By Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Harper Teen, 2016. 491 pgs. Young Adult
Part comedy, part fantasy, and part romance, My Lady Jane is not what you would expect from a Lady Jane Grey retelling. Jane does become engaged to a stranger in his conspiracy to dethrone her cousin Edward, but this Jane doesn’t have to worry about that, because sometimes history itself needs a little retelling.
I would love to tell you more but I think it’s best to go into this Princess Bride-like book with as little background as possible. The narrator asides, which appear in parentheses throughout the text, are hilarious. What made this work for me, however, were the characters, who are as well-developed as the witty, tongue-in-cheek tone. I could easily connect to Jane, Gifford, and Edward, who are equally nuanced in their alternating chapters. One of the most unexpected and charming books I’ve read this year, I would happily recommend My Lady Jane to adults and young-adults-at-heart alike.
HSG
1 comment:
My Lady Jane tells a very different story about Lady Jane Grey, her marriage to Lord Gifford Dudley or “G” and he wants to be called, and her nine day reign as England’s queen than the one history books tell us. Wacky and irreverent this is not the book for those wanting to read about historical events. If, however, you are looking for a witty book with a blend of historical and fantasy elements, or you just love a good laugh, then this book is absolutely for you.
For me, I think that humor is a hard thing to get just right for every person. While I definitely enjoyed some of the humor, I found other parts to be far too silly for my tastes.
AJ
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