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.
Rating: 
Summary: Erudite Whimsy
Review: This amazing book zings along at such a pace that it would be a very well-read soul indeed who catches every literary reference and clever aside that Fforde includes in the mix.
Incredibly well read, Fforde throws in more fresh ideas per square inch than most novelists manage in an entire book.
The incredibly energetic Thursday Next travels from one end of planet earth`s history to the other, evades several assasination attempts and oh yes saves the world from a very sticky fate, all the while caring for her pet dodo, attending the odd Nolan Sisters concert, and keeping up with the family, both existant and non-existant.
This has to be read to be believed, I didn`t want it to end!
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of Literary Fun
Review: I hesitated before reading this. I shouldn't have. Quirky characters mixed with tons of tongue-in-cheek literary allusions had me turning pages with abandon. I devoured the entire book in one sitting and am now waiting for the sequel. Cheers to Jasper Fforde for a fabulous fun read!
Rating:
Summary: Imaginatively predictable.
Review: The book started out fun and imaginative, but as the story progressed, the plot became more and more predictable. Good for a quick light-hearted read.
Rating:
Summary: Such fun!
Review: I can't remember the last time I had such fun reading a book. I kept picturing the novelist chuckling to himself as he wrote this wonderfully refreshing novel which will be a delight to any English Lit major or anyone who reads the classics. I am not normally a science fiction reader but I found this book so entertaining, I was wracking my brain to find someone to share it with. I eagerly look forward to the next book in the series.
Rating:
Summary: do not miss this one
Review: Buy this book, read it and ... get the second installment, Lost in a Good Book....you won't be sorry. Thursday is a wonderful character, who knows even more wonderful characters.
Rating:
Summary: Intially weird, then gripping
Review: I got this book because it was being compared to Douglas Adams' and his famous books. If you have also read something similar, you'll find that this book is nothing like Douglas Adams... However, it is still a VERY good read! The initial few chapters are terribly confusing as not only do you have to adjust to the whole book being set in a parallel time zone, you have to take into account some historical facts are different as well - except I had never heard of some of those historical events in the first place, so to make them central to the plot left me feeling I needed to race out and grab a history book and what happened in our timeline! Ditto, I had never read the two novels that were central to the book, so I spent a few minutes in my local bookstore checking out what happened again... Maybe I shouldn't have, but I was even more lost not knowing about the plots of the other books as well! It should be pointed out that not knowing the plots and history don't make this book a difficult read - Fford does give you plenty of detail to piece together what has happened on that timeline - it just that the alternate threads gnaw at you, making you wonder what on earth did happen in our timeline! So for better or worse, I learnt a bit more history and literature as a result of this book. If you can suspend reality completely, even when its vaguely parallel, then you have nothing to fear. So my only clue to you if you are a fledgling reader of Fford, is do take it upon yourself to read the back cover (I didn't) as it does actually give you enough information to make the book enjoyable from the start rather than confusing - one of the few times that the cover is a useful supplement to the book... Now, I can't wait for the next book - the tantalising peak at it at the end of this book - it looks to be even better and weirder!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic flight of fancy
Review: I picked up The Eyre Affair on a whim... and couldn't put it down. Jasper Fforde has created a delightful and unexpected world where fiction and reality blur. The book itself has a uniquely English humor - of the kind that you find in books like "Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy." This is the perfect summer read for someone who is looking for a refreshing and clever book for the beach.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book - the audio doesn't begin to do it justice.
Review: If I were reviewing the paper copy of this novel, I'd be giving it at least 4, maybe 5 stars. It is original, witty, very amusing and the character of Thursday Next, who is the narrative voice of the novel, is very sympathetic. However, the audio CD is a great disappointment. The abridgement is OK as abridgements go - the chapter headings are omitted which is a shame, as they are very amusing, but apart from that, the omissions aren't noticeable. However, Elizabeth Sastre, is to me, quite amateurish in her reading of this book, particularly when compared with others, such as Stephen Fry's superb renderings of the Harry Potter books. Sastre seems to have huge trouble with individualising her characters, particularly the men, who to me, pretty much sound the same. There seems to be no attempt to analyse the dialogue before she launches into it, making her inflections and expression often wooden and nonsensical, while the main first person narrative loses much in tone. She also pronounces Haworth "Hay-worth", which I have never heard before, despite visiting the place more than once and growing up in the north of England. Of course, it is entirely possible that in this parallel universe Haworth is pronounced differently, but with all the othe problems associated with this audio, this seems to be a decision made on igorance rather than knowledge. To summarise, it sounds as though what has been recorded has been a first, blind, read through rather than something which has been thought through properly. I avidly read the sequel to "The Eyre Affair." I think that Jasper Fforde is a great writer, and I'll continue to be interested in the saga of Thursday Next. However, I will not be buying the audio version again, if it is still narrated by Elizabeth Sastre.
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