Salt & Broom
This is a fantasy romance version of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel, Jane Eyre. The heroine is Jane Aire, a teacher at Lowood School for witches in training. The hero is, of course, Edward Fairfax Rochester, the master of Thornfield Hall, where Jane has been summoned to rid the place of suspicious occurrences. Rochester’s young wife in this version has died tragically—no one in the attic.
While Jane and Rochester resemble their namesakes, Fisher paints the pair with their own charm. Jane Aire is not as naïve and self-deprecating as Jane Eyre; she is smart and brave and determined to figure out what is going on at the estate. Fisher’s hero is, likewise, not so distant and forbidding as the Brontë character; in fact, he comes across as charming, albeit a little wary given that his home seems to be haunted. Jane is the principal narrator, while Rochester interjects occasionally in “interludes” to offer his opinions about certain events and the young witch that he has hired.
The plot moves well, basically following the Jane Eyre outline, but it adds some interesting and pleasant twists of its own. For example, Jane’s mother makes a surprising appearance. As does her father. Of course, the novel has a happy, quick ending—without Mr. Rochester getting blinded!
