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Red Room: New Short Stories Inspired by the Brontës
Red Room: New Short Stories Inspired by the Brontës continues Unthank Books' commitment to celebrating the short story. The collection includes twelve new stories by some of Britain's most accomplished writers, many of whom have won prizes such as the Macmillan/PEN Prize, the BBC National Short Story Award, the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award and the V. S. Pritchett Prize. The collection also includes a poem by Simon Armitage.
The collection features a demon sheep, strange curates, acts of rebellion and acts of violence. There is love made and love ruined, parents lost and children found. A girl's controlling step-father gets more than he bargained for while out on a picnic. A troubled man finds comfort in the poetry of Emily Brontë during his wife's illness. A woman stumbles across a French officer while out walking and returns home with a secret.
A percentage of the profits from sales of the book will be donated to The Brontë Birthplace Trust to help with their plans for Thornton, Bradford - the village where all three sisters were born.
'Ranging from haunting to humorous, from formally inventive to jubilantly fantastical, and from 19th to 21st centuries, there is a story here for every taste, and for every Brontë lover.' Jane Rogers, author of Hitting Trees with Sticks.
The collection features a demon sheep, strange curates, acts of rebellion and acts of violence. There is love made and love ruined, parents lost and children found. A girl's controlling step-father gets more than he bargained for while out on a picnic. A troubled man finds comfort in the poetry of Emily Brontë during his wife's illness. A woman stumbles across a French officer while out walking and returns home with a secret.
A percentage of the profits from sales of the book will be donated to The Brontë Birthplace Trust to help with their plans for Thornton, Bradford - the village where all three sisters were born.
'Ranging from haunting to humorous, from formally inventive to jubilantly fantastical, and from 19th to 21st centuries, there is a story here for every taste, and for every Brontë lover.' Jane Rogers, author of Hitting Trees with Sticks.
- GenresShort Stories
136 pages, Paperback
First published November 14, 2013
About the author
A.J. Ashworth
6 books11 followersA. J. Ashworth is a prize-winning writer whose debut collection of short stories, 'Somewhere Else, or Even Here', was published by Salt Publishing after she won their Scott Prize.
She has previously had stories published in magazines such as Tears in the Fence, The Warwick Review, The View From Here and more. She has also been longlisted/shortlisted in competitions including the Willesden Herald International Short Story Competition, the Short Fiction Competition and Fish Short Story Prize.
The collection was shortlisted for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize and longlisted for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Prize. She is the recipient of Arts Council England funding as well as a K. Blundell Trust Award and Authors' Foundation Grant from The Society of Authors. She is the editor of 'Red Room: New Short Stories Inspired by the Brontes' and has a PhD in creative writing. She is currently working on a second collection of short stories.
Praise for 'Somewhere Else, or Even Here':
'A. J. Ashworth's first collection of short stories displays impressive versatility. She treats each of her characters to their own narrative timbre - and the stories do not progress so much as accrue, collecting incidental detail that enriches the scenarios without pointing towards their resolution.' TLS.
'Success in the short story genre, to my mind, is contingent on the dexterity with which the author wields the primary tool at his or her disposal: the scalpel. A. J. Ashworth does so with the delicacy and precision of the surgeon. Here are fourteen stories from which every irrelevance has been excised, to provide a ruthlessly fine focus on the minutiae that matter...In this collection of short stories Ms Ashworth has peered through life’s keyhole and found all-too-human characters confronting the familiar and the beguiling, creating a series of coruscating cameos that sparkle with simple honesty and intelligent insights. These stories are impeccably crafted and easy to read, and a useful collection for dissection by the reading group.' John Oakley, Newbooks.
'Dark, witty, delicious stories with flashes of terror and tenderness.' Maggie Gee.
'A. J. Ashworth is a writer who creates worlds in a few sentences, and universes in a few pages. She explores our underlying loneliness in all its myriad guises with a steady eye and with great tenderness, whilst investing the everyday with a freshness that comes from a real gift for observation and a delight for language. The stories here really are shooting stars – ‘brilliant sparkling scratches’ against the night. A very gifted writer. One to watch without a doubt.' Vanessa Gebbie
'With beauty, poise and fearlessness, A. J. Ashworth creates worlds that are chillingly real, exploring the raw human need for attachment and the fear of closeness in a way that is both tender and haunting. She is a fierce new talent.' Simon Van Booy.
'Winner of the 2011 Scott Prize. Short story writers have the enviable job of having to create characters and situations in just a few pages and A. J. Ashworth performs this amazing feat, seemingly, effortlessly making her short stories a real joy to read. This is a sublime, award-winning collection of short stories that would make an exciting and alternative selection for a reading group.' Lovereading.
She has previously had stories published in magazines such as Tears in the Fence, The Warwick Review, The View From Here and more. She has also been longlisted/shortlisted in competitions including the Willesden Herald International Short Story Competition, the Short Fiction Competition and Fish Short Story Prize.
The collection was shortlisted for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize and longlisted for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Prize. She is the recipient of Arts Council England funding as well as a K. Blundell Trust Award and Authors' Foundation Grant from The Society of Authors. She is the editor of 'Red Room: New Short Stories Inspired by the Brontes' and has a PhD in creative writing. She is currently working on a second collection of short stories.
Praise for 'Somewhere Else, or Even Here':
'A. J. Ashworth's first collection of short stories displays impressive versatility. She treats each of her characters to their own narrative timbre - and the stories do not progress so much as accrue, collecting incidental detail that enriches the scenarios without pointing towards their resolution.' TLS.
'Success in the short story genre, to my mind, is contingent on the dexterity with which the author wields the primary tool at his or her disposal: the scalpel. A. J. Ashworth does so with the delicacy and precision of the surgeon. Here are fourteen stories from which every irrelevance has been excised, to provide a ruthlessly fine focus on the minutiae that matter...In this collection of short stories Ms Ashworth has peered through life’s keyhole and found all-too-human characters confronting the familiar and the beguiling, creating a series of coruscating cameos that sparkle with simple honesty and intelligent insights. These stories are impeccably crafted and easy to read, and a useful collection for dissection by the reading group.' John Oakley, Newbooks.
'Dark, witty, delicious stories with flashes of terror and tenderness.' Maggie Gee.
'A. J. Ashworth is a writer who creates worlds in a few sentences, and universes in a few pages. She explores our underlying loneliness in all its myriad guises with a steady eye and with great tenderness, whilst investing the everyday with a freshness that comes from a real gift for observation and a delight for language. The stories here really are shooting stars – ‘brilliant sparkling scratches’ against the night. A very gifted writer. One to watch without a doubt.' Vanessa Gebbie
'With beauty, poise and fearlessness, A. J. Ashworth creates worlds that are chillingly real, exploring the raw human need for attachment and the fear of closeness in a way that is both tender and haunting. She is a fierce new talent.' Simon Van Booy.
'Winner of the 2011 Scott Prize. Short story writers have the enviable job of having to create characters and situations in just a few pages and A. J. Ashworth performs this amazing feat, seemingly, effortlessly making her short stories a real joy to read. This is a sublime, award-winning collection of short stories that would make an exciting and alternative selection for a reading group.' Lovereading.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 27, 2018
A wonderful selection of charming short stories which work fantastically well together as a collection. It’s clearly charged throughout with a genuine love for the Brontës and their works, a vital ingredient that ironically seems to be lacking in other Brontë ‘inspired’ works - (Reader, I Married Him: Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre, I’m looking at you.) These short stories are so incredibly diverse and appeal to every possible emotion on the spectrum: Carys Davies’s 'Bonnet' was absolutely heartbreaking whilst Bill Broady’s 'Heathcliff versus Sherlock Holmes' had me paralytic with giggles.
If I have one complaint, that is the complete absence of any pieces directly inspired by Anne’s works (which is thoroughly distressing to a committed Anne-advocate). Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre dominate the scene, making room for a guest appearance from Villette, but there's not one dedicated peep from either Agnes Grey or The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. This collection should probably be rechristened 'Short Stories Inspired by Charlotte and Emily Brontë' for accuracy.
Nevertheless, Red Room is superb for any fellow Brontë fanatics.
If I have one complaint, that is the complete absence of any pieces directly inspired by Anne’s works (which is thoroughly distressing to a committed Anne-advocate). Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre dominate the scene, making room for a guest appearance from Villette, but there's not one dedicated peep from either Agnes Grey or The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. This collection should probably be rechristened 'Short Stories Inspired by Charlotte and Emily Brontë' for accuracy.
Nevertheless, Red Room is superb for any fellow Brontë fanatics.
Read
June 29, 2017I'm not going to rate this as I'm the editor - and it wouldn't be right - but I enjoyed revisiting these stories in order to prepare for an event. I'd almost forgotten how varied they are - ranging from stories inspired by the Brontës as people to those inspired by lines of text or the stories themselves (and, in one, Emily's poems provide the inspiration). It was great to re-read these.
January 21, 2014
I was provided with a copy of this book from the publishers in return for an honest review.
This is a collection of short stories written by award winning short story authors. Each writer was asked to create a story inspired by the works of the Brontes. A percentage of the profits are being donated by Unthank books to The Bronte Birthplace Trust who aim to save the birthplace of the Brontes, in Thornton, Bradford. Each of the authors featured provided their work for no fee.
The blurb at the back can best describe the contents of the anthology." The Collection features a demon sheep, strange curates, acts of rebellion and acts of violence. There is love made and love ruined, parents lost and children found. A girl's controlling step-father gets more than he bargained for while out on a picnic. A troubled man finds comfort in the poetry of Emily Bronte during his wife's illness. A woman stumbles across a French officer while walking and returns home with a secret."
The little book had sat shamefully neglected on my TBR for some time. Yesterday I decided to pick it up and only put it down because sleep beckoned. This is a beautiful collection of short stories covering a wide variety of themes, yet all brought together by the inspiration of the Bronte sisters. If you have not read anything by Charlotte, Emily or Anne Bronte don't let this put you off the book. All the tales contained in it are well worth a read.
One or two of the stories stick out as particular favourites, imaginary correspondence between two fictional heroines and the one that will remain with me for a long time, Ashton and Elaine, a beautiful story of a mute boy and his foster sister.
I would recommend this anthology to any lover of short stories. If you've yet to fall for the charm of short pieces of fiction then this is a wonderful place to start.
March 9, 2014
A J Ashworth's introduction to this book of short stories inspired by the Bronte sisters begins:
"The Brontes. Our nation's most famous sisters - Charlotte, Emily and Anne."
and continues ...
"The Brontes fascinate us. We love their books, we love the films and television dramas made of their books and we love them"
I have to agree with this so much. I've been fascinated by all things Bronte since my parents took me to the parsonage at Haworth almost 40 years ago. I still have all of the books that I collected about their lives, and the postcards and bookmarks that I bought during that trip. The sisters were so far ahead of their times, their lives seemed so dark and lonely, yet they wrote with such passion. Funnily enough, I loved the actual sisters and reading about them more than I actually loved their stories. I think I was a little obsessed - the original fan-girl?
The collection of stories entitled Red Room is diverse and eclectic, and include authors such as Alison Moore, Tania Hershman and David Constatine. Some are funny, some are dark. Some are historical and some are modern. All of them celebrate the Bronte sisters, and their works in different ways.
Inspiration ranges from Catherine from Wuthering Heights to Jane Eyre, some are inspired by the lives of the sisters rather than their works.
Red Room is a fine tribute to the Brontes, and most readers will find stories within the collection that will suit their taste. As with most short story collections, I did like some more than others, but on the whole I think this is a book that will be enjoyed by many.
"The Brontes. Our nation's most famous sisters - Charlotte, Emily and Anne."
and continues ...
"The Brontes fascinate us. We love their books, we love the films and television dramas made of their books and we love them"
I have to agree with this so much. I've been fascinated by all things Bronte since my parents took me to the parsonage at Haworth almost 40 years ago. I still have all of the books that I collected about their lives, and the postcards and bookmarks that I bought during that trip. The sisters were so far ahead of their times, their lives seemed so dark and lonely, yet they wrote with such passion. Funnily enough, I loved the actual sisters and reading about them more than I actually loved their stories. I think I was a little obsessed - the original fan-girl?
The collection of stories entitled Red Room is diverse and eclectic, and include authors such as Alison Moore, Tania Hershman and David Constatine. Some are funny, some are dark. Some are historical and some are modern. All of them celebrate the Bronte sisters, and their works in different ways.
Inspiration ranges from Catherine from Wuthering Heights to Jane Eyre, some are inspired by the lives of the sisters rather than their works.
Red Room is a fine tribute to the Brontes, and most readers will find stories within the collection that will suit their taste. As with most short story collections, I did like some more than others, but on the whole I think this is a book that will be enjoyed by many.
December 23, 2013
This was a wonderful collection of stories that I'd recommend for any Bronte fan. I'm honestly not sure I could pick a favourite, but I'll be reviewing and discussing this in more detail on my channel in the next couple of weeks.
March 6, 2023
I read the short story of "Bonnet", for a writing class, which is so beautifully written. Not only does Davies transport the reader into the world of the main protagonist she has also in a way reflected the world of a writer and the world. How things can be so easily taken from you and are so so fragile. How perspective and reflection are used as symbolism is just astounding. A beautiful short read that gets my brain thinking.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews