The Eyre Affair
by Jasper Fforde: Now here is a story for literature buffs. Thursday Next works as a kind of literary detective in a world gone mad for books. Kids trade character cards, author homes are top tourist destinations, and (my personal favorite) some theaters put on a regular performance of Richard III a la Rocky Horror Picture Show, complete with audience participation. That last had me giggling. The story is clever and the characters amusing, but I think I would have gotten a lot more out of it had I read the prerequisite novels. Specifically having read Jane Eyre and Martin Chuzzlewit would have helped immensely, but even just a penchant for 18th century literature (Dickens, Bronte, Austin, et al) would have been a huge advantage. After all, it is for those fans that this story was really written. Though there is a whole series of Thursday Next books, I think my next Fforde book will probably be one of his fairy tale retellings. I already know those stories.
Also posted on BookCrossing.
I read and loved this book (and the rest of the series). I had not read “Jane Eyre” nor “Martin Chuzzlewit”, but have seen movies of both and that helped me to figure out some things.
I liked this book: fun read with great literary references. And I’m partial to time travel books.
This book is what got me to read Jane Eyre, and after I did, I felt like kicking myself that I read it so relatively late in life. I LOVE Jane Eyre and it’s one of my favorite novels. Fans tell me that the rest of the Thursday Next series is even better, but I haven’t yet made the leap.