Friday Memes and 'Yuki Chan in Brontë Country' by Mick Jackson

It's been a while since I really dug into the Friday madness of book blogging so today is going to be the day where I trawl through the blogosphere with a strong cup of coffee for a few hours. Today I'm sharing a novel with you which I absolutely loved reading last month: Yuki Chan in Brontë Country by Mick Jackson. I just posted the review for this charming book as well so hop over if you want to indulge in some more Brontë-madness.

The new novel from Mick Jackson, Booker Prize-shortlisted author of The Underground Man and Ten Sorry Tales.
'They both stop and stare for a moment. Yuki feels she's spent about half her adult life thinking about snow, but when it starts, even now, it's always arresting, bewildering. Each snowflake skating along some invisible plane. Always circuitous, as if looking for the best place to land...'
Yukiko tragically lost her mother ten years ago. After visiting her sister in London, she goes on the run, and heads for Haworth, West Yorkshire, the last place her mother visited before her death. 
Against a cold, winter, Yorkshire landscape, Yuki has to tackle the mystery of her mother's death, her burgeoning friendship with a local girl, the allure of the Brontes and her own sister's wrath.
Both a pilgrimage and an investigation into family secrets, Yuki's journey is the one she always knew she'd have to make, and one of the most charming and haunting in recent fiction.
Book Beginnings and Friday 56 are hosted by Gilion over at Rose City Reader and Freda over at Freda's Voice respectively.

BB:
'Your only hope of getting a half-decent photo of the Post Office Tower is to shoot it from a distance. You can try standing directly below it, but the concrete base just gets in the way/ There may be something in between these tow perspectives, but Yuki couldn't find it. Which is kind of odd, since she long considered the Post Office Tower to be as much an icon of her beloved Swinging Sixties as Biba, The Beatles and Mary Quant.' 1%
You admittedly don't get a very strong taste of the book from this beginning. But Yuki also only stands at the beginning of her tale here and everything is still quite contained and sane.


F56:
'And there he was, in back and white, sitting in his mountainside laboratory, with a sheepskin hat on his head and the flaps down over his ears, apparently talking quite earnestly, with the warmth of his words turning to steam before his face.' 56%
Yuki is here looking at Ukichiro Nakaya, a Japanese scientist who made the first artificial snowflakes. I loved this part of the book because just like Yuki I can get really obsessed with random things like snowflakes and start researching that thing like crazy.

Does Yuki Chan in Brontë Country like your kind of book? Share your Friday post link in the comments!

Comments

  1. What a fascinating book this must be! I loved the premise shared in the opening lines, and the mention of the Swinging Sixties in the 56 made me want to read more. Thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog. Enjoy trawling the blogosphere with your coffee!

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    1. It really was fascinating! I'd love to experience the Swinging Sixties, they sound like a lot of fun! Thanks for sharing :)

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  2. I like the beginning and think this sounds pretty interesting - love the cover - Thanks for visiting my Friday meme

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    1. The cover was the first attraction for me as well! Thanks for commenting :)

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  3. I love the writing: "... his words turning to steam before his face." Beautiful! This sounds like a book I'd enjoy.
    Thank you for visiting my blog. I always enjoy your thoughtful comments.
    Sandy @ TEXAS TWANG

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    1. The book is full of those kind of stunning writing! Definitely give it a try if you have the time! Thanks for commenting :)

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  4. This book sounds like a good one. Thanks for sharing. :-)

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    1. I definitely enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting :)

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  5. This doesn't sound like the sort of book I would pick up. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for visiting my blogs today. Happy reading!

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    1. I was unsure about it initially but really ended up enjoying it! Thanks for commenting :)

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  6. Oh my gosh, I love this cover. And from the excerpt, it sounds like it's wonderfully written too. Hope you have a lovely weekend!

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    1. It all really came together for this one although it's almost a little too weird at times! Thanks for commenting :)

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  7. I love the imagery the snippets conjure up. Happy weekend!

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    1. Jackson is really good at conjuring up atmosphere with his imagery! Thanks for commenting :)

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  8. The imagery is great, thanks for the comments on mine. This book looks wonderful.

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    1. It's full of great imagery which is really what made the book for me! Thanks for commenting :)

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  9. Very visual reading. Sounds fascinating.

    My 56 - http://fuonlyknew.com/2016/01/22/the-friday-56-93-the-wolf-gift/

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    1. I really enjoy reads that create really vivid images! Thanks for commenting :)

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  10. Hi Juli,

    Whilst I love the descriptive writing this book is obviously so replete with, it is the kind of literary fiction I would probably only read if I had a break in my conventional reading schedule.

    The argument could be made that I should allocate time to this genre of book, as I genuinely do want to broaden my horizons beyond mainstream fiction genres.

    However the tired old phrase "so many books, so little time" keeps resounding in my head, and I once again find myself reaching for the latest bestseller!

    Thanks for sharing and I am off to check out your review now :)

    Yvonne

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    1. There definitely are waaay too many good books out there (what a luxury to complain about ;) ) and I'm always slightly stuck trying to choose between reading the amazing contemporary novels and some of the classics I really want to read! In the end I think it's all about picking the books you want to read, rather than force yourself into reads! Thanks for commenting :)

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  11. What an intriguing book, Juli! However did you find it? I've never heard of this author either and will look him up.

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    1. Netgalley is where I found this gem, it's where I get most of my contemporary books! Definitely have a look at it if you're interested! Thanks for commenting :)

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