Thornfield Hall, JANE STUBBS
Whilst I was working on Jane Eyre's Scrapbook, I enjoyed reading around the original novel in order to stimulate new refections. This was by far the most interesting companion narrative.
Superbly crafted, it's accurate to the original plot - yet my toes curled in delight at the additional characters (would be a spoiler to say here). The working-in of the meaning behind the sinister barking laugh, that Grace Pool often emits, is a piece of genius.
POEMS of Awakening, Edwin Charles
I both laughed and cried while reading these poems!
They get under your skin and I've thought about them no end - some gallop along and are really funny, others incredible poignant - one, in particular is The Horse I Saved has a line "This horse is dead and done!" is so chilling.
What the author does so well is evoke a sense of place - Edwin has the ability to draw people right there with him with his descriptions of the smell of glass and the feeling or water.