The Taste of Sorrow by Jude Morgan

I have to admit, I've never been able to finish a book by the Bronte sisters. I was given Wuthering Heights, but stopped after a few chapters. As for Jane Eyre.... I'm not sure when I stopped, but it was early in the book. Yet for some reason, I picked up a fictionalised version of the lives of the Bronte sisters.

Initially, the writing style, which seemed a bit different to me, threatened to make me abandon the book. But after a while, I got the hang of it, and the captivating story just drew me in. According to the author, he tried to make it as close to the facts as possible, although there will always be a bit of license involved when it comes to their thoughts and feelings (letters and the such are limited after all).

The book actually makes me want to try reading from one of the Bronte sisters again. With the background of their lives, it'll probably be easier to understand their books.

But I'm not sure where all the books are. It's possible that they're somewhere in Malaysia, and it's equally possible that their thrown out. Right now, I'll probably just try to download them on the iPad, but it may just distract me from reading the books.

Still, despite what others say, I find Jane Austen an infinitely better read than all of the Bronte sisters combined (Sorry Mark Twain). I think because she combines readability with acute social observations, I enjoy the books. However, I may be defining readability too narrowly, since there are plenty of people who enjoy reading them. I guess it's just me. But I wonder, how much of the 'cannon' is really relevant for today's reader. And if they're not relevant, does that still make them literary?