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Pint-sized history
Shakespeare’s Pub sorts through tall tales and famous names to soak up English culture’s single most defining institution natpo.st/1a23jJc
Are retold tales a new fad or the latest incarnation of a rich tradition?
Margot Livesey’s latest novel, The Flight of Gemma Hardy, tells the story of a young girl who goes to live with her aunt, uncle and cousins after the death of her parents. The uncle treats his niece like a daughter, but after his accidental death she is shunned by her remaining relatives. Eventually, she enrolls in a strict boarding school, and later, lands a job at a remote estate tutoring a young girl. She falls for the young girl’s brooding guardian, only to have a deep, dark secret threaten their relationship.
Sound familiar?The Flight of Gemma Hardy is a retelling of Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre. This is not a secret, but a selling point. Two of the blurbs that grace the back of an advance copy of the book mention Brontë’s classic, and Livesey isn’t shy about acknowledging her debt. ILLUSTRATIONS BY STEVE MURRAY
This year’s crop of seasonal albums is traditional indeed. It offers old chestnuts sung straight by soberly clad Canadian crooners, a clean-cut indie darling duo and even a reformed grunge hellion. And then there’s Justin Bieber, rapping on Drummer Boy: “I’m so tight, I might go psycho!” For those about to rock around the Christmas tree, the Post’s Mike Doherty salutes you.
