The cover of my trade paperback copy of this book has this snippet of a review from The Wall Sreet Journal: “Filled with clever wordplay, literary allusion and bibliowit, 'The Eyre Affair' combines elements of Monty Python, Harry Potter, Stephen Hawking and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But its quirky charm is all its own.”

Now Harry Potter and Buffy I am most familiar with, so after reading this book, I must say that I would have to agree. I think I also ought to add that I've never read any author that was as literal as Jasper Fforde.

At first, I had a difficult time with this book. A couple of chapters in, and I found myself utterly overwhelmed – much too overwhelmed – by the surreal world and characters that Fforde had created. Imagine a setting where you can cross over from the real world into the fictional setting of a novel and actually meet the characters, and in the course thereof, even alter the narration (well, because someone else is in it!)... Yes, it would be jumping into the pages of a book, literally!

When I finally closed the book, I had mixed thoughts about it. For me, it was a combination of odd, funny, fantastical, and action-packed. But what's definite about it is that it's enjoyable, to a certain extent.

I found the idea of parallel worlds very original. But how it was written/constructed left much to be desired for me: the first part was a mishmash of events and character introduction, and it was only in the latter part where the action and actual Eyre Affair transpired. Likewise, I had a hard time remembering the names and places, and recalled easily only those that I found funny and pun-filled (pun intended!), like Victor Analogy, Paige Turner, Jack Schitt, our heroine Thursday Next, even Braxton Hicks. (By the way, Braxton Hicks will be more familiar to anyone who's been pregnant before. It has something to do with false contractions.) To be fair, however, when I had gotten immersed in Thursday's world, it became easier to be engrossed with the story. I especially liked how Thursday brought it on with her incredibly superhuman enemy, Acheron Hades (get it?).

Should you read the classic work, Jane Eyre, prior to reading this book? I don't think it's absolutely necessary, although it would certainly be a plus for someone who has. But if you haven't read Jane Eyre yet and have plans to do so in the near future, I'd suggest getting to it first before picking up The Eyre Affair, as the latter book is full of spoilers. Unless you don't mind knowing how Jane Eyre ends beforehand.

All in all, a good and fair book. I wouldn't exactly say that it's my cup of tea, but I know I'll read the next books in the series later. :)