LITTLE MATCH GIRL STRIKES BACK by Emma Carroll My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is an empowering re-telling of a Hans Christian Anderson story of an impoverished match-seller struggling to make a living selling matches on the freezing streets. Subverting the tragedy of Anderson’s tale, this transposes the story onto the streets of London,Continue reading “A Quick Review of The Little Match Girl Strikes Back”
Tag Archives: Dickens
Dickens in the Pits: My Paper from the Dickens Symposium 2022
What follows is the text I prepared for the presentation of my paper. I know I digressed from the text at times, but I think I stuck to what I had planned to say – for the most part: Those of you who know me are probably aware that the main area of interest forContinue reading “Dickens in the Pits: My Paper from the Dickens Symposium 2022”
On the overturning of Roe V Wade…
Over the last two days, I have veered between despair and disbelief as I contemplate the overturning of the decision of Roe v Wade by the Supreme Court of the US this week. I have already heard countless people, mostly men, saying it is a US problem, and therefore should not impact on those ofContinue reading “On the overturning of Roe V Wade…”
Mordew: When a Dickensian reads Fantasy
Mordew by Alex Pheby My rating: 5 of 5 stars I readily confess that I am not a lover of the fantasy genre. Therefore, when I received my copy of the book, it languished in the old TBR pile for a considerable period of time. Even the fact that many of the reviewers used theContinue reading “Mordew: When a Dickensian reads Fantasy”
2020: ‘I could not help considering what strange stuff all our little stories are made of’
When Dickens received a letter from his youthful flame, Maria Beadnell, some three or four and twenty years after his romantic pursuit of her was thwarted, he wrote, in his reply to her, about the ‘changeless Past’ and observed that he could not help considering what strange stuff all our little stories are made of.Continue reading “2020: ‘I could not help considering what strange stuff all our little stories are made of’”
‘Bleak House, the fact that Esther gets smallpox…’: Dickens in Ducks, Newburyport
This is the paper I gave at The Impact of Dickens conference on 17 September, with many thanks to Dr Pete Orford, Dr John Drew, my fellow panelists and the attendees for a brilliant discussion of all things Dickens over the two days. In 2019, the novel Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann was published toContinue reading “‘Bleak House, the fact that Esther gets smallpox…’: Dickens in Ducks, Newburyport”
Lovechild: A Sloppy Affair?
Reading over Our Mutual Friend again, one word (or two words joined by a hyphen) shook me out of my comfortable familiarity with the text: ‘love-child’. I suppose in some ways, I shouldn’t have been surprised. There is a long tradition of exploring illegitimacy in fiction. Indeed, the nineteenth century is awash with characters bornContinue reading “Lovechild: A Sloppy Affair?”
Catherine Cookson: A Review of the Biography of her Life.
Catherine Cookson by Kathleen Jones My rating: 5 of 5 stars In 1994, I wrote a letter to Catherine Cookson, explaining that my Mam was a huge fan, and that I wanted to get her something special for her 40th birthday. I asked if it were possible for her to autograph a book for her.Continue reading “Catherine Cookson: A Review of the Biography of her Life.”
Dickens Fanfic – Chapter 2
Still thinking about the elusive Mrs Blackpool from Dickens’s Hard Times, and as I had such fun thinking about what had happened to her to make her the woman so despised in the novel, I have continued on. No doubt it needs some work, but in the meantime, here is Chapter 2 of Mrs Blackpool…Continue reading “Dickens Fanfic – Chapter 2”
How I Came to The Story of Divorce
If I was going to pinpoint the reason for why I was inspired to write The Story of Divorce, I guess, to some extent, I am going to have to blame Dickens. But before we get to the inimitable novelist and the reason why he was responsible for my obsession with the stories underlying theContinue reading “How I Came to The Story of Divorce”
Deborah Siddoway 