Monday 30 July 2018
Heathcliff by Sue Barnard
Genre: Historical/What if…?
Release Date: 30 July 2018
Publisher: Crooked Cat Books
“It
would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now…”
Cathy’s immortal words from Wuthering
Heights change Heathcliff’s life. At just seventeen years of
age, heartbroken and penniless, he runs away to face an unknown future.
Three years later, he returns – much
improved in manners, appearance, and prosperity.
But what happened during those years?
How could he have made his fortune, from nothing? Who might his parents have been?
And what fate turned him into literature’s most famous anti-hero?
For almost two centuries, these
questions have remained unanswered. Until now…
EXTRACT
THE YORKSHIRE MOORS, 1780
Thomas Braithwaite, Coachman
I didn’t see the man at first, in the dark and
the rain. It was only when he stepped out into the road, a mere few yards in
front of the coach, that I saw him at all. I yelled, “Whoa!” and yanked on the
reins to slow the horses down. He must have heard me, because he looked up and
tried to jump out of the way, but I felt a thud, and heard a cry of pain.
I pulled the horses to a halt and stepped down
from the box seat. That was when the carriage lamp lit up his face, and I got a
better look at him.
It was not a comforting sight. He was lying on
the ground and his arm was bleeding. He had no coat, his hair and clothes were
soaking wet, and the eyes which were staring up at me displayed a wild light
which gave him the appearance of a man possessed.
“Is anything the matter, sir?” I ventured to
ask – although I knew the answer to this question almost before it had left my
lips. Even without the injury to his arm, I could tell that there was clearly
something very much the matter. No man in his right mind would be wandering
across the moors, coatless and hatless, on a wet and blustery night such as
this.
He stared at me and staggered to his feet, all
the while muttering under his breath. As he drew nearer I could hear that he
was making the same sound over and over again. But it made no sense. It sounded
like “Degrade… degrade… degrade…”
I walked towards him, extending my hand.
“Sir, you are injured, and it is not good to be
out in this foul weather. Please, will you allow me to transport you to your
home?”
“Home?” he snarled, baring his teeth. “I have
no home. Not now.”
I was anxious to know what had brought him
hither, in a temper which so strongly matched the tempest around us – but this
was neither the time nor the place to ask. Instead, I hastily tied my kerchief
around the wound in his arm, then gestured towards the coach and offered to
transport him to the nearby inn which was to be the coach’s destination for the
night.
He appeared to consider this for a moment, then
shrugged his thick-set shoulders and gave a barely perceptible nod.
I opened the coach door and motioned him to
climb aboard. As he entered, I heard various words from the other passengers
within, but could not make out what was being said. I closed the door behind
him, climbed back into the box seat and tugged on the reins. The horses broke
into a canter as we covered the remaining few miles to the inn.
I was troubled. Who was this mysterious
stranger, and what was he fleeing from?
I am an absolute die hard Wuthering Heights fan so when I had the opportunity to read this book I almost fell over myself to get my hands on a copy. But, like every book that puts a different spin on the classics, there is always that fear that justice will not be done to the original. However, I didn't have to worry too much here because Sue Barnard has taken great care with one of my favourite books and given it that little bit something extra that enhances the story of Wuthering Heights and gives us a window to Heathcliff's life after he left The Heights.
Broken and disillusioned after hearing those heartbreaking words, “It
would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now…”, Heathcliff runs away, leaving Cathy behind and finds himself in Liverpool and caught up in the world of smuggling to make his fortune. The book follows the 3 years he was away making this fortune by whatever means he can. The story is told from the perspectives of a variety of characters as well as Heathcliff himself. While the book was nicely paced and intrigued me, I did wonder what it would have been like told with fewer perspectives or perhaps just told by Heathcliff himself but totally understand why Sue Barnard told the story this way in trying to keep with the original story told by the servant Nelly Dean.
As usual, Sue Barnard' writing is amazing as she tells this engrossing story of one of literature's most loved / hated chararacters. Everyone has their own opinion about Heathcliff but I've always viewed him as someone who is broken and I've always loved him. This book has made me want to go back and read Wuthering Heights and Sue Barnard has done a wonderful job bringing the characters back to life and giving them a voice and helping us understand them a bit more. Wuthering Heights left us wondering what happened during Heathcliff's missing years and Sue Barnard has provided the answers to the questions lovers of the book had. Bravo to the author for an amazing story. Loved it!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sue Barnard is a British novelist, editor and
award-winning poet. She was born in North Wales but has spent most of her life
in and around Manchester. After graduating from Durham University, where she
studied French and Italian, Sue got married then had a variety of office jobs
before becoming a full-time parent to her two sons. If she had her way, the
phrase "non-working mother" would be banned from the English
language.
In addition to working as an editor for Crooked Cat Publishing, Sue is the author of four novels: The Ghostly Father, Nice Girls Don't, The Unkindest Cut of All and Never on Saturday. Her fifth novel, Heathcliff, will be published on 30 July 2018, to coincide with the bicentenary of the birth of Emily Brontë.
Sue speaks French like a Belgian, German like a schoolgirl, and Italian and Portuguese like an Englishwoman abroad. She is also very interested in Family History. Her own background is far stranger than any work of fiction; she'd write a book about it if she thought anybody would believe her.
Sue lives in Cheshire, UK, with her extremely patient husband and a large collection of unfinished scribblings.
In addition to working as an editor for Crooked Cat Publishing, Sue is the author of four novels: The Ghostly Father, Nice Girls Don't, The Unkindest Cut of All and Never on Saturday. Her fifth novel, Heathcliff, will be published on 30 July 2018, to coincide with the bicentenary of the birth of Emily Brontë.
Sue speaks French like a Belgian, German like a schoolgirl, and Italian and Portuguese like an Englishwoman abroad. She is also very interested in Family History. Her own background is far stranger than any work of fiction; she'd write a book about it if she thought anybody would believe her.
Sue lives in Cheshire, UK, with her extremely patient husband and a large collection of unfinished scribblings.
Twitter: @AuthorSusanB
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1171386.Sue_Barnard
Instagram: suebarnardauthor
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