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As I write this; we’re 10 weeks into isolation, my dad’s health is failing, my mum has dementia, I used to visit them 3 times a week and for the last 2 and a half months I have not seen them, it is very, very hard. However, we have to carry on and so I’d like to share what we’re doing.
Aside from spending a lots of time on the phone to mum and dad, I am eating my own body weight in chocolate and re-reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (both of which have done their bit to maintain the spirits). I’m also attempting to channel my creativity into my reclaimed vintage bead earrings and writing this blog and as Johnny’s also feeling pretty rubbish he’s doing the same with his art and it is helping….
The earrings I created from vintage recycled and reclaimed beads.
We’re also doing colouring-in, it’s a great way to relax at any age and a good family activity. I’ve also made lots of pom-poms and some cushions, As we face each day, a little time spent creating something feels like a small acheivement and it’s great to have a few wins at the moment.
It feels good to create something…… the slow, tiny sparks of inspiration gently easing the worries and anxiety, opening up the mind to reveal a world outside of our daily concerns.
So keep the faith, I say and go create something, anything: a cake, a poem, a picture, a cushion, a mudpie, take your pick ….
My lovely mum bought The Vanished Bride for me, ‘it was a bit of a risk’ she said, this is because I have opinions on most things and I tend to express them quite clearly to my nearest and dearest. Mum knows how much I adore the Brontes and their work so she was a little concerned that the book would pass muster. As mum explained all this (this is the first Bronte related item she has bought for me that I have not chosen myself – EVER!), I shared her concern. Over the years, I’ve read LOTS of Bronte, Holmes and Austen related fiction and some of it can feel a bit weak. I think it’s because the original authors themselves have such clear voices and a true ability to draw you into their stories. However, Mum and I need not have worried – The Vanished Bride is a fantastic read!
The story of The Vanished Bride is written by Rowan Coleman under the pen name of Bella Ellis – A very neat Nom De Plume for a writer of Bronte fiction! The story is the first part of a collection called The Bronte Mysteries. The story is based around the Bronte Sisters and follows them as they investigate the mysterious dissapperance of a recently married bride, living across the moor from their Parsonage. The story is well paced, with a splendidly intreguing plot and it presents engaging characters, of course it does, this is Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte we’re talking about here and they are well observed and feel right, so well done Bella Ellis for that! The story takes much of what we know about the Brontes and their world and delicately weaves a gripping story into it.
I am not going into the details of the plot or story, as I don’t want to spoil it for you, but, it definately passed my litmus test, it’s a very scientific test and consists of two questions:
Did I binge read it? YES!
Would I read it again? and YES again!
I enjoyed The Vanished Bride so much that I was disappointed when I finished it, I really loved it and will definately read it again, once my daughter has read it – I think she’ll enjoy it too!
I recently noticed on facebook that Bella Ellis has written a second Bronte Sisters mystery called The Diabolic Bones, this time we find the Bronte Sisters investigating the horrifying and macarbre discovery of childrens bones found within the walls of Top Withens Hall, home to the ‘scandelous and brutish’ Bradshaw family. The book is due to be released in September 2020, I have it on my wish list already and I think you should too!
Finally, it must be said that I firmly recommend reading The Vanished Bride, if you haven’t read it already. Bella Ellis tells her stories with a voice as clear and true as as the Brontes themselves!
Thanks & take care
Sarah x
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(Almost) everyone has heard of the Bronte Sisters, but it’s only when we dig a little deeper into their story that we find that they each used a nom de plume and I will be exploring this a little more in this post.
The Bronte Sisters are now household names, but, before they found fame with their writing, they enjoyed the anonymity of being unknown. Charlotte Bronte famously wrote to her publisher “What author would be without the advantage of being able to walk invisible?”
When in 1846, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte took the step of publishing a book of poetry together, they did so, using pen-names. They used the names Currer, Ellis & Acton Bell respectively, each keeping their initial from their first names and using the surname Bell. It is believed that they took the name Bell from Mr Bell-Nicholls a curate that had come to Haworth some months earlier to work for their father and later married Charlotte.
Later when Emily published Wuthering Heights, Anne published The Tennant of Wildfell Hall and Charlotte publish Jane Eyre they continued to use their pen names.
The pseudonyms served them well as the storm of Victorian outrage shook the country over the ‘Bell Brothers’ novels. Meanwhile the Bronte Sisters were safe at home in Yorkshire, with their peace and privacy intact. It must have been wonderful to the retiring sisters, who very much enjoyed their peaceful existence on the edge of the moors. It must have also been really quite entertaining for them to listen to the gossip and read of the chaos that their hidden identities had caused in the far-away social and literary worlds and to know the secret.
So why did they reveal who they really were? Back in 1847, when Charlotte, Emily and Anne were trying to get their novels published, Thomas Newby agreed to publish Emily’s Wuthering Heights and Anne’s Agnes Grey – they experienced some modest success. However, when George Smith published Charlotte’s Jane Eyre it was an instant hit and the press quickly made the connection between the Bell brothers. Thomas Newby saw his chance to make more money from Anne’s & Emily’s books and started the rumour; that the notorious Bell brothers were not three authors, but one person. The press ran with the story and very soon Charlotte’s publisher, George Smith became concerned and wrote to Charlotte (Mr Currer Bell) asking her to confirm that she was not also Mr Acton Bell and Mr Ellis Bell.
Charlotte and Anne set off for London, to put the matter straight (Emily refused to go, she hated leaving home and it did not need all three of them).
When they arrived at George Smith’s office, they gave him the shock of his life and a story to dine out on for eternity. He arrived to be told that Messers Bell were waiting in his office and when he entered, he found two small, simple, provincial women there. Charlotte showed him the letter he’d sent to Mr Currer Bell and he asked where she got it – “you sent it to me” she said and the deception was over.
I am in agreement with the Bronte sisters to walk invisible is a wonderful thing, we should enjoy our anonymity and their wonderful works!
As the days shorten the weather here in Yorkshire gets a bit gothic, especially as halloween draws near and I’ve got to say I do love it! We’ve always had a soft spot for all things dark and brooding and… Read more: Going a bit Gothic …..
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I am a Bronte fan and have read and loved almost all their work, revisiting much of it in book or film almost every year, with one exception – Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte.
It has always been my least favourite book by the Brontes. I first read it when I was about 15 and I really didn’t enjoy it. I found Cathy & Heathcliff and indeed almost every character in the book spoilt, petulent and vapid, the atmosphere was bleak and depressing – the whole thing felt pretty whingey!
Having been a Bronte fan for a long time, I have discussed and debated many aspects of the Brontes & their work and I found that I’m not alone in my view of Wuthering Heights. However, I try to keep an open mind about most things and having discovered a love for olives, coffee, knitting and cherry brandy (all of which I hated in my teens) I decided I should give it another go. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while – about 20 years! Anyway, last week, I finally got around to re-visiting Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte and here’s how that little adventure turned out…
It was with some trepidation that I sat down and started with Wuthering Heights again. I told myself that I’d give it a few chapters and if it’s still not my thing, at least I tried. That first sitting lasted over two and a half hours! I only stepped away when backache and hunger could no long be ignored. I now have bags under my eyes from late night / early morning reading sessions! I couldn’t put it down and having reached the end I have taken a little break to read Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte and then I shall return and read it again. I am amazed and delighted at the change in my perception of this fabulous book.
Reader I loved it…..
My long awaited second reading of Wuthering Heights revealed how much I had missed as a teenager! Having now realised that the main protagonists of the story were barely adults themselves, I suspect that my original irritation with Catherine Ernshaw and Heathcliff stemed from the unflattering reflection it gave of my own teenage behavior and attitudes.
Also, I have yet to meet a teenager who would not stare blankly at the utterence of the phrase ‘ look at that view’, so it is clear that the remarkable depiction of the landscapes and environments that Emily acheived were lost on me, during my original reading. The ‘great love story’ between Cathy & Heathcliff was lost on me as I was a pretty cynical teenager – ah time is great teacher!
My more recent reading of Wuthering Heights has revealed a story populated by fantastiacally rich and nuanced characters. I discovered the landscape, so beloved by Emily, captured in intricate detail.
Most striking was her inherant understanding of the nature of love and how facetted and, at times obscure, it is. Yet, how it sits within the foundation of self and is unmoveable. I love how beautifully she illustrates that we often cannot be saved, especially from ouselves and that we must try to make peace with that.
I can’t wait to get back to Wuthering Heights again, I am sure I’ll find yet more wonderful detail and I long to escape back into that captivating world, so carefully created by Emily – it really has been a ‘gone to the heather’ moment.
My feeling is that; Wuthering Heights is one of The Bronte’s best works but, if like me, you struggled with it – then go and give it another chance. I hope it ensares you too!
If you need a new copy of Wuthering Heights then take a look at this edition, that is being released this month – it is a thing of beauty!
Finally, have a great week!
Thanks & Enjoy
Sarah
P.S. If you’d like to read a little more about Charlotte, Emily & Anne Bronte check out this new blog piece I’ve written about the Bronte Sisters Lives.
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As the days shorten the weather here in Yorkshire gets a bit gothic, especially as halloween draws near and I’ve got to say I do love it! We’ve always had a soft spot for all things dark and brooding and… Read more: Going a bit Gothic …..
Gone to the heather 