

Loading... The Eyre Affair (2001)by Jasper Fforde
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I'm throwing in the towel at page 236. We've had some good times, but I think we both know we aren't right for each other. The Eyre Affair is clever and amusing. It is also a cozy mystery with an emphasis on wit and shallow characters. Simply not my cup of tea. It is, however, quite well written. If you would enjoy a humorous cozy mystery with a fantasy twist, you will love this. On a side note, I'm really glad I read Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron before I read this. It's a completely different style and I love it. People who feel as I do about this particular book may want to try some of Jasper Fforde's other work. This was a fun read. It was a study in contrasts: intelligent, yet light and fun; provided a lot of somewhat obscure literary references, yet very accessible. Most of all it was eclectic, well-written and unique. It makes you want to read more in the Thursday Next series. I highly recommend it! As a bookaholic I really liked the premise of this novel. It sounded really fun that a reader could pop into a novel, or that a character could leap out from the pages. But with a few exceptions (like the changing of Jane Eyre or literary fans rioting on the streets) I found it a largely tedious read. Probably because as with Pratchett’s novels I can appreciate the inventiveness but am left feeling emotionally indifferent. I've had this book on my reader for a remarkably long time and finally got to reading it. I'm not sure why it took so long as it hits all my sweet spots: alternate history, time travel, absurdity, and Jane Eyre. I'm happy I finally got there as this is a delicious romp. Thursday Next lives in an alternate England where the Crimean War is still dragging on and time travel is ordinary. She works for a specialized unit that deals with book crimes, so she's called in when the original manuscript for Martin Chuzzlewit is stolen by an archvillain. What follows is a chase to capture Archeron Hades, the villain, all over England and the literary landscape. Oh, and England and Wales are also at war, Wales having gained its independence years ago. Thursday is a wonderful character. She's a veteran of the Crimean War and a failed romance when the love of her life testifies that her brother erred in a battle during the war. She's smart and a bit sassy while able to argue the merits of who wrote Shakespeare's plays. The Eyre Affair is delightful, and I already have the next book in the series to read. While I'll be disappointed if Mr. Rochester doesn't appear, I look forward to where Tuesday goes next.
Fforde wears the marks of his literary forebears proudly on his sleeve, from Lewis Carroll and Wodehouse to Douglas Adams and Monty Python, in both inventiveness and sense of fun. Fforde delivers almost every sentence with a sly wink, and he's got an easy way with wordplay, trivia and inside jokes. ''The Eyre Affair'' can be too clever by half, and fiction like this is certainly an acquired taste, but Fforde's verve is rarely less than infectious. A good editor might have trimmed away some of the annoying padding of this novel and helped the author to assimilate his heavy borrowings from other artists, but no matter: by the end of the novel, Mr. Fforde has, however belatedly, found his own exuberant voice. THE EYRE AFFAIR is mostly a collection of jokes, conceits and puzzles. It's smart, frisky and sheer catnip for former English majors....And some of the jokes are clever indeed. Dark, funny, complex, and inventive, THE EYRE AFFAIR is a breath of fresh air and easily one of the strongest debuts in years. Belongs to SeriesThursday Next (1) Is contained inWas inspired byHas as a studyHas as a student's study guide
There is another 1985, somewhere in the could-have-been, where dodos are regenerated in home-cloning kits and everyone is disappointed by the ending of Jane Eyre. But in this world there are policemen who can travel across time, a Welsh republic - and a woman called Thursday Next. No library descriptions found. |
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![]() GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92 — Literature English {except North American} English fiction Modern Period 2000-LC ClassificationRatingAverage:![]()
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I really fell right in the middle...didn't love it, didn't hate it...so I gave it a middle of the road rating. (