13: Jane

I read this book almost two months ago. Reading books has been a bit easier this year, but the reviewing seems about four times as difficult as years past. I’ll see what I can do. I do remember picking this up from the library because of name recognition. Aline Brosh McKenna is a powerhouse writer and co-creator of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which I finally truly began to understand this third season. I was intrigued that McKenna had written a graphic novel based on Jane Eyre, and I decided to give it a shot. I’m not always a huge fan of literary adaptations and reworkings, and Jane Eyre itself is a mixed bag to begin with. Re Jane is excellent, while I found Jane Steele to be deeply disappointing (a lot of CBRers enjoyed it, however). I was curious to see how this stacked up.

Here’s what’s good about the book: Jane is an artist, and it’s set in contemporary times. Jane is empathetic, ambitious, and well-fleshed out, which works really well for the setting.

Also excellent: Ramón Pérez’s artwork brings Jane to life so well. The illustrations and colors work beautifully and are pleasing to watch.

Here’s what’s bad: Rochester is softened suspiciously and his problematic qualities are pretty much erased. Look, I enjoy a good Byronic hero like the rest of us, but Rochester is gross about women in general. Let’s not forget his troubling qualities in favor of the romance.

Also terrible: the denouement. I won’t spoil it for you, but it is *insane.*

This book ended up being very much in the middle for me. It’s not a bad way to spend an hour, but it did not spark with the kind of excellence I expect from McKenna.

Cross-posted to my blog.