel about a prickly but gifted cider-maker whose quiet life is interrupted by the arrival of a handsome man and his young son at her family’s careworn orchard by the author of The Coincidence of Coconut Cake and Luck, Love & Lemon Pie.

Focused and unassuming fifth generation cider-maker Sanna Lund has one desire: to live a simple, quiet life on her family’s apple orchard in Door County, Wisconsin. Although her business is struggling, Sanna remains fiercely devoted to the orchard, despite her brother’s attempts to convince their aging father to sell the land.

Single dad Isaac Banks has spent years trying to shield his son Sebastian from his troubled mother. Fleeing heartbreak at home, Isaac packed up their lives and the two headed out on an adventure, driving across the country. Chance—or fate—led them straight to Sanna’s orchard.

Isaac’s helping hands are much appreciated at the apple farm, even more when Sanna’s father is injured in an accident. As Sanna’s formerly simple life becomes increasingly complicated, she finds solace in unexpected places—friendship with young Sebastian and something more deliciously complex with Isaac—until an outside threat infiltrates the farm.

From the warm and funny Amy E. Reichert, The Simplicity of Cider is a charming love story with a touch of magic, perfect for fans of Sarah Addison Allen and Gayle Forman.

Buy The Book Here:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Giveaway

The publisher is generously giving away one copy of The Simplicity Of Cider. The giveaway will be open until this Thursday. US entries only.

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Disclosure: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Affiliate links included in this post.

Mr. Rochester- Sarah Shoemaker

My Review - 4 Stars

"But then I remind myself that if I had turned my back on my father's plans my journey would have been entirely different, and while I might have found a satisfactory sort of life much sooner, I would never have found Jane." p. 156

Fans of Jane Eyre, take note.

Though it's been many years since my last reading, I have long loved Jane Eyre. It was likely one of the first Gothic novels I ever read and I chased it with Bronte's sister's Wuthering Heights, whose central relationship still puzzles me to this day. Do not give me Cathy and Heathcliff, dear readers. Give me one Edward Rochester and his Jane.

Mr. Rochester attempts to answer the questions which have plagued Eyrites since publication. Who exactly is Rochester? How did he make the decisions he did? Just why does he have an insane wife locked up in the attic???

Mr. Rochester takes us to his childhood and then works its way up to when he and Jane meet. Rochester grew up in Thornfield Hall and feels more kinship to his home than to his distant father and brother. He is a sweet child and it's hard to know what his father would have molded him into had Rochester been allowed to stay at Thornfield. Instead, he is sent away to live with a tutor the day after his 8th birthday. It is the first of a few jarring transitions at the hand of his puppet master father.

It almost seems as if the moment Rochester becomes comfortable where he is and makes friends, his father sends summons to move him along. I really enjoyed seeing Rochester's relationships with Carrot and Touch, the other boys who live with the tutor, and also getting a glimpse of where Rochester's interests first developed. From there he moves on to learn how to run a mill and then finally he heads to Jamaica to look after his father's business. 

This was what I was waiting for. I wanted the payoff for how Bertha became the anchor weighing our hero down and I got it. We see Rochester and Bertha meet and once they're married, we see the machinations behind it and the filters come off. It made me angry on his behalf and angry he wouldn't divorce her and just plain angry about the state of mental illness and lack of rights for women in those times. (Though lately it's felt like we're on the precipice of returning to exactly that horror again.)

Rochester copes as best as he can but he doesn't come across as the best guy. Frankly, despite the havoc Bertha wreaked on his life, his privilege was showing. I started to think maybe I didn't want him to end up with Jane after all. (I did not expect to have that reaction!)

Finally, about three-quarters of the way through, Rochester and Jane meet. The plot from Jane Eyre is woven in seamlessly, the dialogue less so. It was jarring to hear Bronte's wording after being lost in Shoemaker's rendering mostly the whole way through.

However, this was where the book really came alive for me and I was thrilled to see Jane and Rochester become closer and know precisely what Rochester, man of mystery, was thinking as it happened. My heart broke for him as he was lost in his agony after the fire. And my heart broke for her and then rejoiced upon her return. Did Rochester deserve Jane's love? Probably not but then again, how many of us deserve life's gifts?

I really enjoyed Shoemaker's interpretation of Rochester's world. It was at times a more favorable depiction, particularly the way slavery is presented while he's in Jamaica, though it's possible I don't remember its source material having an abolitionist bent. After knowing Jane's point of view for so long, I'm glad we got to see Rochester's side of things and try to understand some of his choices.

Reader, I'm so glad he married her and she married him.

Synopsis

A gorgeous, deft literary retelling of Charlotte Bronte's beloved Jane Eyre--through the eyes of the dashing, mysterious Mr. Rochester himself.

"Reader, she married me."
For one hundred seventy years, Edward Fairfax Rochester has stood as one of literature's most romantic, most complex, and most mysterious heroes. Sometimes haughty, sometimes tender-professing his love for Jane Eyre in one breath and denying it in the next-Mr. Rochester has for generations mesmerized, beguiled, and, yes, baffled fans of Charlotte Brontë's masterpiece. But his own story has never been told.

Now, out of Sarah Shoemaker's rich and vibrant imagination, springs Edward: a vulnerable, brilliant, complicated man whom we first meet as a motherless, lonely little boy roaming the corridors and stable yards of Thornfield Hall. On the morning of Edward's eighth birthday, his father issues a decree: He is to be sent away to get an education, exiled from Thornfield and all he ever loved. As the determined young Edward begins his journey across England, making friends and enemies along the way, a series of eccentric mentors teach him more than he might have wished about the ways of the men-and women-who will someday be his peers.

But much as he longs to be accepted-and to return to the home where he was born-his father has made clear that Thornfield is reserved for his older brother, Rowland, and that Edward's inheritance lies instead on the warm, languid shores of faraway Jamaica. That island, however, holds secrets of its own, and not long after his arrival, Edward finds himself entangled in morally dubious business dealings and a passionate, whirlwind love affair with the town's ravishing heiress, Antoinetta Bertha Mason.

Eventually, after a devastating betrayal, Edward must return to England with his increasingly unstable wife to take over as master of Thornfield. And it is there, on a twilight ride, that he meets the stubborn, plain, young governess who will teach him how to love again.

It is impossible not to watch enthralled as this tender-hearted child grows into the tormented hero Brontë immortalized-and as Jane surprises them both by stealing his heart. MR. ROCHESTER is a great, sweeping, classic coming-of-age story, and a stirring tale of adventure, romance, and deceit. Faithful in every particular to Brontë's original yet full of unexpected twists and riveting behind-the-scenes drama, this novel will completely, deliciously, and forever change how we read and remember Jane Eyre.

 

Buy The Book Here:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Disclosure: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Affiliate links included in this post.