As a huge fan of Jane Eyre, when I heard about this book - a prequel - I was definitely curious. The fact that it has so many accolades helped ease my skepticism about another author writing about the same characters. It's an incredibly sad story, but fitting. It is powerful in what it makes you think of the characters you know - marring the gothic romanticism of Jane just a touch. But it's a story worth considering, and besides some disjointed stream-of-conciousness writing from Rhys that threw me off, a solid read. I started and finished the book in the same day.