A wonderful transplant of a classic story into a new universe that remains every bit as powerful as the original. The narrative voice is a perfect imitation as well. I'm outing myself as somebody who came into Jane Eyre through the musical, but I couldn't help but hear it in Marla Schaffel's voice. ( )

Apparently this is Shinn's SF version of Jane Eyre which I shall now have to read to find out if it's as horrible and wonderful as this one was.

It was a painful read. 369 pages of small type telling a semi-interesting story set in a Victorian society which happened to also feature space travel and semi-advanced technology. The blend of the futuristic and the Victorian was very well done and reminded me very much of steampunk though I wouldn't say it really fit that genre.

I find the Victorian sensibilities very annoying as I disagree with them so heartily so 369 pages (of small type) became something of chore to get through. It was interesting enough and well written enough to keep me going even though the subject matter didn't really work for me. No, it wasn't the subject matter that was annoying it was nonsense of the Victorian social mandates. A love story without all that nonsense would have been fine. Still, it does have its themes of perseverance and quiet dignity and Independence and a lovely paragraph on page 364 ("We cannot go backward.").

I read Bewitched, by Sandra Schwab, at the same time which is a Fantasy set in Victorian England. I don't normally read Victorian romance so naturally there was some comparison. Bewitched is written in a much lighter tone and doesn't attempt the big themes that Jenna Starborn does. Generally I've enjoyed it more because of the lighter tone, although the word 'heck' keeps cropping up and annoying me.

Oh, Goddess. The internets say that Jane Eyre is 576 pages. Maybe I won't be reading it after all. ( )

This book is touted as being "Jane Eyre in space", and that's exactly what it is. It has the same basic plot and characters as the classic Jane Eyre only in a futuristic setting. I was surprised at how closely Jenna Starborn resembled the original, but the characters are not as well developed and the space age setting made the plot seem a little silly to me. It's very definitely fluff, but a fun read for those times when a more serious or literary book just won't do. ( )

It definitely lived up to the expectations of upbeat and romantic. As a quick summary, Jenna Starborn is Jane Eyre...IN SPACE. Yes, it's a scifi retelling of that most classic of the 19th century romantic novels. The interchanged details are magnificent: born of a gen tank rather than as an unwanted orphan, becomes a nuclear technician rather than a governess, with Jenna as a half-citizen rather than merely a penniless orphan.

I particularly liked how Shinn focused on the caste system of this future world and basically magnified the social system of the 19th century into a more legal status difference that actually ended up being more stratifying than Jane Eyre's precarious situation in her novel. This system allowed Shinn to explore some philosophical points on social stature that were present, although not focused on, in Brontë's novel. The worth of a person becomes a poignant point in this novel, although sadly, Shinn only briefly touches on it before moving onto the meat of the story.

My only major discontent with this book was that it followed the story of Jane Eyre TOO closely. I knew what would come next and how it would end, and besides the changes in terminology, it was not a very unique story. I like my retellings to be richly detailed and to just use the bare bones outline of the original to tell a new story with a new point. Mercedes Lackey does this admirably with her Elemental Masters novels. ( )

A very adept retelling of Jane Eyre, which was very close to the original in storyling. An affectionate update by an author who clearly loves the story. ( )