Book Review: The Infernal World of Branwell Brontë by: Daphne du Maurier

Tags

Author, Biography, Book, Book Review, Branwell Bronte, Daphne du Maurier, English Literature, non-fiction, review, The Bronte sisters, the Brontes, The Infernal World of Branwell Bronte

He belonged, by blood and by temperament, to the first freckles group from across the water which might beckon him; to the eloquent unpublished poets of many a Dublin side-street, to the painters with canvases untouched […] He belonged to the great company of gifted, wasted Irishmen who, in their mother country, are content to fail and dream, but, transplanted into another, break body and soul” – The Infernal World of Branwell Brontë, Daphne du Maurier

Initial Thoughts: The Infernal World of Branwell Brontë… doesn’t this title send delicious shivers up your spine? It does for me.  It took me a few months to get my hands on a copy of this book. For the most part it is out of print. I was lucky to have found an old battered copy at my library.

Summary

In 1960, Daphne du Maurier (author of Rebecca, The Birds, and Jamaica Inn) published The Infernal World of Branwell Brontë, the story of the forgotten Bronte sibling. Branwell Brontë was the brother of Charlotte Brontë (author of Jane Eyre, Villette, Shirley, and The Professor), Emily Brontë (author of Wuthering Heights), and Anne Brontë (author of Agnes Grey, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall). Although Branwell showed signs of promise from a young age, he quickly spiraled down an infernal path to self destruction. Daphne du Maurier’s biography of Branwell tells the story of a man with infinite potential who couldn’t overcome the demons haunting his own mind.

Goodreads

Book Review: The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by: Thomas King

Tags

Book Review, Canadian Literature, History, Indigenous, Indigenous literature, Native American, non-fiction, North America, review, The Inconvenient Indian, The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America, Thomas King

But most Canadians, like most Americans, have a shockingly poor grasp of their own history. Dates, people, the large and small nuances of events have all been reduced to the form and content of Classic Comics. This isn’t a complaint. It’s an acknowledgment that people are busy with other things and generally glance at the past only on holidays” – The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America, Thomas King

Initial thoughts: When I was assigned this non-fiction account of Indigenous people in North America, all I could think was… oh great. I usually don’t read  many non-fiction books . I know I should, but generally, my heart gravitates towards fiction. This book really surprised me in many ways.

Summary

Thomas King’s The Inconvenient Indian provides a portrait on the treatment of Indigenous people in the past and present. King’s book touches on all aspects of how Indigenous people are viewed by society such as in the media, popular culture, the government, and in Indigenous communities.