“I am no bird, and no net ensnares me” Jane Eyre (#13)

In this episode we have an interview with Patricia Bracewell, author of the Emma of Normandy historical fiction series Shadow on the Crown, The Price of Blood and The Steel Beneath the Silk. We discuss all things Anglo-Saxon, Viking and strong women in history! This leads Paul and Gwyn on to a chat about strong female leads in fiction. We also briefly mention the BBC’s Big Jubilee Read, which is an interesting list of 70 books that are representative of each decade since 1952 from across the UK and the Commonwealth. Oh, and not forgetting, you may wish to check out the magnificent Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers!

As some of our regular listeners may have noticed, this episode is a little late going live. The technical gremlins offered some challenges, especially in the first section of the episode, but rather than delay any further we have decided to go ahead. Hopefully the sound quality won’t detract from your enjoyment.

Here are some of the books which get a mention:

Frances Hodgson Burnett – The Secret Garden
Anna Sewell – Black Beauty
Jennifer Lucy Allen – The Foghorn’s Lament
Mark Billingham – Rabbit Hole and Cry Baby
Carys Davies – The Redemption of Galen Pike and The Mission House
George Eliot – Middlemarch
Charles Dickens – Bleak House and Little Dorrit
Michelle Paver – Wakenhyrst
Manda Scott – Boudicca series
Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice
Helen Fielding – Bridget Jones’s Diary
Thomas Hardy – Far From the Madding Crowd and Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Sarah Hilary – Fragile
Terry Prachett – Discworld series
Leo Tolstoy – Anna Karenina