Mr. Rochester

Written by Sarah Shoemaker

Narrated by Simon Shepherd

"Reader, she married me."

For one hundred seventy years, Edward Fairfax Rochester has stood as one of literature's most romantic, most complex, and most mysterious heroes. Sometimes haughty, sometimes tender-professing his love for Jane Eyre in one breath and denying it in the next-Mr. Rochester has for generations mesmerized, beguiled, and, yes, baffled fans of Charlotte Brontë's masterpiece. But his own story has never been told.

Now, out of Sarah Shoemaker's rich and vibrant imagination, springs Edward: a vulnerable, brilliant, complicated man whom we first meet as a motherless, lonely little boy roaming the corridors and stable yards of Thornfield Hall. On the morning of Edward's eighth birthday, his father issues a decree: He is to be sent away to get an education, exiled from Thornfield and all he ever loved. As the determined young Edward begins his journey across England, making friends and enemies along the way, a series of eccentric mentors teach him more than he might have wished about the ways of the men-and women-who will someday be his peers.

But much as he longs to be accepted-and to return to the home where he was born-his father has made clear that Thornfield is reserved for his older brother, Rowland, and that Edward's inheritance lies instead on the warm, languid shores of faraway Jamaica. That island, however, holds secrets of its own, and not long after his arrival, Edward finds himself entangled in morally dubious business dealings and a passionate, whirlwind love affair with the town's ravishing heiress, Antoinetta Bertha Mason.

Eventually, after a devastating betrayal, Edward must return to England with his increasingly unstable wife to take over as master of Thornfield. And it is there, on a twilight ride, that he meets the stubborn, plain, young governess who will teach him how to love again.

It is impossible not to watch enthralled as this tender-hearted child grows into the tormented hero Brontë immortalized-and as Jane surprises them both by stealing his heart. MR. ROCHESTER is a great, sweeping, classic coming-of-age story, and a stirring tale of adventure, romance, and deceit. Faithful in every particular to Brontë's original yet full of unexpected twists and riveting behind-the-scenes drama, this novel will completely, deliciously, and forever change how we read and remember Jane Eyre.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio
• Release date: May 9, 2017
• ISBN: 9781478916123

Sarah Shoemaker

Sarah Shoemaker is a former university librarian and the author of critically acclaimed Mr. Rochester. She lives in northern Michigan.

Reviews for Mr. Rochester

[trinitym82 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was not as good as I wanted it to be. His imagined childhood is very interesting, but it was more about what he didn't do, and that he regretted, than what he did. Example: he had a friend at school who he didn't take the opportunity to see when he could, then his friend died and he was never able to see him again. This is a valuable lesson for the reader but Rochester doesn't seem to learn it very well. Also, the tricks he pulls on Jane doesn't make him a sympathetic character. It's hard to see what Jane sees in him, and this book didn't help. The amount of exposition also makes this a bit hard to read at times - the author tells us about conversations, when it would have helped move the book along if she had written the actual dialogue.

[bookhookgeek · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The first part, before Rochester meets Jane, is a lot better than the latter part, which is a rehash of "Jane Eyre".

[gwendydd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thoroughly enjoyable Jane Eyre fan fiction. It is the Jane Eyre story from Mr. Rochester's point of view. Just like Jane Eyre, the book is written as a memoir in the first person, and starts from Edward's earliest memories of feeling lonely as a child. We learn about his education, his time in Jamaica, how he came to be married to a madwoman, and how he ended up with a ward who needed a governess. Naturally, the most fun part of the book is when he retells the events from Jane Eyre. We see his emotional manipulations of Jane from his perspective. It meshes perfectly with what happens in Bronte's book. _Mr. Rochester_ adds a lot of depth to _Jane Eyre_ and makes Edward a very sympathetic character.

[bookworm2bookworm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I should start this review with saying that I’m not a fan of Fan-Fiction. I actually refuse to read them. I always felt that they are unnecessary and would ruin my opinion of the original work written. Boy, was I wrong! Ms. Shoemaker’s Mr. Rochester has forever changed my mind about Fan-Fiction.I read Jane Eyre a long time ago and I’ve seen almost every version filmed of the classic tale. My favorite of them all is PBS special of it in 2007 with Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens in the title roles. Watching that four hour special, for the first time ever I paid more attention to Mr. Rochester and from that point on I always wondered who he really was and what made him tick. No matter how well the original was written or how deeply the movies went into the character of Mr. Rochester, none went deep enough to explain this complex and intriguing man. Until now. Until this book.I reveled in this retelling of Jane Eyre from Mr. Rochester’s point of view. I was glad Ms. Shoemaker has given Edward a backstory, and by dividing it into three books, it gave me time to appreciate the complexity of the character.I would be remiss in not singing praises of Simon Shepherd for an amazing narration. It really brought Mr. Rochester to life.If you’ve ever had doubt about Fan-Fiction, I’d like to ask you to take a chance and read this story. I think it’ll change your mind as it did mine. I’d also like to recommend this story to all of you that are into complex, brooding and intriguing heroes. Mr. Rochester is a fascinating read and I’m so glad Ms. Shoemaker has saw fit to write Mr. Rochester’s story.Melanie for b2b

[jane3phillips-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this retelling of Charlotte Bronte's classic "Jane Eyre" through the eyes of Mr. Rochester. The novel enriches the world of Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. Looking forward to more from this author.

[emanate28 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm a long-time fan of "Jane Eyre" and believe myself to be critical of modern remake and spin-off tales...but this one was beautifully executed. The author captured the tone of Charlotte Bronte's writing well, it felt natural and appropriate, and did a marvelous job of taking up all the little details from "Jane Eyre" and spinning it into a convincing tale--at least, she convinced me :)Rochester's mercurial temper and abrupt behaviors to Jane make more sense now (some not fully, but one makes allowances for a favorite hero :p). I felt full sympathy for his predicament by the time he met Jane.All in all, I think Ms Shoemaker did a brilliant job, making me fall in love with the whole "Jane Eyre" universe again. I didn't want it to end so have now started re-reading "Jane Eyre" to savor it all :)

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book. I thought Ms. Shoemaker wrote well, and maintained a writing voice complementary to that found in Jane Eyre. She developed the character of Edward Rochester very well, and told his story from childhood. I did find the machinations of Edward's father too Machiavellian to be believable -- maybe a bit more on Rochester Senior's motivations might have helped. And, I still don't understand what Jane saw in Edward??? Still an enjoyable way to add depth to my beloved Jane Eyre.

[nancyadair-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sarah Shoemaker's first novel Mr. Rochester retells the story of Jane Eyre from the point of view of its hero. Readers are offered a richly imagined look into Rochester's life before Jane. Under Shoemaker's hand, the brusque, tempestuous hero is transformed into a innocent child, a victim of his father's cold calculations, a naive lover, and a man determined to do the right thing. Shoemaker gives us a kinder and more lovable Rochester.The novel is told in the first person, and linear in time, a comfortable and cozy read that felt very 19th c. Rochester's childhood has a Dickensian feel with the early death of a beloved mother, a cruel elder brother, and a cold and uncommunicative father.Unlike Jane, Rochester is provided with a first class education under a fair master. He makes dear friends at school; like Jane, one of Rochester's school chums dies. When his father deems it time, Rochester is given a tutor and sent to university. In Paris he fell into a loose life, meeting the dancer who becomes his mistress and whose daughter Adele he later takes in.After his less than stellar performance at university, Rochester is apprenticed to a fatherly mill owner. He redeems himself as a hard worker and loyal surrogate son. Finally, it is revealed that Rochester is to inherit his father's West Indies plantation, and it is soon apparent that the beautiful Creole Antoinette is chosen to be his wife. Rochester's happiness is shattered as he realizes his wife is mad. He has been used badly by his father; his paradise becomes a hell.Rochester truly wants to keep his vow to Antoinette's father to take care of her, and he does his best, first in the West Indies and later in England. But in the end, he has no choice but to lock her away in the Thornfield attic, for the safety of all.When Jane arrives on the scene we learn the motives behind Rochester's manipulation and testing of her attachment. His endeavor to divorce his mad wife is curtailed as only by proving her adultery can he obtain a divorce.Readers learn the historical background to Rochester's story, including Jamaican plantation life and it's reliance on slave labor and the Luddite rebellion against the mechanization of labor.The novel stands on its own for those who have not read the Bronte novel, or like me, have not read it in several years.According to a Goodreads poll there are 94 books inspired by Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre. I previous have read Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea which redeems Bertha from madness, the story of a sensual Creole who suffers under Rochester's Victorian morality and white man's fears. It also has a compelling description of Jamaican slavery and the fomenting slave uprising.For over two hundred years Bronte's novel has remained a favorite. It was one of the first 'classic' novels I read, through Scholastic Books, and before that the Classics Illustrated Comic Book had been one of my favorites. It appears that the appeal of the story is not going to flag anytime soon.I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

[tamidale · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’ve had this book sitting in my kindle for weeks now because I was waiting to read it and review close to the publication date. After all this time of anticipating Mr. Rochester, I am pleased to say that Sarah Shoemaker did an excellent job in presenting Mr. Rochester’s side of the story and in showing readers how he became to be the man portrayed in the story of Jane Eyre.The story begins with the childhood of Edward Fairfax Rochester and his early days of life at Thornfield. Following his 8th birthday, Rochester is sent away to a small boarding school where he meets his closest childhood friends and from there Rochester is sent to be an apprentice at a manufacturing mill.His father has plans for Edward’s life that he never reveals to Edward until the last minute. Edward unwittingly believes that going to Jamaica to handle his father’s business interests is the best thing to happen to him, when in reality, Jamaica is the place where he is most shockingly betrayed by the very people who should have had his best interests at heart.Mr. Rochester is a novel full of wonderful and decent characters, but also full of deceit, betrayal and scandal. Edward reminded me somewhat of Job from the Bible because of all his suffering. After years of heartache, Edward became the man that we meet in the novel Jane Eyre.I think it would be fun to read Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester simultaneously, or at least pick up at the point in each book where they first meet. Mr. Rochester would be a great pick for book clubs, as there are many themes presented in the book that would make for interesting discussion.I thoroughly enjoyed the book and had a difficult time putting it down each evening. I know there will be readers who are disappointed that Jane doesn’t appear on the scene until late in the book, but that didn’t bother me in the least because the events that came before Jane were so captivating.Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.