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Nick Holland

Teoksen In Search of Anne Brontë tekijä

9 teosta 61 jäsentä 2 arvostelua

Tietoja tekijästä

Nick Holland is an acclaimed non-fiction writer who was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire in 1971. His recent biography of Anne Bronte was praised by the critics, with the Mail On Sunday calling it 'an excellent book full of passion and pathos'. Nick has also written a biography of Emily Bront, and näytä lisää in 2016 he became the first author to do a book signing at the Bront Parsonage Museum in Haworth. näytä vähemmän

Tekijän teokset

In Search of Anne Brontë (2016) 29 kappaletta
The Real Guy Fawkes (2017) 12 kappaletta
The Girl On The Bus (2007) 4 kappaletta
A Christmas Shellebration! (2013) 1 kappale
Tortoise Soup (2013) 1 kappale

Merkitty avainsanalla

Yleistieto

Syntymäaika
1971
Sukupuoli
male
Kansalaisuus
UK
Maa (karttaa varten)
UK
Syntymäpaikka
Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, UK
Ammatit
author
copywriter
Organisaatiot
Brontë Society

Jäseniä

Kirja-arvosteluja

This is a brilliantly written biography of the youngest of the Bronte sisters. She has often been overlooked compared to her elder sisters, but in my view, she is the author of the very best novels in the family's combined body of literary work. Her novels Agnes Grey and Tenant of Wildfell Hall deal with issues such as child misbehaviour, neglectful parenting, domestic abuse and alcoholism in a way that was highly unusual if not unique for the time. And her poetry has a stark and bleak simplicity to it (as does that of Emily). It is particularly sad that a large part of the reason for the denigration of Anne's work is down to the efforts of the surviving sister Charlotte to diminish her memory, especially preventing the republication of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall for a decade after Anne's death (despite the fact that it had been the fastest selling Bronte novel of them all). It is deeply sad that such jealousy should arise on the part of another member of this exceptionally literarily gifted family.

That said, this book shows the closeness of the sisters and, indeed of the whole household, very clearly, and their general separation as a family unit from most other members of society (isolation which may, in part, tragically account for the deaths of Emily and Anne in particular at such young ages, as they hadn't acquired any immunity to the then lethal diseases that were rife, especially TB). Anne comes across as a very sensitive, unconfident and a shy young lady (albeit not quite as much as Emily), anxious to please her sisters and be seen as good as they, but the author is keen to emphasise how she was firm in her principles and could be forthright in the face of injustice. She comes across to me as the middle ground between the ethereal otherworldliness of Emily and the more worldly and more cynical Charlotte.

Seeming to be always constantly ill in her adulthood, with colds, coughs, and asthma, Anne was sadly easy prey for the TB that she probably caught during a visit to London in summer 1848, when she and Charlotte visited their publisher to unveil themselves as the real Acton and Currer Bell. Unwittingly, she seems to have passed the disease on to Emily and their brother Branwell, causing both their deaths before the end of that year, with her own passing early in the following summer at the age of 29, not at the Haworth parsonage like all her siblings, but in Scarborough.

And thereafter followed the tragic, albeit non malicious, ruining of her reputation by Charlotte, who may also have destroyed much surviving material written by both her deceased sisters. It took over a century until Anne's reputation was restored and, in the author's words, "Readers across the world are now placing Anne where she belongs, alongside her sisters Charlotte and Emily, and in the very first rank of nineteenth-century writers."
… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
john257hopper | Dec 6, 2023 |
Ruby Tinker is an orphan at St. Therese’s Children’s home in England. She has lived there since a terrible car accident that robbed her of her parents and the full use of her legs. But Ruby is not quite alone in the world. She has a beloved companion, tortoise extraordinaire (to say the least) Byron Tinker. No ordinary reptile, Byron can read (albeit slowly), run fast (for a tortoise), he can climb, make up poems, and he loves Ruby with all his heart and soul. Although neither Ruby nor Byron can imagine life without the other, dark and dreadful plans are afoot courtesy of the grim-faced, cold-hearted Miss Scratbakk, owner of the children’s home. Her plans for creating untold wealth depend upon Byron Tinker’s demise. However, a malevolent Fate seems to be assisting her ghastly plot when Ruby’s Uncle Peter informs her he is giving up his career as a globe-trotting diplomat and will be settling in Scotland, and creating a home for his niece. One thing is certain: Uncle Peter will not have pets in the house and Byron is not coming with. To Ruby’s horror, Uncle Peter’s driver collects her for the long drive to Scotland, and Byron is left behind. Before Miss Scratbakk can plonk Byron in a pot of soup (as was her plan), Bryon manages to escape. Will Byron survive the numerous adventures and dangers that face him? Will Miss Scratbakk succeed in her evil plans for the children at the home? Will Byron and Ruby be reunited?

Byron’s escapades are numerous, but this intrepid tortoise takes it all in his stride. His enduring love for Ruby keeps him plodding onward. He meets some kind creatures (the snakes in the pet shop and the wild crane), some helpful people (Miss Tigerlily and the bin men), and even comes close to the Rainbow Bridge, where all animals wait for their owners to cross over with them. But it’s not time for Byron to cross over; he still has lots of life and fun ahead of him with Ruby. This book is about love, friendship, hope, faith, sharing and caring, and belief in a better tomorrow. Kids will quickly absorb these important life lessons, couched as they are in this enchanting story of bravery and adventure. Author Nick Holland (no doubt with Bryon’s valuable input) has created a tale where the wicked are hilariously evil; the various characters have a quirky charm; the animals stand tall, and there is such a brightness that overcomes any doom or gloom as all loose ends are neatly tied up. There is poetry, songs, and many delightful details to put smiles on the faces of readers of all ages. You also learn quite a lot about tortoises, how to care for them, and what they like to eat. PS: They don’t like corned beef-and-mustard sandwiches.
… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
FionaRobynIngram | Jan 2, 2014 |

Tilastot

Teokset
9
Jäseniä
61
Suosituimmuussija
#274,234
Arvio (tähdet)
½ 3.7
Kirja-arvosteluja
2
ISBN:t
17

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