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A review by amac_reads
Manga Classics: Jane Eyre by Crystal S. Chan, Charlotte Brontë
4.0
Jane Eyre is my favorite work of classic literature. I’m happy to say that this is a very accessible edition of the work. It’s an easy read that is mostly true to the original book, and since it is in a manga format, it would likely be less overwhelming for many people to read. The e-book was a little difficult to read since it’s a manga (back to front), but it wasn’t the most difficult.
I really enjoyed the art style overall. The illustrator did a good job at drawing the settings and using descriptions from the book to capture the general atmosphere and mood of the work. The illustrations really brought this story to life in a meaningful way.
I only had a few things I disliked about this work. There were some instances of awkward wording throughout the manga (one example was “on equality with them”). Grace Poole was illustrated as a young and beautiful woman, but in the book she is explicitly described as older and not attractive. Similarly, Jane is supposed to be very plain, but she is drawn to be quite lovely. Mr. Rochester isn’t supposed to be handsome at all (major plot point), but he is drawn in a very handsome way. Now it might just be that it’s difficult to create ugly, non-cute characters in a manga style, but I still would have preferred some changes to the depictions of these characters. I also felt that this version wasn’t true to the intent of the book in one place in particular: when St. John proposes to Jane. Jane was firm the whole time about refusing, but in this version she seems to give in for a bit – part of Jane’s character is that she’s firm with what she believes and is true to herself, so I think this was misrepresented in this particular scene of this version.
For anyone who has felt intimidated or uninterested in sitting down and reading Jane Eyre, I highly recommend this version of the work. Except for a few minor things, this is very true to the novel and is a great take on a classic.
I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I really enjoyed the art style overall. The illustrator did a good job at drawing the settings and using descriptions from the book to capture the general atmosphere and mood of the work. The illustrations really brought this story to life in a meaningful way.
I only had a few things I disliked about this work. There were some instances of awkward wording throughout the manga (one example was “on equality with them”). Grace Poole was illustrated as a young and beautiful woman, but in the book she is explicitly described as older and not attractive. Similarly, Jane is supposed to be very plain, but she is drawn to be quite lovely. Mr. Rochester isn’t supposed to be handsome at all (major plot point), but he is drawn in a very handsome way. Now it might just be that it’s difficult to create ugly, non-cute characters in a manga style, but I still would have preferred some changes to the depictions of these characters. I also felt that this version wasn’t true to the intent of the book in one place in particular: when St. John proposes to Jane. Jane was firm the whole time about refusing, but in this version she seems to give in for a bit – part of Jane’s character is that she’s firm with what she believes and is true to herself, so I think this was misrepresented in this particular scene of this version.
For anyone who has felt intimidated or uninterested in sitting down and reading Jane Eyre, I highly recommend this version of the work. Except for a few minor things, this is very true to the novel and is a great take on a classic.
I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.