Jane

by Aline McKenna, Ramon K. Perez (Illustrator)

Overview

A reimagining of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel Jane Eyre set in present day, written by acclaimed screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna and Eisner Award-winning illustrator Ramón K. Pérez.

Growing up in a broken home in a small fishing town, Jane dreamed of escaping to art school and following the allure of New York City. When that dream becomes a reality however, it’s not long before she feels out of place by the size of the city and the talent of her peers. She soon discovers her place as she begins to nanny a young girl named Adele, but that is upended when she falls for the girl’s father, Rochester, a sardonic man of power, wealth, and unexpected charm. Jane learns that in the world of New York’s elite, secrets are the greatest extravagance and she’ll have to decide if she should trust the man she loves or do what ever it takes to protect Adele from the consequences of his deception.

Award-winning screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) makes her graphic novel debut with Eisner Award-winning illustrator Ramón K. Pérez (Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand) in this powerful reimaging of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel Jane Eyre in present day Manhattan, where luxury masks dark secrets.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608869817
Publisher:	Archaia
Publication date:	09/19/2017
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	990,583
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Aline Brosh McKenna is an American screenwriter and producer, known for her work on The Devil Wears Prada and, most recently, the television series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

A child of the 1970s, Ramón K. Pérez was born early to immigrant parents in a small suburban town of southern Ontario, Canada. A visit to a drive-in double feature of Buck Rogers and Battlestar Galactica at an early age sparked his imagination and set the stage for his future career.

Editorial Reviews

09/25/2017
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.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 11/01/2017
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

Library Journal

01/01/2018
Gr 10 Up—This present-day graphic novel adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre draws on the original story with some surprising twists. Orphan Jane has grown up in a New England town under the not-so-watchful eye of her relatives and has earned enough money for art school in New York City. Rochester, a mysterious businessman, hires Jane, now a college freshman, to take care of his precocious daughter. Jane becomes a surrogate mother to Adele and catches the eye of her absent father and Mason, Rochester's business partner and Adele's uncle. As the heroine unravels the mystery behind Rochester's wife's death, she falls in love with her boss and the glamorous life that he can afford her while neglecting her studies. She quickly gets embroiled in the dangerous dealings and power struggles of the two men. Screenwriter Brosh McKenna (Devil Wears Prada, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) injects the narrative with intrigue and romance, updating this story for modern audiences while maintaining elements from the source material (the protagonist's naiveté, Rochester's aloofness). The dynamic art changes from sketchy blues and whites (for scenes of the past) to bright yellows and reds (during Jane's first weeks in New York City) and dark blues and purples (menacing and brooding panels involving Rochester), establishing a gothic mood. The variation in panels becomes more comic book—like as the story progresses, especially in the final action-packed scenes. VERDICT This brilliant homage to the classic will enamor fans of the original and intrigue newcomers. A strong choice for graphic novel collections.—Shelley M. Diaz, School Library Journal

School Library Journal