Jane
(Graphic Novel)

You can take the girl out of the gothic novel, but you can't take the gothic novel out of the girl. In this vibrant reimagining of Charlotte Brontë's classic, orphaned Jane devotes a lonesome childhood to fishing for cash along the Massachusetts coast. Every penny saved is a shot at escape to art school in NYC. But the Big Apple has other plans. Jane arrives to a pantry of a room, a scholarship in jeopardy, and a job nannying for brooding big wig Mr. Rochester, who, as many will know, has a doozy of a secret up his (expensively tailored) sleeve. Eisner Award-winning Pérez's dynamic illustrations, alternating between subdued soft-pencil contours and exuberant jet-black strokes, grayscale and electrifying full color, elegantly spotlight both the quiet self-analysis and the brazen melodrama of Jane's tumultuous journey. And though Jane and Rochester's whirlwind romance here lacks the persuasiveness of the original, Jane herself remains as resilient and lovable as ever. Fans of Brontë and powerhouse McKenna (of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and The Devil Wears Prada fame) will flock to this action-packed, lovingly rendered romp.--Shemroske, Briana Copyright 2017 Booklist

In this modern take on Jane Eyre written by the cocreator of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Jane is an art student splitting a New York apartment with her sassy gay friend and working as a nanny in the penthouse apartment of aloof millionaire Edward Rochester. Jane pushes her tall, dark and boxy-shouldered employer into taking an interest in his daughter, coaxing him out of his shell and his three-piece suits. Naturally, that's when Rochester's past, and his supposedly dead first wife, come back to haunt them. McKenna is sure-footed in her first graphic novel, helped by artist Pérez (Tale of Sand), who fills the pages with pretty, lanky characters and vivid colors. This retelling smooths over the bumpy eccentricities of the novel: Charlotte Brontë's characters certainly weren't this good-looking, and her plot didn't end in a blockbuster-movie-style action sequence. All the elements of the original are reworked into a more conventional romance plot, like a better-scripted, better-looking Fifty Shades of Grey. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

She's Charlotte Brontë's 1847 Jane Eyre, reenvisioned as an orphaned American art student run off to New York to escape her miserable childhood. Seeking a job to supplement her art scholarship, Jane winds up nannying for lonely little Adele -Rochester-whose mother is mysteriously dead and her father unapproachable. The mother is shut away upstairs and has a brother named -Mason. Other details are changed from the original as well, turning McKenna's (screenplay for The Devil Wears Prada) version into an inventive and more streamlined romance/action--adventure involving boats, a drag queen roommate, and a helicopter escape. With his stylish and realistic art, Eisner Award -winner Pérez (Jim Henson's Tale of Sand) gives Jane a pretty and capable look, resembling an older Nancy Drew, while the tortured billionaire Rochester appears grim and craggily swoonworthy. Kniivila and Pérez use vivid colors counterpointed with soft pencils and black and white inks to change scenes and convey emotions beautifully. VERDICT This modernized romance with a gothic vibe and a heroine loved for her goodness of character will appeal to all readers who enjoy danger and happy endings underlain with ethical grounding.-MC © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

You can take the girl out of the gothic novel, but you can't take the gothic novel out of the girl. In this vibrant reimagining of Charlotte Brontë's classic, orphaned Jane devotes a lonesome childhood to fishing for cash along the Massachusetts coast. Every penny saved is a shot at escape to art school in NYC. But the Big Apple has other plans. Jane arrives to a pantry of a room, a scholarship in jeopardy, and a job nannying for brooding big wig Mr. Rochester, who, as many will know, has a doozy of a secret up his (expensively tailored) sleeve. Eisner Award–winning Pérez's dynamic illustrations, alternating between subdued soft-pencil contours and exuberant jet-black strokes, grayscale and electrifying full color, elegantly spotlight both the quiet self-analysis and the brazen melodrama of Jane's tumultuous journey. And though Jane and Rochester's whirlwind romance here lacks the persuasiveness of the original, Jane herself remains as resilient and lovable as ever. Fans of Brontë and powerhouse McKenna (of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and The Devil Wears Prada fame) will flock to this action-packed, lovingly rendered romp. Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews.

She's Charlotte Brontë's 1847 Jane Eyre, reenvisioned as an orphaned American art student run off to New York to escape her miserable childhood. Seeking a job to supplement her art scholarship, Jane winds up nannying for lonely little Adele Rochester—whose mother is mysteriously dead and her father unapproachable. The mother is shut away upstairs and has a brother named Mason. Other details are changed from the original as well, turning McKenna's (screenplay for The Devil Wears Prada) version into an inventive and more streamlined romance/action-adventure involving boats, a drag queen roommate, and a helicopter escape. With his stylish and realistic art, Eisner Award winner Pérez (Jim Henson's Tale of Sand) gives Jane a pretty and capable look, resembling an older Nancy Drew, while the tortured billionaire Rochester appears grim and craggily swoonworthy. Kniivila and Pérez use vivid colors counterpointed with soft pencils and black and white inks to change scenes and convey emotions beautifully. VERDICT This modernized romance with a gothic vibe and a heroine loved for her goodness of character will appeal to all readers who enjoy danger and happy endings underlain with ethical grounding.—MC

In this modern take on Jane Eyre written by the cocreator of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Jane is an art student splitting a New York apartment with her sassy gay friend and working as a nanny in the penthouse apartment of aloof millionaire Edward Rochester. Jane pushes her tall, dark and boxy-shouldered employer into taking an interest in his daughter, coaxing him out of his shell and his three-piece suits. Naturally, that's when Rochester's past, and his supposedly dead first wife, come back to haunt them. McKenna is sure-footed in her first graphic novel, helped by artist Pérez (Tale of Sand), who fills the pages with pretty, lanky characters and vivid colors. This retelling smooths over the bumpy eccentricities of the novel: Charlotte Brontë's characters certainly weren't this good-looking, and her plot didn't end in a blockbuster-movie–style action sequence. All the elements of the original are reworked into a more conventional romance plot, like a better-scripted, better-looking Fifty Shades of Grey. (Sept.)