The Code for Love and Heartbreak

The Code for Love and Heartbreak by Jillian Cantor
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of The Code for Love and Heartbreak in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Gist

So, I have been staring at the computer screen for a good 20 minutes. I checked my Facebook three times. Trust me, I don’t have enough friends to see new content every time I log in. And I have checked my email so many times, I’m starting to feel really sad and lonely.

Still, I have no clue how to write this review without sounding conceited, condescending or arrogant.

What the heck. Here it goes. I know Jane Austen; know Jane Austen very well. I wrote my graduate thesis on her works.

If you must call me snobbish, I guess this would be a good reason to do so.

I felt equal parts intrigued and hesitant reading about this retelling of Austen’s Emma. Set in modern times, it holds a lot of potential. It can also run the risk of taking a classic and turning it into something that would have snobbish Janeites gasp in disbelief.

The Details

I feel very confused about how to address the finer points of this review, because all of them centre around the characters.

I shall start with Emma. In the original, the character of Emma is a little arrogant, but also charming, social and holds a position of power and influence in her little village. She is well-known and has no problem sticking her nose in other people’s business.

Reading the prologue and first chapter of The Code for Love and Heartbreak, the author made it very clear, repetitively clear that this Emma is anti-social. She hates people. She doesn’t want to talk to people and doesn’t have any friends.

Here comes my question: how can you make a retelling with the main character being the exact opposite of the original?

Especially when every other character is taken directly from the original? They have the same names and same purpose in the story.

Not too long ago I read a sci-fi retelling of another classic British literature novel and in that one the author chose to change the names to put an original spin on the story. It was also kind of fun guessing which character was based on the original one.

In The Code for Love and Heartbreak I didn’t understand the authors decision to change the protagonist into a bitter, egotistical and very unlikeable character. What would motivate me to keep reading her story? Not much.

The writing itself was fine. I noticed a lot of repetition, as I have already mentioned, in order to establish the protagonist’s character.

There was only so much bitter internal monologue I could take before I stopped caring. Give me at least something to hold on to.

With all the other characters being exactly like in the original, there wasn’t much I didn’t already know about the story.

The Verdict

Overall, I had hoped for something a little more fun. I know I’m acting extremely judgemental and protective of my Jane stories. What can I say? I can’t help it.

Generally speaking, this isn’t a bad story. I just don’t like that the protagonist was changed so much.

I might suggest it for a quick, contemporary read.

About the Author

Jillian Cantor is the author of award-winning and bestselling novels for adults and teens,including In Another Time, The Hours Count, Margot, and The Lost Letter, which was a USAToday bestseller. She has a BA in English from Penn State University and an MFA from theUniversity of Arizona. Cantor lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.