My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows (audiobook)

genre: historical paranormal young adult

What if Jane Eyre was a real girl whose close friend was the soon-to-be-famous authoress Charlotte Bronte?   What if ghosts were real and had to be captured and what if Victorian Young Ladies had to find a way to take care of things their own way - whether its finding a place for themselves in a man's world or keeping their self-worth in the face of plain facial features and domineering employers?

My Plain Jane uses the framework of my beloved Jane Eyre and tosses it all up in the air, adds a huge paranormal element, and then settles it into a kind of mystery that follows vaguely along Jane's original storyline.  It definitely mocks the things about the book that ARE a bit disturbing (Rochester's age and his tendency to completely lie and manipulate)  and I got a kick out of some of the comments and asides.  You don't HAVE to have read Jane Eyre to appreciate it, but you'll probably find it more humorous  if you have.

I thought this was quite clever.  I loved the narration and the character of Helen Burns is particularly funny.  I liked that there was more of a female friendship storyline here but I have to admit that the whole ghostly thing didn't do much for me.  It's hard to explain how I could really like a book but not really like a main plot point, but there you go.  It's great writing, it kept me entertained, I just didn't need it to be all ghosty :)