My reviews of Elena Maria Vidal’s The Night’s Dark Shade and Jack Hussey’s The Ghosts of Walden have been published on Historical Novels Review Online (February 2010 reviews).
February 8, 2010
The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte
I selected Syrie James’s The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë as my third reading selection for the All About the Brontes Challenge. I was intrigued by the premise behind the novel and found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable read.
What if Charlotte Brontë had recorded her feelings, accomplishments, and disappointments in a diary? How much more would we know about the author of Jane Eyre? And what would we learn about her relationship with Arthur Bell Nicholls? James imagines the answers to these questions in her carefully researched novel and the result is a clever and believable narrative that brings a fresh perspective to the story of Charlotte Brontë.
Laura, creator of the Brontë challenge, recently noted the similarity between Charlotte’s relationship with Mr. Nicholls, as portrayed by James, and that between Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy. I noticed the connection as well and was amused by the possibility of Charlotte and Mr. Nicholls experiencing the sort of pride and prejudice that marked Lizzie and Darcy’s relationship, particularly in light of Charlotte’s views on the lack of passion in Jane Austen’s prim and proper love affairs.
James’s portrayal of the relationship between the Brontë siblings was very illuminating. I have read the Brontës, but I knew little about the circumstances surrounding their writing or the hardships that they experienced. Reading the novel has really sparked my interest in learning more about this fascinating group of writers; I am now curious to read Mrs. Gaskell’s biography of Charlotte Brontë and Charlotte’s letters. I am also interested in reading the sisters’ poems and Charlotte’s unfinished manuscript, Emma (perhaps I’ll give Clare Boylan’s Emma Brown a try).
I am glad that I chose to read this one after reading the Brontës’ novels, particularly Charlotte Brontë’s Shirley. James weaved so many incidents from the novels into the story to show how Charlotte and her sisters borrowed from life to create their narratives that I gained a new understanding of the novels.
February 1, 2010
What I’m reading on Monday
I’m currently reading:
The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James
Last week, I finished:
Shirley by Charlotte Bronte (REVIEW)
Next, I want to start reading:
so many to choose from, but I think it will be East by Edith Pattou
Best Wishes to J. Kaye as she passes on the Monday meme torch!
January 31, 2010
Shirley
My second book selection for the All About the Brontes Challenge was Charlotte Bronte’s Shirley.
Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars, Shirley begins with a controversy concerning the arrival of modern machinery destined for Hollow’s Mill. Robert Moore, foreign-born mill-owner and speculator has declared that he will introduce machines in his mill despite the protests of the local mill-workers, who fear the machines will signal the end of their trade. Moore has a battle set before him and refuses to give way.
His cousin, Caroline Helstone, feels the want of occupation that comes from being a woman and a dependant. Raised by her uncle, the Reverend Matthewson Helstone, Caroline lacks for nothing but the love of a parent and the satisfaction of independence. In love with Robert, Caroline keeps her feelings guarded and wishes to one day earn his regard.
Everything seems ordinary and serene until the day that Miss Shirley Keeldar arrives in the neighborhood to claim her place as owner of Fieldhead. Shirley teases and riles the neighborhood with her independent, boyish manner. An easy and genial friendship blossoms between her and Caroline, who finds in Shirley the confidant and friend that she had been missing, and finds in Shirley’s governess, Mrs. Pryor, the mother she always longed for. But even the wealthy Shirley is not as happy as she seems; she longs for the equal that her heart has chosen and must overcome the impediments hindering their union.
—
It is difficult to describe Shirley; it is unlike Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, or The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, but there is something of each them in the story. Social issues concerning the lives of women, advancements in manufacturing, charity, and war abound in the novel, but these set the background, not the action of the tale. If I had to draw a comparison, I would compare Shirley to Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South, particularly in its treatment of the relationship between workers and mill owners, and the effect of pride in a relationship between members of different social classes. Given Gaskell’s relationship with Charlotte Bronte, I can understand why their work shares these themes.
I was most fascinated by the relationship between Caroline Helstone and Shirley Keeldar. Dissimilar in appearance and temperament, these two women compliment each other perfectly and seem to grow in each other’s presence. Spirited Shirley and pensive Caroline are definitely what one would call “kindred spirits”. The conversations between these two characters on their position as women are some of the most thought-provoking discussions that I have read in Victorian literature.
These are some of my favorite passages:
On the changeability of men:
I should not like to find out that what I loved did not love em, that is ws weary of me, and that whatever effort I might make to please would hereafter be worse than useless, since it was inevitable in its nature to change and become indifferent. That discovery once made, what should I long for? To go away – to remove from a presence where my society gave no pleasure.
But you could not if you were married.No, I could not, – there it is. I could never be my own mistress more. A terrible thought! – it suffocates me. (p. 204)
On men’s views on women:
If men could see us as we really are, they would be a little amazed; but the cleverest, the acutest men are often under an illusion about women: they do not read them in a true light: they misaprehend them, both for good and evil: their good woman is a queer thing, half doll, half angel; their bad woman almost always a fiend. (p. 333)
On the state of being a woman:
The brothers of these sisters are every one in business of in professions; they have something to do: their sisters have no earthly employment, but household work and sewing; no earthly pleasure, but an unprofitable visiting; and no hope, in all their life to come of anything better. (p. 370)
I enjoyed reading Shirley, though it was very different from the other works I have read by the Brontes. The narrative meanders, unfolding slowly and revealing the situations that arise in small town society during a period of change. The Introduction describes Shirley as a novel of conflict and it certainly is; it is not a neat package, but a hodgepodge of lives, voices, and thoughts.
Quotes are taken from the Penguin Classics edition of Charlotte Bronte’s Shirley, 2006.
January 25, 2010
What I’m reading on Monday
Last week, I finished:
Fire by Kristin Cashore (REVIEW)
I’m currently reading:
Shirley by Charlotte Brontë (This one started slow, but it’s become very exciting!)
Next, I plan to start reading:
The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë by Syrie James
January 20, 2010
Spirit and Fire
As far as strong female characters go, Kristin Cashore’s Fire is pretty near perfect. After reading Graceling a few months ago, I was eager to read Fire but I was unsure what to expect. A companion to Graceling rather than a prequel, Fire takes place in a land beyond the seven kingdoms known as the Dells. The Dellians have no knowledge of their neighbors beyond the frozen mountains until a strange boy, a Graceling, appears in the kingdom. But that is another story.
Unlike the world of the Gracelings, the Dells are marked by the vibrantly colored “monsters” that roam the land–beautiful animals with exotic, multi-colored pelts and the ability to telepathically connect with their prey. The beauty of the monsters is their weapon; their allure too powerful for those who are weak-minded and easily drawn. Fire is a monster, the only one of her kind left in the Dells; her beauty a source of reverence and scorn for those who meet and fear her.
Growing up in the company of Lord Brocker and his son Archer, Fire learned to respect the will of others and to fear her power. Strong and willful, she learned to hunt and hide her presence from the monsters that would have her blood, but had little to do with society. Her father was the one exception. Cansrel, beautiful and monstrous companion of the then King Nax, instructed his daughter in the nuances of cruelty, inadvertently instilling in Fire an awareness of the ethical implications of her unique ability.
When the young Dellian king, Nash, faces the threat of civil war, Fire is brought before him, her ability to sway the will of others making her a prime choice for the position of royal interrogator. When Fire travels to King’s City and reluctantly agrees to take on the job, she does not realize how much her life is about to change.
—
I enjoyed Graceling, but I loved Fire. Fire stands out as a female character who is incredibly aware of her self, her flaws, strengths, and her
potential to be cruel and kind at the same time. In Fire, Cashore takes those elements that made Katsa’s story so wonderful in its portrayal of female heroism and takes it up a notch. I would definitely call Fire a feminist heroine (she-ro) the likes of which I am always searching for in fantasy. Many of the themes explored in the novel–female sexuality, birth control, pregnancy, the decision to have or refrain from having children–also stand out as themes that are not widely discussed in fantasy literature (especially YA fantasy), but which are definitely important to a feminist understanding of the female as hero. While reading the novel, I found myself drawing comparisons between Fire and Tamora Pierce’s Alanna; they are not the same, but their characters are equally self-aware and independent.
This is one of the best YA fantasies I have read in a while.
January 11, 2010
What I’m reading
Last week, I finished reading:
Are these my basoomas I see before me? by Louise Rennison (so long Georgia and Angus) (REVIEW)
I am currently reading:
Fire by Kristin Cashore (my library request finally came in!)
Shirley by Charlotte Brontë
When I finish these two, I will start reading:
The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë by Syrie James (and tackling the rest of the 2010 list)
January 11, 2010
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
This weekend, I watched the BBC’s 1996 adaptation of Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, starring Tara Fitzgerald, Toby Stephens, and Rupert Graves. This is one of the two movies I selected as part of the “All about the Brontës” challenge and I was not disappointed.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Having read the novel a few months ago, I was eager to watch the series. As with most novels that are adapted into film, the series differed from the book but I found that it did not take away from the experience. Tenant is a disturbing tale and the series effectively captured the threat and anxiety of Helen’s situation. The novel is complex in its exploration of women’s place in society and the tenuous position of wives and mothers in particular. The film did a good job of emphasizing this by presenting Helen as the focal point of the story, though removing Mr. Markham as the main narrator of the tale.
Tara Fitzgerald’s portrayal of Helen added to my understanding of that character. In my reading, Helen came across as a very hard and pious individual, seeming a bit priggish until I learned the reasons for her high moral stance. While watching the film, I felt sympathetic towards Helen from the beginning, the occasional flashbacks that she experiences aiding the viewer in understanding her obvious sadness and isolation, and her devotion to her son. When reading the novel, my sympathy towards Helen grew when she reveals her past to Gilbert Markham, about halfway through the book.
The interaction between Gilbert and Helen is less charged in the film, as many of the misunderstandings that arise during their early interactions are glossed over. Their friendship is a lot more easy in the adaptation and Gilbert seems much less proud than he does in the book.
I found that Rupert Graves was wonderful as Huntingdon. He played such a vile character and really made me hate Huntingdon. The relationship between Helen and Huntingdon was sexed up in the film, adding a different dimension to my understanding of the situation between these two.
All in all, a good start to my Brontë-watching 
January 10, 2010
a hoot and a half
For Christmas, my b-chan got me a copy of the last volume in Louise Rennison’s Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series, Are these my basoomas I see before me?
I started reading this series when I was a senior in high school, so there’s a bit of nostalgia in my reading.
Those of you who are unfamiliar with Georgia will be wondering at the title. Well, the thing is, the Georgia books are a mad comedy diary series starring boy-crazy Georgia Nicolson, a 15-year-old with a half-breed Scottish wildcat named Angus, an equally wild little sister who is obsessed with Heidi, a family of loons, and the best Viking dancing mates in town.
These are some of the funniest books that I have ever read and one of the only series that has made me laugh out loud in an embarrassing, what is that mad girl laughing at? sort of way.
In this, the final installment, Georgia prepares for comedy gold as Merc-lurk-io (Mercutio) in the school’s production of Rom and Jul, but is distracted by the call of the Hornmeister, Dave the Laugh, and the Pizza-a-gogo mating call of Massimo, the Italian Stallion Luurve God.
—
I was more than pleased with the way that the series ended. After so many years, I didn’t want Georgia to end without a last laugh and I was not disappointed. I think now that the series is ended, I will try to go back and re-read it as a whole, though this will have to wait till I have gone through some of the TBR books. Though I enjoyed them all, I can now conclude that Angus, thongs, and full-frontal snogging (Book 1) and Startled by his furry shorts (Book 7) are my favorites.
If I had to describe these books to someone who had never heard of them, I would say that they are a like slightly pervy, on-the-cusp of maturing (maturiosity) Bridget Jones’s Diary type books. The humor is definitely what you would expect from a silly 15-year-old girl obsessed with boys and lippy, but if you like that sort of thing, you won’t be disappointed.
On another note, Angus has been turned into a movie and will be coming out soonish: Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging
January 8, 2010
To read in 2010
2010 selections from my TBR shelves
For the Bronte Challenge:
Shirley by Charlotte Bronte (REVIEW)
The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James (REVIEW)
General Fiction:
Are these my basoomas i see before me? by Louise Rennison (REVIEW)
The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen (LibraryThing Early Reviewers book)
East by Edith Pattou
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Di Camillo
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
Katherine by Anya Seton
Fire by Kristin Cashore (REVIEW)
Classics I would like to read:
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Sanditon and The Watsons by Jane Austen
An Old-fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott
Short Stories:
Water by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson
