'It will never be generally read'

AmReading has selected '10 times reviewers got it totally wrong', the first of which is

1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
“Here all the faults of Jane Eyre (by Charlotte Brontë) are magnified a thousand-fold, and the only consolation which we have in reflecting upon it is that it will never be generally read.” Okay, so he wasn’t a fan of the Brontës. History has proved James Lorimer’s smug prediction, in The North British Review, to be so far off the mark, that it’s almost funny. (Kathy Gates)

The Scotsman highlights the similarities of Sophia Tobin's The Vanishing and Jane Eyre, although not in a good way.

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. Marcus Twentyman is Mr Rochester. (Jane Bradley)

Der Tagesspiegel (Germany) recommends a trip to Haworth, the Brontë Parsonage Museum and the moors.

Es war Hochsommer. Oder sollte es sein: Am 30. Juli 1841 hatte Emily Brontë Geburtstag. „Wildes, regnerisches Wetter“, notierte sie. 1845, an ihrem 27. Geburtstag, sah es nicht besser aus – „regnerisch, windig, kühl“. Drei Jahre später hatte die Pfarrerstochter zum Wetter nichts mehr zu sagen. Da war sie schon tot.
Die Brontës lebten „in sturmzerzauster Welt“, so hat die Schriftstellerin Muriel Spark ihr Buch über Englands illustre literarische Sippe genannt. Und alle liebten, wie Spark sagt, den Sturm als Metapher. „Wuthering Heights“ („Sturmhöhe“) nannte Emily ihren einzigen Roman, der sie weltberühmt machte und dessen komplexe Geschichte voller Gewalt, seelischer, physischer, sexueller, über Rache, Liebe, Eifersucht, so verzwickt und figurenreich ist, dass jede knappe Nacherzählung unvermeidlich zum Loriot’schen Paradestück würde. Nur so viel: Im Mittelpunkt steht ein Findelkind und Bösewicht namens Heathcliff, der seine geliebte Cathy nicht bekommt. Den Rest – lesen Sie selbst. Gerade ist eine frische, forsche Neuübersetzung von Wolfgang Schlüter erschienen. (Susanne Kippenberger) (Translation)

January 28 is the first day of National Storytelling Week in the UK and Bexhill-on-Sea Observer tells how Age UK charity shop is celebrating it.

Age UK ambassador and best-selling author Kathy Lette says books are literary penicillin. “I think doctors should prescribe them,” she said.
“Replace the anti-depressants with a bracing Brontë or a juicy Henry James daily and you’ll feel better in no time! I’d call it Prose-ac – except it’s the opposite of tranquillising.

This columnist from The Daily Leader is somewhat saddened at old editions of classic novels being sold cheaply.

Every “estate sale” sign has a story behind it, the plot of which is sure to contain two critical elements: life and death. That is why visiting one is an exercise in sobriety. If plundering through the remains of someone’s three score and ten ­— factored down to a pile of Tupperware, king-sized sheets, and garden hoses — does not remind you of your own mortality, you are not, I would guess, very good at making associations or what experts call “non-linear thinking.”
Or you may be 16, as was the case with my shopping partner last weekend. It would not be fitting for someone her age to waste time considering the sadness of the situation when a yellowed copy of Wuthering Heights can be had for a quarter. (Kim Henderson)

This columnist from The Irish Times seems to have an issue with Tom Hardy's many-accents and pronunciation.

Tom Hardy hates sound recordists. As a child, one wronged him and he vowed revenge on the whole profession. His plan was simple: he would become one of the most sought-after actors of his generation. Then, as soon as he was on set, he would mutter and mumble and grunt and enunciate his words weirdly in a manner resembling a bad recording. [...]
Still, he’s always a memorably charismatic presence. Who can forget his Heathcliff: “Mfff, ba, hubbub, murr, whoof, Cathy.” (Patrick Freyne)

Diario de Córdoba (Spain) reports that Universidad de Córdoba's book club will be reading Jane Eyre.

El Club de Lectura de la Universidad de Córdoba, que está coordinador por la Biblioteca Universitaria y la Dirección de Cultura de la UCO, presenta una nueva entrega de sus charlas. En esta ocasión se abordará el libro de Charlotte Brontë Jane Eyre. La novela narra la historia de una muchacha educada en un orfanato, que es contratada para trabajar como institutriz de una niña. La participación en el club está abierta a miembros de la comunidad universitaria y público en general. (Translation)

Broadway World tells about Taylor Swift buying Samuel Goldwyn’s mansion in Beverly Hills.

Taylor has invested much of it in real estate with homes in New York, Rhode Island, Nashville and her most recent purchase of Samuel Goldwyn’s mansion in Beverly Hills. In recognition of Goldwyn’s historical contributions to the film industry, Taylor is seeking landmark status for her new home to ensure its preservation for future generations of movie fans.
In the last year, Swift worked closely with her architects to bring the estate back to its exact condition that existed in 1934 when it was built for Goldwyn and his wife, Frances. The home was a neighborhood destination for many of the era’s Hollywood stars including Clark Gable and Charlie Chaplin, and used by Sam as collateral for several of his films including “Wuthering Heights” and his 1946 Oscar-winner “The Best Years of Our Lives.” After he died in 1994, the home stayed in the Goldwyn family for over 80 years until Taylor purchased it from the estate of Goldwyn’s son in 2015 for $25 million.

London Calling posts about To Walk Invisible.  Les Soeurs Brontë (in French) talks about the recreation of the Gun portrait for the production. One of the most awkward moments in literature selected by If Mermaids Wore Suspenders is from Jane Eyre. Nick Holland celebrated Burns Night last night with a Brontë twist on AnneBrontë.org.