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Sunday, January 29, 2017

The Yorkshire Post reviews Sophie Tobin's The Vanishing:
A must-read for Jane Eyre fans?
Pitched as a must-read for fans of Jane Eyre, Fingersmith and The Miniaturist, The Vanishing sets itself a high bar. Yet, disappointingly, the first half of the novel reads like a rather contrived pastiche of all three. Sophia Tobin’s third work opens as servant girl Annaleigh makes the arduous journey from London to Yorkshire, where she is about to become housekeeper for a mysterious master residing in his gothic mansion. Sound familiar? Indeed, as the carriage drops her off on a bleak moor in a storm, forcing her to find some alternative method of transport to her new home, we are at peak Jane Eyre. And once she arrives, transported gallantly to her destination by the attractive and slightly boyband-esque Thomas Digby, the cast of characters is predictably rolled out one by one. (Jane Bradley)
The Toronto Star lists books celebrating creative women:
The Brontës: A Life in Letters, by Juliet Barker. Brontë scholar Juliet Barker has written five books on the family. This collection of letters was first published 20 years ago as a companion to The Brontës, Barker’s prize-winning biography, and has been reissued to commemorate the bicentennial of the births of sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne between 2016 and 2020. The letters, with contextual notes from Barker, provide an immersive experience in understanding how the sisters worked together to give their storytelling genius to the world. (Sarah Murdoch)
Lynette Fay chooses records and a book in a Desert Island Records style in The Belfast Telegraph:
And favourite book... Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
I'm not a booky person - I tend to stick to autobiographies, but I've always loved Jane Eyre. She was a strong woman of integrity who didn't walk away from a difficult situation. I've a lot of respect for heroines with that quality. It's a great love story, too. I'm an old romantic. The way she stood by Mr Rochester... and it has a happy ending.
Memories of high school in the Portland Press Herald:
Miss H. was the head of the English department. A tall, imposing woman, whom students gave a wide berth as she strode purposely down the corridors, was known to all. She recruited – no, told me, I was to play the role of Mr. Rochester, the male lead, in our senior class play, “Jane Eyre.” Through many rehearsals, as the director, she was able to coach, cajole, coax and create a pretty good ultimate performance. My rehearsals became quite tolerable when we got to the scene when I got to kiss the attractive heroine. Miss H. knew I did not mind any repeat rehearsal. “That is not the kind of kiss for this play!” At the last curtain, she could be seen sporting a huge smile backstage. I suspect it was more of relief than satisfaction. (Robert Mcafee)
The Hindustan Times asks several Indian personalities to choose their life-changing books:
Tannishtha Chatterjee, Actor
The one book which has stayed with me for a long time: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. There are a lot of commonalities between contemporary India and England of that era: be it the rise of the working class or the way members of the lower castes are treated. Heathcliff can be the perfect representative of the Dalits. Also, we address our house helps as Bhaiya or Didi, but do we really ever mean that? Similarly, Heathcliff, an orphan raised by the Earnshaw family, is called a half-brother, but he never gets the respect of a family member. His angst comes from the way the society treats him...isn’t it something we’re witnessing today?
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reviews The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict:
The Other Einstein” is rife with harsh revelations about Einstein’s character. He is frequently portrayed as manipulative, narcissistic and abusive. Despite there being some evidence to back up her portrayal, many will argue that the way Ms. Benedict portrays Einstein is unfair and biased. However, casting Maric in such a benevolent way was likely not done without a purpose. Her story arc is reminiscent of many gothic tales and recalls “Jane Eyre” especially. They are both pure young women who overcome great obstacles in a pursuit of happiness only, in the end, to be seduced and thwarted by a man who is both malevolent and compelling.
However, unlike “Jane Eyre,” our heroine’s story does not end in redemption. Readers will find that the book is easily digestible, as Ms. Benedict breezes through even the most traumatic events. (Mia Bencivenga)
Houston Press reviews the play Who I Am This Time? at Stages Repertory Theater:
Who Am I This Time? (& Other Conundrums of Love), first produced in 2012, is all about the facets of Eros, from the first blush of love to lusty connection to the peril of its demise. So whose work then is Posner bringing us? Is it Jane Austen with her socially astute love stories? Is it Charlotte Brontë with her Gothic melodramatic romance fictions? What if we told you it was Kurt Vonnegut? (Jessica Goldman)
A German solar park apparently named Heathcliff in the Bangkok Post:
A German guide called the site of one of the world's biggest solar parks "Heathcliff" even though it does not have any relation to the lead character of Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights.
In fact, hanging rock faces are nowhere to be found in Lieberose Solarpark in Brandenburg, Germany. It is in fact heathland where rare plants are everywhere. Hundreds of rows of solar panels are in an open field. (Jeerawat Na Thalang)
The Gospel Herald has some advice for growing self-worth:
3. Set before yourself only media choices which are pure and good (Philippians 4:8). Characters in movies and books have great influence on our thinking, and inevitably provide spiritual impact. Consider truly beautiful, literary figures such as Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, and the biblical sisters in the faith Esther, Ruth, and Rahab! (Whitney Dotson)
Hürriyet (Turkey) interviews the president of the International Writers Union (PEN), Jennifer Clement:
Sizce edebiyat hak savunuculuğunun bir aracı olabilir mi?
- Kesinlikle. Dünyayı değiştirmiş pek çok roman sayabilirim size. Dickens’ın ‘Oliver Twist’i İngiltere’de çocuk işçiliği kanununun değişmesini sağladı. Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë romanları, bağımsız bir kadın olamamanın, kaderini başkalarının merhametine bırakmak zorunda kalmanın nasıl bir şey olduğunu gösterdi. Victor Hugo’nun ‘Sefiller’i sayesinde Fransızların yoksullara bakışı değişti. Zola ‘Germinal’i yazmasaydı, kimse madencilerin çalışma koşullarına dönüp bakmayacaktı. Romanlar kesinlikle dünyayı değiştirebilir. (Banu Tuna) (Translation)
Balivernes reviews The Tenant of Wildfell HallSnapshots reviews To Walk Invisible.

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