Rating: 
Summary: I did not like this book!
Review: I really don't know why I finished this book. The charcters were as stupid as their names. Jane Eyre wasn't introduced until there was only 100 pages left. I hated the fact that they took classic books and 'changed' them. If "Jane Eyre" had such a [weak] ending, why was it considered such a classic?
I don't know how to get across that I hated this book and only finished it to see how Eyre even fit in. The last 2 or 3 chapters were the worse. Next pretty much saves the world and gets what she wants. Imagine that! The entire time I was reading this book and couldn't help thinking a 12 year old must have written it. The language was as [bad] as the plot.
Anyway- I guess it just wasn't my style. I hope this is never made into a movie as it would not make any sense on the screen.
I will try not to let it out to anyone I know that I actually read this book.
Now to read a real classic!
Rating: 
Summary: A ROLLS ROYCE ,not a fFORDe
Review: Great , interesting and written in the perfect tone. I avoided the book when I heard the description of the story but succumbed to all the great reviews and read it. It is a joy.I have two suggestions to the readers 1st: read a paragraph summary of the original BRONTE story JANE EYRE that includes the ending (like in the 100 greatest books) . Otherwise you may miss the whole point of all the satire in the first half of the EYRE AFFAIR. 2nd: Don't read the quotations at the start of each chapter until AFTER you read the chapter. They give away too much. If you want a plot review, read the other reviewers. I don't know much English literature but I still loved the book. If you liked the movie "Shakespeare in Love" then you'll love this book It's better the Turtledov's new "Ruled BRITANNIA" . If you loved or hated or never read the original JANE EYRE, you will love this book.I'd love to read what a British Literature professor thinks fo this book.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: Ingenious concept... it sort of reminds me of The Matrix, except relevant to the literary world. Well written with witty and intriguing characters... I wouldn't be surprised if it was turned into a movie soon!
Rating:
Summary: Astounding!!
Review: I tried to explain this book to someone and really couldn't except I kept saying , it is a GREAT book. I laughed and worried and had quite a few "aha" moments, although when I read it again, I am sure I will have some more, some that I missed!
With that said, I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes their books to have excitement, innovation, fantasy, scince fiction, humor and a little romance. I can't wait for the next (ha ha) installment in this wonderful, what I hope to be, series of books. As a matter of fact, I have already pre-ordered from Amazon, because I didn't want to take a chance on missing the next one that is scheduled for release in April 2003!
Mr. Fforde, you are a wonder.
Rating:
Summary: Now that was fun
Review: What a blast. This book shows that it's possible to be literate without being literary, clever without being pretentious. This is a great book for people who grew up reading "imaginative fiction," a.k.a. fantasy, but who now want something more substantive and sophisticated. You won't need to have read the Bronte canon to enjoy this work.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, smart and elegantly witty
Review: In the world of Thursday Next (a Special Ops agent), literature (and art) is taken very seriously: the door-to-door proselytizers want to change your literary beliefs, not your religious ones. Opposing artistic interpretations causes rioting in the streets. And Richard III is in long run with audience participation a la "Rocky Horror Picture Show." It's not necessary to be an English Lit major to enjoy this book, but it sure is a treat for us. It's funny, it's outlandish (literally and figuratively), and the writing is very sharp. And the spirit of Dickens hovers over the names: Archeron Hades (and his brother, Styx), Filbert Snood, and the whole Next family (including Mycroft, Joffy and Anton). This book is just a sheer delight.
Rating: 
Summary: very enjoyable, if slightly confusing, alternate history
Review: As in the best literature, Jasper Fforde has created characters that are interesting and complex using a premise and style that defy comparison; as in the best science fiction, he has created a universe that is unique and compelling; and as in the best comedies, he pointedly comments on our own experience while nominally ridiculing his own. Set in 1985 England, once occupied by the Nazis and now virtually run by the sinister Goliath Corporation, the novel's heroine is Thursday Next -- a special operative in the world of literature, a veteran of the 130-year Crimean War and a confused runaway from true love. Her father is a rogue time traveller, her uncle is a brilliant inventor and her archenemy is Archeron Hades -- a guy who is evil just for the pure joy of being evil and who has begun to kidnap literature's great characters from their original manuscripts, thus changing every copy in existence. Considering the importance of literature in this alternate world, that is not a good thing to do. Thursday must not only contend with this dastardly nemesis, but with bureaucratic headaches, budget shortages, Goliath's Jack Schitt looking over her shoulder, a new partner and the occasional vampyre. If this all sounds a bit confusing, it's an accurate representation of the novel, based on a terrific premise and well written, but sometimes confusing for the sheer number of offbeat names, if nothing else. So many characters are introduced that I would forget who people were and whether they were good or bad, despite the fact that I read the novel in one day (and stayed up til 4 am to do so). My only other complaint is that it is never clear how Hades acquired the unreal skills he uses to perpetrate his crimes; he seems to be a human being but he has abilities that border on the supernatural. There is some violence but it is only occasionally graphic. All that aside, this is quite an accomplishment for a debut novel, and I would recommend it unreservedly to anyone who enjoys literature, time travel, speculation, fun, humour and/or clever writing. Thursday Next is a terrific protagonist and her relatives are a joy. I look forward to the next in the series, though I'd love to see more interaction in a wider number of novels.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting alternate history
Review: This work gives us a world in which the Crimean War lasts more than a century, Winston Churchill never became Prime Minister of Great Britain, the Czars still rule Imperial Russia, Wales is an independant socialist state, and (apparantly) the Nazis once occupied Britain. There are also many other events mentioned in passing in this work, and that's what makes it a lot of fun to read. There's also a lot of word play, particularly with names (Jack Schitt is a character, and also Oswald Mandias). The plot involves the kidnapping of a fictional character from her novel, and the heroines attempt to rescue her and bring the villain to justice. I don't want to spoil either the plot or the fun of this work, so I'll just give a very strong read recommendation. I must admit that I'm looking forward to the next book in this series, which may reveal more anomalies about this odd, but endearing alternate Britain, and world.
Rating: 
Summary: Likes itself too much
Review: As a flight of fancy this book has plenty of spirit, but for me its cleverness and self-conscious whimsy became a little cloying after a while. The characterization is weak, and, if you take a step back from the story for a day or two, the mass of ideas becomes instantly idigestible. The style also conveys a certain authorial smugness, which, once noticed, becomes annoying. A nice try, but ultimately unsatisfying. If Fforde is truly brave he will do something totally different next time - dare I say, something more conventional? But I expect publisher pressure will ensure more of the same - only probably not as good.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun, but ultimately confusing
Review: Years ago, Woody Allen wrote a short story called "The Kugelmass Episode". It was about a man who wound up in the pages of Flaubert's "Madame Bovary" and romanced the title character. The jacket doesn't say, but I have to assume that this was the catalyst for Jasper Fforde's new book, "The Eyre Affair". The basic premise of the story is similar to "Kugelmass" - it is possible to cross over from the world of literature to the real world, and vice-versa. But it takes more than a reference to one short story to make a good novel, and unfortunately it doesn't look like Fforde could find anything else. His characters are completely one-dimensional (with the exception of his heroine), and the names he gives them - oy vay! And it was very hard to follow along with some of them - they appeared to change locations and alliances without explanation (and in the case of alliances, at the drop of a hat). Except for the heroine, Thursday Next, and the villain, I really couldn't figure out which side anyone was on. Still, the basic premise is good, and I enjoyed that. And who knows? With a little more experience under his belt Fforde's next novel might be easier to follow.
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