Book Traveling Thursdays is a weekly feature created by Danielle’s Book Blog and The Girl Who Read Too Much that highlights book covers from around the world.
This week we are celebrating National Book Lover’s Day with books that we think every book lover should read.
My pick for this week is The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. This is the first book in the Thursday Next Series and it kicks off with Jane Eyre being plucked from the pages of her book and Thursday Next having to thwart a literary homicide.
Who wouldn’t love to travel between the pages of their favorite books?
Now let’s have a look at the international covers of this book.
Original Cover
These are the original hardcover and paperback editions for The Eyre Affair. The covers are really similar in aesthetic but I prefer the paperback book. The idea of a book and it’s contents being under guard is part of the story.
Favorite Covers
My favorite covers for this book are the English, German, and Spanish editions. They’re all very different covers but I think they all capture the spirit of the book.
The English cover is a redesign, I believe, but I find this cover inviting. The way Thursday is stepping out from the book gives you a bit of an idea of the plot and the spooky lettering is a nice extra touch.
The German cover draws on many Jane Eyre covers but it still finds a way to put its own spin on things. I think the cover is really nice and I love the little touch of the dodo bird.
The Spanish cover is the most playful of the three. I am not entirely sure what is going on here, but I definitely want to pick the book up when I see it.
Least Favorite Covers
This book has some really awful and confusing covers. My least favorites are the French, Portuguese, and Polish version. I want to believe that the world just didn’t know how to handle a book like this back in 2003 when it was first printed, because some of these covers just don’t make sense.
Let’s start with the French cover. The back jacket copy states that cloning is a reality in this universe and that dodos are the resurrected pet of choice, but I fail to see how cloning a dodo bird is anywhere near the main plot of this book?
The Portuguese cover looks a bit like a comic book to me. While it has a literary reference it doesn’t jump out at me the same way some of my favorite covers do and I find the composition a little off-putting.
The Polish cover brings back memories of a book I read as a child. I can’t quite place it but the illustration here just doesn’t look like something that I would pick up in a store.
And, that about wraps it up for this edition of Book Traveling Thursday. Have you read The Eyre Affair? What is your recommendation for a book that everyone should read?
I love everything Jane Eyre, so I would definitely love this! ❤ Since I recently finished reading it for the first time, I would recommend that everyone read The Princess Bride. It's just such a fun, clever, entertaining story!
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I am definitely going to have to read The Princess Bride. I have this thing where I saw the movie at like six and I somehow interpreted it as sad. So I need to condition myself not to think that way about it and flip the switch.
If you like Jane Eyre you should also read Wide Sargasso Sea. It’s not by Charlotte Bronte but it’s the story of Bertha, aka the madwoman in the attic.
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Wow I’ve never heard of this book until today, and you are the second person that I’ve seen with this book for their BTT. I must really be missing out! 😀
My BTT! 😀
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It’s been on my TBR pile for ages. I have a copy on my shelf, but the entire series goes in and out of different books. So many people have recommended it to me that I am certain I am missing out on something fabulous.
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Oh gosh, your least liked covers definitely deserve to be there.. I actually laughed at the first one. The Eyre affair sounds very interesting though!
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It’s been on my list for some time. It sounds really interesting, but those least favorite covers put me off a little.
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This sounds so good! Did you read the first one? Do you have to read them in order? Happy reading 🙂
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I had a friend who told me you could skip the first one and just progress through thr series. But I like to view things in their entirely so I am going to read them in the order they were published.
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We were twins this week!! And also we share some common preferences for covers. Those least favorite ones are just kinda creepy. I do LOVE the German one. Thanks for stopping by my BTT yesterday!!
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We are twins! The covers on some of these are just creepy. I can do creepy but these just made no sense. I love the German cover though.
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It’s so pretty. The colors just pop!
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Yea I have a weakness for that color of reddish purple. So that doesn’t help.
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German cover is my favourite! Also, not surprised that polish cover is one of your least favourite, Poland has some serious problem with creating cover designs.
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The German on is totally on point. I love the colors.
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