19th-century Sleuths

Laura Joh Rowland's The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Brontë gets a good review (check ours here) from Entertainment Weekly:

I'm what's known in literary circles as a ''Jane-ite''— someone who rereads Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre at least once a year — so I was prepared to loathe The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Brontë, which transforms Brontë and her sisters Emily and Anne into 19th-century sleuths investigating the stabbing death of a young governess. But Laura Joh Rowland (Red Chrysanthemum) not only evokes Victorian-era London with a sure hand in this detective novel, she creates a believable Charlotte whose intelligence, stubbornness, and wit recall Jane at every turn. Even more important, the mystery itself is particularly fine. A- (Tina Jordan)

Interested? In some days we will publish an interview with the author.

The Chicago Tribune and The Southtown Star's theatre listings include the upcoming performances of Polly Teale's Brontë by the Remy Bumppo Company:

The American premiere of Polly Teale's drama, which explores the lives and works of Victorian-era writers Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte; previews Thu.-March 23; opens March 24 through May 4; $24-$40, tickets: remybumppo.org.Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-871-3000.

Remember that we have a promotion (2x1 tickets in the March performances) for our readers.

The Scotsman publishes yet another review of The Ballad of Dorothy Wordsworth by Frances Wilson and yet once again the Brontë connections are highlighted:

Wilson gives a quick history of famous close sibling relationships, as well as drawing parallels with Brontë's Wuthering Heights (Cathy falls in love with Heathcliff, a "surrogate" brother), no doubt also wishing to conjure up another analogy with the Brontë women and their brother, Branwell. (Lesley McDowell)

On the blogosphere: Anna Van der Hulst's Blog posts a couple of pictures of the Parsonage in Haworth. A Comfy Chair and a Good Book talks about Jane Eyre.

Categories: Books, Haworth, Jane Eyre, Theatre, References