Reviews and mentions

A Miscellanea of News .

Some reviews. Educating Petunia reviews Anne Brontë's Agnes Grey. She has mixed feelings:

But the part that really bugged me was the main character, Miss Grey, who seems rather whiny and goes overboard in the "pity me" department. She complaints about and criticizes every single thing that her employers, charges, and others in house and society subject her to in the smallest detail without any grace while she places herself, and those few whom she respects, in the best of lights, minimizing and excusing their faults. I acknowledge this as a very human instinct, one that is common to almost everyone, but if you are going to publish a book about real people and want to present it for the betterment of all mankind then be careful of how much bitterness is included in the text.

I haven't given up on Ms. Bronte. Her writing style is good. Her storytelling is not bad at all. Maybe by removing some of the personal from her stories she can get on with an engaging and rich tale. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall looks a bit more promising. (Petunia)

We don't really think that Anne's novel is exactly bitter, but we understand her point.

This other review is from The Governess (Sandra Goldbacher, 1998)

Jane Eyre meets Virginia Woolf in Sandra Goldbacher’s gorgeously photographed film about an intelligent Jewish girl named Rosina who, after the sudden murder of her father, leaves London for Scotland. Upon arrival, she poses as a Protestant named Mary Blackchurch in order to work as a governess so that she may support her mother and sister. Once settled, Rosina becomes increasingly attracted to the father of the house, a film that the reviewer defines as a modern retelling of Jane Eyre. (...)

Again, the history could’ve been better utilized than simply in the tawdry love story and sexual awakening of Rosina but audiences looking for a modern retelling of Jane Eyre should take note. (Jen Johans)

We discover a new Brontëite thanks to this article on Publishers Weekly: Anita Amirrezvani, author of the upcoming The Blood of Flowers:

Favorite authors: "Melville and Dickens and Flaubert and the Brontës; (...)"

Brief news items:

El Bibliodoro is finishing a series of posts about Jane Eyre, Paula Rego and other illustrators.

The Old Movie Section republishes some articles from the 30's that mention Katharine Hepburn's Jane Eyre theatrical performances (more information on this old post of ours).

The Times is doing a survey about what songs have to be included in the new songbook for schools. Caitlin Moran suggests Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights.

Categories: Agnes Grey, Art-Exhibitions, Brontëites, Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, Music, Theatre, Wuthering Heights