https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2024/05/2024061-salt-and-broom-sharon-lynn.html ( )

When I hear Jane Eyre retelling but make it witch-y and and even more gothic horror you can bet I am immediately interested. Jane Eyre is a classic gothic romance that holds the standard for the genre as a whole in my eyes, and anything attempting to retell it has very big shoes to fill, this author seems to have almost made it with just a few tweaks that could make the story feel both more real and true to the original.

In this novel Jane 'Aire' starts out our story teaching at a school for orphaned girls that is known for turning out witches, the school always struggles for funding and so when a chance comes for the headmaster to earn the school some funds by her taking a job for a Mr. Edward Rochester he takes it. Jane is weary of the job, rightly so, and as she investigates the shadow over Thornfield she finds there is more going on then she may have though but with Thornfield and herself.

The romance in this novel shows through as a winning trait of the book, and feels honest and just as tender as the original. However the pacing feels somehow both rushed and too slow all at once. The book takes place over about a week to two weeks at most with most of the book taking place over a three day period. Now I can suspend belief for much but the type of love these two have forming over a week feels rushed and like the author wanted to condense everything in where as the original works best partially because of its slow pace and build up. This novel jumps right in with no real build up and it shows in how deeply connected you feel to the leads.

The gothic and horror/mystery writing is where this book really shines, I was second guessing my self and jumping at small noises while reading as the suspense built itself up slowly. You start off second guessing everything and by the end its become a page turner you need to finish right away just to see what happens. It reads like a tv show that starts slow but then you binge the second half of the season because you can't put it down.

Overall I would recommend this book to those looking for:

- Gothic Romance
- Jane Eyre retellings
- Spooky Romance
- Gothic's with a cozy feel
- Historical Romance lovers
- Witchy Novels
- Atmospheric Gothics

I received an advance review copy of this book and I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are wholly my own and unbiased. ( )

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this on ebook through NetGalley.

Thoughts: This is a re-imagining of Jane Eyre with witches and malevolent ghosts. I enjoyed this well enough. Jane is an orphan who teaches at a girls' school known for teaching witchcraft. She gets a request to travel out to Thornfield Hall to deal with a problem there.

For the most part I enjoyed Jane and Edward's characters; although I did wish a number of times that Jane had a bit more backbone. She just gave up on things fairly easily. The romance between her and Edward was decently done but not absolutely engrossing.

The mystery around the threat at Thornfield Hall was decent as well. There were some surprises and it kept me well enough engaged. The magical witchcraft throughout seemed a bit awkward; whenever it entered the story it felt like the story stuttered a bit and just didn't flow well. It would have been nice to have magic more seamlessly woven into the world.

The writing here is easy to read and contains a lot of wonderful descriptions. This was a fairly quick read that I enjoyed but didn't love.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this story but didn't love it. I don't think it was quite as good as the original "Jane Eyre" book. The addition of magic and witchcraft was an intriguing idea but wasn't woven into the world very well. Jane and Edward were okay and their romance was sweet, but they never will pulled me into the story. This was a decent read and I would recommend if you enjoy retellings of classic literature that have magic in them. It didn't really make me want to pick up future books by Fisher though. ( )

"Salt & Broom" revisits Jane Eyre and Mr Rochester with a twist of magic and a revision of the plot in a dark and somber setting. ( )

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is an eminent, classic work of fiction. It speaks of an English teacher who falls in love with a wealthy landowner, only to encounter inevitable obstacles. An early ode to feminism, Jane finds happiness by being herself, not conforming to a social ideal. It’s one of my favorite stories from the early Victorian era. In this retelling, Sharon Lynn Fisher recasts this intriguing story in modern language, only with the twist that Jane is a teacher of witchcraft.

I always enter into retellings of classic stories with both an eagerness and a wariness that it might not live up to my expectations. While Salt & Broom certainly falls far short of the original (and what retelling wouldn’t?), it did meet my expectations. The persistent use witchcraft became a little hokey and gimmicky by the end, but by recasting the female protagonist as a witch, Jane Aire – the retold name – becomes an even stronger symbol of outcast. In many ways, this marginalization makes her plight and journey more admirable.

I’m no fan of Victorian language, which seems inaccessible to my modern ears, and this book’s accessible language was most welcoming to me. The essential parts of the story are thankfully preserved, only with enough of a twist to keep us turning the pages. The witchcraft seems well-researched and congruent with the historical setting. Although the tale employs a darker spirituality, it does so without taking itself too seriously. That is, one needn’t be involved in or sympathetic to witchcraft in order to appreciate the plot. (For instance, I’m a Christian Sunday School teacher and was not offended.)

I hope this book finds a special audience with those who appreciate classic literature but struggle with the archaic language constructs. It has the same narrative outlines without being the exact same story. Jane Eyre is a timeless classic that should be read by any cultured English speaker, but accessibility is not its strong suit. High school students might appreciate this retelling. (Hey, it’s better than buying a summary.) Even experienced readers will encounter enough novelty to entertain them throughout. It was worth my time. ( )