Giveaway Winners!

To all of those amazing people who had entered to win a copy of Catherine and Wuthering Heights - THANK YOU very much for entering! While I would love to give you all a copy of each one of these books (if I ever win the lottery I totally would) but since so many awesome books are turning me broke there can only be two winners here today. So after careful selection and picking a random number in a hat (a cliche trick I know hehe but I did it), the two lucky winners are . . .

Natalie who has won herself a copy of Catherine!

&

Lisa who has won herself a copy of Wuthering Heights!

Yay! Congrats to the two winners!

I've emailed you both and will be mailing out your books today!

Happy reading!

Catherine by April Lindner + Giveaway

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Poppy

Pages: 320pgs

The Story

A forbidden romance. A modern mystery. 

Wuthering Heights as you’ve never seen it before.

Catherine is tired of struggling musicians befriending her just so they can get a gig at her Dad’s famous Manhattan club, The Underground. Then she meets mysterious Hence, an unbelievably passionate and talented musician on the brink of success. As their relationship grows, both are swept away in a fiery romance. But when their love is tested by a cruel whim of fate, will pride keep them apart?

Chelsea has always believed that her mom died of a sudden illness, until she finds a letter her dad has kept from her for years—a letter from her mom, Catherine, who didn’t die: She disappeared. Driven by unanswered questions, Chelsea sets out to look for her—starting with the return address on the letter: The Underground.

Told in two voices, twenty years apart, Catherine interweaves a timeless forbidden romance with a compelling modern mystery.

The Review

CATHERINE was such an amazing modern retelling of Wuthering Heights (I kid you not) and I loved it even more than April Lindner's previous book titled Jane, another modern retelling of Jane Eyre. So what surprised me most about this book? Why did I love it so much? Well, despite the fact that Wuthering Heights is one of my absolute favourite classic books of all time, but I actually cried a little after reading this one not only because it was quite sad in a sense but it was because it reminded me so much of how the original book made me feel (how much I fell in love with the book) when I first read it and I loved that feeling!

In this new, fresh modern retelling, the story is told between two girls, Catherine and Catherine's daughter Chelsea, whose stories are separated and are told twenty years apart. Now I don't want to spoil things of the storyline so let's just say I really loved both of these girls! They were so interesting, headstrong, brave, determined, and let nothing stop them. So while I did love Chelsea's journey in finding out what happened to her mother who'd disappeared years ago when she was a child and even her interactions with characters including Cooper (who I just loved!), I thought Catherine in particular was a voice that I couldn't help but be captivated by, much like how I was with the character Catherine in the original book. But most of all, I really loved reading about Catherine's love for Hence, the character who is obviously inspired by Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights, and how their powerful connection destroyed them both. Those two, Catherine and Hence, were so intense and raw and even for a retelling you just wanted them to be together no matter what. No matter their frustrating actions caused by jealousy and getting back at each other. But after one obstacle after another . . . you know it's just not going to happen for them and that's what I loved, the fact that the author followed Wuthering Heights as close as possible while also adding on her own couple twists here and there. And it was just so good!

Apart from the characters (even though it was the main reason why I hugged this book like . . . a lot), but what had really impressed me the most was the setting! Now for some retellings - especially modern ones - it will either work or it won't for a story, but for me it totally worked! It just captured the essence of the original work and I found the modern setting finally brought something new onto the table for new readers who haven't read Wuthering Heights before so I think - and I hope - it will make those readers want to read the original book. Trust me, it's just as awesome as this one right here. And as for the ending of this book . . . so beautiful in its own special way and I cried. Well, just a little though. Hehe.

Overall, CATHERINE lived up to every one of my very high expectations and it played out like a fantastic drama, one you wished never came to an end. Filled with intense characters, gripping storylines, and a piece of work that stayed true to the original work of Wuthering Heights, I think this book will be a real hit with its readers!

The Rating

5/5 stars

Since I loved this book so much, I want YOU to have a chance to read it as well. So in celebration of this very awesome modern retelling, I have two books for two lucky winners to giveaway on my blog. The giveaway includes a finished copy of Catherine by April Lindner (INTL giveaway for anywhere book depository can ship to you) and a copy of the classic tale and one of my favourite books ever Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (AUS giveaway only). To enter, simply click and fill out the form below:

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Giveaway closes February 28th.

The winners will have 48 hours to reply to my email. Good luck!

Jane by April Lindner

Release Date: 11th October, 2011

Publisher: Poppy

Pages: 373pgs

The Story

What if Jane Eyre fell in love with a rock star?

Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, a world-famous rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is soon tested by an agonizing secret from his past.

Torn between her feelings for Nico and his fateful secret, Jane must decide: Does being true to herself mean giving up on true love? An irresistible romance with a darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers.

The Review

When I first heard about this book, two thoughts went through my mind. The first is that Bronte's Jane Eyre book is one of my ultimate favourite classic novels (right alongside my favourites of Wuthering Heights and the likes of Tess of the D'urbervilles . . .) and nothing nothing could compare to it - not even a modern retelling of the story. And the second thought I had was that every retelling of classic novels such as this one . . . will ruin everything I love about the original novel. When it comes down to this book and reading it in one sitting, I have to say April Lindner did a pretty great job and she followed very closely to the actual book's events which surprised me. However, this modern retelling won't impress me because Jane Eyre is just Jane Eyre and no one can write a retelling that would satisfy me. If you know what I mean.

Much like the original tale, JANE offers a strong-willed girl, a hunky-but-a-very-matured-brooding man, a great romance, a gothic mystery, and of course, there's plenty of drama that unfolds until the last page. Jane Moore, is a 19-year-old college dropout and since her parent's sudden death and with so little love from her brother and sister, she has no choice but to seek employment through a nanny agency and she soon finds herself under the employment of a famous rock star - Nico Rathburn, at his estate of Thornfield Park and caring for his young daughter Maddy. Once Jane and Nico meet, there's no denying they are captivated by each other and a strong friendship is shared between them. But when Jane slowly falls in love with Nico, there are many secrets in Nico's past. Ones that will stop Jane for getting too close to him.

As I began reading JANE, I wanted it to stay true to the original tale but also I wanted something fresh and modern. Without saying too much about this new storyline, I can say some readers may find these events of the book unrealistic. In the original tale many young women married older men, because that's how things work, however in this modern time . . . I just can't see a 19-year-old girl willing to marry someone older than her, especially someone like Nico with too many troubles. Don't get me wrong, I loved Jane and Nico's characters. Jane was just as strong as Bronte's Jane and she had a lot of admirable qualities. She hasn't had much 'love' and 'attention' from her own family, and in some way I can see why she fell for Nico because he actually cared for her. As for Nico himself, he was a whole ball of fun. He displayed many of the same characteristics of Bronte's Rochester and Lindner did a great job in writing him as a rock star, which gave his personality a little bit more edge that the book needed. However, like I said, I can't imagine a 19-year-old girl that is a year younger than me, wanting to marry an older Nico. It's just not common in our world but I do understand that it is a retelling but there is a difference to today's society to the Victorian ways of marriage.

Overall, April Lindner's JANE novel was very faithful to the classic that I've loved for so long and I'm grateful for that. All of her characters had an element of Bronte in them and her words developed a great storyline, without going too overboard with the retelling of the events. For those who haven't had the privilege of reading Jane Eyre, you might enjoy this modern day version. JANE might even encourage you to read it. However to truly understand the world of JANE, I strongly suggest to read the Bronte original before this book. Because there's nothing better than the original script right?

Also sometime this year, be on the lookout for April Lindner's next book called CATHERINE, which is a modern retelling of one of my ultimate favourite books of all time . . . Wuthering Heights. I don't like retellings of classics novels but JANE was pretty good, so I'll definitely be checking out Lindner's next book since it's Wuthering Heights after all. Who doesn't love it?

The Rating

4/5 stars