Let me tell you 'bout someone's woe

The New York Observer reveals the top 10 of the (independent bookshop) Strand's 80th anniversary best-seller list. Jane Eyre makes it to number 9. The list includes 80 books in total and can be seen on the Strand's website. There we see that Wuthering Heights has made it to number 30.

The Age reviews the book Right Book, Right Time by Agnes Nieuwenhuizen where we are reminded of a delightful Brontë connection with Roald Dahl's Matilda:

The precocious Matilda in the eponymous novel by Roald Dahl has read, by age four years and three months, all the children's books in the local library, so the perspicacious librarian, Mrs Phelps, gives her Great Expectations. Matilda never looks back, and by age four years and nine months has added to Dickens books by Bronte, Austen, Hardy, Kipling, Wells, Hemingway, Faulkner, Steinbeck, Greene and Orwell. (Pam Macintyre)

Indeed, Matilda read Jane Eyre 'under Mrs Phelp's watchful and compassionate eye'.

The Age also reviews the 1993 film version of Wide Sargasso Sea.

The film has some interesting aspects: Geoff Burton's cinematography brings out the lush Jamaican setting and Stewart Copeland's score is atmospheric. But Wide Sargasso Sea falls away in the second half, unable to build on the unsettling ambience that has been created. A young Naomi Watts has a small role as an expatriate English girl. (Philippa Hawker)

Romancing the Tome posts about film adaptations of books:

To me, and most of the Romancing the Tome audience no doubt, the answer is clear: in an industry dominated by male producers and directors, there are few realistic depictions of women onscreen.
That's the gap that literary adaptations fill so well. It's no wonder that we look forward to BBC adaptations of books like North and South and Jane Eyre and Hollywood movies like Pride and Prejudice and the Merchant-Ivory oeuvre. These are the kind of stories that have strong, interesting female protagonists, and are told from a uniquely female point of view. The gorgeous heroes of these tomes orbit around the heroines and are sex symbols for viewers. This is a welcome reversal of how most Hollywood movies work, with a fleshed-out hero and a secondary heroine who often exists to pout and look pretty.
Plus, even literary adaptations where women are not the central protagonist, frequently deal with historical oppression and restriction of women's roles. Screenplays about contemporary women's dilemmas like the mommy wars, reproductive rights and the wage gap most likely have little to no appeal for the big studios. Can you imagine one of these head honchos getting excited about a film about a harried working mom who's neither a victim nor a ball-busting bitch? Me neither. (Sarah Seltzer)

Completely changing topics, we now have one more horse for our Brontë imaginary stables: Wuthering Heights, according to Racing and Sports.

In the 1970s the mare that lifted the family out of mediocrity was one whose background suggested she was unworthy at the time of the name bestowed on her, Wuthering Heights.[...]
She never raced and when she was 10 Douglas did a deal with his friend Bill Brown and arranged to mate Wuthering Heights with the beautifully bred but modest importation Battle-Waggon.
The result from Battle-Waggon's first crop was a colt who impressed Brown so little that he accepted only $260 when he offered him at a sale.
The buyer was none other than Douglas and he was rewarded for his faith in the son of Wuthering Heights as he became one of great stayers in Australasia in the1970s under the name of Battle Heights. (Brian Russell)

Let's open a musical section now. Online Opinion says the following of Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights song.

Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights” is a better choice. It changed the structure of popular music, lifted the standards of lyric writing and produced one of the strangest dance sequences in a video. Ever. (Tara Brabazon)

That's a fan!

PopBytes reviews PJ Harvey's recent show in Los Angeles. Fortunately for once the Brontë connection seems to be made through the white dress only.

she was dressed in this white victorian style dress - which seemed straight of of 'wuthering heights' (the same one on the cover of her latest album - probably not the most comfortable thing to wear while rocking out)

The post includes several videos where PJ Harvey can be seen performing in that very dress.

And now for something extremely hilarious that has been brought to our attention by Mandy from the Brontë Yahoo! Group: a Jane Eyre rap music video. (Yes, that's right, you read correctly!).

Finally a couple of reviews on the blogosphere. Listen to Bob Marley has written a lengthy post on Jane Eyre and La Gazette du Sorcier reviews - in French - The Eyre Affair.

Categories: Books, Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, Music, Weirdo, Wide Sargasso Sea, Wuthering Heights