Denise Giardina

Eight years ago I visited the parsonage at Haworth. I'd been to the homes of other authors before: Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, Byron. But the experience of setting foot at the home of Emily Bronte -- all the Brontes, really -- was something deeply spiritual. I cried. Mournful, regretful tears for someone I didn't know at all, but felt a connection to, regardless.

The story history tells of Emily Bronte is of someone who is wild, vulnerable, and raw. A person I connect with at gut level, show more but would likely never have even a conversation with in person. It takes a special person to write about the Brontes well, but especially about Emily. This author must feel that same gut connection because the way she presented this image of Emily was beyond phenomenal. She put into words all I've ever seen her to be, and much of what I believe I would be, if I had the freedoms that Emily did.

To be able to tell this story that is so fully what I believe Emily to have been, and so cleanly inserting in the completely evidence-less storyline that features Weightman --- wow. How can it not be true? I found myself wishing for it to be true and mourning that there's not a shred of evidence.

I am also beyond thrilled that this author wasn't sympathetic to Charlotte. All she does and is in this story is just as I've always seen her --- the ultimate "Karen", though I hate when people use that term. What Charlotte does at the very end is more than horrifying; but I almost hope it to be true, just to vindicate me despising her so much. show less

This story spans the period between 1941 and 1990 and examines the daily lives, politics and political landscape surrounding a West Virginia coal mine. I loved this book, probably in part because the era nicely matches my own life span and I've spent the past 20 years in another part of Appalachia. Thankfully, I've never had to watch the geological rape of coal mining but the people, their ways and their problems are all very familiar to me. Giardina is an excellent writer, drawing her show more characters with depth and compassion. One has the sense that she draws very heavily on her own experiences and so there is an authenticity to the material that adds to the appeal. Recommended. show less

William Weightman comes to Haworth as a curate and soon finds himself attached to the entire Brontë clan. He assumes some of Patrick’s duties at the parish, helps Branwell with his addictions and keeps each of the sisters from being too lonely. Weightman harbors a special attraction to Emily, who returns his feelings, but knows in her heart that she’s not the proper material for a churchman’s wife. They agree that she will governess for six months, broaden herself, and then evaluate show more their future. But six months is a long time, time they might not have.

This book is so very readable. The pages just flew by and it was over, in one sitting. Of course, that may be because Emily has always been my favorite of the Brontë sisters. There is never enough ‘Emily’ material around to suite me and it was nice to see her enjoy a little romance. I knew that Charlotte married one of Patrick’s curates (Arthur Bell Nichols) but I never considered that Emily or Anne ever had feelings for the men in their father’s employ. It seems a little cliché until you consider how isolated they were, and then it feels sad. Well, most everything around the Brontës carries a tragic weight, doesn’t it?

I was surprised at how Haworth was portrayed in the novel as a dirty, unsanitary slum. Honestly, I know nothing about the place but I’ve always imagined it as heartbreakingly beautiful in the way wild and natural places can sometimes be. This setting was such a change from that. It reminded me somewhat of Gaskell’s North and South.

This has been my favorite Brontë book so far this year. show less

[b:Storming Heaven|890210|Storming Heaven|Denise Giardina|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320402113l/890210._SY75_.jpg|875459] is [a:Denise Giardina|173610|Denise Giardina|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1283874016p2/173610.jpg]’s depiction of the events surrounding the Blair Mountain uprising in Logan County, West Virginia, an attempt to unionize the coal industry in the early 1920s, and the largest labor uprising in American history.

I seem to show more have read an unusual number of books about this time period and the fights of the coal miners to have union representation. [b:The Women of the Copper Country|42201959|The Women of the Copper Country|Mary Doria Russell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563099546l/42201959._SY75_.jpg|65814455] came to mind, as did [b:River of Earth|77589|River of Earth|James Still|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388511299l/77589._SY75_.jpg|74948]. Both of these books set a high bar, and in the end, [b:Storming Heaven|890210|Storming Heaven|Denise Giardina|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320402113l/890210._SY75_.jpg|875459] cleared it.

The book is divided into three parts. The first part is very slow and introduces each of the characters in chapters told from their individual points of view. I was seriously thinking this was going to be a 3-star read for me, then I hit Part Two and the story picked up. By Part Three, all the groundwork laid in the first section fell into place and the story began to gel, to move, to mean. I take the time to say all of this, because I encourage you not to judge this book until you have come through the first part--it’s the appetizer and you are going to get a full meal behind it.

The plight of the miners, the greed and disregard of the men who stole their land and turned them into slave labor, the indifference of the government to the rights or welfare of these people, all ring true. The twenties were hard times in Appalachia. I stopped to wonder if there have ever been times that were not hard in Appalachia.

The hardships are offset by the portrayals of life on the farms, in nature, and with the family. The dynamics between the family members and the closeness and love of the people for one another succeed in lending a lighter tone to portions of the novel and help to emphasize how the coming of the coal industry and the company stores changed the lives they swallowed.

I ended this novel both impressed and emotionally involved with the characters. I particularly love the strength and resilience of Carrie Bishop. Aunt Jane would be proud. show less