unabridgedpodreadingchallenge

The Wife Upstairs: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins

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As I'm sure has become apparent, I appreciate a good retelling, particularly of a novel that I really love. (Hence my excitement that this week's episode of @unabridgedpod focuses on a retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice!) Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre is one of my favorite Victorian novels. I think that Jane is an absolutely brilliant, complex character—particularly for the time! So, I'm always up for a retelling. ⬇️

UnabridgedPod I think that Rachel Hawkins's The Wife Upstairs is just a great retelling: it offers a clever use of the source material but doesn't feel obligated to repeat every plot point (something that can kill a retelling).⠀
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I feel as if this one has been allll over bookstagram, so I'll just mention a few things that worked for me: ⬇️ 4y

UnabridgedPod 🚪I thought the alternation of the narrative point of view worked really well in peeling back layers of the story.⠀
🚪Jane herself is fabulous: complicated and cynical and justifiably bitter at her history. When she meets Eddie and immediately starts thinking about how she can use him to change her life . . . well, that seemed about right to me. 4y

UnabridgedPod ?I'd never thought about the mysterious-first-wife similarities between Jane Eyre and Rebecca until this book, but Hawkins definitely captures the dark Gothic vibes of both books well, showing us *exactly* why wife two might feel resentful of wife one.⠀
?The "glamorous" society women who live in Eddie's neighborhood are a great replacement for the horrors of the Victorian society in Jane Eyre. ⬇️ 4y

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UnabridgedPod I can't say much more without spoilers, but some of the twists and turns of the second half of the book made me laugh with admiration. This is a witty, thoroughly modern retelling. (This one is also perfect for the #unabridgedpodreadingchallenge category "retelling of a classic.")⠀
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➡️ Do you like retellings of classics? 4y

MallenNC I love retellings! I especially like ones like this that nod toward the original more than redo the same story. I just read this one also and I felt the echo of Rebecca in it. 4y

UnabridgedPod @MallenNC I agree! I also recently read Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors—it‘s closer to the original but also makes some really interesting changes (not as many as this one, though!). 4y

MallenNC @UnabridgedPod I‘ve read that one too. It was closer to the original but I liked the way it was updated. I liked Unmarriageable too. It‘s another one that‘s faithful to the story but in a different setting. 4y

Cathythoughts Nice pic 4y

UnabridgedPod @MallenNC Yes! I liked that one, as well! 4y

UnabridgedPod @MallenNC Thank you!! ❤️ 4y

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