Book Challenge Day 6

Day 6 of 7 - I've accepted the challenge from Ali Williams to post the cover of a book I love every day for 7 days than this one.

. Well, today there couldn't be any other book than this one:

I was just ten years old and living just a few miles away from Haworth where the Bronte sisters grew up when one day, at school, to distract us - appropriately enough - from the wild thunderstorm outside, the teacher started to tell us the story of Wuthering Heights. We only ever heard the start of the story - up to the moment when Heathcliff turned his back on Cathy and walked away to make his fortune - so I didn't know what happened until I found a copy on my mother's bookshelves and found out what happened in the rest of the book. I was hooked instantly - and have been hooked ever since.

If you read my post of a couple of weeks ago, you'll know that I was part of a panel on Romance and The Brontes for the Romantic Novelists Association- not that I think Wuthering Heights is a romance, it's a book about passion, power and possession - and that I wrote my MA thesis on the childhood writings of Emily and Charlotte and their influence on the adult books the sisters wrote. I even wrote my own tribute to Wuthering Heights as a Modern Romance called The Return of the Stranger.

So today there can really only be one book that I'm posting about. I do still have the small, dark blue Nelson Classics edition of Wuthering Heights - the one that saw me through both my degree and my MA - and was used by my mother in her degree studies too. It's full of scribbled notes by both of us - well it was a study aid! But today I'm posting the treasure that a very special friend gave me because she knew how much I loved the book. It was enough of an amazing gift 30+ years ago - but now of course it's over 30 years older and even more antique. In fact even this book is 160 years old this year!

Happy 200th Birthday, Emily Bronte! I just I had the time to sit and reread your amazing novel - and some of your magnificent poetry - to celebrate the big day., today there couldn't be any other book than this one.

 Packing and planning ready to head for the RNA Conference tomorrow - via an overdue visit to a dear friend - and then to the Leeds Library for the Brontes and Romance panel tomorrow night - and then a fantastic weekend 'conferring' with so many friends from the RNA. I may have to drink a little wine

to stop my throat from getting too dry

My reading for the weekend - On Thursday evening I'm part of a panel at Leeds Library - discussing Romance and The Brontes. I'll be there with Janet Gover and Alison May

Date/Time: 12th July 2018, 7.30pm-9.30pm
Venue: The Leeds Library, Commercial Street, Leeds
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of The Leeds Library and 200 years of the Brontës, there will be a panel of RNA members discussing modernising Brontë classics and the enduring appeal of the themes. The panel will include ‘Juliet Bell’, the collaborative pen 

name of Janet Gover and Alison May, whose latest release is The Heights and Kate Walker, who wrote her MA on the Brontë sisters and their childhood writings. Kate is the author of a ‘Modern Romance’ reworking of Wuthering Heights entitled The Return Of The Stranger; part of a mini-series called The Powerful and The Pure, written for Harlequin Mills & Boon.

The event is free. Places are limited and can be reserved in advance Date/Time: 12th July 2018, 7.30pm-9.30pm
Venue: The Leeds Library, Commercial Street, Leeds

Return of the Stranger USA
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of The Leeds Library and 200 years of the Brontës, there will be a panel of RNA members discussing modernising Brontë classics and the enduring appeal of the themes. The panel will include ‘Juliet Bell’, the collaborative pen name of Janet Gover and Alison May, whose latest release is The Heights and Kate Walker, who wrote her MA on the Brontë sisters and their childhood writings. Kate is the author of a ‘Modern Romance’ reworking of Wuthering Heights entitled The Return Of The Stranger; part of a mini-series called The Powerful and The Pure, written for Harlequin Mills & Boon.  

The event is free. Places are limited and can be reserved in advance:http://www.theleedslibrary.org.uk/events/?eventPage=1

My reading? The Modern Romance Return of The Stranger that was inspired by Wuthering Heights. The interview I did for Laura Vivanco discussing that book - and my own - long ago MA thesis on the Bronte sisters and their childhood writings. (I thought I'd better remind myself of what I thought back then!) And then of course, there's the book itself - not sure how many times I've read Wuthering Heights, but I find I view it differently each time I do

.

Return of the Stranger - at a bargain price on Kindle

Yesterday on Facebook  Ali Williams  who is both a romance editor and academic writer  was asking about romance novels based on classic romantic fiction and Michelle Styles was kind enough to Laura Vivanco on Teach Me Tonight - a talk at the Haworth Festival of Women's Writing (speaking in a schoolroom where Charlotte Bronte herself had taught) and the Bronte Parsonage Museum put a copy of The Return of the Stranger permanently in their library amongst the fiction inspired by the Bronte sisters' writings.

mention the mini series 'The Powerful and The Pure' which was brought out in 2011 (was it really that long ago!) in which several Modern Romance/Harlequin Presents authors created romance novels to 'Modernise' some fabulous classic novels - Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Emma. My own contribution to this series was a reworking of Wuthering Heights (chosen for me because I'd written my MA thesis on the childhood writings of Charlotte and Emily Bronte) It was a fascinating experience and led to some interesting results - an interview with

Because of this several people wrote to enquire about the book and I had to go hunting to see where they could find a copy. As a result, I discovered that Return of The Stranger is currently on sale on kindle for only £0.99p.   (Not sure if this is the same on Amazon.com as it's not showing kindle details for me there)

So if you're interested or you have been looking for a copy of this novel - now's the time to grab a bargain! I've sent the only re

maining paperback copy I had on its way to Ali, so I think this is the best way to get hold of it now.

And if you're interested in  any of the posts I write about  this book and the talks in Haworth etc  back in 2011 when it was first published - put Return of The Stranger or Wuthering Heights  into the search box and they should come up.

All roads lead to Haworth . . .

I missed Charlotte Bronte's 100th birthday yesterday because I've been flattened since I got back from teaching at Cirencester - sore throat, swollen glands,no voice. . . . I have my suspicions who passed on their germs to me!

So I'm specially grateful to Marie  Frances who shared the article in the Guardian  about her childhood writings  and those of her sisters, Emily and Anne,  because this is exactly what I wrote about in my MA thesis ('Fantasy and Prophecy') all those years ago, just before I got married. ...It seems to be the time to have started sharing that with my friends recently - yes, Sallyann Halstead? (Hope you're finding it interesting) And I'm planing on meeting  my friend Noelle  in Haworth very soon. All roads lead to Bronteland?

I have wonderful memories of speaking in the school house where Charlotte Bronte taught - as part of the Festival of Women's writing in Haworth in 2011. But my proudest moment was knowing that the archivist at the Parsonage Museum had asked for a copy of my Modern Romance reworking of Wuthering Heights - The Return of The Stranger - for the collection in the Museum.
Interesting then, that when I was at Hampshire Writers Society last week, one of their members when asked to review one of my books, chose Return of The Stranger to write up - and read the review on the night. Thank you Teresa.

 And thanks again to the Hampshire Writers for their warm welcome.

But it still seems that right now, all roads lead to Haworth . . . .

Winners - but you can't win em all!

I have some winners from the recent stages of the Big Blog Tour to announce.

Romance Book Paradise's winner was Kiru Taye
Lucy Monroe's Winner was Sunu
Kyle Griffin's winner is Sonali
The Minxes of Romance winner in Tash NZ

And talking of winners - I have had a couple of reviews in for The Return of The Stranger -  four to be exact  - and they illustrate perfectly just how  really a review is one person's opinion.  Some people love what you write -  some don't like it  . . . .  So in the interests of fairness, here are all of the reviews, you  can take your choice which one(s) you agree with when you read the book!

OK - so
Over on Everyday is the Same  blog, Rebecca has set herself the challenge of reading 365 books in 365 days.  She's currently halfway so go and cheer her on! Congratulations on getting this far Rebecca.
To encourage her in her challenge I sent her a copy of The Return of The Stranger recently - and she has reviewed  it (she's also reviewed The Good Greek Wife? and A Proud Wife) and here's what she has to say:

Wow, this one intense book. In her 'Dear Reader' letter, Kate Walker mentions how she wanted her 'Heathcliff' and 'Cathy' to learn about love and have their happy ending that they could never have had in 'Wuthering Heights', she has certainly acheived that. The journey that Heath and Kat go on together is spectacular, making that HEA even more special!
This book does not have a lot of dialogue (just so you know!), it's more brooding, backward reflecting, and dark - as it should be, after all this is a rework of a VERY deep and intense book. I think Kate Walker has done a fantastic job of keeping this book flowing even with all the reflection/flashbacks. The passion and chemistry between the hero and heroine it litteraly sizzling, always bubbling away under the surface and when it explodes, boy does it explode!
The whole book is gripping and passionate from start to finish. A great read.

What can I say but Thank you Rachel!  A review from a reader rather than a 'professional' is always appreciated.

Next up - The Good The Bad and The Unread . . . this  is a long review by Lynne Connelly and as I said to her I think this is more of a review of  a modernised version of Wuthering Heights (what she calls a re-envisioning of WH)- not a Modern Romance/Presents romance written on the themes of WH which is what The Return of The Stranger is.   It's a long review - so here's just a snippet -

Kate Walker is a writer of immense experience in writing the 50,000-word romance, particularly for the Mills and Boon Modern line (reprinted in the US as Harlequin Presents). She is also academically linked with the novels of the Brontes. But she is never anything but a professional, and in her retake on the classic, she’s trimmed the characters, rejigged the story and characters, and turned Emily Bronte’s astonishing debut into a satisfactory romance.
She has also trimmed the wildness and the insanity of the original. But how do you tame that and have something left?

Hmmm - I  have to say that  for me personally, reducing the original Wuthering Heights to the 'wildness and insanity'  cited here and saying that without it you don't 'have something left'  is to do just that -reduce it.  WH is much more than a story of the wild elemental love of Heathcliff and Cathy, it's a story of society, or power, possession, of the different generations, of  heredity - and mmost of all it's told by a series of narrators who aren't trustwothy . . . and that's before we look at the second generation. But I wasn't asked to reproduce Wuthering Heights  but create a romance using the book as inspiration -  so as far as I'm concerned that's all that it should be judged on.

Romantic Times has a review that damns with faint praise:

The novel starts slowly, with more telling than showing, and although Walker incorporates emotionally charged flashbacks, they’re distracting and repetitive. But for readers who enjoy a brooding hero and a somber tone, this novel might appeal.

As I said you can't win them all. Interesting isn't it that  some people love that 'brooding hero and sombre tone', some people find I haven't been brooding and sombre enough  . . . . (I'd dispute that point about repetitive flashbacks though.)

Finally -  to end on a high - another of those valuable reviews - from a reader - over on the Mills & Boon site - this one really makes me happy as it comes from a reader who , like me, has Wuthering Heights as one of her favourite classic novels.
Wow. I was really sceptic at first about reading a rewrite of one of my favourite classics but Kate did a brilliant job.

Firstly in the original I didnot like Katherine coz I thought she was too selfish and mean too Heathcliffe. I adored Heath and I always wanted a happy ending for him.

So thanks Kate, you gave my hero the ending he deserved. Also by changing Katherine's characther the story evolved like a true MB should.

Let's not make too much of a comparison but enjoy this book in the spirit of the two eternal star crossed lovers. It is a keeper and I have given it place next to the original Book not that I am saying it is on the same level but a gentle glimpse of what should have been.....but didnot.
Thank you Sadhana!

So there you are. It's  always easy  to quote some random reviews that claim this  - or any other book - is absolutely wonderful - but these are four different reviews I found today so I thought I'd share them with you.  Which one describes the book best? Well, that's really up to you - and in many ways it doesn't matter because it's what you think of the book and whether you enjoy it that counts!

But talking about Wuthering Heights reminds me of a special extra contest  - as a result of my visit to Haworth to talk about The Return of the Stranger  - that's coming up over the weekend.
Watch out for that!

Tote Bags 'n' Blogs day

Today is the first Sunday in September. So,as regular readers will know, that means that it's my day for guest blogging over at Tote Bags 'n' Blogs.

So that's where I am today., And I'm talking about some books that hade stayed with me all my life.
Of course one of those has been the amazing novel Wuthering Heights which as acted as the inspiration behind The Return of the Stranger

More of that soon . .  .

A Date With Kate

It's the third Friday of the month - is it really? How did it get to that date when I wasn't looking?  I meant to blog yesterday. . . and the day before but life has been so hectic and so many things to do that I blinked and found myself ast Friday before I realised it.

So - Friday is Pink Heart Society day and that's where you'll find my main blog.  I'm starting to talk about my next book out - The Return of The Stranger which is out on September 2nd  -  and today I'm adressing one of the, for me, really important points about this book and the whole mini-series it's in.  The Powerful and the Pure.

Now as I've mentioned before, some people have got their knickers in  a twist over the fact that these books have been  created by looking at the plots of four of the great classics of romantic fiction - Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Emma and , in my case Wuthering Heights.  Some readers have screamed  'plagiarism!' or 'stealing!' , but in that case they don't understand what plagiarism is. And these books are not stealing  from but inspired by the wonderful great books. - using that inspiration to create something new and hopefully enjoyable. 

I'm proud of the fact that, as one reviewer said over on the Mills & Boon web site -
 Mrs Walker triumphantly produces a powerful and intense novel which involves your emotions from start to finish.
That means I have done what I set out to do - to create a  book that stands on its own, can be enjoyed on its own - but if you know some of the references in it - references not copies or stealing! - then that can add an extra dimension to your reading.

Anyway - have a read of my full blog for yourself.

One thing  about this book that has thrilled me this week (OK, other than the fact it's been at #1 on the bestseller list on the M&B site for the past two weeks)  I meant to say yesterday, but time ran away with me. And that is that on Wednesday I heard that The Bronte Society  are putting a copy of The Return of The Stranger in their  collection of Bronte-inspired fiction in the research library at the Parsonage Museum. So it will be permanently stored there in the future.

For someone who once spent long day trips to Haworth first with my family, then with my husband, who has read and reread Wuthering Heights more times than I can count  and who studied the book both for my first degree twice! In Year One and then in the 19th century course) and then wrote my MA thesis on Emily and Charlotte Bronte  - to have one of my books acquired by the Parsonage Museum library , well  it doesn't come much better than this!

New Voices Workshop(s)

Do you live anywhere near North Lincolnshire? 

That's where I'm doing my New Voices writing workshop this time around - at Ashby Library 
Ashby High Street
Scunthorpe
North Lincolnshire
DN16 2RY


I'll also have copies of my 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance for sale at this - and all events.

Numbers will be limited so Tel: 01724 296832 to enquire about bookings.



Or perhaps West Yorkshire is closer for you -
 I'm also doing a workshop at the Bronte Society Festival of Women's Writing on September 17th

Writing Romance with Kate Walker

10am-12pm, West Lane Baptist Centre

Romantic fiction writing is big business. This workshop, based on Kate Walker’s award winning

12 Point Guide to Writing Romance, is intended to provide information and advice for anyone

who wants to learn how to write in this popular genre. If you’re just starting out, or you’ve

written a manuscript or two but are not yet published and want to hone your skills, this

workshop is for you.

Tickets £15, includes refreshments.

Places are limited so early booking is recommended.

Also:

The Return of the Stranger:   Wuthering Heights meets Mills & Boon

2pm, The Old School room, Church Street

‘The Powerful and the Pure’ is a new series for Mills & Boon reworking

classics from romantic literature, including Pride and Prejudice and Jane

Eyre. Kate Walker discusses her newly published contribution to the

series, The Return of The Stranger, a reworking of her favourite novel,

Wuthering Heights.

Kate Walker wrote her first book for Mills & Boon, The Chalk Line, in 1984 and is currently working on her sixtieth title. A huge admirer of the Brontës, she wrote her MA thesis on the work of Charlotte and Emily Brontë and one of her most recent titles, Bedded by the Greek Billionaire, was loosely inspired by Wuthering Heights. She frequently lectures on romance writing.

Tickets £5 and should be booked in advance.

For all bookings and further  information contact the Brontë

Parsonage Museum: 01535 640188

Or jenna.holmes@bronte.org.uk

And if you can't get to any workshops - do you have any questiosn that are worrying you? Nigggling at your mind so you can't settle to writing?

In the run up to the New Voices contest, I'll be running a romance writing Q&A  - so now's your chance to ask!

NB - I keep trying to post this up by the Ashby Library workshop but for some weird reason it keeps disappearing  so I'm adding it here:

I'll also have copies of my 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance for sale at this - and all events.
Numbers will be limited so telephone 01724 296832 to enquire about the Ashby Library workshop on August 31st

New Cover

My editor sent me my new cover last week, and then I discovered that it's on Amazon.co.uk now too - so here it is -   The Return Of The Stranger   - coming on September 2nd

The shading is slightly funny on this Amazon reproduction so he looks a little redder in the face than in my copy  so if I can get a better version, I'll put that up as soon as I can.  (PS Have now amended the coer so it looks better - and less red!)

And here's the blurb:

Standing high on the windswsept moors, the lone figure of Heath Montanha vows vengeance on the woman who destroyed the last fragments of his heart.

Lady Katherine Charlton has never forgotten the stablehand with dangerous fists and a troubled heart from  her childhood. Now the rebel is back, his powerful anger concealed under a polished and commanding veneer.

When ten years of scandal and secrets are unleashed with a passionate, furious kiss, Heath's deepest, darkest wish crystallises . .  .

Revenge - and Kat - will be his!

Just one little point - this book is part of the The Powerful And The Pure  miniseries - where the four books in the series are  inspired by some of the Classics of romantic fiction.  There seems to be some confusion on the part of some readers that this is 'stealing'  from the originals  - but right from  the stories of Cinderella and such, plots have always been taken and reworked,  turned into something new.   So  just to repeat  - these boks are inspired by the Classics - because it's as I'm always saying in workshops etc, that we could all be given the same hero, heroine, setting and start to a plot and we would all come up with something new.

So the books in this mini series - The Forbidden Innocent (Sharon Kendrick)  - Jane Eyre

In Want of A Wife  (Cathy Williams) - Pride and Prejudice

 Mr and Mischief (Kate Hewitt)  Emma

and my The Return of The Stranger  - Wuthering Heights

 are all inspired by the spirit and the characters of the originals and then as authors ourselves, we created a brand new story as a result.

I'll be blogging more about how I worked on The Return of The Stranger  when it gets closer to September.

And talking of my books reminded me that I promised  to run a contest so that a couple of you could win a copy of The Proud Wife in order to join in the discussion on the Pink Heart Society where it's their Pink Heart Pick for June.

So I need to think of a contest to do that - watch this spaceThen you'll have time to read it before the discussion starts on June 30th.

A Classic Story

 No, I'm not claiming 'classic' status for one of my books   but I did say that I would tell you a bit more about The Return of The Stranger which  is the  book I just had accepted before Christmas and which will be my next new title after The Proud Wife in March.

Like The Good Greek Wife? this book is part of a four book mini series that I was specially asked to contribute to  but this time, instead of being  rewokrings of Greek Myths, this  is a set or reworking and Modernising classic lov e stories from  English Literature.

You may remember that a while back - in September -  I asked  if  you had favourite bok of romantic fiction when the M&B editors were discussing their favvourite reads.  In that coollection the obvious contenders - Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre ,Wuthering Heights were all mentioned. And these are the Classics that will be included in this new mini series. 

The whole series is titled The Powerful and The Pure - When Beauty tames the brooding Beast!



You'll probably have seen the first book in the series out in the shops if you are in the UK - Sharon Kendrick's The Forbidden Innocent  (Jane Eyre)  was publkished in January. Coming up  are  Pride and Prejudice  and Emma  (by- I think Cathy Williams and Kate Hewitt) and then my book The Return of The Stranger which is a reworking of Wuthering Heights.

If you remember my comment back in September when I was talking about the greats of romantic fiction you'll remember that I said  this:

And I have to admit to putting my vote in for - from this list - Jane Eyre, Devil's Cub, These Old Shades . . .Not Wuthering Heights? I can hear the questions already. I love WH as a novel - But for me it's is not a love story - passion, possession - yes - but love?? There is a love story in the second half - young Cathy and Hareton but most people don't think of that. The book is the story of Cathy and Heathcliff - but for me it's not a love story.


So  - have I managed to turn it into a love story?  Make it a romance? It took some doing. I tried to keep the essential elements of the original story but take the wild, strong-willed  Cathy and the dark, brooding dangerous Heathcliff  and  let them learn about love so as to give them give them the  happy ending  Emily Bronte’s  original story could never have had.  I hope I've succeeded for a book that has been so  impoirtant to me personally throughout my life.   You'll be able to decide for yourselves when The Return of the Stranger comes out in September this year.

And I'll talk a bit more about writing it then

But before that there will be  The Proud Wife and as February is coming up , It will soon bee time for the now traditional Here Come the Grooms contest that I shall be running again with my lovely friends and fabulous writers Anne McAllister and Liz Fielding  - so look out for that.

Favourite romantic novels?

Over on the New Voices website - while you're all waiting for the announcement of the top ten submissions to the contest , the editors are talking about their favourite romantic novels.

So far,
Gone with the Wind
Cross Stitch
Wuthering Heights
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
The Devil's Cub
Lady Chatterley's Love
The Mists of Avalon
The Far Pavilions
These Old Shades
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveller's Wife

. . . are all on the list

And I have to admit to putting my vote in for - from this list - Jane Eyre, Devil's Cub, These Old Shades . . . Not Wuthering Heights? I can hear the questions already. I love WH as a novel - But for me it's is not a love story - passion, possession - yes - but love?? There is a love story in the second half - young Cathy and Hareton but most people don't think of that. The book is the story of Cathy and Heathcliff - but for me it's not a love story.

Other romantic novels I've loved and re-read again and again and would have to include in my Top Ten list would be the Game Of Kings (Lymond Chronicles - All 6 books!) by Dorothy Dunnett and the book that hooked me into reading everything Mary Stewart ever wrote - The Moonspinners. . .

What about you? If you had to choose a favourite romantic novel, what would you choose?

PS For those of you who would like to see more photos of the post-AMBA party with Mills & Boon editors and authors, editor Lucy Gilmour has posted a selection over on I(heart)Presents.

WH 2 and other stuff - like contest winners!

Thank you all for your comments on the latest production of Wuthering Heights. I was glad to know that others agreed with me - having read some surprisingly (to me) positive reviews for thge programme. But then that's one of the things about books and dramas - and particularly about adaptations. Some work for some people and miss completely for others. I should know. The Modern Romance/Presents line comes up against this problem all the time.

I did watch the second part of Wuthering Heights but I was disappointed with that too. It was strange because there were some times when the actor who played Heathcliff showed real power - and then other times that I found myself thinking that there is a big difference between playing some who is 'stony -faced' and looking as emotional as a brick wall.

For me, the major problem ended up being the script. It really wasn't an adaptation of Wuthering Heights but a reworking and whether you love the original book or hated it, that was what Emily Bronte wrote so taking major liberties with the story/characters/events isn't a dramatisation of her novel. It's a whole new concept. And one that just didn't work for me. But then it was advertised as a drama of the greatest love stories of all time so that's what they tried to make it.

It's September 1st so that means that Sid has been busy picking a winner's name for the Summer Sizzler contest. Obviously he and Michelle Reid's husband are in psychic contact becasue they both picked the same name - so Susan Wilson from Ayrshire is very definitely the winner. I sent Sid back to the crunchie choosing (he didn't object) and this time he picked out the name of Summer Halls from Canada.

So Susan and Summer both win a signed copy of my September book Kept For Her Baby and Michelle's Marchese's Forgotten Bride. Congratulations to both of you and your prizes will be in the mail asap.

Finally, if you're interested in writing for Presents and have plans to enter the current Presents Writing Competition (and I know plenty of you are) then you'll want to head over to Lynn Raye Harris's blog where she's running a series of posts that could help you.

Lynn of course won the Instant Seduction writing competition last year and her winning boko - Spanish Magnate, Red-Hot Revenge was published in August (you can probably still find copies around if you missed it) Lynn is posting hints and advice under the title So You Want to Write For Harlequin Presents, staring with the very basic - and important - why do you want to write for Presents. And today she has a great post on the Alpha hero. All the posts are well worth reading - and not just because she recommends reading some book called The 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance. So why not go and take a look and maybe join in the discussion.

Tell Lynn the 'divine' Kate sent you . . . ;o)

Wuthering Heights

Anyone who has read this blog for a while will probably be aware of the fact that I have a long term connection with, almost an obsession with, the lives and books of the Bronte sisters. I grew up near Halifax, just a few miles away from Haworth where Charlotte Emily and Anne Bronte lived, I read the books from a very early age – my first reading of Wuthering Heights was around the age of 12 – and then I studied the books both for my first degree and for my MA when I wrote my thesis comparing the adult work of Charlotte and Emily and connecting it to their childhood writings when they created their own imaginary worlds of Angria and Gondal.

So last night when UK TV aired the first episode of their brand new adaptation of Wuthering Heights, of course I had to watch it. If I’m honest I didn’t hope for much. I’ve never been truly satisfied with any TV or film adaptation of one of my favourite books starting with the classic Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon ( running, as an old friend and Irish poet the late Ewart Milne once said ‘the gamut of emotions from A to B), going through the films versions such as the 1970s one with Timothy Dalton and Anna Calder –Marshall that forgot all about the second generation story and had the ghosts of Heathcliff and Cathy floating off to eternity across the moors.

I didn’t have high hopes of this newest TV version – which is perhaps just as well as I would have been deeply disappointed in it if I had. For me the whole production was a watered down, adulterated mess that would have had Emily Bronte spinning in the crypt under Haworth parsonage. I think the real problem was that – as so many others have always done and as one newspaper review put it - it tried to turn Wuthering Heights into "a real love story that a modern day audience could relate to".


WH is not and never was meant to be a romance or really a love story - it'sa story of obsession, of passion, of possession and revenge but not of any real love. Catherine - who was totally watered down in this TV version - is a selfish, demanding,often petulant even cruel girl . The real reason Heathcliff leaves is not his treatment by Hindley but the fact that he hears Cathy declare to Nelly that 'it would degrade me tomarry Heathcliff' - particularly after she has mocked him for being dirty and awkward and she laughs at him with Edgar. This important scene was badly neglected with the result that it just appeared that Heathcliff decide to leave in a sulk. This was one of failings of the production - the novelist/editor part of me was wanting so muchmore of an answer *why* he decided to leave at that moment - all of which hadbeen edited out of the drama by the script.That amazing scene where Heathcliff bangs his head against a tree on hearing of Cathy's death is one of the most powerful scenes in the book and last night itwas downgraded to a sulky lout banging his head three times against the wall of Thrushcross Grange because he's seen Cathy happy and smiling inside the house -and then he lifted his head without a mark, not even a bruise when in theoriginal Heathcliff draws blood and in fact spatters the tree with it.

This Heathcliff only rarely showed sparks of the dangerous, destructive man who was going to bring such chaos and devastation to the world of Wuthering Heights. I had a moment of hope when he first appeared and showed a mixture of charm and danger that held great potential. But sadly that didn’t continue. He moped his way through the fist episode, showed little emotion never mind hatred and seemed to be too cleaned up and politically correct to represent the real Heathcliff. I really couldn’t find any flare of pure heat and passion that could not be denied between Cathy and Heathcliff and neither of them had the harsh ambiguity that Emily Bronte gave to her very personal creations. Not for nothing did she – a woman who loved animals, especially her dogs – create a brute who could hang Isabella’s spaniel as an act of pure cruelty.

The whole point of the book is that it was never meant to be any such thing as a ‘love story’ but a study of obsession and how wild human nature left unchecked can cause destruction and misery. All of Earnshaw's children (including Heathcliff) have a terrible capacity for cruelty and selfishness and Bronte shows that it's the introduction gentler (weaker?) elements like the Lintons and Hindley's wife that creates the second generation 'love story' in the end. I doubt very much that Heathcliff was ever considered a 'hero' by either Emily orher contemporary readers but far more likely to be a villain - a cuckoo in the nest who destroys the rest of the occupants. In fact even her sister Charlotte wrote a preface that questions whether it's "right or advisable to create being such as Heathcliff" and she points out that Heathcliff's one single human feeling which is not his 'love' for Cathy which is boiling 'fierce and inhuman' but the rough regard he has for Hareton -Hindley's son.

I shall watch the second half of Wuthering Heights just to see if it gets any better - though if I’m honest it will be a struggle to do so. I half expected some newspaper review today to describe it as ‘a Mills & Boon version of Wuthering Heights.’ But the truth is that at several points in the production I could imagine my editor’s red pen coming out, marking the manuscript with ‘cut for pace’ and the all important question ‘why’. And as it was played out last night I really felt that the response would be ‘Dear Ms Bronte we enjoyed reading your manuscript but we felt that the story does not have the emotional punch we are looking for and that it fails to reach the sort of emotional climax that our readers are looking for. ‘

We’ll see if tonight restores the balance at all.