A Song for Jo

Bertrand Holland, author of the recently published novel A Song for Jo, explains for BrontëBlog its Brontë connections:

A SONG FOR JO
by Bertrand Holland

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: Booklocker.com (21 Sep 2008)
• ISBN-10: 1601455623
• ISBN-13: 978-1601455628

Just to let you Brontë fans know that my novel uses the ideas of Emily in the development of the main female character, Jo and in her relationship with her boyfriend, Chris. Wuthering Heights and Emily Brontë’s poetry in the young mind – be it female or male - can be an explosive mix for the idealistic and my novel explores that dynamite! I’ve also drawn ideas from Wordsworth, Keats, Shakespeare and others - just to give the blokes a chance!

The novel is a high quality publication from booklocker.com where you can request the first four chapters for free in a pdf file and buy it if you’re in North America. For more details—and chapter 7— please visit my website. Here you can buy it if you live in the UK or at any online or ‘real’ bookshop.

Emily Brontë has been poured over, analysed to death. I’ve read many crits from different traditions and some great biography, but to me she is first and foremost a woman and a deeply passionate one.

And if you’re fortunate enough to meet her in her modern guise, through some strange shift of time and space, it’s something you never forget.

I hope you enjoy reading my novel.

Bert Holland

Cover Picture: A Study for a Naiad by John William Waterhouse.

The novel is the story of a young couple’s attempt to live life and love in accord with the ideals of some of Literature’s greats against the backdrop of 1970’s Britain. Can Chris and Jo find the love that transcends existence through a high-minded pursuit of absolute love or is their quest doomed to fail as they see their friends struggle in their relationships? Can life match Literature? Our couple’s bold experiment in the field of applied literature draws widely from the literary canon as they attempt to reconcile the two. ‘A Song For Jo’ takes you on a ride through the mind when it is young and innocent, beautiful and true! It’s a journey well worth making.

Categories: Books