Marina DelvecchioCritiques

A truly wonderful memoir, that felt like I was reading a fiction novel, as a young women tries discerning between sex and love. This is an adult coming of age story, that could happen at any age for women.
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There are very few books, that can initially have me giggling as a young school girl to anger to sadness to by the end feeling tremendous pride. Loved it!

This was a depressing read from start to finish. There was some glimmer of hope in the end but overall it was a sad read. I felt really bad for Elektra as she was failed by her entire family and the system. Mariana DelVecchio wash able to capture the pain and emptiness that Elektra was going through. She was able to convey her horrible experiences without going into harsh detail. I am going to be on the lookout for more of her work.

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POPSUGAR 2021 READING CHALLENGE - A DNF book from your TBR list • I started reading this about 7 months ago and just stopped. Glad I picked it up to read again!

A story of passion and love, sex (and money), violence, (religion, injustice) and death.
(© Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. Sorry for that, but quoting the 'Paninaro' lyrics by PSB was far too tempting in this case...)
This was filled with very explicit scenes – well, not of sex itself so much, but of the feelings having sex with other partners and with each other evokes in Camilla and Carl.
That aspect I liked a lot, because you don't find that done too often and I guess I could relate to the descriptions all too well...
I don't agree theirs is a dysfunctional relationship at all – I found it to be a very exact description of what a relationship with a person (Camilla) who is either suffering from Bipolar disorder or, more likely, Borderline personality disorder is like. Carl's devotion to her was moving.
Sure, the characters are a bit flat, yes, but I will forgive the novella that.
And after all, relationships with a Borderliner are – to the outsider - also solely defined by certain events and the partners' immediate outward reactions to them like a rollercoaster.
Yet the ending let me down – it reminded a bit too much of a certain Hitchcock movie. The obsession, sudden delusion and descriptions of decay felt overdone and character development couldn't keep up with it.

I received this book via LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program - Thanks, LT! - in exchange for an honest review.½

This was a quick read that introduced a relationship that started off with a student who was inappropriate and a professor unable to say no. Though the student was the one who appeared to be the stronger character she suddenly essentially became locked away in her new life. The relationship seemed to thrive due to the sexual compatibility (with some definite red flags) until tragedy strikes.

The Professor’s Wife: A Novella
by Marina DelVecchio (2021)

The Professor’s Wife is a short, novella, involving a short cast of characters: The Middle Aged Professor; A sexy Student and a Best Friend and in my view, a SHORT lack of imagination, bordering on unbelievable.

The story begins with the Professor, a middle-aged man, locking eyes with the lusty over sexed student in his class. She comes to his office and seduces him right then and there? REALLY?
P L E A S E.

He falls under her sexual proclivities (does this man really have no backbone, or does the author have nothing in mind to develop her characters?) The Prof and Sexy Student marry. Okay. It happens. Sex. Art. Life goes on. (Sounds like everyone’s everyone’s normal life. NOT.) This is a very dysfunctional couple. However, the author really never gives you a clear picture of what made the characters that way. Oh, we have the “I was neglected, etc.” That is old hat. Time lapses. All of a sudden we have tragedy. Time has gone by. Everyone is older. Much older for the poor Professor (but not wiser. We still want sex, apparently.)

The only one who did seem to have an iota of character development in this story was the BFF. For me, she was the most likeable she actually had the most common sense.

The ending was ALMOST predictable. In my mind it could have gone two ways. I will give the author kudos for that. However, this novella certainly was something that would have been an excellent read in a writing class, not for publication. Sorry, I wasn’t impressed, not bad, but not great.

Content Note: abuse, domestic violence

Plot:
Elektra was adopted from Greece when she was eight. Now a teenager called Kit Kat in the USA with a single mother who expects her to forget that she ever had a life before her, she is at a loss. That’s when she stumbles upon a copy of Jane Eyre and in reading it, finds a kindred spirit in Jane. She starts to write letters to her to work through her past and her present, finding parallels in her life to the life of Jane Eyre.

Dear Jane felt a little too much like misery porn to me to really enjoy it. It does have good grasp on the characters, but I felt like they heaped a little too much on Elektra/Kit Kat – and then veered into positivity too quickly.

Read more on my blog: https://kalafudra.com/2019/08/18/dear-jane-marina-delvecchio/

A story of letters written to Jane Eyre, that tell the story of Elektra's life.

This was a short story written in the form of letters. I liked the layout and the idea but I found there wasnt much to the actual story. It lacked some of the detail I expected. That being said I loved all the references to Jane Eyre.

I had a very hard time with this book. I couldn’t get into the story. It does not read, to me, like anything written by a 15 to 18-year-old. The order of the vignette, as that is basically what each chapter is, don’t make sense to me. As diary entries I would have expected them to be more jumbled, with something happening the day the entry was written to bring it up.½

Too many parts of this highly dreary novel just did make sense, including the premise of writing diary entries to Jane Eyre, which actually has very few parallels, and all in the very beginning. Also, there was one chapter that I could have excused for its indecency if it further the plot or even had any bearing on the rest of the story.

I waded a third of the way through this before giving up. I really didn’t enjoy it or connect with the protagonist. The many references to Jane Eyre (the reason I chose to read this book) felt gratuitous and dragged in by the skin of their teeth to justify the novel’s title. Might be more meaningful to people who have been through this kind of life circumstance.

This is a sad, depressing book. I was quite happy that in the end the gloom lifted somewhat. It is the story of an adopted child that was adopted at a late age: she has memories her adoptive mother does not acknowledge. The book is about how the child unsuccessfully tries to bridge the distance to her mother.
The idea of writing to a fictional character, in this case Jane Eyre, is not new but a good idea nonetheless. I read that book long ago, but I had forgotten a lot of things about Mr Rochester.
I do hope the writer of Dear Jane got out of the book wat she wanted, reconciliation with her past. I was left sad after reading the book.

A coming-of-age story.

A young girl, Kit Kat, who has to come to terms with her past, with being adopted, with her birth mother's choice to give her up,... All interlaced with the girl's love for Jane Eyre.

"This is what my adoption is like, you know? I have a family and home, but I can’t be myself. It’s quite similar to dying. In order to live here, with my new mother – in order to gain her love – I have to give up pieces of myself. That’s not love."

This coming of age story is set in the late 70's, early 80's in Greece and New York. Kit Kat (Elektra) has had an abusive, lonely and heartbreaking life, and she finds solace in Charlotte Bronte's character, Jane Eyre. Kit Kat relates to Jane's similar upbringing and lonely and solitary existence finding strength in Jane's courage during dark and tragic times in her life.

DelVecchio's book format written in letters to Jane Eyre and her comparison of Kit Kat's and Jane's lives is highly original and clever. The characters have real problems and real feelings with triggers of abuse and suicide. Kit Kat's life is full of abandonment from her father, mother and aunt when they ship her to New York from Greece to her new adopted mother, Ann, who changes her name from Elektra to Kathryn and makes her keep quiet about her past.

It is heartbreaking watching Kit Kat's struggle to find herself and overcome the pain of her past and present, but Bronte's novel inspired her to go on.

Don't underestimate the power of a good book!

I highly recommend Ms. DelVecchio's book and hope to read more!

Thank you to Ms. DelVecchio, LibraryThing's Early Reviewers Program and Black Rose Writing for giving me the opportunity to review this book with no expectation of a positive review given.

I enjoyed the concept of a girl writing in her diary and finding parallels to her favorite book. However, I felt that the writing was unrealistic given that it was a teenaged girl writing, especially one who is supposed to have learned English as an older child. My other complaint was that sometimes the plot lines from Jane Eyre were over explained. I suppose this could be useful for someone who has never read that book, but as someone who has read it at least a dozen times, those sections seemed to drag down this book. That being said, overall I enjoyed it.

Kit Kat, adopted from Greece at the age of eight, tries to come to terms with the past her adoptive mother wants her to deny by writing about it to Jane Eyre, whom she discovered on a visit to the library. Through these letters we come to learn about the horrors of her early and how these horrors shaped her despite her new mother's attempt to make her a blank slate.
By using the letters, the writer gives us Kit Kat's voice but allows us to see her childhood at a safe remove; we know she will be ok because she's around to write about it. At the same time the letters allow her to say all the things her mother won't let her say, things like talking about her siblings, her birth parents and other relatives back in Greece. They also act as a form of therapy, Jane is the counselor who lets Kit Kat talk things out.
This is a wonderful book. Kit Kat is a complete person and all the other characters are viewed through her prism. She is not always heroic, she's scared, angry, vindictive, violent, timid, greedy for love, and confused. At the end she becomes more, she's not there yet, but she is on her way. I would recommend this book not only for its intended audience but for adult readers as well.½

I am very grateful to LibraryThing and Black Rose Writing for giving me the opportunity of reading this book in exchange for a honest review.

It tells the story of Elektra, adopted in Greece when she was eight, and renamed Kathryn by his adoptive mother (she is Kit Kat for her friends).
Well, it’s eerie the way the book “Jane Eyre” really saved her, and all the coincidences she sees between her life and Jane’s (she tells her story in the first person), even if quite separated in time and space.
Incidentally, Jane Eyre is among my four or five my absolutely favourite books; I used to think that a Rochester was worth a hundred Darcys, but this book made me rethink it, and see more clearly his darker aspects.
The story is raw and dark, there is horror and there is beauty, and there is strength.

It seems it’s somewhat autobiographic. If so, the author is really to admire; and It was an easy and compelling read. Well, not easy because of the horrible facts it tells, but because of the form of diary and how she surmounts them, and you want to learn more.
The end is also satisfactory, not the typical happy end, but very life-like.

I don’t want to explain more things here so as not to spoil things for you. All I can say, in my opinion it’s not an easy reading (because of the themes), but a truly compelling one, more so if one thinks it’s the author fist novel.
Four-four and a half stars out of five, and I only subtract that half-one star because it’s a little too much/a bit too strained sometimes.
If you love Jane Eyre as much as I do, it’s a must-read.

good collection to add to my library. wonderful plot with superb flow. love every page and their uniqueness. you automatically enter the list of authors i admire. thank you for such a piece

I received this ebook as an early reviewer.

Dear Jane is a sad, sad story of a child that has had a very difficult life. She is neglected by her mother, abandoned by her father, overlooked by her Aunt, and taken in by Nuns. At the orphanage, she is the victim and perpetrator of sexual abuse.

On the bright side, Kit Kat has s love of literature and good imagination. She finds parallels between her life and the life of Jane Eyre, and has adopted the character as her mentor and confidant.

I chose not to read beyond the sexual abuse, I read for pleasure and entertainment, not to be repulsed. The description of the book didn’t indicate how dark of a story this is.

Disclaimer: I received an electronic copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program.

It took me a while to really get into this book, but it was hard to stop once I did. Dear Jane is a very interesting mirror reflection of the classic Jane Eyre, albeit set within the context of child abuse, neglect, adoption and cross-cultural acclimatization. The book is also an ode to the power of literature and books in a young child's life, especially one who doesn't have other friends or confidants.

The author does a great job connecting the parallels between the two stories, and managed to remind me of the thrill I felt when reading Jane Eyre for the first time. She also convincingly explores this troubled character's trajectory as she goes through different stages of development and finds her own voice.

All in all, it was a very convincing and bookish story that I throughly enjoyed!

This book took me totally by surprise. My daughter and her husband are about to adopt, and this is like a guide on exactly what NOT to do when you adopt! This story was heart wrenching! I was written as a series of letters by a child who was adopted. The adoption process as described was lacking and the woman who adopted lacked parenting and humanity skills. A great story about overcoming what life has thrown at you!

Dear Jane is a series of letters written to Jane Eyre by the main character as a means of self discovery and survival. Kathryn "Kit Kat" finds a connection to Jane as she seeks love and acceptance from her adoptive mother. Jane Eyre becomes a friend and role model illustrating strength, integrity, and self-confidence that Kathryn uses as a guide to overcome her tragic young life and her new life to an adoptive mother who doesn't love her. This is a story of seeking ones identity in a world lacking love. The plot flows smoothly and you can't help but to feel your heart break for Kathryn as she seeks to find her strength while living in a home full of oppression and criticism. The story ends with an uplifting and positive message of choice in that being a victim is not acceptable. Girls who are looking for stories where the main character is smart, strong, and tough will enjoy getting to know both Jane Eyre and Kathryn. I would recommend this book, but readers beware that it is not a pretty story.

GENRE: Fiction, Young Adult, Urban Fiction, Realistic

Rating:5/5

I have always been fond of classics since my childhood. My library reading time was spent devouring illustrated classics when I was young, and the unabridged versions as I grew older. In ninth grade we were asked by our English teacher to do a book review on the book "Jane Eyre". The left a deep impression in my mind and heart with its story of isolation, abandonment, deprivation and the journey of self discovery. Jane is not your quintessential heroine who serves as an ornamental piece to the hero. She is rather independent, fierce yet gentle, humble, a lady of principles, and someone who does not compromise on her self-respect or integrity for the bait of being married.
So when I got the ebook from Library Thing Early Reviewers I grabbed at it. As a self confessed bibliophile, there are many books I turn to when I seek advice or a reality check. Thus, the idea of the book not only fascinated me but I was also intrigued as to what was held between the pages. I was left feeling sore, tender and bruised as if been beaten in my guts. Dear Jane is written in the form of diary/journal entries which renders a personal and intimate feel. The reading feels as if you are audience to the life of the protagonist. I am still reeling under the effects of the book. At times I was crying inconsolably, and then there were times when the bile rose to my mouth making every ting taste acrid.
Similar to Jane Eyre, the cover has the image of a girl's silhouette. The image seems of a girl tightly braided which resonates with the tightly contained soul. This book does make for not a cheerful or light reading. This is a raw story of Elecktra Koutros(nicknamed Kit Kat), a girl from Greece who lives a life of deprivation, child abuse, sexual violence, domestic violence, extreme poverty, abandonment, before being adopted by a Greek American woman. The diary entries are her recounting of her life events. There are quotes from the book 'Jane Eyre' at the beginning of each chapter that helped Kit Kat connect to Jane through the diverse experiences of the character. Elecktra faces abuse from her own mother who is a prostitute and the man who poses as their protector is her pimp. Elecktra's father gives up on the family when under rage his wife hits him with the heel of her sandal, fatally wounding him. He becomes partially blind. The pimp sexually abuses her mother and also Elecktra. She grows up in an environment of violence, abuse and poverty. She lives with her aunt for a while before being sent up for adoption. But the adoption is not the beginning of her fairy tale. Her new mother Ann, wants her to erase all her past and her memories. She even renames her Kathryn, trying to obliterate her past. You can mould a young child into someone you want, but the same cannot be done with a eight year old. This rebellion or defiance does not go well with Ann, and this strains the relationship. Instead of the love and acceptance she so earnestly seeks, she is further suppressed emotionally.
The story ends with a peak into harsh reality. Kit Kat moves out of her new mother's house to create a life of her own. She decides to write her own narrative and become the author of her own story. The book does not give you happy ever after with a happy life for Elecktra, rather it ends on the note that we should live for ourselves.

"As the writer of my narrative, I write my own story, my way. Just like Jane. Just like you."

This book has been unlike any other I've read. It is grave and full of brutalities, but one must admit that it's the sad truth of many children around the world. Having read Jane Eyre I thoroughly enjoyed this books due to the literary analysis of Jane Eyre in comparison with Kit Kat's life. Each event in Jane's life find an echo in KitKat's life and she finds solace in having someone who's suffered like her. I think reading Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, prior to reading this book would be of huge help in understanding and comprehending the allusions. On the other hand, Dear Jane would make an exceptional companion piece when studying Jane Eyre to demonstrate how classic literature is still relevant in modern life. After reading this book, I think that some readers may consider reading Jane Eyre in order to find out more about this character who helped Kit Kat embrace herself and discover who she really is.
I loved the ending of the book the most. It is valid and plausible, just like the rest of the novel. Had there been a cinematic ending of happy rosy future the value of the book would have drastically reduced, and would have undermined the story. Dear Jane ends with optimism and a hope that will carve a niche for herself in this world.
As a warning this book will leave you with a feeling of loneliness and dejection. It is poignant and heart wrenching with an emotional impact, that will leave you gasping for air.
PS: PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU ACNNOT STOMACH READING ABOUT SEXUAL VIOLENCE, CHILD ABUSE, AND OTHER BRUTAL TRUTHS.

I received this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

This book tells the story of a Greek girl adopted by an American woman at the age of eight. It is told in the form of letters to Jane Eyre where the girl (Kit-Kat) compares her life, especially her early childhood and her current existence to that of Jane Eyre's childhood and her life before her marriage to Mr Rochester. The parallels are striking as well as heart wrenching. The idea that there are children still undergoing the neglects of Jane Eyre's early life more than a century after Charlotte Bronte described them is particularly devastating and provokes many questions about international adoption, especially when a child has living family in their country of origin. For that alone, this is a worthwhile read but it is also well written, handling its difficult material without undue sentimentality and managing to end on a hopeful note.

This is not a happy or lite read. This is the raw story of a girl and what life handed her. She in no way deserved the dark, dirty, and vile lifestyle in which she was born into. All Kit-Kat, born as Elecktra, ever wanted was to feel safe, loved, and understood.
Kit takes us through her journey from birth, to living with relatives, to orphanage, to finally being adopted. During this time, Kit writes letters of deep and strong emotion to her character friend, Jayne Eyre. Kit learns to face her many hardships and obstacles by analyzing what Jane did in similar situations. Jane in turn becomes Kit's strength, advocate, and voice of reason.
Jane does finally get adopted. However, as true to her prior conditions, she becomes overcome with emotional yearning. Her new mother adopts Kit for purely selfish reasons. Kit is expected to never talk about her past or upbringing. She is never to speak of family or events, and is even asked to change her name. Instead of the love and understanding she so desperately seeks, she is further suppressed emotionally, as if she had never existed.
The story does not end on a happy note, but rather one of harsh reality. Your strength must come from within. As nobody will ever know you like yourself, and God.
I think reading Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, prior to reading this book would be of huge help in getting the most of many references.

This book will leave you with a feeling of loneliness. It was written to have emotional impact, and at that, it did succeed.

Kit Kat, a young girl who is not loved by the people supposed to love her. The only person who probably really loved her had to leave her to an adoptive mother unable to give the love she deserves. A new mother ignoring the already heavy past of this teenager. What she is.

This beautiful story is told through letters to Jane, a fictional character, with whom she shares a very similar life. Jane will help Kit Kat to not forget who she is and has been.

A really sad story that gives strength.
I recommend it.½