The Eyre Affair - from Annette

I wanted to like this book. I liked its literary bias. There were humorous moments and some clever concepts. But basically I really didn't like it. Partly this would be because I don't like science fiction, only occasionally tolerate time travel books, and have only a passing interest in alternative universe concepts. This of course was all that and then some...but I don't think done very well. It seemed cluttered and the pacing seem to hiccup between slow and fast.

I was confused for a long time as to what timeframe the book was in. Once I finally figured out that it was taking place in England somewhere in the 1990s or so...I realized that we were dealing with a completely different concept of what is going on in the world and what has gone on...essentially almost a parallel universe . Very little made sense to me.

I couldn't figure out how in a world where they can time travel and clone dodos and other extinct animals why people are using slow moving dirrigibles to fly around England. If the world was so advanced then why are they still fighting a fairly conventional war in the Crimea.

And why in heavens name are they still fighting over the crimea. And why is Russia still a monarchy. whatever has been going on assumes no soviet union, no rise of communisn? Why? And why would we still be fighting over the crimean peninsula...in today's world it is of no value.

all these things really spoiled the book for me. I think if she had placed the story somewhere in the future and hadn't distorted previous known history that I might have liked the book. I did like the dodos, plock, plock. Although, once was enough.

The whole bookworm idea...was kind of cute...and provided an interesting concept (to be able to enter a book)...this was oddly the part of the book that worked best for me. The whole way she "influences" the content of Jane Eyre. Although if the reader had never read Jane Eyre...much of the cleverness of this bit would be lost.

And I didn't buy the romance with the old boyfriend. Its been 10 years...there is a lot of water under the bridge...and then pow...they are back together to tidy up the end of the book. hmmm.

At least it was short!