Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, a Graphic Novel
Part of the Bridgerton World and Bevelstoke World
Do you remember Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron? This gloriously over-the-top gothic novel first appeared in It’s in His Kiss before making a riotous reappearance in What Happens in London. (Who can forget Sebastian Grey’s dramatic recitation, complete with an audience of three housemaids, a butler, and a Russian prince.) I had so much fun with this book-within-a-book that I brought it back in a big way in Ten Things I Love About You (can’t say more; spoiler territory) and then again in three of the Smythe-Smith Quartet novels. And now, as a graphic novel! ~JQ
Here is the official book description:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn, comes her first playfully illustrated graphic novel. Based on story snippets that are peppered throughout a number of her novels and enjoyed by her characters who read them, this is that tale in its entirety—an irresistible treat for her fans who are in the know and pure entertainment for all others.
Born into a happy family that is tragically ravaged by smallpox, Miss Priscilla Butterworth uses her wits to survive a series of outlandish trials. Cruelly separated from her beloved mother and grandmother, the young girl is sent to live with a callous aunt who forces her to work for her keep. Eventually, the clever and tenderhearted Miss Butterworth makes her escape… a daring journey into the unknown that unexpectedly leads her to the “mad” baron and a lifetime of love.
Delightfully illustrated by Violet Charles, and told in Julia Quinn’s playful voice, Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron is a high-spirited nineteenth-century romp that will entertain and enchant modern readers.
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Inside the Story
- Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron (the fictional gothic novel, not the very real graphic novel) appears in six of my books: It's in His Kiss, What Happens in London, Ten Things I Love About You, Just Like Heaven, The Sum of All Kisses and The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy. It's a very badly written, over-the-top gothic novel that half of my characters love and and half of my characters think is utter drivel.
When readers asked me to write Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, I always said no. The writing is florid, the plot absurd—It's a lot of fun in bits and pieces, but an entire book would not be a pleasurable reading (or writing) experience. But my sister Violet Charles was a cartoonist and illustrator, and it occurred to me that while it would be a terrible prose novel, it could be a spectacular graphic novel. I gave her the idea, and she ran with it.
On the interior title page, one pigeon says to the other,"I'm not sure the author used 'purview' correctly." This is a nod toward What Happens in London. Olivia says this to Harry, who says it to Prince Alexei, who says it Sebastian, who (predictably) says, "Of course it is."
- The pigeons have names, even though the reader doesn't learn them all. We made magnets out of them (below). Left to right, they are: Sylvia Van Nest, Jean-Clawd, Clarence, Wingston, Rebeaka, and Eggsmerelda. Not pictured: the Propriety Pigeon. And Gerald.
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Dedication

Bonus Features
Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, a Graphic Novel
by Julia Quinn, illustrated by Violet Charles
is available in the following formats:


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