Nelly Dean
A Return to Wuthering Heights
by Alison Case
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Pub Date Feb 08 2016 | Archive Date Jan 31 2016
Description
Young Nelly Dean has been Hindley’s closest companion for as long as she can remember, living freely at the great house, Wuthering Heights. But when the benevolence of the master brings a wild child into the house, Nelly learns she must follow in her mother’s footsteps, be called "servant" and give herself over completely to the demands of the Earnshaw family.
But Nelly is not the only one who finds her life disrupted by this strange newcomer. As death, illness, and passion sweep through the house, Nelly suffers heartache and betrayals at the hands of those she cherishes most, tempting her to leave it all behind. But when a new heir is born, a reign of violence begins that will test even Nelly’s formidable spirit as she finds out what it is to know true sacrifice.
Nelly Dean is a wonderment of storytelling and an inspired accompaniment to Emily Bronte’s adored work. It is the story of a woman who is fated to bear the pain of a family she is unable to leave, and unable to save.
A Note From the Publisher
LibraryReads votes are due 12/20.
LibraryReads votes are due 12/20.
Advance Praise
“A masterly reimagining of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. Brontë fans and readers who delight in literary fiction fashioned as 19th-century novels will eagerly snap up this book—and may be tempted to rereadWuthering Heights just for the pleasure of comparing the two novels.” - Library Journal, starred review
“Alison Case has cracked open Wuthering Heights and inserted into the gaps her own richly ?imagined story. In doing so she manages to pay homage to Emily Brönte without copying her. I never thought I needed moreWuthering Heights. Now I wonder how I could have been satisfied with only the original telling.” - Tracy Chevalier, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of THE GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING
“The inhabitants of Wuthering Heights are reborn in this new view of the Brontë classic. Instead of the gothic drama and passion of Brontë, Case’s first novel provides an emotionally balanced account, filling in some gaps and featuring strong, smart Nelly, who is her own woman despite living by the mores of her time. A fast-moving pleasure, this novel is a likely draw for book clubs and a must for Brontë fans.” - Booklist (starred review)
“Both an interesting critique of Wuthering Heights and an absorbing, convincing, and historically sensitive novel.” - Kirkus Reviews
“Case knows her Brontës. This audacious novel talks to all three sisters’ books. But there’s nothing mustily lit-critical about it. It’s a page-turner, about the things we do to people we love and the secrets and lies that corrode us, told in sinewy, visceral prose. It also has the makings of a feminist classic.” - The Independent
“Leisurely paced. Highly ambitious. Passionate fans of Brontë’s masterpiece will find much to admire in Case’s richly textured novel.” - Publishers Weekly
“This engrossing story of loyalty, love and sacrifice is so good it deserves to be a classic in its own right” -Good Housekeeping (U.K.)
“This novel rips the original novel open to fill in all the gaps. Case burrows into the character’s psyches to reveal a further layer of family secrets.” - The Times (London)
“Case propels us headlong into the gripping tale of familial turmoil and thwarted passion and created a world so real, so grounded in visceral detail, that no prior knowledge of the Brontë classic is required. However I suspect Nelly Dean will entice many (including this reviewer) to reread the original, with fresh and knowing eyes.” - The Irish Independent
“Alison Case has cracked open Wuthering Heights and inserted into the gaps her own richly ?imagined story. In doing so she manages to pay homage to Emily Brönte without copying her. I never thought I needed moreWuthering Heights. Now I wonder how I could have been satisfied with only the original telling.” - Tracy Chevalier, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of THE GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING
“The inhabitants of Wuthering Heights are reborn in this new view of the Brontë classic. Instead of the gothic drama and passion of Brontë, Case’s first novel provides an emotionally balanced account, filling in some gaps and featuring strong, smart Nelly, who is her own woman despite living by the mores of her time. A fast-moving pleasure, this novel is a likely draw for book clubs and a must for Brontë fans.” - Booklist (starred review)
“Both an interesting critique of Wuthering Heights and an absorbing, convincing, and historically sensitive novel.” - Kirkus Reviews
“Case knows her Brontës. This audacious novel talks to all three sisters’ books. But there’s nothing mustily lit-critical about it. It’s a page-turner, about the things we do to people we love and the secrets and lies that corrode us, told in sinewy, visceral prose. It also has the makings of a feminist classic.” - The Independent
“Leisurely paced. Highly ambitious. Passionate fans of Brontë’s masterpiece will find much to admire in Case’s richly textured novel.” - Publishers Weekly
“This engrossing story of loyalty, love and sacrifice is so good it deserves to be a classic in its own right” -Good Housekeeping (U.K.)
“This novel rips the original novel open to fill in all the gaps. Case burrows into the character’s psyches to reveal a further layer of family secrets.” - The Times (London)
“Case propels us headlong into the gripping tale of familial turmoil and thwarted passion and created a world so real, so grounded in visceral detail, that no prior knowledge of the Brontë classic is required. However I suspect Nelly Dean will entice many (including this reviewer) to reread the original, with fresh and knowing eyes.” - The Irish Independent
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781605989617 |
| PRICE | $25.95 (USD) |
Links
Featured Reviews
Valerie Q, Librarian
I loved this even more than "Longbourn," which is saying a lot! Really fantastic.
Librarian 253116
A wonderful re-telling of Wuthering Heights, told from the family's servant'point of view in an epistolary format. Lovely descriptions of the moors, medical practices of the time and the inter-twined feelings between servants and the families they serve.
Educator 308336
I found myself fully immersed and spellbound by Nelly Dean’s story, in the form of a letter to Mr. Lockwood. Aside from the context of Wuthering Heights, the understanding of the life of a woman in 19th century England made this novel a true masterpiece. The author, Alison Case, provided in depth knowledge of being born into the working class, a woman in a society where survival was a daily challenge. Nelly’s heartbreaks were familiar in the Bronte genre but her intelligence and ability to improve life for those she loved makes her a true heroine in the 19th century and a feminist of the 21st century kind.
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