ISBN: 978-1419732683
Published by Abrams ComicArts, 2020
Genre/Format: Historical Fiction/Graphic Novel/Hardcover, eBook
Awards and Honors
NPR Best Book, 2020
Reading Level: Grade 9 and up (Amazon)
Plot Summary: In the late 1820s, the Brontë Siblings, Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne, spent much of their youth writing about an imaginary world they created that they called Glass Town. The Brontë sisters have contributed some of the greatest literature of the English language: Charlotte wrote Jane Eyre in 1847, and 1848 saw the publication of Anne's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Emily's Wuthering Heights (BBC, 2014).
This graphic novel, Glass Town: The Imaginary World of the Brontës, weaves these stories together with Greenberg's own vision of the siblings' lives up until Charlotte remains as the only survivor. Greenberg imagines how the siblings worked together (and sometimes against one another) to write about Glass Town and how those plot and character developments were impacted by the siblings' relationships with one another. Although this graphic novel is a work of historical fiction, Greenberg's use of the Brontës juvenilia gives us a greater understanding of their lives and relationships with each other.
Author Background: Isabel Greenberg is an illustrator of children's books, and has written and illustrated two other graphic novels, The Encyclopedia Of Early Earth, and The One Hundred Nights Of Hero. She has an MA in Animation and she lives in London.
Critical Evaluation: As mentioned earlier, though Glass Town is a work of fiction it gives the reader a vivid sense of what the Brontës were like, how they interacted with one another and how their writings spurred them on in their lives. It takes a moment to understand how to read this graphic novel: the scenes with just Charlotte recounting the past are drawn with shades of blue and gray, the scenes of the Brontë siblings together are shown as shades of red and pink, and the world of Glass Town is depicted with more and brighter colors. These difference make it much easier to understand where in time you are, who is interacting, and what is happening. This graphic novel is a lovely addition to how we might understand the Brontës as successful, prolific writers.
Speed-Round Book Talk: The Brontë siblings left behind a legacy of writing, including stories they created in their youth of a fictional world known as Glass Town. This graphic novel weaves these stories together with those of Isabel Greenberg's own vision, resulting in what feels like an authentic portrait of their lives and relationships with each other.
Library Program: What's more English than High Tea? Teens will enjoy an afternoon tea with cucumber sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, and a variety of teas.
Potential Challenges: The original Glass Town story by the Brontës included a land populated by dark skinned people who the English colonized and stole their land. This is not dealt with directly in Glass Town: The Imaginary World of the Brontës so there might be objections to that. My response is that there is no justification for the colonization of people, but it did happen and this graphic novel can open up a conversation about the issue.
Reason for Inclusion: This graphic novel will be enjoyed by anyone who likes graphic novels, historical fiction, or Victorian novels, especially those of the Brontës. It might even pique someone's interest enough to pick up Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights.
"Celebrate the literature and legacy of the Brontë sisters in this podcast, recorded around the bicentenary of Charlotte Brontë’s birth, which features readings from and commentaries on their ground-breaking, powerful, and influential novels (Research English at Durham, 2016).
Reference
About. (nd). Isabel Greenberg. https://www.isabelgreenberg.co.uk/home/#about
BBC. (2014). The Brontë Sisters (1818-1855). BBC.
Brontë, P. B. (1834). The Brontë Sisters (Anne Brontë; Emily Brontë; Charlotte Brontë). National
Portrait Gallery.
Research English at Durham. (2016). Podcast: Celebrating The Brontës
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