Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing: A Graphic Novel (Classics in Graphics) Hardcover – 8 Sept. 2022

I adore this, it's now one of my favourite graphic novels that I own - short, sweet, funny - nothing I didn't like! The art is great, the characters are lively - I recommend to everyone 😊

Much Ado about Nothing is a “rom-com”. “It deals with two love affairs: one between Beatrice and Benedick, which begins with feuding, but ends quite differently; and one between Claudio and Hero that begins with sweetness and light, but nearly ends in disaster.”I’ve not read or seen the original play but assume this is close to it given it is part of a series of graphic novels based off of Shakespeare’s plays (Classics in Graphics). It is definitely child-friendly. The language is thankfully modern rather than taken verbatim from the original text, so it is easy for a modern audience to read. The art is great and easy to follow. The story is indeed rom-com and is funny in places thanks to “itty feuding couples” and the Dogberryisms, where the character Dogberry “tries to use an impressive-sounding word and gets it wrong”.The story is told over 5 acts and there is some filler to go before and after the story too (Shakespeare bio, intro to the play and character brief bios, breakdown at the end of the different acts in the book, a bit about the themes in the story, a bit about the time Shakespeare was around etc.). It looks like a book made for kids and schools, but is good for me to read too as an adult so that now I know all about another one of Shakespeare’s great plays. 4-stars.⭐⭐⭐⭐📜🖋

I got this book for my son who is in year 7. He loves reading funny and comical non-fiction books and novels like Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and dislikes old fashioned books like William Shakespeare’s due to the complexity of language as well as dull, plain pages.When I saw this book on Vine, I thought he might like it as it’s laid out in a more modern style, written in a simpler language with bright colours and fun illustrations. And I was right. He loves this book. He couldn't put the book down and finished reading in less than 2 hours!I really think this approach is a great way of re-introducing classical books to young readers.I asked my son to write what and how he feels about the book, and this is what he said, “ As a kid, I never really understood Shakespeare or old English but now as I read this I can roughly infer what’s happening and why. You’d think that a child like myself wouldn't find Shakespeare very entertaining or at least enjoyable. The way that this book is presented makes everything more “child friendly” as the colour makes everything scream “Modern”, not just that but this is laid out as a comic, the more the reason it appeals more to children. In conclusion, I would recommend this novel to a child 11-15 years old and even adults may find this novel your number 1 story.”Overall, a fun graphical modern approach of re-introducing classical book making is more appealing to young readers, and adults alike.

This graphic novel edition of Much Ado About Nothing is a reasonably in-depth take on the play but converted into an engaging and fun graphic novel.The art style is appealing and the prose is interesting.It was a reasonably quick read and I think it's a good intro to the tale.

Although I love Shakespeare now, as an adult, I would be the first to admit that i struggled with the language when I was at school, and studying the plays in so much depth put me off for a long time. Of course, we had York Notes and Lamb's Tales but even the Tales are rather old fashioned now. This book (and other similar titles) then is something that I wish had been available when I was studying Shakespeare. The story is told in simple language and with beautifully drawn comic style illustrations to go along with them. Shakespeare's storytelling is excellent and these books make his work accessible to the younger generation.I think this is a wonderful way of introducing The Bard, and my fifteen year old son agrees (although he has been a fan of Stratford's finest since he was about ten).Excellent, highly recommended.

I love the idea of taking older though massively pioneering and creative texts and adapting them through modern creative outlets and ‘Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing’ very much does this through the form of a graphic novel.It take the general principles of Shakespeare’s classic and delivers it through concise, tightly constructed script alongside beautiful art and ultimately tells a fantastic story in a modern way.Wendy Tan’s art is beautiful and has a bit of a mashup between anime and Disney animation styles which I really like. I’m absolutely a fan of this series and will be looking into the others!

My teenage daughter struggles to read standard books but loves reading manga and other graphic books. She found this graphic version of Much Ado About Nothing a very palatable way to 'read' Shakespeare.Of course the language is simplified, but that's the point: it's a way to engage with the story without reading the original text. There are introductory materials to help set the scene and context of the story which are really helpful, and explain Shakespeare to those who are new to his works.The pictures have a relatively simple style to them, with text very clear to read.It really is an inclusive and engaging way for teenagers to engage with Shakespeare and I recommend it.

I wish these had been around when I first encountered Shakespeare at school. I found it really hard to get into the stories, and it wasn't until I returned to the plays as an adult that I started to enjoy them. This is one of a series that makes the story accessible and easier to digest without losing too much of the original plot. Recommended!