Book Review: Reluctant Immortals

Review:

Reluctant Immortals presents such a unique take on a Jane Eyre retelling by blending it with Dracula (another favorite tale of mine) and focusing on the poorly used women in the stories - Lucy Westenra and Bertha Mason.  Dracula and Mr. Rochester serve as the main villains in the story, and honestly the idea of Rochester as a main villain was initially not my favorite choice, but I can understand how it fits into the story - especially for Bertha.  

The story takes on a decadently Gothic atmosphere that comes from the anguish of Lucy and Bertha dealing with the trauma of their former lives, and the death and decay that unavoidably follows Lucy due to being a vampire. The reason for Bertha’s immortality is entirely new and quite horrific, and was definitely an interesting twist!  I loved the way the story built on all of their distress and misery because it created so many evocative moments in the tale, and made the reader very sympathetic to their plights.  Which is serious, once Dracula and Rochester make their appearances.

There is a nod to the heroine of Jane Eyre as Jane herself plays a part in the story. I was less impressed with this take on her, as she becomes a shell of herself and we see nothing of her independent streak that is in the novel. To be honest, the whole ending of the novel Jane Eyre does not come into play here at all - but the author explains it somewhat as just a version of the truth.  The concepts are played out well though, as I find it fun to think that Bertha has seen some of the film adaptations of Jane Eyre and absolutely can’t bear how everyone is depicted.

It’s difficult to talk too much about the plot of this story, because it’s something you need to experience as you read it - I enjoyed how unique the story felt as a retelling or sequel to two famous novels. The author takes these characters and puts her own sophisticated spin on them!

4 stars  |  Goodreads

Review copy kindly provided by the publisher

The Curious Case of the First Jane Eyre 2011 Trailer

Let’s rewind to a better time and a more tranquil and relaxing year - 2011.  It had been roughly 5 years since the last adaptation of Jane Eyre (the ever popular 2006 BBC mini series) and I, as an avid fan, was eagerly awaiting the latest adaptation - this time for the silver screen.  The very first trailer came out, and I was astonished at the tone it took.  It was darker, more Gothic, and horror infused.  It took elements of the story where Jane might be nervous and scared and highlighted them.  I was VERY skeptical about where this new version was taking the story, and I was not entirely pleased.  Even though the casting looked amazing, I had very strong doubts about this adaptation.

And then it came out and I absolutely loved it.  

It did not live up to it’s creepy and unsettling first trailer, and was instead a very nuanced and faithful portrait of the novel, and it ranks in my top two favorite adaptations of Jane Eyre.  I know that trailers are cut by the marketing team, but I found that the particular vibe of the first trailer was so specific, with scenes filmed that added to that aura, yet never made the final cut, that I wonder at the direction this film took.  Was it originally going to be more “scary” than previous adaptations?  Did Cary Fukunaga want to lean more into the Gothic tendencies and then decided not to?  Who knows.  But for now, I thought it would be fun to deep dive into that first trailer, and examine it in all it’s Gothic glory. 

If you haven’t seen it, or don’t remember it - you can find it on YouTube:

It's such a strange trailer for Jane Eyre! Let's start with the very FIRST shot:

Jane Eyre - a book always known for it’s graves of dead bodies.  This might be Lowood?  Showing the devastation of all the children who caught typhus - it’s a dramatic and valid scene, but it didn’t make the final film, and is such a weird way to introduce an audience to the story in a trailer.

Rochester, Bertha and Passion

In a recent post I talked about my dislike of comparing Jane and Bertha as psychological doubles, and in that post I mentioned that for me, Rochester and Bertha have much more of a connection in terms of character development and literary analysis.  And that in many ways Bertha foreshadows Rochester’s potential.  I find this dynamic more interesting because there seems to be support for it in Charlotte’s novel and I enjoy examining the ways in which Charlotte foreshadows events.

Physicality

Aside from the obvious link that Bertha and Rochester are married, another link that is commented on in the novel but perhaps not really talked about is in their physicality.  “She was a big woman, in stature almost equalling her husband, and corpulent besides: she showed virile force in the contest—more than once she almost throttled him, athletic as he was. “ (Chapter 26)  Bertha and Rochester are almost equal in bulk and seemingly strength.  They are both dark featured, with possibly a similar “swarthy” skin tone.  (From Chapter 18 describing Rochester:  “ His dark eyes and swarthy skin and Paynim features”  Paynim means “non-Christian, especially a Muslim)  Bertha is described with dark features with dark hair and eyes, but also in ways that perhaps relate to her hygiene - “blackened”,  “dark”,  “purple”.  There is also the possibility of her having a darker skin tone by her being “Creole”.  In beauty they are not so alike, but coloring, stature and bulk appear to be similar.  These two people who are visually alike, are then set on a narrative course that to me intertwines closely.

Literary Perspectives

I find it interesting that Rochester and Bertha both have a role to play in Jane’s story that is defined by Gothic literary traditions.  Jane Eyre the novel is a Gothic story that combines horror, romance, and suspense with many traditional elements.  One of those is the Byronic hero as represented by Rochester.  Byronic heroes are anti-heroes - protagonists who act out of self-interest or unconventional beliefs.  They are usually mysterious, arrogant, rebellious and anti-social.  In Gothic novels they don’t always have a happy ending, but they are viewed in a romantic light.