The Chateau on Sunset by Natasha Lester

 The Chateau Marmont watches young teenage orphan Aria enter the hotel and fall into the clutches of 

her suffering, drug-addicted aunt. Here, she will meet two starlets who become like sisters, try to save other starlets from the evils of the casting coach and Hollywood, and fall in love with a man who is a cross between Mr Rochester and Ted Hughes. She will encounter betrayal, disillusionment, heartbreak and horror. How will Aria, whose name means ‘Air,’ overcome all that fate has in store for her?

I read this brilliant rewriting of Jane Eyre in two days! It took two days only because I had to do other things - otherwise, I would never have put it down! The Gothic world of the Chateau Marmont with it’s shadowy secrets is the perfect modern setting for this story, and Aria has the true inner strength and fierceness of a modern Jane Eyre,and much more. I did fear that Mr Rochester might be too different from the one in the book,and it’s quite hard to make him sympathetic these days but Natasha Lester certainly manages it.

The horror at the heart of the story is extremely sordid and upsetting, especially because it’s based on true events. Be warned. 

Like the author, I remember reading Jane Eyre at about ten or eleven, and loving it. I’ve reread it several times since, studied it at university and I’ve seen all of the series and the movies. This rewriting for the modern age is so impressive. Five stars from me!

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.