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See the Stars by Eleanor Ray #Review

  See the Stars by Eleanor Ray will be  published on February 5th 2026 by Piatkus .  Do you ever feel that life isn't going to plan?   When Alice Thorington collapses in the street after a particularly hellish day at work, she must finally admit to herself that her outwardly happy life - steady relationship, well-paid job, beautiful flat in the city - isn't everything she'd hoped it would be. Burnt out by long hours and living a life that doesn't fulfil her dreams, Alice returns home to Yorkshire.  Her childhood home brings complicated family dynamics, a rediscovery of her passion for stargazing and two new friends: Berti, a boy who finds it easier to count the stars than interact with people, and Matt, her brother's best friend and Alice's teenage crush. With each of them facing their own struggles, can the stars that meant so much to Alice in her past help them to find their way in the present?  Filled with heart and warmth, this uplifting novel...

Yuki Chan in Brontë Country by Mick Jackson

If I'm honest, the main reason for reading this book lay in the title and its mention of Brontë Country. As I read on, I realised that that in fact  is a bit of a red herring, as it is for Yuki herself. Yuki, a young Japanese girl with limited english, is touring the Brontë sights in search of the truth about her mother, who she believed visited the area ten years previously. Her mother has died and Yuki is desperate to know the truth behind her death. She meets Denny, a local girl and they set about unravelling what her mother was doing in that area, led by some old photographs which Yuki has brought.

     As a character, Yuki is a bit of an enigma. The loss of her mother dominates and she has an underlying loneliness, emphasised at first with her lack of connection with any of the other women who are on her tour bus. If I really tried to stretch  it, I could see in the isolation of the motherless Brontë sisters a similar element of living a little apart and, especially with Emily, an interest in spirituality and other worldly experiences. These elements are there with Yuki's story. 

    This is a surprising book which tends to wrong foot the reader as the plot unravels. I liked the humour and quirkiness of Yuki. She is a stranger in a foreign land who looks at her surroundings with a detached and quizzical air. She is no fan of the Brontë's and can't really empathise with the Brontë enthusiasts she sees. Her friendship with Denny could have been further developed but it is Yuki herself, so independent and irreverent, who steals the show.

In short: quirky, eccentric on a mission to uncover a mystery- Yuki leads us on an entertaining, if slightly odd, quest.

 Thanks to Faber & Faber who sent me a copy of the book via NetGalley for an honest review.

Comments

  1. It's interesting how the Japanese are so keen on the Brontës, so I can see the motivation for this book. Sounds suitably quirky.

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    1. Part of the enjoyment is seeing how Yuki is on a totally different wavelength to all the Bronte fans but I think there are parallels to be drawn between the sisters and Yuki, all observers of life. Yuki's relationship with her father and sister could be spelled out deeper, you get the impression there is a whole second book lurking there.

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