Our Favorite Jane Eyre Retellings Across Genres and Formats
[Photo from Pixabay on Pexels]
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Who doesn’t love a Brontë sister? Well, over here at Quirk Books, we have a soft spot for Charlotte Brontë and her sprawling novel Jane Eyre. And it turns out we’re not the only ones! Jane Eyre has been adapted so many times – and in so many different genres and formats – that we thought it only fitting to share some of our favorites. Because you only turn 205 years old once!
Jane by Aline Brosh McKenna
If the name Aline Brosh McKenna sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’re a fan of one of her many many incredible movies and TV shows – including Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, 27 Dresses, and The Devil Wears Prada. She flexes a new storytelling muscle in Jane, a graphic novel that sets the Jane Eyre story in present day New York, digging into the darkness that lurks behind Manhattan luxury.
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Re Jane by Patricia Park
This contemporary adaptation of Jane Eyre centers on Jane Re, a Korean-American from Flushing, Queens who wants nothing more than to escape the life she’s living. The dot com bubble just burst, and she’s working in her strict uncle’s grocery store. So when an opportunity to be an au pair for a wealthy Brooklyn family and their adopted Chinese daughter comes along, she takes it. This sprawling adaptation takes Jane from New York to Seoul and back – and on a journey to find herself.
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The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
In this contemporary thriller, Jane is a broke dog walker in Birmingham, Alabama. She’s practically invisible to her rich clients, who won’t notice if a tchotchke or piece of jewelry goes missing – and they certainly won’t ask her if Jane is her real name. But when Jane meets Eddie Rochester, she’s haunted by the legend of his drowned wife Bea – or at least that’s how the story goes. We’re thrilled to see Rachel Hawkins making her adult suspense debut with The Wife Upstairs.
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You on the Moors Now by Jaclyn Backhaus
If you’ve ever wanted to see all of your favorite classic heroines in one place, You on the Moors Now by Jaclyn Backhaus is the play for you. This play begins with Jane Eyre, Catherine Earnshaw from Wuthering Heights, Jo March from Little Women, and Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice meeting – and parkouring – somewhere on the English moors to proclaim that they were all proposed to by their neighbors, and they all said no. What happens next? Well, wouldn’t you like to know…
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Reader, I Married Him edited by Tracy Chevalier
If you’re looking for a short story collection inspired by Jane Eyre, look no further than Reader, I Married Him, a collection of twenty short stories inspired by that one memorable line. These stories are one-part tribute to Charlotte Brontë, one-part testament that her literary prowess lives on. What a perfect way to celebrate her birthday and her legacy.
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Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | Books A Million | Bookshop
