Reader, I Married Him: Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre

by Tracy Chevalier

Overview

This collection of original stories by today’s finest women writers—including Tracy Chevalier, Francine Prose, Elizabeth McCracken, Tessa Hadley, Audrey Niffenegger, and more—takes inspiration from the famous line in Charlotte Brontë’s most beloved novel, Jane Eyre.

A fixture in the literary canon, Charlotte Brontë is revered by readers all over the world. Her novels featuring unforgettable, strong heroines still resonate with millions today. And who could forget one of literature’s best-known lines: “Reader, I married him” from her classic novel Jane Eyre?

Part of a remarkable family that produced three acclaimed female writers at a time in 19^th-century Britain when few women wrote, and fewer were published, Brontë has become a great source of inspiration to writers, especially women, ever since. Now in Reader, I Married Him, twenty of today’s most celebrated women authors have spun original stories, using the famous line from Jane Eyre as a springboard for their own flights of imagination.

Reader, I Married Him will feature stories by:

Tracy Chevalier

Tessa Hadley

Sarah Hall

Helen Dunmore

Kirsty Gunn

Joanna Briscoe

Jane Gardam

Emma Donoghue

Susan Hill

Francine Prose

Elif Shafak

Evie Wyld

Patricia Park

Salley Vickers

Nadifa Mohamed

Esther Freud

Linda Grant

Lionel Shriver

Audrey Niffenegger

Namwali Serpell

Elizabeth McCracken

Unique, inventive, and poignant, the stories in Reader, I Married Him pay homage to the literary genius of Charlotte Brontë, and demonstrate once again that her extraordinary vision continues to inspire readers and writers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062447098
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/22/2016
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Tracy Chevalier is the author of the New York Times bestsellers At the Edge of the Orchard and Girl with a Pearl Earring, among others. She lives in London.

Hometown:

London, England

Date of Birth:

October 19, 1962

Place of Birth:

Washington, D.C.

Education:

B.A. in English, Oberlin College, 1984; M.A. in creative writing, University of East Anglia, 1994

Website:

http://www.tchevalier.com

Table of Contents

Foreword Tracy Chevalier 1

My Mother's Wedding Tessa Hadley 7

Luxury Hour Sarah Hall 19

Grace Poole Her Testimony Helen Dunmore 31

Dangerous Dog Kirsty Gunn 41

To Hold Joanna Briscoe 55

It's a Man's Life, Ladies Jane Gardam 67

Since First I Saw Your Face Emma Donoghue 79

Reader, I Married Him Susan Hill 97

The Mirror Francine Prose 109

A Migrating Bird Elif Shafak 119

Behind the Mountain Evie Wyld 131

The China from Buenos Aires Patricia Park 143

Reader, She Married Me Salley Vickers 161

Dorset Gap Tracy Chevalier 171

Party Girl Nadifa Mohamed 183

Transference Esther Freud 191

The Mash-Up Linda Grant 203

The Self-Seeding Sycamore Lionel Shriver 213

The Orphan Exchange Audrey Niffenegger 233

Double Mew Namwali Serpell 247

Robinson Crusoe at the Waterpark Elizabeth McCracken 261

Notes on the Contributors 283

A Note on Charlotte Bronte 293

Editorial Reviews

More than a homage to Charlotte Brontë, [these] stories provide fascinating takes on the inexhaustible subject of love.

The New York Times Book Review - Abigail Meisel

2016-01-20
The author of Remarkable Creatures (2010) and Burning Bright (2008) invites writers to turn one of the most famous lines in English literature into short fiction. As Chevalier notes in her introduction, it's the declarative, fiercely self-determined tone of Jane Eyre's words that captures the imagination. And, by addressing us directly, Jane makes us her confidants, witnesses, and accomplices. There's no question that Charlotte Brontë has inspired generations of writers—especially women. Here, Jane's bold statement serves as a prompt for a distinguished group of authors. Some of these stories address Jane Eyre directly. "Grace Poole Her Testimony," by Helen Dunmore, is a chilling condemnation of both Jane and Rochester, full of heart-stopping lines. In "Reader, She Married Me," Salley Vickers offers Rochester's point of view, while Francine Prose turns Rochester into a Bluebeard. Audrey Niffenegger brings Jane and her dear friend Helen into the future to create a dystopian romance. And Kirsty Gunn's "Dangerous Dogs" is a sly exploration of Brontë's masterpiece, methods, and biography narrated by a fledgling writer. In many entries, though, the connection to Brontë's work is more oblique, with Jane's words largely severed from their original context. Emma Donoghue uses the life and letters of Mary Benson, wife to an Archbishop of Canterbury, to craft a sad and tender story of love between women. Lionel Shriver's tale of a new widow's war on her neighbor's tree is an unalloyed delight. As for the contribution from the always wondrous Jane Gardam, best to let the reader experience it without preamble. A clever idea well-executed; a treat for fans of short fiction and for Brontë's many ardent fans.

Kirkus Reviews