#bea rochester

[lovelyylittleladyy]

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

[sophie1973]

WIP Wednesday

Since I started a WIP for RWRB, I wanted to share it here as this was something I used to do during my Olicity days and I miss it :)

This is a Historical AU set in the 1890's New York where Henry is a Slayer and Alex is a vampire. Somehow, they are not in a hurry to kill each other.

Coming soon to my AO3

This is also a first draft.

Not for the first time that night, Henry wonders what the bloody hell he’s doing here.

Here is an empty, sinister back alley in the Meatpacking District, after nearly tripping on the freight train tracks on 10th Avenue. Thankfully, no one is around so late to witness his clumsiness.

No one human, that is. 

It’s a frosty November night, and he shivers. Despite being made of the finest wool by one of the most upscale tailors of Bond Street, it is still not warm enough to fend off the cold of an American winter. He’s just happy Bea and he arrived in New York after the Great Blizzard of 1888, and hoped this year is not a prelude to a repeat performance.

Patrolling in New York is similar to patrolling in London. The smells are the same, hints of sewer and garbage, a potent odor of meat and dairy coming from the surrounding warehouses, and the sound and humid air coming from the Hudson instead of the Thames. 

He could be home with a nice cup of Earl Grey and his old, battered copy of Pride and Prejudice. Or maybe Jane Eyre. He meant to start that one a while ago but hasn’t found the time yet. Too many books, too little time.

His hand squeezes around the stake he’s holding, focusing on his surroundings. It wouldn’t be very clever of him to be ambushed because he was daydreaming (or is it night dreaming, in this case?) about Mr. Darcy or Mr. Rochester.

He hasn’t used the stake yet tonight since Bea and he went their separate ways, but he can hear some shouting and grunts in the distance. Sounds like Bea is more busy than he is. He’s not worried, though. His sister excels at this. She always has.

It is their legacy, after all. 

Bea thrives on it.

Henry…Not so much.

Tagging some of my favorite authors

@hgejfmw-hgejhsf @anchoredarchangel @stellarm@ @affectionatelyrs @cha-melodius @anincompletelist @happiness-of-the-pursuit @sparklepocalypse @firenati0n @theprinceandagcd @whimsymanaged @dumbpeachjuice

*goes back into hiding*

[readingforsanity]

The Wife Upstairs | Rachel Hawkins | Published 2021 | *SPOILERS*

Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates - a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts a discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates' most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can't help but see an opportunity in Eddie - not only is he rich, brooding and handsome, he could also off her the kind of protection she's always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie's heart before her past - or his - catches up to her?

With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wie who just don't stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literatures most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?

Jane is the neighborhood dog-walker, having left behind a sordid past in Arizona and taking on a new identity, she finds herself envious of the rich men and women in the neighborhood where she works. When she can, she swipes expensive jewelry from those she works for, a piece here and there, so they don't notice anything is missing.

When Jane meets Eddie, the young widower living in the large house in the neighborhood, their relationship goes from 0 to 60 very quickly. Eddie's wife, Bea, and her best friend, Blanche, whose husband Jane also worked for, died in what is assumed to have been a boating accident at Eddie and Beas lakehouse only a few months prior. Their bodies hadn't been found, though they are presumed dead. Having gone away for a girls' weekend in hopes to mend their broken friendship, the police assume that the girls had too much to drink, took out the boat and an accident soon followed.

Jane and Eddie quickly begin a relationship. She weasles her way into the lives of the women of the neighborhood. The gossip is almost too much for her, but she listens to every word. Eddie is busy running two businesses, his own construction business and the one that Bea created and what made her into a self-made millionaire. Soon enough, Bea is officially living with Eddie, though the thoughts of her past she has run from continue to creep into her current life when a "friend" from her group home days begins blackmailing her for money.

Shortly after, Eddie proposes to Jane, and she accepts. The two of them begin making wedding plans, albeit none that are very solid. Jane continues her charade of being someone she isn't, and she gets the feeling that Eddie is doing the same thing.

All the while, we get snippets of the past and present from Bea herself. Though she has been declared legally dead, she is not. Eddie has her hiding inside of a panic room on the third floor of the home he built, a panic room that he was insistent on having. Bea claims that Eddie is the one responsible for killing her best friend, and has now hidden her inside of the panic room because he wasnt sure what to do next.

And this is where Bea remains for months, even during the times that Jane was there, living there, making love to her husband there. Bea is aware of Jane's presence, as she suspects Eddie has begun seeing someone, to which he confesses on one of the occasions that he brings her food, water and things to occupy her time.

In the end, Blanche's husband, Tripp, is accused of murdering the girls. Blanche's body was removed from the water after having been discovered, and it is now being considered a homicide, as there was evidence that she was murdered and it wasn't just some boating accident. Tripp reaches out to Jane during his time out on bail where he could remain at home, unable to pose as flight risk enough to stay inside of jail to await his trial.

Tripp explains that he was invited to the lake house by Bea, that Blanche was surprised when he showed up, as it hadn't been the plan. He had passed out inside of a guest room, and hadn't even been aware that the two women had taken the boat out on the water. He wasn't even aware that anything amiss had happened to his wife until Monday, when she still hadn't returned home nor had she returned any of the phone calls he made to her.

He also explains to Jane that there was a possibility that Blanche and Eddie were having an affair, beginning at the time they had hired Eddie to do some renovations on their home. But, nothing was ever proved.

During Eddie's point of view, he confirms that nothing ever happened, and that he is also not the person responsible for Blanche's death and Bea's supposed disappearance. That he was simply protecting Bea, as she was the one who did all of the dirty work.

After her visit with Tripp, Jane tears apart the home she's been sharing with a man she realizes she hardly knows. When she finds a novel inside of his jacket pocket in a closet, she realizes that it is a handwritten note from Bea, whom Jane finds inside the panic room upstairs. Now that she's free, Bea can continue the charade that Eddie is the person who did all the dirty work, though Jane realizes that they're more alike than she realized, and that she can see right through her lies.

In the end, Eddie sets fire to the home in order to release himself from the panic room, where the girls had locked him away after discovering Jane had found Bea. Eddie and Bea were not located inside the fire, though it is presumed that Eddie had died after his teeth were found within the ashes of the home. Jane walked away with nothing more than smoke inhalation. Emily, a friend and former neighbor, takes her in and once again, Jane went from being the help, to the friend and back to the help in such a short span of time.

Ultimately, we learn that Eddie and Bea's relationship wasn't everything that it was cracked up to be. But, in order to buy Jane's silence, he had his will changed to give everything, his business and Bea's, over to Jane, who is now a millionaire herself.

Jane still isn't aware of what happened to the two of them, but she imagines that they are somewhere in hiding, with each other but happy, as it was clear that Eddie could never love her the way that he had loved Bea, especially after Jane found out that she was still alive. She has moved on, taking the dog Eddie had bought shortly after their meeting and creating a new life in another state.

[greenandhazy]

I binged all of Rachel Hawkin’s books this week and I think I read them in like… descending order of how much I enjoyed them, which in a way is good! Because I did genuinely like all of them to some extent and I don’t know if I would have read them all if I went the opposite way, yk? But the more I think about it the more I have Opinions on The Wife Upstairs and I don’t want to leave a long, pretentious goodreads review so instead it’s going here. Under the cut for spoilers.

So I think all of her books are what you might categorize as feminist thriller/mysteries, but The Wife Upstairs in particular is a retelling/homage to Jane Eyre, and like… as itself, I think it’s a pretty good book? But as a Jane Eyre retelling, it makes a couple of choices that just leave me bemused.

Okay, so in this version of the story, it’s set in a wealthy community in Georgia. Jane is the main narrator, and she works as a dogwalker in the neighborhood, then meets and eventually gets engaged to Eddie Rochester, who is a widow. (Adele is his dog.) His wife Bea (nickname for Bertha) had founded a Southern lifestyle brand, but six months prior to the beginning of the novel, she and her best friend Blanche Ingram went out on a lake in a boat together, there was an accident, and they were presumed to be drowned (Blanche’s body is later found). It’s revealed that Bea has actually been trapped by Eddie in a panic room in their house; some chapters are from her POV as she keeps a journal claiming that Eddie killed Blanche, but eventually when Jane finds her and releases her, and they trap Eddie in the panic room, it’s revealed that he actually witnessed her killing Blanche, and imprisoned her as an alternative to turning her over to the police. Eddie lights a fire to try and escape the panic room, Bea goes to save him, and the house burns down; Jane survives but Bea and Eddie are both presumed dead.

Some of those things I do think work pretty well? I don’t mind the addition of the murder plot, the panic room is a nice touch, Bea as an unreliable narrator is pretty good, and the author is pretty spot-on in terms of depicting the setting and the social milieu.

But… okay. For one thing, Jane isn’t Jane. It’s implied early on, and confirmed about halfway through, that the narrator is actually Helen Burns, who was in foster care with Jane and took her ID when she left her last foster home and set off for a new life. Which… fine? But the personality of the narrator doesn’t fit either Jane or Helen AT ALL. She is so incredibly bitter for almost the entire book. The single most prominent plot point is Jane ingratiating herself into the social circle of the rich neighborhood housewives. She describes their clothes, their jewelry, their manner of talking, their social engagements, their cars. Everything. She’s a kleptomaniac and takes a lot of their jewelry. She consciously manipulates Eddie into dating her and proposing, but she doesn’t actually love him, she’s mostly just using him to fit in with the other women.

And having read Hawkin’s other books, it’s clear that this is an archetype she likes to play with (and there’s a whole runner in the book too about how Bea, who is also from a disadvantaged background, copies a lot of her Lifestyle brand from Blanche, which I think works really well). But it’s not recognizable as Jane Eyre? And it’s ESPECIALLY unrecognizable as Helen Burns! Like I don’t understand what the point was to this switcheroo when it doesn’t make any meaningful commentary on the source material. We never meet anyone who knew Jane or Helen in her previous life and there’s no sense of growth that would make this change make sense. I guess at most you could say “oh, in the original Jane Eyre was able to move past Helen’s death and retain her loving nature, and this is showing that if the roles were reversed, Helen couldn’t have done the same” but… I don’t see where that’s coming from.

Likewise, it becomes clear in the last few chapters of the book that Jane/Helen never loved Eddie Rochester and he never loved her, and that throughout this entire plot, the REAL love story, the couple who really belonged together, is Rochester and Bea/Bertha. And like, “Rochester is a dick and he doesn’t deserve Jane” is not a NEW interpretation and I won’t say there’s no basis for it. But I don’t think the book does enough to make this feel like a genuine subversion.

If there had been commentary from Helen about how Eddie was Jane’s type, maybe—if she had wistfully reminisced about talking about boys with her friend who died and that Jane always believed the best in people but Helen knew better—that might have worked, but it never happens because it feels like Hawkin is trying to string out the “yes the narrator is really Helen” reveal too long, and doesn’t have time to cram in real character work by the time it gets there. Or if there had been more of Eddie’s point of view—we don’t get it until almost the end of the book, and he and Jane don’t have a conversation after the reveal, and honestly he comes off as pretty bland for most of the book as a result?

And again, I do genuinely like Bea as an unreliable narrator, I think that reveal is genuinely very cool, and it’s one of the few moments where having read Jane Eyre actually plays off! There’s a great sequence of scenes where Bea sneaks her journal out and addresses a plea to Jane, Jane finds it, she goes to the panic room, she hits Eddie with one of the decorations, then we flashback to Eddie’s POV and learn the truth about the murder, and then we return to Jane’s POV where she’s going “your husband kept you locked up for almost a year, we need to call the police!” and Bea is casually perusing the wine cellar as Jane slowly starts to realize something is wrong. Her obsessive love for Rochester comes off really well, but his love for her, and his and Jane’s mutual disinterest, not so much.

Also… this is a quibble. But in that panic room confrontation, Jane knocks out a few of Eddie’s teeth, and then in the end the book plays up the ambiguity of “ooh, did Eddie and Bea really die after all, or did they escape together?”, the detective mentions that the fire burned too hot to leave much evidence, although they did “find a few teeth” and Jane is like “but that could have been from me hitting him…” and I fully do not buy that. If they’re supposed to have died, I don’t believe that a house fire could theoretically burn hot enough that two entire skeletons could be completely destroyed but a couple of random loose teeth would survive, and if we’re supposed to believe that they survived, I don’t believe forensics experts would be that gullible, or that there would be no visible sign that the teeth had been broken/knocked out!

Anyway. Those are my thoughts. For the record, I do think the Rachel Hawkin is genuinely a good writer. But from what I understand, this book was the first of these standalone feminist thrillers she’s written, and I think she was, like, more committed to the story she wanted to tell and less committed to the bit, you know? Imo The Villa is a much better read.

[teenageread]

Review: The Wife Upstairs

Synopsis:

Meet Jane. Newly arrived in Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates—a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie­ Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie—not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past—or his—catches up to her?

Plot:

Plain old Jane, the dog walker from Arizona, who has nothing to hide. With nothing for looks, or for personality, these bored housewives often ignored Jane and left the dog walker with their keys in the hope that their pets were enjoying their life. So when Jane slips a diamond earring in her bag, or a bracelet discarded on a table, none of the housewives catch on that they are being swindled. Because Jane has everything to hide. Not even her real name, Jane escaped Arizona with the hopes of catching an opportunity to make her life better in Alabama. This opportunity started with a dog walking service in the gated community of Thornfield Estates, and ends at the hand of Eddie Rochester. Eddie is recently single after his wife, Bea, dies in a tragic boating accident, alongside her best friend Blanche. With their bodies never being discovered, Eddie was left with Bea’s successful design business, and a house that is a bit too empty. Spending time with Eddie, Jane realizes he has everything that she needs: money, looks, power, and a palace that they can call home together. Letting Eddie into her life a little, Jane and Eddie's relationship picks up quickly from casual dates, to moving in, with Jane working towards a ring on her finger. However, they were still in Bea’s house, and everywhere Jane looks Bea has been there and done better. With the ghost of Bea haunting Jane’s every step, her and Eddie's relationship hits a rocky part as new evidence from the accident comes to light, and Bea’s ghost may not be as far as Jane had hoped.  

Thoughts:

Rachel Hawkins writes this suspenseful thriller from the points of view of Jane, our girl trying to succeed at life, Bea who did succeed, and Eddie who was willing to do what it takes to protect Bea’s company. Divided into several parts, Hawkins mainly focuses on present day Jane, with a few flashbacks from Bea’s perspective in her and Eddie’s relationship, and Eddie’s perspective for the majority of the final chapters in order to end off the climax and finish the story. This added a lot of depth to the story, as where you learn about things at the same pace as Jane, you get those inside scoops from Bea, and then the final bit of madness of how all of this is connected by Eddie at the end. What I did not like, is that Hawkins spilled the story secret, quite early on in the story. Then again, it's not really a secret given the title of the novel. Still it leads you to knowing what is going on in the house, and then waiting for Jane to catch up; which takes forever. Hawkin does have a nice writing style as they kept the plot moving throughout the story, and added needed sparks in to keep the novel interesting, like opening up about Jane’s past, Eddie and Blanche’s relationship, and Bea's relationship with her mother. Still there could have been more thrill throughout the novel, despite the last few chapters, such as making Tipp more thrilling and less a loser. I cannot comment on this novel as a Jane Eyre retelling because I have never read it (it is on the list I swear!). However, I feel like in their own way Hawkins made this story unique as they have included both the real final ending of the story, and a previous scraped draft. Not very common, it was fun to read the way Hawkins ended the story, and another way they original throughout the storyline was going to go. Overall, it is not the most thrilling novel, but it is a fun one to read, full of twists and secrets, that will leave readers with a satisfying taste that only dark twisted novels can provide.

Read more reviews: Goodreads

Buy the book: Amazon

[a-flickering-soul]

well god forbid i make bea cry!!!

My main point is like. The weirdly paternal relationship between Rochester and Jane vs. the HUGE Lolita intertextuality with TLT vs. the parental/mentoring relationship between John and Harrow all sets us up for thee most insane TLT Jane Eyre AU I would love to be able to write.

Featuring:

John as Mr. Rochester, but a more kindly, affable, disarming recast of Rochester's character trope

Harrow as Jane Eyre, the proud, aloof, and pious lady's companion to his daughter

Gideon, the aforementioned daughter, an incredibly unruly tomboyish girl who has been saddled with Harrow as a lady's companion much in the same way teachers would seat quiet girls next to boys who were troublemakers in an attempt to shut them up

Various other TLT cast members in roles that I can smush them into if I work hard enough

And, of course, Alecto: the wife trapped in the attic

My vague overall concept that has me shaking the bars to my cage is like. The hatefulness and pride Jane has in her own quiet desire to love and be loved, recast in Harrow. Rochester's pleading for Jane's understanding and forgiveness where he was clearly in the wrong, recast in John. The combination of fondness, ownership, and dismissiveness John has for Harrow and how it could parallel Rochester's possessiveness over Jane and his fixation on her own inexperience and innocence.

Naturally, this culminates in Harrow returning after some character-defining trip away from Thornfield, stealing Gideon away (which Gideon is naturally delighted at), and unlocking the door behind which Alecto waits. I am somehow drawn to conflate Jane's reverence towards Helen Burns (who's almost a saintlike character to her) with Harrow's love and reverence towards the Body/Alecto, which in turn could translate really nicely to Harrow seeing Alecto wander the halls at night and falling in love with her like one falls in love with an encroaching storm, which is a very Romantic notion and very appropriate for a Jane Eyre AU.

i could write a jane eyre griddlehark au. if i really tried.

[ihqreviews21]

The Wife Upstairs- The New Age Jane Eyre

The novel has a naturally gothic aura and a fresh feministic take on matters. Totally worth a read.

https://www.ihqreviews.com/2021/09/01/the-wife-upstairs-the-new-age-jane-eyre/

[theramseyloft]

Breaking hiatus a moment because Chirp's 13 birds need to find foster homes by the first of July.

Copied from the message:

"Hey can you think of anyone who would be able to foster a dozen pigeons temporarily? I need to find someone by the first of July, I'm getting kicked off my farm"

"I can cover the cost of shipping and I don't anticipate it would be for longer than a year. It's 6 bonded pairs plus one Jim, so 13 birds total actually. GLPR is overwhelmed and can't help and there's no way I'm going through palomacy."

"FOSTER ONLY Beatrice & Boki:

Beatrice is a rescued German beauty homer hailing all the way from Washington state. She was found in a parking lot, struggling to stand and showing signs of PMV. We don't know where she came from or how she got to where she was, I'm guessing after showing signs of PMV her breeder discarded her. She was taken in by my friend who rehabilitated her until she could be shipped to me in NY. She made a splendid recovery. Beatrice is a very kind hearted bird, but she's no pushover and likes to be high ranking in a flock. She's friendly and confident around humans.

Bea is married to a Russian tumbler cock named Boki who she picked out during her stay at another loft. He's a silly little dude and very social. Boki is incredibly devoted to his wife. They had a healthy, beautiful son together (who now lives happily with a friend). They'd be a wonderful pair for someone who is new to pigeons to foster and try out keeping pigeons. They tolerate confinement and are very easy going and socialable. The one downside is, while they're totally healthy, they should be monitored closely for health issues. Both have a tendency to get poop stuck to their butt feathers and are more susceptible to illness. Beatrice benefits from having her legs (which tend to get try and calloused) and large nares lotioned with coconut oil if she is being kept indoors.

FOSTER ONLY Yuki & Alice:

Group shot at the end

My oldest pair! Yuki was a lost racing homer found by a wildlife rehabber in Rochester, NY. She's solid white and very beautiful. The lovely lady who rescued her got her healthy and then gave her to me so she could be safe in an aviary with other pigeons. She won't land on me, but is very eager to socialize, take treats, and spend time together. She gets my attention if she wants fresh water or more food.

Alice is a dog training survivor that showed up not long after Yuki arrived here. He's a big mostly white pied fellow, boisterous and very flashy. He's not terribly friendly, but is often willing to wrestle and occasionally take his very favorite treats from my hand. His sole reason for living is Yuki, he is so devoted to her! They've had several children together and are so easy to manage. Very healthy. They are high energy and used to having space to fly, but I suspect they would adapt to an indoor lifestyle no problem so long as they have each other. They would be good for a beginner that doesn't mind having hands-off pigeon friends, but wants something bullet proof and robust. These guys don't get sick, they are tolerant of both heat and cold, and don't stress easy.

ADOPT OR FOSTER Skippy & Belva

Belva was an oops baby hatched here out of Carrie. She's a bit of a scruffy little blue checked feral, and very shy, sometimes I worry that she's gone missing but she just is REALLY good at being wherever I'm not when I'm checking on the pigeons. She's timid and tiny.

Her spouse is a suspected hen named Skippy. Skippy was rescued as a squab by my friend in NYC. He briefly partnered with Pitch, a hen out of Dani's lines, while he lived with my friend. He came here to live out his days. He's a funky dude! He looks like a blue checked feral defending from tumblers as he has very short little legs. Skippy is reasonably friendly when his wife is setting but if she's up and active then he has a tendency to become very skittish. These two are very much hands off. I wouldn't advise them for a beginner simply because they are difficult to catch and keep track of their health, though they haven't been sick. They would likely not thrive in a home environment and would be best kept in an aviary.

ADOPT OR FOSTER Freddy & Roy

Group shot at the end

Freddy, formally known as Frito, is a cock out of Dani Ramsey's lines. He's a very striking bird and pretty friendly. He'll land on my shoulder in order to take safflower and will even give my ear kisses if he's waiting for me to get the safflower out of my pocket. It took him a long time to settle down and he isn't trusting of anyone other than me, it takes him a long time to learn that new people are okay.

Freddy is married to Roy, an oops baby and Belva's sister. They aren't terribly attached to one another and tend to flirt with anyone and everyone they can, both Roy and Freddy's favorite fling being Skippy. Roy won't eat out of my hand but she will sit calmly and approach me in the aviary, she doesn't tend to panic if I reach for her. She's a beautiful dark blue with white speckles on her chest. I think these two would adapt to house life, but would be most content in an aviary or loft, particularly one where they'd get to stay with Skippy and Belva as the four birds are very good friends.

ADOPT OR FOSTER Priscilla & Fiona

Despite their names, these two are not hens but both very sassy cocks! Fiona is a rescue feral from Dani Ramsey, he was initially suspected to be a hen but as it turns out he is a very dainty little man! He is full of rage and wants to fight anyone and everyone. He seems incapable of accepting treats or landing on me without biting or slapping, but he's so tiny and cute that I could never be bothered by this.

To my surprise Fiona hooked up with Priscilla, a big white oops baby out of Yuki and Alice. Priscilla is tempered just like his little husband, but bigger and even meaner! Priscilla is also an escape artist, every so often he likes to slip out of the aviary and fly around loose, the bastard! The only one of my pigeons to do this. Luckily, he always comes right back and waits patiently on the door for me to let him in. It amazes me that despite how sassy these boys are, they are so loving and gentle with each other. I rarely see them driving one another and instead they spend most of their time cuddling in the nest, waiting for me to offer them a fake egg to care for. I have no doubt they'd be wonderful foster parents. They would be good house pigeons for anyone, but better suited for an experienced keeper if you intend to keep them in an aviary or loft with a flock given Priscilla's habit of escaping and both their attitudes (they LOVE causing trouble in a flock).

FOSTER ONLY Danny & Carrie

Group shot below

Carrie is my first oops baby, out of my first rescues, Oliver and Piper. She used to be shy but has become more confident in recent years. She won't take food from my hands but does like to hang out and converse with me, cooing quietly when I speak to her.

Her long time lover is Danny, who I am 99% certain is a hen but there's a small chance she could be a cock, she acts like a cock but I've had 4 eggs in her and Carrie's nest so I've always assumed she was a hen. Danny was rescued from under a bridge by my friends in Syracuse when she was just a squab. She had a nasty respiratory infection that took a while for me to treat. She has what seems to be allergies in spring and is prone to respiratory distress, she also is susceptible to coccidia and worms so one must monitor her health closely. Danny is sassy and while she is shy of hands, she does love to interact with me by cooing and dancing when I talk to her. Danny and Carrie should go to an experienced keeper that can monitor Danny's health.

ADOPTION Jim

Jim sure is a pigeon and he hates me! Jim was rescued from a hoarding situation, and his rescuer gave him to me because he didn't apparently get along with their pair of pigeons, I feel like maybe they actually just couldn't stand him anymore. He lives in my room currently and is my nemesis. He is married to my voorburg, but she prefers me over him and does not like hanging out with him, he really needs a mate or person of his own. Jim is VERY sociable and prefers being in a cage, he will active choose to be in a cage rather than free roaming in my room. He is very good at communicating and will loudly let me know if he wants more food or fresh water, and also that he despises my existence. His favorite hobbies include being a dad (he and the voorburg had two kids!), landing on my shoulder to study what I'm doing before wing slapping my face and flying away, landing on my shoulder to poop on me, wing slapping me while I'm trying to nap, wing slapping me until I give him more safflower, and wing slapping me to ask for scritches. No, I don't know why Jim always chooses violence. He could probably be taught manners. Jim is absurdly dense and I would describe him as an onion made out of lead. He is bad at flying and frequently misses landing on my shoulder and instead smacks directly into my face. On one side he has cute little freckles on his face, on the other side he has an angry eyebrow which is the side that he always has facing me. He is perpetually missing two feathers on his tail even after he molts, it's important to make fun of him for this and say he looks lopsided and ridiculous. Jim would be great for a beginner who wants a single house pigeon or to pair with their current pigeon. Really, he is a wonderful and charismatic pigeon who would be sure to make the right person laugh and love him, but you have to have a good sense of humor with this angry little onion.

Roy and Danny

Carrie and Skippy

Fiona, Priscilla, Yuki, Alice, Skippy, and Freddy"

As you all know, The Ramsey Loft is still closed, waiting on the broad spectrum viral panel results.

(I think it's been 4 weeks now? It's honestly all just bleeding together, but I *think* we should hear back next week or the week after?)

Until we hear that it's for sure safe, no birds can leave and no new birds can come in.

So I'm not able to offer to foster any at this time.

Please contact Chirp directly by email via rexandquail@gmail.com

Or text (315) 286-1560

[winterhoneybears]

Book Review: The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

Synopsis: “Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?”

Rating: (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) 5/5

Review: I read Jane Eyre in preparation for this retelling, and while The Wife Upstairs has similarities to Jane Eyre it is entirely its own story! I loved the way Rachel Hawkins added twists of suspense and thrill to the original novel. This book was definitely a fun and satisfying read.

[brownandbrainy]

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

I have to read Jane Eyre yet, so people comparing this book to the classic, I am sorry, I don't know. Overall, I like this book, as it had a mystery, characters I could root for, and a good ending. I kind of predicted the end, but it was nevertheless exciting at the end.

So, the story starts in Thornfield Estates, a gated community of mansions, SUVs, rhinestoney women and what not. Jane arrives in Thornfield Estates from Birmingham, Alabama, and gets employed as a professional dog walker.

Eddie Rochester, a handsome widower, crosses paths with her, and the story starts here....A whirlwind romance, and the adjoining mystery of Eddie's first wife, Bea, is the story. If spoilers are included, sorry..... :(

So, overall, the story is fast, page turning, and a great read for the ongoing quarantine.

[sophie1973]

Bloodstream (tell me when it kicks in)

New York, 1890. Henry is a slayer, Alex is a vampire. Somehow, they are not in a hurry to kill each other.

You can also read on AO3 or come yell at me on Twitter

Manhattan, Meatpacking District - November 1890

Not for the first time that night Henry wonders what the bloody hell he’s doing here.

Here is an empty, sinister back alley in the Meatpacking District, after nearly tripping on the freight train tracks on 10th Avenue. Thankfully, no one is around so late to witness his clumsiness.

No one human, that is. 

It’s a frosty November night, and he shivers. Despite being made of the finest wool by one of the most upscale tailors of Bond Street, his coat is still not warm enough to fend off the cold of an American winter. He’s just happy Bea and he arrived in New York after the Great Blizzard of 1888 and hopes this year is not a prelude to a repeat performance.

Patrolling in New York is similar to patrolling in London. The smells are the same, hints of sewer and garbage, a potent odor of meat and dairy coming from the surrounding warehouses, and the sound and humid air emanating from the Hudson instead of the Thames. 

He could be home with a nice cup of Earl Grey and his old, battered copy of Pride and Prejudice. Or maybe Jane Eyre. He meant to start that one a while ago but hasn’t found the time yet. Too many books, too little time.

His hand squeezes around the stake he’s holding, focusing on his surroundings. It wouldn’t be very clever of him to be ambushed because he was daydreaming (or is it nightdreaming, in this case?) about Mr Darcy or Mr Rochester.

He hasn’t used the stake yet tonight since Bea and he went their separate ways, but he can hear some shouting and grunts in the distance. Sounds like Bea is more busy than he is. He’s not worried though. His sister excels at this. She always has.

It is their legacy after all. 

Bea thrives on it.

Henry…Not so much.

He’s good at it though. The last 5 years of training made sure of that. Besides, just because his heart was never in it doesn’t mean he would allow himself to fail and dishonor his family’s name.

Putting almost 6000 kilometers between them and their grandmother had been a crucial necessity propelled by his father’s unexpected passing and his older brother’s increasing worry for his younger siblings. (he hates that word. his father hasn’t passed away. But when he needs to be alert and focused like tonight, the word sounds better in his head than ‘murder’)

But Henry is not naive. Even from an ocean away, there is no doubt Mary Mountchristen-Windsor still has her eyes on them and their every move.

Antagonizing her even more than they already have would be madness. 

Just as he decides to give up for the night and join Bea, a vampire appears from around the corner on his right and Henry sighs.

The fight is quick and expeditive, and in less than a few minutes, the vampire is a pile of dust on the dirty ground.

Henry wipes his hand on his trousers, turns around, and bumps into a wall.

Wait, not a wall. There’s a man in front of him, and Henry’s slayer senses failed him spectacularly, as he didn’t even hear him sneak behind him. 

The first thing Henry notices is his height. Henry’s a tall man, but this one has a couple of inches on him. Despite the darkness, Henry can’t help but appreciate the fact that he’s also extremely handsome with golden brown eyes, dark glossy curls, and a devastating smile…

…which reveals a nice, shiny, white pair of elongated canines.

Oh, bollocks.

Henry barely has time to entertain that thought before being pushed against a stone wall.

“Well, well, what do we have here? A baby Slayer? Christmas must have come early,” the vampire drawls with an appreciative grin.

Henry rolls his eyes at that. Yes, he looks young, and the slow aging process doesn’t help, but he’s 25, for God's sake.

He has a retort on the tip of his tongue before he thinks better of it and shuts his mouth. He raises his hand, ready to stake the stupid - and very handsome, God help him- sod and finally be reunited with his warm bed and his books.

The next thing Henry knows, the stake is on the ground and he’s being pressed against the wall by the vampire’s strong, obviously muscular body. 

Suddenly, Jane Austen is the last thing on his mind. The vampire has one hand curled around his neck, and the other presses Henry’s shoulder against the cold bricks. A predatory grin adorns his lips, and Henry thinks that this is decidedly not a good time to wonder about how long and pretty his fucking eyelashes are. 

The pressure on his neck and shoulder intensifies, and he can feel the man’s thigh slip between his own and put some pressure on his crotch. His nose detects a rather intoxicating, spicy mix of santal, cardamom, and violet, and…is that cinnamon?

The vampire brings his lips against Henry’s throat and gives it a lick.

Henry gasps.

The tip of the vampire’s fangs are now grazing his skin, but he doesn’t bite, nipping softly at the smooth flesh, as if searching for the best spot to feed.

Henry’s always been told they ‌go straight to the jugular, but alright, this one likes to play with his food.

If Bea doesn’t arrive in the next few seconds, he’s probably fucked. And not in a good way.

That being said…He assumed that he would probably be scared out of his mind if confronted with this situation. He’s found himself in some dire straits sometimes, but never to the point of being so overpowered like this.

He’s waiting for the terror to settle in, the feeling of finality and ‘well, this is how it ends’ to overcome him, the resignation of dying so young without a real chance of accomplishing anything useful. He didn’t even get to say goodbye to Fitzwilliam, his beloved beagle.

But it never comes.

Instead, long, slow swoops of…something curl in his belly. He becomes extremely conscious of the way the vampire's knee rubs against his neither region, his hot breath on the sensitive skin of his collarbone, and how every nerve ending in his body seems to detonate like fireworks. He closes his eyes and bites on his lower lip, afraid of letting out the wanton moan building in his throat.

When the feeling of horror finally, finally invades his chest it is not because he thinks of his impending demise. With sudden clarity, Henry realizes he’s not scared.

He’s aroused. 

His slayer’s instincts kick in and with his free hand, he reaches into his coat’s pocket, pulling out a small pistol and pressing it against the man’s chest.

“I know you’re not a werewolf, but I’m sure a silver bullet through the heart might still inflict some damage,” he says, surprised and a bit proud at how steady his voice sounds.

The vampire releases him and steps back, raising his hands in surrender. He smirks, and Henry sees a look of…appreciation flashing briefly in his eyes.

“Alright. New deal. I don’t bite you, you don’t shoot me. We stay out of each other’s hair.”

Henry nods but doesn’t lower his gun. Despite his gran’s claim that “a good vampire is a dead vampire” he learned early on that, just as humans, all is not black and white in the vampire world and some of them are useful members of society. He prefers to remain prudent still, especially considering the way the vampire narrows his eyes at him, and Henry feels himself squirm under his scrutiny. 

“You’re Henry. The Mountchristen-Windsor Line. Arthur Fox’s son,” he says with a final certainty. As if Henry is some sort of renowned personality whose face and family’s line of work are plastered on every newspaper. As if he’s not just boring Lord Mountchristen-Windsor who prefers to spend time in his library than waltzing on a ballroom floor. He almost laughs at the idea of the faces some of the people he meets in these shindigs - as Americans say- would make if they knew of his nighttime activities.

He doesn’t though.

“Keep my father’s name out of your filthy, bloodsucking mouth.”

“Hey, I don’t mean any offense. I was an aficionado. Saw him a few times on Drury Lane when I lived in London. He was a fantastic actor. I mean, Vicky herself was a fanatic.”

Henry’s brain comes to a screeching halt. “Vicky as in…Queen Victoria?”

The vampire nods and Henry’s eyes widen.

What the…The utter disrespect.   

He hesitates between laughing and being offended on behalf of Her Majesty. The adrenaline starts to wear off, and the former wins. He quells the bubble of nervous laughter as the vampire shrugs, “She’s the one who asked me to call her that.”

“Right.”     

“Anyway…this has been real fun, but if you’re here that means the lovely Lady Beatrice is not far and as a Slayer she’s much scarier than you. No offense.”

“Offense is absolutely taken,” Henry answers through gritted teeth. He wishes he had a more clever retort and he’s going to hate himself when he comes up with one in the morning - too late.

“Henry!”

Bea’s voice resonates from down the street and the vampire grins. “That’s my cue. See you around, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor.”

He walks away before turning around with a mock salute. “I’m Alex, by the way.”

And he’s gone.   

Flabbergasted by the whole ordeal, Henry doesn’t even hear Bea catching up to him. She looks almost pristine in her coat revealing a pair of trousers that once belonged to Henry and had been adapted to her frame. One can’t exactly slay vampires wearing petticoats. The only clue of her previous slayering activities is a strand of ginger hair that escaped her bun, and a slight pink flush complimenting her fair skin. She looks lovely, but her petite frame also exudes confidence, her every movement deliberate and poised. That, paired with a devilish smile and an unwavering gaze, never fails to surprise the undead who see her as their next, easy meal. It’s a deadly combination and she never hesitates to use it to her advantage. No wonder the vampire - Alex - took to his heels. Realistically, Henry has to admit he was right. Bea is scarier than he will ever be.

The pride he harbors for his big sister knows no bounds.

“So? How many did you get? It’s rather busy tonight.”

Henry opens his mouth and closes it before saying. “Well, there was this vampire…” He trails off, not sure how to explain what happened.

Bea gestures to the pile of dust a bit further down.“You staked him?”

“Uh, no. That was another one. This one was different. Tall, handsome, well dressed…very long eyelashes. Oh, and he knew Dad, and you. Also, he was rather chatty. And insufferable.”

Bea gives him a look. 

“That was…rather specific. And you didn’t kill him? You just had a nice chat in the middle of Manhattan at night?”

“Well, he tried to bite me, and I threatened him with my pistol, so the intention was there, but then we didn’t? I’m not completely sure what happened to be honest,” he fibs, as he is pretty certain his sister doesn’t want to hear about how his traitorous body reacted to the vampire’s proximity and the unwelcomed feelings it elicited in him.

Very unwelcomed. Henry can’t stress that enough.

She keeps looking at him, obviously debating if the subject is worth pursuing and he gives her his most innocent look, making his boyish look work in his favor for once. She’s not fooled one bit.

“Alright,” she says, changing the subject. “I heard about this nest-”

“Behind you,” Henry interrupts her, looking pointedly above her shoulder and she swirls, her stakes raised and ready.

“Do you mind? We’re having a conversation here.”

She easily stakes the vampire, muttering, “How unbelievably rude,” before dusting her coast with a grimace. “We should go home. This is becoming more crowded than Covent Garden on a Sunday morning.” 

She starts walking towards their carriage, and after picking up his stake, Henry follows her without further ado. 

“Do you remember that coffee shop on the corner next to the millinery? They had those little blueberry scones that were simply delicious. I miss London sometimes.”

“Enough to go back?” he inquires, bewildered.

She lets out a brief laugh. “God no. Phillip risked way too much for us to go back.”

They reach their carriage and Henry grabs the reins as Bea is about to climb on the front seat.

“He said his name was Alex,” he blurts out because he can’t let the topic go for some reason.

“Who?” Bea frowns and turns around.

“The vampire. The other one. The one I didn’t kill.”

Understanding dawns on her face. “Oh. Probably Alexander Claremont-Diaz then. He fits the description you gave me, especially the pretty eyelashes,” she says with a teasing smile and Henry repeats the name in his head.

Alexander Claremont-Diaz. It suits him. A long-ass name for a pretentious, uncultured prick.

And yes, as far as name goes, Henry is aware of how hypocritical he’s being.

“So you do know him?”

She shrugs. “I met him a few times. His sister too. Lovely woman. She works for the Washington Post..”

“Who is he? I’m sure I’ve never seen him before.”

“You probably did. You just didn’t pay attention.” 

Henry nearly scoffs at that. If he had crossed paths with Alex before, he definitely would have paid attention. 

“Anyway,” Beatrice keeps on, “He's Vanderbilt's lawyer, and he works for some other prominent families as well. He and his sister were turned at the beginning of the century. I don’t know the whole story. You should ask Percy.”

“Percy knows him too?”

“Percy knows everyone, dear brother. You know that.”

They both climb in the carriage. Henry clicks his tongue and the horses move forward.

“If you manage to get away from your books, you might see him again at one of the next soirees,” Bea tells him. “But I suggest you steer clear of him.”

Henry lets out a quite inelegant scornful snort.“I’m not afraid of him and I doubt he will attempt anything after tonight.”

Bea shakes her head, a fond yet slightly exasperated look on her face. “Oh, darling. He’s not going to kill you. He’s going to break your heart.”

                                                      *********

Brooklyn, Alex Claremont-Diaz’s house - October 1891

The room is solely lit by the fireplace, barely illuminating the two figures on the bed and giving it a golden hue, creating a warm and comforting atmosphere. The house is silent at this late hour, and the quietude is only broken by the occasional whispers, gasps, or soft moans.

“Is that a stake in my ass, or are you happy to see me?” The tone is slightly breathless but full of mirth.

“Oh my god, Alex, Seriously? Are you trying to kill the mood?”

This is a hypothetical question because at this point no power in the universe would be able to pry Henry’s from Alex’s very capable hands. And body. And everything else.

Alex is in Henry’s lap, the aforementioned hands sliding up his back, slow, tender, fingers spread wide and he feels every touch like fire burning from the inside out.

Alex shifts his hips, setting a slow and steady pace and their gaze meets, and Henry tries not to lose himself in his brown eyes.

He tries not to lose himself in his everything. 

He thrusts up, sinking himself inside Alex, quicker and deeper each time. Alex catches his lips in an open-mouth kiss as he smiles and murmurs “Hen,” a touch of reverence in his voice.

A pleasant heat starts coiling at the base of his spine and his hand trails back up the soft, golden skin of Alex’s arm. “I’m close,” he whispers breathily.

“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” the vampire lets out in a hoarse voice.

It makes Henry’s toes curl in the sheets just as pleasure blooms low in his stomach and he tilts his head back and shivers as white fangs shine in the dark.

“Now,” he exhales and closes his eyes as Alex plunges his canines into his neck, right at the same time he’s hit, in perfect synchronicity, with a wave of pleasure, lighting every nerve ending of his body on fire. A breathy laugh and a string of intelligible words escape from his throat.

Alex is right behind him and lets go of his neck gently to let out a guttural groan as he comes between them, making a mess of their stomachs, his release mixing with the crimson trail flowing slowly from Henry’s puncture wound.

They meet in a searing kiss as they both come down, his lips molding to Alex’s like they are one and the same, and Henry feels his body sag, his head a bit dizzy both by the intense pleasure and blood loss.

His eyes are still closed but he hears Alex biting his own wrist before pressing it against Henry’s lips, and he takes a few sips, feeling immediately replenished.  

Alex leaves a trail of kisses against his jaw, his hand searing a path down his abdomen, gathering some of the come and blood on his finger and bringing it to Henry’s mouth, who opens it and welcomes the salty, coppery taste on his tongue. Alex repeats the gesture, this time bringing his finger to his own mouth and licking it clean with a sultry look from under his eyelashes that makes Henry want to go again almost immediately.

They stay entwined like this, uncaring of the mess between them, their breathing slowly evening.

“You ok, baby?” Alex asks softly, and Henry nods, burying his face in his lover’s neck, still unable to form a coherent sentence.

He never expected this.

Never expected the tenderness and the caring and the complete bliss he found in Alex’s every touch.

At first, it had been a way to itch a scratch, to get that bloody impossible cretin out of his system. A quick shag and they both would go on their merry way, preferably separately.

That had been 4 months ago. 

And yet he’s still here.

Bea’s words from almost a year ago resonate, unwelcomed, in his head

He’s going to break your heart.

He had been warned and had nevertheless rushed headfirst into the worst decision of his life.

(Or was it?)

 He gives Alex one last, lazy, languid kiss before he pulls out, wincing at the loss of heat, and trying to ignore Alex’s soft whimper. He grabs a cloth on the nightstand, cleans his stomach and Alex’s, then gets off the bed, throws the cloth in the basin on the vanity, and starts collecting his clothes.

Alex frowns. “You’re leaving already? It’s barely 2 am.” His face is impassive, but his voice betrays his disappointment.

Henry buttons his shirt, and looks at him briefly. He suspects Alex is as deep in this as he is, and the elation he feels in his heart is at war with the logical part of his brain screaming at him regularly that this dalliance is a bad, terrible idea.

“I don’t want to risk people seeing me coming out of your house in the wee hours of the morning, love. You know that.”

Alex shrugs and climbs out of the bed, unbothered by his nakedness.  There's no doubt he flaunts it because he knows the effect it has on Henry. Henry doesn’t exactly complain either. 

He walks to a round table and pours himself a glass of brandy.

“Besides,” Henry goes on, pointedly not looking at him, “I don’t want to come face to face with Bea.”

“Does she know?” He walks back to Henry, standing beside him and watching as he puts his trousers on, not bothering to fasten his waistcoat or tie his cravat.

“Yes. I don’t keep secrets from my sister. That doesn’t mean I want to come face-to-face with her in the hallway at dawn. She’s an early riser.”

“What did she say? When you told her?”

“She doesn’t disapprove. She likes you. For some reason.”

Alex chuckles. “For some reason? Are you saying you don’t like me, sweetheart?”

Henry tries hard - and sadly fails - not to blush at the term of endearment but still gives Alex his most bland, uninterested look.

“I tolerate you. Barely.”

“Well, you seemed to tolerate me well enough an hour ago when I was eating your a-”

He doesn’t get to finish his phrase as Henry grabs him by the jaw and captures his lips. He learned very quickly in their relationship - since the werewolf incident- that it was the best and most gratifying way to shut Alex up.

Alex hums into the kiss, leaning and letting out a whine as Henry takes a step back and grabs his coat.

“Come on, Hen. Stay another hour.” There is a vulnerability in his voice that tugs at Henry’s heart, because God knows he would love to stay a few more hours too.

A few more days…A few more years? A lifetime? 

He wished desperately he could stay and lounge in bed with Alex, and not just for the  - spectacular - sex but for the odd companionship he found with the vampire. The hushed conversations in the dark. The knowing smiles and heated gazes from across a crowded ballroom. The jokes and even the gossip about some members of the High Society.

But it’s just too dangerous. What they are doing is already reckless but selfishly, he can’t stop.

He put on his coat and looks at Alex who still stands beside him, a soft look on his face, his curls in disarray, his fucking eyelashes, and freckles of gold in his brown eyes, cast there by the light of the fire. There is an array of emotions in those eyes that Henry doesn’t have the time, but mostly the will, to decipher at that moment. He’s already very close to throwing reason out of the window and pushing Alex back against the bed.

It takes a lot of willpower not to do it. One he didn’t even know he possessed. 

“You’ll catch your death, darling. Go back to bed”

Henry’s volition only goes so far, and he leans for another kiss, sweet and light, as he breathes him in and presses their forehead together for a few more precious seconds.

“Are you going to the Vanderbilts tonight?” He asks as they finally find the will to separate.

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll see you there.”

Alex nods, and Henry takes a step back, opens the door, and checks the corridor. A last longing look, an imperceptible shake of his head, and he leaves.

A few minutes later he is in the street, walking briskly, a dark shadow reminiscent of the creatures he hunts at night.

The taste of Alex still lingers on his tongue. 

[harryfeatgaga]

omg it IS the back says 'which mrs. rochester will get her happy ending?' and there's alternating POVs between Jane the new fiancé and Bea the wife that went missing. you get the tea from before her disappearance👀

OHHHH 👀👀👀

[marziesreads]

Review: The Wife Upstairs

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins My rating: 4 of 5 stars I don't know what it is about Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, my least loved of her novels and yet one I am drawn to again and again, like a moth to a flame. Sometimes, as in the case of a novel like Jean Rhys's The Wide Sargasso Sea or Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca, I've loved the tie-in, but other times, such as with Tracy Chavalier's Reader, I Married Him I'm left feeling aloof. So I went into Rachel Hawkins's The Wife Upstairs with curiosity and a small amount of trepidation. A modern take on Jane Eyre? Hmmm. It was engrossing!In a novel that reads like Jane Eyre meets Gone Girl, Hawkins gives us a grifter Jane (not her real name, more on that later, haha) who has lived through hard times coming from the foster care system out West. Jane is now sort of hiding out in Alabama, getting by as a dog walker, living with a very creepy John Rivers (who sort of knew her back when), and trying to find her way among the "ladies who lunch" in Thornfield Estates when she catches the eye of Eddie, a widower who hires her to walk his dog, Adele. Eddie's wife Bea supposedly died along with her friend Blanche. How and why remains something of a mystery. Eddie has inherited his wife's business and is trying to manage it along with his own construction planning business. And quiet Jane seems just the tonic for him. He recognizes something in Jane. Only it's not what you think.I found this a surprisingly enjoyable twist on the original gothic "Jane Eyre" story. (Longtime blog readers will recall I can never forgive Jane for marrying Rochester.) In fact, there are a number of twists, and though I started to get ideas about what was really going on about halfway through the book, Hawkins's careful plotting made it quite enjoyable to see how things played out. This is a suspenseful novel deliciously full of villains and anti-heroes. You'll find yourself disliking so many characters but eagerly trying to figure out exactly what happened, to whom, and why.I listened to the audiobook, beautifully narrated by Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, and Lauren Fortgang.I received a digital audio review copy of this novel from Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

~ ~ ~

Want the purchase of The Wife Upstairs to benefit your local independent bookstore? Click HERE.

Want the digital audiobook of The Wife Upstairs to benefit your local independent bookstore? Click HERE.

Want your ebook purchase of The Wife Upstairs to benefit independent bookstores in general? Click HERE.

Follow Marzie's Reads on Bloglovin'.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

© Marzie's Reads 2017-2021, All Rights Reserved.

https://ift.tt/3oTyRzd charlotte bronte, literary classic, murder mystery, Rachel Hawkins, suspense

[bookmama]

Do you enjoy reading retellings? I love them, and The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins was a great retelling!

.

Thank you to @stmartinspress @librofm @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for and honest review. When I read “modern day Jane Eyre reimagining” I was in! I love the classic original Jane Eyre, but this suspenseful, twisty, modern adaptation set in Alabama was such an insanely fun rollercoaster of a story.

.

Synopsis from the publisher: Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name. But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?

.

Fun fact, I briefly attended University of South Alabama before transferring closer to home for the rest of undergrad. I loved the audiobook narration of this book, and was extremely happy that while I knew some women like the neighborhood wives while I was in AL, most of the friends I made there were the opposite of the characters in this story. I also really loved Rachel Hawkin’s interpretation of Jane. No longer is this character the naive victim, but instead a street smart manipulator in her own right. I don’t want to say too much, but if you like twisty retellings definitely read this one!

[eyreguide]

Book Review: The Wife Upstairs

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

Plot Summary: Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name. But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for. Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her? With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?

Review:

I was so excited by the concept of this book - a suspenseful, modern twist on the original that turns the story into a thriller with romance. And while the story is full of twists and turns, and I loved how the author adapted some of the elements from the original novel, I felt a little disappointed in the way certain characters were created, and in the pace of the story.

While Jane Eyre has strong elements of romance, this retelling strives to look beyond that aspect.  Jane is very practical in her relationship with Eddie (because she is interested in him for self-serving reasons), and while that was somewhat disappointing to a reader who wanted more of a romantic tinge to the narrative, I appreciated that Jane is her own strong character and that she needs more fulfillment than in a relationship.  

Jane as a character is unique - she is an anti-hero in many ways, yet I felt sad that I was not rooting for her throughout.  The author creates a sympathetic backdrop for her, but in some ways I was annoyed by the way Jane took her little revenges on the the people around her.  She was sort of a brat and complained often.  I really wanted to like her though, but I found it difficult.

Eddie Rochester is an interesting character.  He has many flaws and the author develops him as an anti-hero excellently, yet I think the reader doesn’t really get to know him that well.  However, the motivation for his actions are easier to understand and sympathize with and I enjoyed his characterization.

I don’t want to reveal too much about the story though, because I think going in with few preconceptions is a good thing, and the way the story wraps up is deliciously unexpected.  The pace of the story is a bit uneven at first, but when certain things are revealed, the story picks up and I found the book to be a mostly engrossing read.  It didn’t quite capture the heart of the original, but it is a well-told and intriguing story.

4/5 Goodreads