Book Blitz: Wuther by V.J. Chambers #GuestPost #Giveaway

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Wuther by V.J. Chambers
Publication date: July, 2013
Genre: New Adult Retelling

Synopsis:

This new adult retelling of Wuthering Heights is intended for mature readers due to explicit sexual content and coarse language.

Instead of storms tearing through Yorkshire moors, the sounds of '90s grunge rock whisper through backwoods American cornfields...

And give new life to the Bronte characters you love to hate.

A gypsy orphan, Heath Galloway adores Cathy Earnshaw, his childhood sweetheart. He would do anything to protect her from her drunken, abusive father--even push the man down a flight of stairs to stop him hitting her.

But with her father dead, Cathy's older brother Matt runs the Earnshaw farm and both of their lives. And Matt despises Heath. Forced to drop out of school and work the fields, Heath is separated from Cathy and the two begin to drift apart.

When Cathy meets the rich, blond, and suave Eli Linton, she finds herself torn between Eli's charm and Heath's brute potency.

Fiercely proud and stubborn, Heath doesn't take well to being brushed aside. He'll get what he wants, or he'll get revenge. No matter how long it takes.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18042503-wuther

Purchase: Amazon | B&N

AUTHOR BIO 

V. J. Chambers likes bad boys, but she likes them to be actual bad boys, not misunderstood weaklings who cover up their emotional scars with a thin veneer of pretend bad-boy-ness.
She likes to tackle difficult philosophical questions. She likes to push fiction to the edge, to go just a little farther.
She writes stories about difficult people living difficult lives in difficult situations. Usually, there’s magic. Or monsters. Or space. Or gun fights. A lot of times, there’s also L-O-V-E. (Or at least uncomfortable conversations about sex.)

She’s the author of the Jason and Azazel series and many other stories for teens and adults. She lives in Shepherdstown, WV with her boyfriend Aaron and their cat.

Author links: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

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Now here's a bit of what V.J. Chambers has to say about Wuthering Heights' Heathcliff and what she hoped to recapture in her retelling of the story:

Heathcliff

“A compound of vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors.”

“Burn Wuthering Heights.”

“Wuthering Heights is a strange sort of book, yet, it is impossible to begin and not finish it; and quite as impossible to lay it aside afterwards and say nothing about it.”

“In Wuthering Heights the reader is shocked, disgusted, almost sickened by details of cruelty, inhumanity, and the most diabolical hate and vengeance.”

“Heathcliff… a creature in whom every evil passion seems to have reached a gigantic excess.”

Thus read the reviews of Wuthering Heights when it was first released in December 1847. It was obvious that Emily Bronte had written something polarizing. Some people were disgusted with the book. Others were impressed with it.

It was horrifying but fascinating. And I think if the book is read today, the same phenomenon occurs. The characters in the book are intriguing, but they are also difficult to, well, like.

No character is more difficult than Heathcliff himself. Even Emily Bronte’s sister Charlotte was made uncomfortable by Heathcliff. She wrote that Heathcliff’s love for Cathy was “a sentiment fierce and inhuman.” She called Heathcliff an “evil genius.” To Charlotte, Heathcliff’s “ever-suffering soul… dooms him to carry Hell with him wherever he wanders.”

Is Heathcliff tortured and damaged like a modern-day romance hero? You betcha.

Is Heathcliff the titular bad boy, the one whose masculine power is absorbing and exciting? Oh, heck, yes.

Heathcliff is a character unlike any that we’ve seen before, but he’s not completely foreign to us. He has aspects of a hero, but he also has aspects of a villain. We root for Heathcliff as he struggles to overcome the class barriers that keep him from marrying Cathy. We feel sorry for him when he is beaten by Hindley. And we are utterly caught up in his passion, his deep love for Cathy. But at the same time, Heathcliff disturbs and frightens us. He’s violent. He’s cruel. He’s obsessed with revenge. And he seems irredeemable.

When I set out to retell Wuthering Heights, I wanted to capture that with my book. I took some pretty heavy liberties with Bronte’s tale, but my goal was always to be able to provide the kinds of characters that she does—confusing, deep, real characters, full of flaws but still captivating.

A retelling can never truly hope to encapsulate the brilliance of the original, so I know that my book is not even close the masterpiece of Wuthering Heights. But I hope that my Heath is absorbing. I hope that he inspires your pity and your anger. And I hope you fall in love with him just a little bit, despite how awful he is.

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GIVEAWAY

- International

- 1 winner will receive an ebook of Wuther in the format of their choice

- The winner will be chosen using Rafflecopter and will be contacted via email
- Ends August 1st at 11:59 PM (MST)

TO ENTER FILL OUT THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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I actually loved Wuthering Heights when I read it, and I completely agree with V.J. Chambers...the characters are incredibly unlikeable, but you do still route for them. I never really found Heathcliff to be all that attractive as a character, but his love for Cathy kept me from seeing him in a completely bad light, and I wished things turned out better for both him and Cathy. I'm definitely looking forward to reading Wuther because I think there's a tonne of potential for a retelling of Wuthering Heights, and I'm eager to see how V.J. Chambers has adapted the story!

So, what do you think?
Are you excited to read Wuther, and have you read Wuthering Heights already?
What do you think of Wuther and the retellings of classics?

Review: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

 Source: My Personal Library
Challenge: 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

"My greatest thought in living is Heathcliff. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be... Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure... but as my own being." Wuthering Heights is the only novel of Emily Bronte, who died a year after its publication, at the age of thirty. A brooding Yorkshire tale of a love that is stronger than death, it is also a fierce vision of metaphysical passion, in which heaven and hell, nature and society, are powerfully juxtaposed. Unique, mystical, with a timeless appeal, it has become a classic of English literature.

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I still can't believe that it's taken me this long to read Wuthering Heights, it's one of those books that are constantly referenced...and now I can finally stop staring blankly when it's brought up because I'll actually know what's being talked about. :P

Everyone always talks about what a great love story Wuthering Heights is, so I was expecting this grand love story. I already knew that Cathy and Heathcliff weren't the most likeable characters, and that their lovestory wasn't the most conventional, but I was still a bit shocked when I started it. First, Wuthering Height's isn't from either of their points of view, instead it is told first by a newcomer to the neighborhood, Mr. Lockwood, and most of the story is related to him through Ellen (Nelly) dean, a woman who used to work at Wuthering Heights and has been with the families for her whole life. I didn't expect it, but I actually really enjoyed reading the story through her perspective, it was so interesting...plus, I'm not sure if we'd really want to get into Cathy or Heathcliff's heads. :P

I ended up absolutely loving Wuthering Heights, which wasn't too surprising, as it's just the type of classic that I like. :) The characters weren't exactly appealing, with the exception of Nelly Dean, but they were extraordinarily characterized! I didn't really find Heathcliff to be this amazing romantic hero, and I'll admit he wasn't that attractive to me, but I definitely could understand some of his appeal. He sounded pretty much like a dark brooding beast of a man, and he was really strong, so in that way he was kind of attractive, but as a person he was truly awful. The thing I found most appealing about him was actually his love for Cathy. It was all-consuming, and the fact that the two of them weren't able to be together was heartbreaking. I wonder how different things could have turned out had Cathy and Heathcliff ended up together. 

I'm guessing that it'll be no surprise that I'm recommending this one. I think it's a classic that would be great for someone who doesn't read many classics, too, because it's actually a fairly quick read. You don't get caught up in extremely convoluted language, and the characters and story are so well defined that the story just flies by. I loved this one, and recommend it to newcomers to classics, and people who want a story with complex characters, a darker tone, and an unconventional love story.

Have you read Wuthering Heights?
Did you swoon for Heathcliff or were you kind of apathetic to him?
And if you haven't read it, do you think that you'd like to?

Review: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

 (Click this link to go to Jane Eyre's Goodreads page.)

Well, nowadays it's hard not to come across mention of Jane Eyre, and other classics, within current literature and media. For this reason, I really wanted to read this book. I wanted to understand the references and know the story.

At first, I had difficulty getting into the book and it was taking me a long time to read. However, once Jane grew up and the more notable characters were introduced, I found myself getting drawn in.

I loved Mrs.Fairfax, such a kind a gentle older lady, and Adele, was such a spoilt little girl, who you couldn't help wanting to dote on, at least I couldn't.

Jane herself, is such an interesting character, she has various beliefs, which she sticks to persistently. She won't let anyone sway her beliefs or ideas, and when pushed her fiery spirit comes out. You can't help but love her, she thinks herself plain and not handsome, which other characters repeatedly mention as well. It makes you think that it must have been terrible to be ugly or not 'handsome' back then because no one lets you forget it. Anyways, despite her plainness, she's brave and one of the greatest heroines of all-time, it's no doubt we're still hearing reference to her today. And Mr.Rochester, well I tend to love whomever the heroine loves, most of the time anyways, and this time was no exception. He seemed a strict and hard man, not handsome himself either, but the banter and connection between he and Jane was so strong, you couldn't help but notice it and root for it. Edward Rochester hid various secrets, but even with those secrets, I couldn't help but feel for him.

I don't want to ruin the story for anyone who hasn't read it, but despite the hardships that befall each character, I was happy with how it ended.

It's a difficult read because of the language, which obviously we aren't used to anymore, but if you persevere, it's well worth reading. It's a beautiful story and once I got used to the language it seemed to flow off the pages.

I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Have you read Jane Eyre? Do you want to read it?

Happy Reading!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Review: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinback

(Click this link to go to The Grapes of Wrath Goodreads page.)

I won't lie, I hated the beginning of this book. It took me at least a third of the book before I could actually get into it and enjoy the story.

Part of this might be that I prefer a more forward writing style and part of it was most definitely the topic. During my grade 12 year, all we read were stories with depressing topics, we were all convinced the school board wanted us to be depressed because of it.

Anyways, after I got past the parts that I struggled through, I really grew to enjoy this book. The characters, while facing the same situation in the big picture, all seem to struggle with their own independent problems. You get to know them, know what they like, what their habits are, and you see them, most of them anyways, do almost anything to support their family. They struggle relentlessly to stay together, and I couldn't help but feel sympathy for them because of it.

The ending was shocking to say the least, but underneath the shock was such strength, and to be honest, a beauty. A beauty that mankind could be willing to go to such lengths to help one another, despite not even knowing those they are helping.

I found myself so into this book that by the end of it I had tears in my eyes. I'm a pretty easy crier, but I have to enjoy something to get to that state, so I can say I definitely enjoyed this book.

This book is a classic, and it definitely deserves that title. It's an amazing story, and once you get used to the more refined language, and by that I mean lack of current slang, it is easy to lose yourself within the story. The only downside of reading a story such as the Grapes of Wrath is that it leaves you feeling sad, which just shows you how much a book can move you, but it also leaves you with a sense of hope thanks to the ending.

I would gladly read the Grapes of Wrath again, and I'm sure that since I wouldn't be reading it for school this time, I'd like it even more.

Have you read The Grapes of Wrath? What were your thoughts?

And if you found it boring or hated it, that's ok, not every book is for every person. The important thing is to not judge other people for how they feel about a book. We're all entitled to our own opinions. And it's also important to give a book a chance, don't just say you hate a book because everyone else does...you're allowed to like a book even if your friends don't. And I'm going to leave you with that little message.

Back to school once again....random entry, nothing too important

Okay, so it's now Saturday, almost Sunday to be honest, and I've already finished the first half week of school, you could hardly call it a week, since we started on Wednesday. I'm not sure how I feel about being back. It's nice to have something to do, and I do like learning, the tests and assignments though, not so much.

The atmosphere on campus is so intense in September, everyone seems to be on overdrive. You walk faster. You talk faster. You probably even breathe faster. That being said. The lines are not so much fun and neither is waking up early, but thankfully, my classes all start late enough that you can barely call my wakeup time early, it's not sleeping in, but it's still pretty nice.

This year, I'm talking Russian, and I'm loving it. It's sooooo different from English, even the alphabets aren't the same. I'm hoping that I'll continue to like it, and if it keeps going like this I'm sure I will. I'm eager to learn the language...it's the remembering part about it that I'm worried about.

For anyone who's curious, this is the Russian Alphabet or as the Russian's would say, "Russkiy Alfavit."

The biggest downside to being back to school is that it's so hard to read things for personal pleasure, especially since most of the classes I'm taking this semester involve reading. Right now, I'm reading Jane Eyre, I'm getting soooo close to the end and I'm getting anxious. I want to know how it ends so bad...I've got my fingers crossed for Jane and Mr.Rochester. Hopefully it all works out, if not I've always got tissues at hand.

I'm in a picture sharing mood, can you tell? :)

Another downside (of September at least)...it's freaking freezing lately!!! Last September we had a heat wave, this year it feels like it's going to start snowing any second. That's one of the hazards of living in Alberta I guess though, the weather is completely unpredictable.

 Do Svidanya, and happy reading as always!! :)