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Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre
by
Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong!--I have as much soul as you,--and full as much heart!
Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre is a beloved classic, celebrated today by readers of all ages and revered as a masterwork of literary prowess. But what of the famous writer herself?
Originally published under the pseudon ...more
Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre is a beloved classic, celebrated today by readers of all ages and revered as a masterwork of literary prowess. But what of the famous writer herself?
Originally published under the pseudon ...more
Hardcover, 112 pages
Published
September 24th 2019
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
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"Literature cannot be the business of a woman's life"--Robert Southey, in an 1837 reply to Charlotte Bronte, who sought advice from him on how she might gain success as a writer. Thankfully, she ignored it, perhap using it as inspiration.
Jane Eyre and/or Bronte fans! (At least) the second graphic non-fiction book focused on the Bronte family in the same year, and both are great. The first is Glass Town by Isabel Greenburg, who focuses on the Bronte children's elaborate fantasy world that they de ...more
Jane Eyre and/or Bronte fans! (At least) the second graphic non-fiction book focused on the Bronte family in the same year, and both are great. The first is Glass Town by Isabel Greenburg, who focuses on the Bronte children's elaborate fantasy world that they de ...more
3.5 stars.
Pretty good. Hadn’t expected to learn something new, but I did. Some modernized dialog is a little jarring though.
Pretty good. Hadn’t expected to learn something new, but I did. Some modernized dialog is a little jarring though.
Jul 29, 2019
Pamela (Here to Read Books and Chew Gum)
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
biography,
british-history,
history,
graphic-novels,
historical-fiction,
middle-grade,
arcs-2019
It is so difficult to separate my thoughts on this graphic novel from my complete, and utter dislike of Charlotte Brontë, and my detestation of Jane Eyre, but I'm going to do my best.
From a characterisation point of view Charlotte Brontë before Jane Eyre perfectly captures the excessive melodrama of Charlotte Brontë. It was a melodrama that seeped into every moment of her prose and is one of the reasons I dislike her so much - but was perfectly realised in this graphic novel. While it annoyed m ...more
From a characterisation point of view Charlotte Brontë before Jane Eyre perfectly captures the excessive melodrama of Charlotte Brontë. It was a melodrama that seeped into every moment of her prose and is one of the reasons I dislike her so much - but was perfectly realised in this graphic novel. While it annoyed m ...more
Jane Eyre is one of my all-time favorite books, so I was quite happy to come across this graphic novel biography of Charlotte Brontë. It's quite well done and offers many glimpses into the real-life moments that Brontë included in her novel. Having just read Little Women it's also fascinating to see the many parallels that exist with that book and its author's real life.
...more
Will be delighted to review this title when the ARC issues are resolved or the title returns to NetGalley.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity.
Find this and other reviews at: https://historicalfictionreader.blogs...
I think it fair to say Glynnis Fawkes’ Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre will find an audience in those already familiar with its subject matter, but I feel the brilliance of this piece rests in how it introduces its iconic heroine to its target audience.
Younger readers are far less likely to know Charlotte’s story and I liked how Fawkes’ deft approach presents the material while drawing expressive parallels to both Brontë’s ...more
I think it fair to say Glynnis Fawkes’ Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre will find an audience in those already familiar with its subject matter, but I feel the brilliance of this piece rests in how it introduces its iconic heroine to its target audience.
Younger readers are far less likely to know Charlotte’s story and I liked how Fawkes’ deft approach presents the material while drawing expressive parallels to both Brontë’s ...more
This was utterly delightful!
It would be a great introduction to Bronte biography if you didn't know anything about them, but knowing a little about them makes it even more fun: recognizing how Fawkes remixes pieces of the Brontes' own art into her drawings (for example, a drawing Charlotte made of Anne with a veil, Emily's drawing of her dog Grasper) or faithfully reproduces scenes from the moors, the parsonage, the village of Haworth, etc. I loved how playfully it mixes in the fantasy world of ...more
It would be a great introduction to Bronte biography if you didn't know anything about them, but knowing a little about them makes it even more fun: recognizing how Fawkes remixes pieces of the Brontes' own art into her drawings (for example, a drawing Charlotte made of Anne with a veil, Emily's drawing of her dog Grasper) or faithfully reproduces scenes from the moors, the parsonage, the village of Haworth, etc. I loved how playfully it mixes in the fantasy world of ...more
A thoughtfully crafted introduction to Charlotte and the rest of the Brontë clan.
Oct 14, 2019
Kris - My Novelesque Life
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
history,
women,
based-on-true-events,
biography,
arc-netgalley,
writers,
graphic-novel,
bronte-books
Rating: 4 STARS
2019; Disney Book Group/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre is a graphic novel aimed at younger readers, but I think if you are a fan of the Bronte family you will enjoy this one. We meet the Brontes, and Charlotte specifically, when they are younger. We get to see how Charlotte becomes a writer and how she writes Jane Eyre. The illustrations are well done and make this a must have for bookshelves.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook ...more
2019; Disney Book Group/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre is a graphic novel aimed at younger readers, but I think if you are a fan of the Bronte family you will enjoy this one. We meet the Brontes, and Charlotte specifically, when they are younger. We get to see how Charlotte becomes a writer and how she writes Jane Eyre. The illustrations are well done and make this a must have for bookshelves.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook ...more
I read this as part of a blog tour for Rockstar Book Tours and it did not disappoint! I am a huge fan of graphic novels so I jumped at the opportunity to read this and was so glad that I did. Glynnis Fawkes did a fantastic job of not only portraying Charlotte's life prior to writing Jane Eyre, but she also created such beautiful illustrations. I adore her drawing style and I think it made my reading experience much more enjoyable. I'll admit that had this been a regular novel about Charlotte's l
...more
Charlotte Brontë fans, here’s a fun treat! This was my first graphic novel read and I wouldn’t have wanted to read any other first 🙃.
Charlotte Brontë and her sisters wrote their books under the names of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell so their books wouldn’t be judged based on their gender. Their ideas were new and groundbreaking for their time and gave women a voice in areas where they had none; proving that literary genius was not limited to men.
I’ll read just about any book about the Brontë sis ...more
Charlotte Brontë and her sisters wrote their books under the names of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell so their books wouldn’t be judged based on their gender. Their ideas were new and groundbreaking for their time and gave women a voice in areas where they had none; proving that literary genius was not limited to men.
I’ll read just about any book about the Brontë sis ...more
This youth graphic novel dives deep into the lives of the Bronte sisters, with the focus on Charlotte. While I felt the timeline was a bit choppy and the dialogue/details a little odd in places, I think it was overall an informative story. Charlotte Bronte is one of my favorite authors and I was hoping for a little bit more of her inspiration for Jane Eyre to be included. However, I will read anything about the Bronte sisters, and I appreciated how often the moors were shown and mentioned.
Sep 18, 2019
Sarah Schanze
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-facts,
graphic-novels
I grabbed this on a whim at SPX this year after chatting with the author, and this was really fascinating! I realized I know almost nothing about the Brontes, lol. The artwork was simple but eye-catching and delicate. It makes me want to try reading their books again (or for the first time. Sorry, Anne).
A quick and enjoyable read about Charlotte in her younger years that doesn’t read completely juvenile even though it is about those early years.
Beautifully drawn and written, making great use of Bronte’s letters and diaries to shed light on her early life with her sisters.
I enjoyed this graphic biography. I definitely learned some new things about the Brontë sisters and how they came to be writers. The artwork was very engaging. A solid read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
I think I would not have gotten much out of the story did I not already know Charlotte's biography. The book covers a lot in little space, meaning emotional responses seem lacking in order to hurry the pace, and connections between events are not explicit. I would have liked a longer volume, as well as quotes around any dialogue pulled from Bronte's actual writings. Right now it is unclear what is quoted, paraphrased, or invented. Not a must read for Bronte fans, but a serviceable introduction t
...more
I thought this was such a great graphic novel biography of Charlotte Bronte and how she became the author she was born to be. How close she was with her family and siblings even through all of their ups and downs and how they supported each other in different ways. I love how all of them had a passion for stories and making them up. I also love the art style of the novel.
Look, Jane Eyre happens to be like my favourite book and Charlotte Brontë is MY GIRL whom I will defend and love forever. And I was absolutely thrilled when I learned about this graphic novel. I enjoyed it immensely and would have loved it to cover her entire life, though I realize this book is aimed at younger readers and they may get easily depressed the furhter the story would take them.
Charlotte Bronte Before Jane Eyre by Glynnis Fawkes, 100 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Disney Hyperion, 2019. $18.
Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW
Charlotte Bronte grew up in a house full of siblings and when she was young, her mother passed away. Quickly after, her two older sisters died and then she was sent away to boarding school by her father. Charlotte had good and bad experiences at school, but for a woman in her day the ...more
Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW
Charlotte Bronte grew up in a house full of siblings and when she was young, her mother passed away. Quickly after, her two older sisters died and then she was sent away to boarding school by her father. Charlotte had good and bad experiences at school, but for a woman in her day the ...more
I wanted to love this, as Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books and I thought a graphic novel introduction to the Brontes would be a good place for Izzy to start. But I’m not really sure who the audience for this book is. It’s rather dark and dry for a middle grade reader, but doesn’t have much depth for an adult reader.
I received an ARC from NetGalley
It was okay. Not a huge fan of the illustrations, so that kind of threw everything off for me. Although I learned some new things about Charlotte Bronte, I basically had to force myself to keep going until I finished.
It was okay. Not a huge fan of the illustrations, so that kind of threw everything off for me. Although I learned some new things about Charlotte Bronte, I basically had to force myself to keep going until I finished.
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
I think we need a new term for books like this: it's more of a graphic biography than a graphic novel. As such, we don't have a story with an arc or pacing; rather, this is a series of vignettes of Charlotte Bronte's younger years. Each scene is derived from Charlotte's letters/musings as well as the thoughts of her contemporaries who interacted with her. As such, it is a bit jarring and things jump around quite a bit ...more
Sep 16, 2019
Holly
added it
I must admit from the start that I am an absolute Brontë sisters nerd and fangirl, so when I saw the announcement for this tour, I immediately jumped at the chance to take part. I have read all of the Brontë sisters’ books, as well as a variety of fictional accounts of their lives (one of my absolute favorite being
Worlds of Ink and Shadow
by Lena Coakley, my detailed review of which you can read here), and I was thrilled to add this graphic novel to my collection. Like Worlds of Ink and Sha
...more
Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre is a graphic biography meant for middle grade readers. As a Brontë scholar, I love keeping up with the latest biographies on the family, and I was so excited to see this. I think it’s important to introduce children to classic books and authors in a way suitable for their age, and Fawkes has created a book that is perfect for that.
The biography covers Brontë’s life from her childhood until the publication of Jane Eyre. One of the things I admired the most about ...more
The biography covers Brontë’s life from her childhood until the publication of Jane Eyre. One of the things I admired the most about ...more
My Recommendation: This is a great introductory biography of Charlotte (and her siblings). The illustration style is pleasing and easy to follow, and the narrative hits all of the highlights without spending too much time on any one particular instance. Fawkes made the right decision to stop at the submission of
Jane Eyre
for publication as I think that part of Charlotte's life is a lot more well-known and studied, and honestly is a lot more boring than the fantastical childhood fantasies Ch
...more
I have long been a proponent of education in whatever form it takes. Whether it be in textual, comic book or in the form of a graphic novel. In this book the graphic novel form is used to describe the life of Charlotte Bronte before she became a published novelist. It is very well done.
Not only does it portray the struggles of families due to regular deaths from disease and other ailments, the economic plight of women in the early nineteenth century is described. Charlotte’s father recognized ...more
Not only does it portray the struggles of families due to regular deaths from disease and other ailments, the economic plight of women in the early nineteenth century is described. Charlotte’s father recognized ...more
At a time when the topic of feminism is more prevalent than ever in children’s literature, the deeply motivating graphic biography Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre (Disney-Hyperion) by Glynnis Fawkes is a great introduction for children ages 11 and older to this literary classic.
“Literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life,” the Poet Laureate Robert Southey tells Bronte in a letter to open the story. From panel to panel, we see Bronte’s expressions change, from anger to dismay and then ...more
“Literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life,” the Poet Laureate Robert Southey tells Bronte in a letter to open the story. From panel to panel, we see Bronte’s expressions change, from anger to dismay and then ...more
“I’ll read it when I have a moment to myself.”
What a thrill this was! Fawkes focuses her story on Charlotte and the various influences on her work. In doing so, the ubiquitous struggles of the artist are elevated. The desire to write, crippled by the need to eat/ pay bills, is the thing that both drives & disrupts Charlotte’s writing. This struggle is made even more heartbreaking through Fawkes’s art, where the eyes of her characters speak volumes without words. On the moors of Haworth, the subt ...more
What a thrill this was! Fawkes focuses her story on Charlotte and the various influences on her work. In doing so, the ubiquitous struggles of the artist are elevated. The desire to write, crippled by the need to eat/ pay bills, is the thing that both drives & disrupts Charlotte’s writing. This struggle is made even more heartbreaking through Fawkes’s art, where the eyes of her characters speak volumes without words. On the moors of Haworth, the subt ...more
Ahhh, this graphic novel was a breath of fresh air. As one of my beloved authors, I really enjoy learning new information about Charlotte Brontë, so Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre was the perfect graphic novel for me to pick up. Moreover, Jane Eyre is my all-time favorite book, so I was excited to read a new medium source that explores Charlotte Brontë life and her journey to writing it.
Filled with black and white pages muted with grayish blue water-colored tones, Fawkes explores the hardshi ...more
Filled with black and white pages muted with grayish blue water-colored tones, Fawkes explores the hardshi ...more
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