Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

For quite some time now, Kristen of We Be Reading has been urging me to give Jasper Fforde a try and thanks to her recent Fforde-a-thon, I finally had the opportunity to meet Thursday Next in The Eyre Affair.  Next is a Literatec; a detective and protector of literature.  When classic literary characters begin disappearing, it is none other than Next who steps up to solve the crime and save the day both inside the pages and out.

When I began reading The Eyre Affair, I really had no idea what to expect.  I had heard from many that Fforde's work illicited an extreme response . . . I would love or hate it.  Here is a short list of what I personally discovered during my Next adventure:

  • Fforde's wit is one I have never encountered before, but I enjoyed it very much.  I often found myself chuckling out loud from passages, either at the time I was reading them or later when the humor dawned on me!
  • I was inspired to read a few classics that I have previously had no desire to pick up, namely Jane Eyre.
  • And, last but not least, I have found an author that I cannot wait to revisit!  I would even consider the first in the Thursday Next series re-read worthy!

In short, Kristen has got me hooked on yet another author, and I can't wait to get Lost in a Good Book!

Have you been captivated and inspired by Fforde like I have?  Or, would you rather pass?

19 comments:

  1. I love Jasper Fforde. I even have a signed copy of The Eyre Affair that a wonderful friend got for me for my birthday.

    Like you, I didn't quite know what to expect when I picked up my first Fforde, but I have since read all the Thursday Next books (including the latest one), the Nursery Crime series, The Last Dragonslayer (a ya novel) and Shades of Grey, which is quite different to the Next books, but just as clever.

    I just love the depth to the books - fun story, great literary and pop culture references and a few deep thoughts to ponder.

    So glad you enjoyed his writing too. He is one of my favourites.

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  2. Love his books. His Nursery Crime books are also very amusing to read. You get hints at them in one of the Thursday Next sequels.

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  3. I'm so glad you enjoyed The Eyre Affair, Tif! I'm trying to imagine why anyone would hate his books, it just seems far too extreme a reaction. I love them all, but my absolute favourite is The Well of Lost Plots.

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  4. I adore Fforde's writing as well! I've been meaning to go back and reread the Thursday Next series - thanks for reminding me how delightful the first one is!

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  5. Count me as a person who was captivated by Fforde. I have a couple of his books that I need to get to sooner rather than later.

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  6. Susan @ Reading Upside Down ... I had no idea that there was so much of his stuff out there! I seriously need to start digging in and discover more! I really wish I had more time to read all these books!! :) BTW, LOVE that you have a signed book!!

    Ticia ... I need to check these ones out, too!

    Tracy ... Is The Well of Lost Plots part of the Thursday Next series? I'm still trying to figure out which ones go where now that I've discovered he has so many available!

    lisa :) ... It sounds like many re-read this series, so I'm so glad I have discovered it! I also love to revisit favorites and at least the first one is on this list!

    Marg ... Well, I've discovered we are not alone!! I'm curious to know if the other side of the extreme will be commenting here!! :)

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  7. I'm beginning to think that perhaps Kristen IS Jasper Fforde!! She is the one who got me to read his books too … but I went with The Big Over Easy instead of the Thursday Next series.

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  8. I have GOT to read these books! I even bought a copy of The Eyre Affair AND The Big Over Easy. I was away during August and missed the Fforde-a-thon...drat! I have a feeling his will be books I really end up liking.

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  9. Tif - The Thursday Next books are (in order):
    The Eyre Affair
    Lost in a Good Book
    The Well of Lost Plots
    Something Rotten
    First Amongst Sequels
    One of our Thursdays is Missing

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  10. I am a HUGE fan of the Thursday Next series.I just finished SOMETHING ROTTEN and have First Among Sequels already downloaded for a future audiobook listen. The books never fail to have me laughing. Jasper Fforde is my new hero!

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  11. Jenners ... LOL!!! This is VERY possible!! If not, then the real Fforde needs to have her on his marketing team!

    Erin ... I loved the wit in The Eyre Affair and I can't wait to read more! Sadly, I'm on a book buying ban and really need to work on these stacks I already have, or I would go out and buy more now!

    Tracy ... Thank you soooo much!! I'm saving this right now!

    Michelle ... How did it take me so long to discover him?!? The humor in this book was brilliant! I can't wait to see what else there is!

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  12. Jenners & Tif - Haha! I wish I was at least half as witty as Jasper Fforde! Okay, maybe I am. Half wouldn't be too hard to achieve and I am rather funny -- just not in that British/Welsh way. I'm more of a crass American most of the time. And yes, if he ever advertises for a US marketing position, I'm there!

    Tif - Isn't is funny how some of his puns and wordplays aren't totally obvious but then you're sitting there later and suddenly think "oh! I get it!"? I swear, there are things that I'm still picking up on for the first time in my third or fourth read of these books. I definitely get more out of them as I read more of the classics he references too. It's fun even without them but more fun with them. I'm glad that Fforde was a success for you. Definitely continue in the series and I think that you would like The Last Dragonslayer too (first in a series, second book out soon, I think).

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  13. Kristen M. ... LOL!!! Seriously, you crack me up!! About the book tho ... I loved the wordplays and often found myself doing the exact same thing! I cannot wait to read more of Fforde! I truly love his wit and can't even begin to think who he compares to!

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  14. Really excited to see another positive review for this - it's on my 2011 TBR Pile Challenge list. The book has been sitting on my shelf for years and, here we are in October, and I've still yet to read it in 2011! I'll get to it in November, probably, since I'm doing two Group Reads this month (Dracula and Dante's Inferno).

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  15. Adam ... I can't wait to hear what you think! BTW, how's Dante's Inferno? I've been curious about that one.

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  16. I haven't read Inferno yet - that's up next. I'm about 60% done with Dracula, then I'll probably read the new Rick Riordan book (which should only take a few days) and I'll finish out October with Inferno. Looking forward to it, though I hear it's rather dry.

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  17. Adam ... It's been a while, so I think you have started Inferno, right? Look forward to hearing if you think it is truly dry!

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  18. Yep - I'm about half-way through Inferno. Allie is hosting Purgatorio next month and Paradiso in December, so I may join her to complete the Divine Comedy this year (Still debating).

    Overall, I'm enjoying it, but much of it is over my head.. I need to brush up on my ancient Greek histories/epics, but at least the lyrical/poetic style isn't messing me up as much as I thought it would!

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  19. Adam ... This is good to know! I've been wanting to read more ancient Greek lit, so I will be sure to do that before I attempt Inferno!

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