The Eyre Affair

By Jasper Fforde

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Average Rating: (See all 7 reviews) Format: Paperback, 384 pages Published In: United Kingdom, 19 July 2001 Quantity Available: 246 Ships within 7-9 days There is another 1985, somewhere in the could-have-been, where the Crimean war still rages, dodos are regenerated in home-cloning kits and everyone is deeply disappointed by the ending of 'Jane Eyre'. In this world there are no jet-liners or computers, but there are policemen who can travel across time, a Welsh republic, a great interest in all things literary - and a woman called Thursday Next. In this utterly original and wonderfully funny first novel, Fforde has created a fiesty, loveable heroine and a plot of such richness and ingenuity that it will take your breath away. About the Author Jasper Fforde's first novel was publishing to astonishing critical and commercial success in 2001. Since then he has written 3 other Thursday next novels, and is working on the first in a new series of crime novels. Jasper lives near Hay-on-Wye and flies Tiger Moth aeroplanes as relaxation. Reviews 'What Fforde is pulling is a variation on the classic Monty Python gambit: the incongruous juxtaposition og low comedy and high erudition - this scam has not been pulled off with such off-hand finesse and manic verve since the Pythons shut up shop. 'The Eyre Affair' is a silly book for smart people: postmodernism played as raw, howling farce' -- Independent 'It is always a privilege to watch the birth of a cult, and Hodder has just cut the umbilical cord. Always ridiculous, often hilarious ... blink and you miss a vital narrative leap. There are shades of Douglas Adams, Lewis Carroll, 'Clockwork Orange' and '1984'. And that's just for starters' -- Time Out 'Ingenious - I'll watch Jasper Fforde nervously' -- Terry Pratchett 'Surely a cult in the making' -- Marie Clare Publisher: New English Library Ltd ISBN: 034073356X EAN: 9780340733561 Dimensions: 19.0 x 128.0 x 2.0 centimeters

What a great read. The kind of book you can read several times and pick up something new each time. Fforde's 'parallel universe' view of a world where literary crimes are a big deal is intelligently written, hilariously funny and at times quite thought provoking. I have been enthusiastically looking for other books by this author since reading The Eyre Affair and highly recommend it to anyone looking for intelligent humour.

The start of a wonderful series. As with his other novels Ffforde's intelligent brand of humour shines through. I have read this novel several times and feel it is a worthy addition to the library of any book lover. I only wish the the 'real' world cared as much about literature as the 'Nextian' alternative.

A good and very quirky read. Alternate Earth, time travel, literature has real status. I liked almost everything about the story (though probably the 'inventions' like the bookworms least of all) but didn't find the characters very memorable. Clever though, and I don't suppose I got half the jokes! Enjoyable and I'll go looking for more by this author.

Thursday Next is the hero I wish I was. She shows great courage, great determination and great dexterity moving through a world that is an alternate 80s.

Although a working knowledge of the classics is useful, I have never read Austen or Bronte and still felt that I could keep up. I must admit to having seen a couple of movie adaptations though :) The interaction between the characters is fascinating.

Jasper Fforde has a great imagination, and I love the world he has created. I eagerly devoured all four Thursday Next books, and would buy a new one in an instant.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde.
The Eyre Affair is a very humorous look at literature. Thursday Next lives in 1985 in a world where the Crimean War is still raging. The Welsh Socialist Republic is on less than friendly terms with England and Thursday’s uncle has discovered a way to enter books and interact with the characters.
Thursday is a literary detective, a detective who investigates crimes of a literary nature; mainly forgery and the like. But Thursday starts to investigate Acheron Hades who is a master criminal, he kills for pleasure and apparently can’t be killed himself.
Hades and Jack Schitt, a representative of Goliath Corp., both want Thursday’s uncle’s machine for their own ends. Hades wants it to kidnap characters from literature so he can threaten them and gain money. If this is done it is feared that the very fabric of society might collapse. Schitt’s reasons for wanting the device are not as clear.
Can Thursday defy Hades and Schitt and survive? With the assistance of a few friends and the occasional appearance of her father, a renegade time cop who flits throughout history, Thursday faces these seemingly insurmountable and merciless foes.
The Eyre Affair is a wonderful, hilarious and insightful look at literature. The start of a series that appears destined for great things. A totally remarkable book, brilliant. I loved it.

Hmmm...this book turned out to be a disappointment for me. Maybe because of the hype I had built it up to be really awesome in my mind, and I was let down consequently, but still, I didn't expect the 'meh' feeling. There were some cute ideas; pet dodos sound very interesting, Jasper Fforde's concept of "bookworms" was pretty out there, the time travel thing, and of course, the zipping in and out of books. Still, they weren't enough for me. I don't care about the Shakespeare debate, about this Crimean conflict that's going on, and there are all these references to what I can only assume are classics, which I know nothing about, so if there were any jokes or hints that I should have understood, I didn't get them. It's a great premise and this author has quite an imagination, but because I felt I needed to have a fairly in-depth understanding of the basic background, I simply couldn't enjoy the story for what it was. I'm still glad I had the opportunity to read it though, but my heart remains with Terry Pratchett!

The Eyre Affair has an interesting premise: fiction exists. Its characters are tangible, its plots mallable, and endings changable. This requires a new type of detective to keep things in order: enter Thursday Next, an intelligent young woman seeking to defend Jane Eyre from a kidnapping plot. Oh, and also here pet dodo. See the worlds of fiction in a new and fantastical way.