John Eyre

A Tale of Darkness and Shadow

By: Mimi Matthews

Narrated by: Justine Eyre, Nicholas Boulton

Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's Summary

One of BookBub's "25 of the Best Books Arriving in 2021"

From USA Today best-selling author Mimi Matthews comes a supernatural Victorian gothic retelling of Charlotte Brontë's timeless classic.

Yorkshire, 1843. When disgraced former schoolmaster John Eyre arrives at Thornfield Hall to take up a position as tutor to two peculiar young boys, he enters a world unlike any he's ever known. Darkness abounds, punctuated by odd bumps in the night, strange creatures on the moor, and a sinister silver mist that never seems to dissipate. And at the center of it all, John's new employer - a widow as alluring as she is mysterious.

Sixteen months earlier, heiress Bertha Mason embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Marriage wasn't on her itinerary, but on meeting the enigmatic Edward Rochester, she's powerless to resist his preternatural charm. In letters and journal entries, she records the story of their rapidly disintegrating life together, and of her gradual realization that Mr. Rochester isn't quite the man he appears to be. In fact, he may not be a man at all.

From a cliff-top fortress on the Black Sea coast to an isolated estate in rural England, John and Bertha contend with secrets, danger, and the eternal struggle between light and darkness. Can they help each other vanquish the demons of the past? Or are some evils simply too powerful to conquer?

©2021 Mimi Matthews (P)2021 Audible, Inc.

Great Eerie read

I’m a big fan of Mimi’s historical romances so when I saw she was coming out with a supernatural historical suspense novel I was so excited. I can’t speak to how good of a retelling it is since I’ve never read Jane Eyre but on its own it was so well done. This was overflowing with an eerie atmosphere, creepy undertones and a classic romance. From the first chapter I was drawn in. John takes on tutoring Mrs Rochester’s two sickly wards at her country estate filled with secrets. It’s told part from John’s POV and part flashbacks through Mrs. Rochester's letters and diary entries. If you’re familiar with the Jane Eyre story it might be predictable but regardless I recommend this one!

Adult Content Note: Little to no swearing, no sexual content and mild violence
⚠️: domestic violence

Audible Description is Misleading

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

I really enjoy Mimi Matthews' books, and Nicholas Boulton is one of my favorite narrators. "Jane Eyre" is my favorite book of all time. Naturally, I was thrilled about this book and pre-ordered it. Unfortunately, "John Eyre" is not just a revisiting of the Bronte classic; it is also a mash up of "Dracula".

I don't like vampire books. I don't want to read or listen to books about vampires. I don't like Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and I would not have purchased this book if the description had been accurate. The book description was written so as not to give away the twist, but unfortunately by doing that, readers such are misled.

Additionally. mixing "Jane Eyre" up with "Dracula" does a disservice to Bronte's masterpiece. I've read the author's note as to why she believes a vampire motif is justified. However, Bertha Mason in "Jane Eyre" is not a monster; she is mentally ill. Changing this diminishes Bronte's commentary on Victorian society, and frankly it's too bad Matthews did not read "The Madwoman in the Attic" before inserting "Dracula" into the mix.

If you love vampire stories, then I can recommend this book as it is capably well written and the narration is excellent. All others, proceed with caution. Better yet... go listen to "Jane Eyre".

Engaging Jane Eyre variation

As Jane Eyre has been a favorite for years, I was uncertain about this variation - but Mimi Matthews delivered! I really enjoyed the changes in the story line, how it wove classic elements and it’s new twists!

Interesting

I enjoyed listening to this story. It was an interesting tale. Having read Dracula and Jane Eyre, I will say this was a good mix with plenty of extra originality throughout. Also, having two narrators was a nice touch.

Great twist on a story I Love!!

I wasn't sure if I'd ba able to enjoy this story after reading the summary. Some stories you do not alter an Jane Eyre was one of those for me. I decided to have an open mind a give it a try....SO GLAD I DID!! I hated to stop listening when I got to work or had other things to do. I will listen to this book again!! Narration was great as always!!

A Relentless Retelling

Wow! A very intense, dark and gothic, reimagined retelling of Jane Eyre. John and Bertha are the main ‘romantic’ characters of this story along with the deeply troubling, creepy and frightening, Mr. Edward Rochester. But there is the addition of the young mute, dreadfully wan children, Peter and Stephen — named after the first martyrs. Make of this what you will, but I assure you that you will keep reading relentlessly as you are driven to determine the real story behind the story.

I also listened to this in the audible rendition which was very well done.

Matthews’ best yet.

Throughly enjoyed this book, beginning to end. It was well written, intense, engaging, well edited, and well performed. Matthews captured the feel of Bronte’s loved Jane Eyre and credibly led us through a similar storyline from a male protagonist’s point of view. I generally do not enjoy fan fiction or attempts to rewrite my favorite classics, but I loved this one. Well done, Mimi. Can’t wait for your next one!

Great read

I had no idea what this book was about and it was more exciting listening to it unknown. She is one of my favorite authors and I have to say another 5 start book for me!

Classic Spooky Tale for the Season

3.5 stars for this classically structured spooky tale that was perfect for the Halloween season reading list. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the book ~ the misty moors and gloomy halls of the estate, where the new school master, John, is charged with the care of two very creepy little mute boys. That is where this book really shines. It also gets props for alluding to the sinister and paranormal events taking place ~ the bumps in the dark are so well played. I found myself googling some of the Victorian terms as well which always means I am fascinated by the story. Without giving anything away, the box bed scene was clever and creepy as you know what. Think that the author could have tipped the scale just a bit on the scare level but it was a good read for the season and I would recommend it if you enjoy books like Dracula or Frankenstein.

Strange but good

At first I didn’t think I was gonna really get into this book. It started off strange and a little bit scattered. but all in all it turned out to be a really good book. Just the way it revealed what they were dealing with and how they had to get rid of their problem. The narration was nice and the story was put together so that you could follow it very easily