The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel (Thursday Next Novels (Penguin Books))
by Jasper Fforde
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jasper FfordeEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2003-02-25
ISBN: 0142001805
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780142001806
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Book Reviews of The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel (Thursday Next Novels (Penguin Books))
Book Review: Not for me
Summary: 2 Stars
The Eyre Affair is a science fiction novel set in an alternative reality and follows literary detective Thursday next as she tracks the unstable and unpredictable Acheron Hades who is wreaking havoc in both reality and literature alike. Meanwhile, Next struggles with personal emotions and conflicts associated with the Orwellian Crimean War which has been raging for over a century, and ha had disastrous consequences for Thursday's personal and moral sensibilities.
I was challenged to read The Eyre Affair by a fellow LibraryThing user on the basis that I do not read a great deal of science fiction on my own, and likewise avoid literature that attempt to rewrite or borrow plots from classic literature. So from the very first I must say that I know next to nothing about the author, Jasper Fforde, the series that apparently comes from this novel, nor the genre as a whole.
As a cold reader I found it very difficult to become involved in the novel. The first several chapters attempt to introduce a very wide range of plots and ideas without adequately associating them, leaving me confused as to what is actually pertinent in the novel and what is more likely to turn out to be "filler" (of which it seems there is a great deal). The setting itself gave me pause, as the author at once creates a world drenched in literature (including automated Shakespeare characters on the streets and whole government departments dedicated to hunting down plagiarizers and false editions of classic works, for example), and seems to show a great deal of disdain for literary enthusiasts (as exemplified by the Milton convention, or the trend in name-changing).
Likewise, while the literary material offers Fforde a wide range of possibilities in terms of building his own characters, much of the material he focuses on seems extraneous to the text and takes away from the narrative flow built around Thursday and her current tasks. The attention given to the authorship of Shakespeare's plays, for example, provides nothing more than a superfluous distraction for the reader; while the Baconists made me chuckle, the weak narrative thread focusing on a rather large literary issue seemed to just add another level of chaos to an already twisted narrative.
I also found myself getting caught up in little details that just didn't seem to make sense. For example, Bowden's insistence that he had "no idea" that a Dickens character was so popular, and her assertion of the same regarding Jane Eyre. In a world where literature confronts you on the streets, people change their names to those of authors, and others go door-to-door like Jehovah's Witnesses to convince the public of the true authorship of Shakespeare, how could Jane Eyre not be popular?
From my perspective, the novel didn't really come together until approximately 75-80% through, when several different narrative threads were finally pulled together. These late connections left the ending feeling rushed and uncertain and, while satisfactory, out of joint with the rest of the novel. I do not regret the challenge or reading The Eyre Affair, as it certainly gave me an interesting look at a genre I otherwise avoid, but I will not be seeking out any Fforde in the future.
More The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel (Thursday Next Novels (Penguin Books)) reviews:
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Summary of The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel (Thursday Next Novels (Penguin Books))
In Jasper Fforde's Great Britain, circa 1985, time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously. England is a virtual police state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wordsworth poem and forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense. All this is business as usual for Thursday Next, renowned Special Operative in literary detection. But when someone begins kidnapping characters from works of literature and plucks Jane Eyre from the pages of Bront?'s novel, Thursday is faced with the challenge of her career. Fforde's ingenious fantasy-enhanced by a Web site that re-creates the world of the novel--unites intrigue with English literature in a delightfully witty mix.Penzler Pick, January 2002: When I first heard the premise of this unique mystery, I doubted that a first-time author could pull off a complicated caper involving so many assumptions, not the least of which is a complete suspension of disbelief. Jasper Fforde is not only up to the task, he exceeds all expectations.
Imagine this. Great Britain in 1985 is close to being a police state. The Crimean War has dragged on for more than 130 years and Wales is self-governing. The only recognizable thing about this England is her citizens' enduring love of literature. And the Third Most Wanted criminal, Acheron Hades, is stealing characters from England's cherished literary heritage and holding them for ransom.
Bibliophiles will be enchanted, but not surprised, to learn that stealing a character from a book only changes that one book, but Hades has escalated his thievery. He has begun attacking the original manuscripts, thus changing all copies in print and enraging the reading public. That's why Special Operations Network has a Literary Division, and it is why one of its operatives, Thursday Next, is on the case.
Thursday is utterly delightful. She is vulnerable, smart, and, above all, literate. She has been trying to trace Hades ever since he stole Mr. Quaverley from the original manuscript of Martin Chuzzlewit and killed him. You will only remember Mr. Quaverley if you read Martin Chuzzlewit prior to 1985. But now Hades has set his sights on one of the plums of literature, Jane Eyre, and he must be stopped.
How Thursday achieves this and manages to preserve one of the great books of the Western canon makes for delightfully hilarious reading. You do not have to be an English major to be pulled into this story. You'll be rooting for Thursday, Jane, Mr. Rochester--and a familiar ending. --Otto Penzler
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