Matilda at 30 and the Brontë sisters’ headstrong female characters

The Telegraph and Argus reports that there may still be an alternative to closing down the Visitor Information Centre in Haworth.

The council said last week that negotiations to transfer the threatened centre’s management to the Brontë Society had come to an end without any agreement being reached.
No date has yet been given for when the premises will shut.
But Keighley MP John Grogan said: “Following the announcement I have had a number of discussions with Bradford Council, the Brontë Society and the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.
“The latter two organisations have a long standing partnership and have worked together closely for many years.
“Tourism is key to the economic health of the Worth Valley.
“I am hopeful that an alternative way can be found in the village to provide information about and to promote the Brontë Parsonage Museum, the railway and other local attractions.
“The existing premises of the Visitor Information Centre are ideally situated in the heart of Haworth and the building could still be part of the solution.
“I am confident a firm proposal will emerge in the coming weeks.
“Bradford Council have advised me that in the meantime they will keep open the existing office for some months yet.” (Miran Rahman)

Roald Dahl's Matilda turned 30 yesterday and The Economist's Prospero wrote an article about it.

(New editions of the novel, released to coincide with the 30th anniversary, depict Matilda as a librarian, an astrophysicist and—most fittingly—a globe-trotting traveller atop a mountain.) Dahl weaves in references to his writerly forebears such as Dickens, who conjures “magic with his words” in “Great Expectations”, and the Brontë sisters’ headstrong female characters. Once you have turned the page on this story, it said to its young readers, further adventures await.

Broomfield Enterprise News recommends the novel The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware as

a suspense mystery novel with the feel of Jane Eyre. All the elements are there: a crumbling English manor house, a creepy housekeeper, strange relatives, and a young woman with a troubled past. The only difference is that this novel is set in modern times. (Kerry Pettis)

The AU Review features Mira Robertson’s The Unexpected Education of Emily Dean.

In Mira Robertson’s debut novel, her eponymous heroine, Emily Dean, is sent to stay with her grandmother and great uncle on their property while her mother recovers from what I can only presume is a nervous breakdown of sorts.  It’s most definitely not a farm, as Emily is told by her family, though to the untrained eye, that’s exactly what it is.  Miles from the train station, in the middle of a hot, dry summer and surrounded by sheep, cows, dogs, cats and snakes, fourteen year old Emily Dean finds herself exiled, and while her home life is far from happy, she’s none too pleased to be being sent away.
At the property, she is given accommodation in ‘The White Room’, reminiscent of ‘The Red Room’ in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, a book which Emily longs to read but has yet to be given a copy.  (Emily Paull)

Craven Herald & Pioneer tells about the success of the Broughton Hall Children's Literature Festival.

Sir Gary Verity DL, Chief Executive at Welcome to Yorkshire, said “Yorkshire has a great literary history, with internationally acclaimed writers including Alan Bennett, the Brontë sisters, Joanne Harris, Kate Atkinson and many more, so it’s fantastic that the county’s stunning Broughton Hall played host to an array of wonderful children’s authors at this major children’s literature festival.
“Books play an important part in people’s lives and it’s crucial to encourage reading at a young age. This fabulous event promises to be a lot of fun for all ages”. (Lesley Tate)

And more festivals, as PM Theresa May is envisaging a Festival of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for 2022 as reported by Sky News.

The event draws on two similar festivals - the Great Exhibition of 1851 and the 1951 Festival of Britain. [...]
The most recent of the two, the Festival of Britain, was a bid by the then-Labour government to regain the support the party had been losing ahead of an election that year.
It was also intended that the festival would reassure the country that it was recovering from the Second World War that had ended six years before. [...]
It also served as a centenary celebration of the Great Exhibition, which was the first 'World's Fair' showcasing the industrial strengths of different countries. It was attended by the likes of Charles Darwin and Charlotte Brontë.

YourTango recommends 'The 10 Best Classic Romance Movies You Must See Before You Die', including

4. Wuthering Heights
I admit to being a bit of a snob when it comes to adapting the classics into film, especially when it comes to the Bröntes [sic]. To date, the 1992 version is the best version. Everything from art direction to cinematography — this version trumps all others by far.
Not to mention a gripping portrayal by Ralph Fiennes (and his piercing blue eyes and jet black hair — smelling salts please!). Fiennes and Juliet Binoche perfectly embody Heathcliff and Catherine. The coffin scene will have you struck dumb with sadness and awe.

Finally, an article by Maddalena De Leo on Emily Brontë's time at Law Hill on The Sisters' Room.