Catherine by April Lindner – Blog Tour – Review, Interview and Giveaway!

Posted 17 June, 2013 by Danny in Author Interview, Blog, Blog Tour, Danny, Danny's Book Review, Featured, Giveaways / 42 Comments

I’m excited to kick of this Tour for CATHERINE by April Lindner. It’s a wonderful Wuthering Heights Retelling and todaay I’m thrilled to share my thoughts with you and had the chance to chat with April. Thanks to Jamie and Rachel from Rockstar Book Tours for organizing this great Tour!

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Catherine by April LindnerAbout CATHERINE 

Published January 2nd 2013 by Poppy

A forbidden romance. A modern mystery. Wuthering Heights as you’ve never seen it before.

Catherine is tired of struggling musicians befriending her just so they can get a gig at her Dad’s famous Manhattan club, The Underground. Then she meets mysterious Hence, an unbelievably passionate and talented musician on the brink of success. As their relationship grows, both are swept away in a fiery romance. But when their love is tested by a cruel whim of fate, will pride keep them apart?

Chelsea has always believed that her mom died of a sudden illness, until she finds a letter her dad has kept from her for years—a letter from her mom, Catherine, who didn’t die: She disappeared. Driven by unanswered questions, Chelsea sets out to look for her—starting with the return address on the letter: The Underground.

Told in two voices, twenty years apart, Catherine interweaves a timeless forbidden romance with a compelling modern mystery.

Find the Book: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | GOODREADS | FACEBOOK

My Review:

Most of you know that I’m German, which also means that in school we read a whole bunch of different classics than you guys. This in turn also means that I have never read Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. But anyway, this doesn’t stop me from reading retellings such as CATHERINE!

Two Young Girls – 20 Years Apart!

Chelsea grew up only with her dad, and when someday she finds an letter from her mom Catherine she decides to figure out why she left her daughter and husband 14 years ago and leaves for an unlike adventure in New York. There she finds more and more tiny snippets of her mothers life and begins to understand and see Catherine in a totally different life.

The story is told from both Chelsea and Catherine’s POV, while Catherine’s POV is set 20 years in the back when she was just 17 as her daughter is now. In the beginning I was a little scared I might not like to follow both POV, but I found myself being utterly engaged and engrossed in both girls life and journey.

What happened 20 Years Ago?

April Lindner told this story in a very smart and completely compelling way. While Chelsea learned more about Catherine, we jumped to Catherine’s POV in the past and relived what happened 20 years ago. It was part mystery and a big part romance that was incredibly emotional.We kept wondering what the hell happened to Catherine and we were secretly hoping and rooting for an unlikely happy ending.

Vivid and complex characters!!

We most definitely meet a vast cast of vivid and truly complex and fascinating characters. Besides trying to understand Catherine herself, we also get to know Hence both as a young boy and his 20 year older self. He was a brilliant character even though it was sometimes not easy to love him – he was very closed up with his emotions and it was not easy to see through his thick wall. I think he was one of most fascinating characters found in Catherine

Rating 4

 Bottom Line

CATHERINE by April Lindner was a vivid tale of love, loss and mystery that easily sucked me into its world. I found myself being utterly engrossed and enchanted with these characters and I was hoping and cheering for a hopeful ending. I can highly recommend this book for all lovers of Young Adult Contemporary who love to dig a little deeper into life changing decisions and who like light romances paired with an intriguing mystery!

 

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April Lindner Author Photo copy
…and now, I had the chance to chat a little with April Lindner and she was so gracious replying to all of my questions even though I had lots of them after I finished Catherine and was so excited about her stories!

About April Lindner

April Lindner is the author of two novels, Catherine, a modernization of Wuthering Heights, and Jane, an update of Jane Eyre.  She also has published two poetry collections, Skin and This Bed Our Bodies Shaped.

She plays acoustic guitar badly, sees more rock concerts than she’d care to admit, travels whenever she can, cooks Italian food, and lavishes attention on her pets—two Labrador retriever mixes and two excitable guinea pigs.

A professor of English at Saint Joseph’s University, April lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons.

Find April: TWITTER | WEBSITE | BLOG | GOODREADS

 

Danny: Hi April, thank you so much for stopping by today! CATHERINE is your second classic inspired  Contemporary Young Adult novel after JANE. (Please correct me if I’m wrong!!) What inspirited you about Wuthering Highs and Jane Eyre so much that you decided to write a contemporary Retelling? 

You’re right; JANE was my first and CATHERINE was my second.  I’ve always loved contemporary retellings of classic novels, and wanted to take on the challenge of trying to write one myself.  JANE EYRE  and WUTHERING HEIGHTS are my all-time favorite novels.  They have everything—romance, suspense, insight into the human heart.  For me they were the obvious choices.

Danny: Both JANE and CATHERINE deal with music and rockstars, which I especially find utterly exciting and appealing. There is just something very sexy about rockstarts, right?  What place has rock music in your life and why did you choose them for both of your retellings? 

 I completely agree—there’s really something about a rock star!  Music has been a lifeline for me, ever since I was a shy teenager who spent way too much time in my room, writing poems and stories, listening to my favorite albums, and trying to teach myself to play my acoustic guitar.  These days I feel most alive when I’m at a show—lost in an ecstatic arena crowd or up against the stage in a tiny club.  I’d always wanted to write a retelling of JANE EYRE, but it wasn’t until I thought of reimagining Mr. Rochester as a rock star that I knew that was a book I just had to write.  I sat down the next day and wrote like mad until I was done.

Danny: While reading CATHERINE I was utterly enchanted by the world you created surrounding a famous rock club. I know there are tons of these in New York, but is there a particular place you envisioned while creating The Underground? 

 The Underground is part CBGBs and part Bowery Electric (a wonderful club not far from where CBGBs used to stand), but it also bears a strong resemblance to my favorite club of all, The Stone Pony, in Asbury Park, NJ, where I’ve spent a lot of very happy hours.                                   

Danny: If you would be Chelsea, would you also have run away without telling your dad just to search your mom? I think I would be too scared leaving for such a big city with only being 17!

 At 17 I would never have dared run away to New York City, but then Chelsea’s life is pretty different from how mine was at her age.  She feels lonely and neglected—her workaholic Dad has moved her around a great deal and so she doesn’t have many friends—and when she finds out that her father has lied to her, possibly cheating her out of a relationship with her mother, she’s too angry to think straight.     

Danny: What do you think is CATHERINE’s biggest regret?

 If only Catherine had been more upfront with Hence, maybe the big misunderstanding that drives them apart could have been averted.  But then again, he wants her to choose between him and going away to the college of her dreams, so maybe he’s the one who should have been willing to compromise.

Danny:  Hence was one of the most fascinating characters you created for CATHERINE. He was not easy to see him clearly as he was a very guarded boy/man. Was it difficult for you to get inside of his head and outline his character? 

 I have a whole backstory for Hence in my mind, though it didn’t make it into the novel, in part because I like how mysterious he was to Catherine.  I see him as coming from a really troubled background, with an abusive stepfather and a mother who didn’t protect him.  I also envision him as having run away from his home fairly early; before he finally makes it to New York City, he’s lived on the streets and in situations that have compromised his innocence.  Then he runs into Catherine.  She’s so bighearted and generous and so interested in him.  Not to mention how creative, smart and beautiful she is.  How could he possibly resist her?  And how could any other girl ever replace her?

Danny: Would you mind telling us if we can expect another novel like JANE and CATHERINE in the future? 

 I’d be happy to.  I’ve been working on a retelling of E. M. Forster’s A ROOM WITH A VIEW, the story of a British girl who takes a grand tour of Italy, who falls in love there with an unsuitable guy and is forced to rethink her conventional life back in England.  In my version—tentatively titled LUCY—the heroine is an American backpacker in Italy who bumps into a freethinking street musician from New Jersey.  Of course there has to be a musician!

Danny: Oh my, that sounds so awesome!!! Thank you so much for stopping by at the Bewitched Bookworms today! And on a side note: I have not read JANE yet, but after finishing CATHERINE, I will definitely read JANE as soon as possible! 

I hope you like it.  Thanks for the great questions!

CATHERINE by April Linder

Full Tour Schedule

Week One

Week Two

And now, it’s time for a Giveaway:

Giveaway

A hardcover copy of CATHERINE by April Lindner to THREE (3) winners. It is a tour-wide giveaway shared across all the stops via a common Rafflecopter. Giveaway is US only. Must be 13 or older to enter. Giveaway ends July 4 at 11:59 p.m. Winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter and contacted by email.

Much Love, 

danny Siggy

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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42 Responses to “Catherine by April Lindner – Blog Tour – Review, Interview and Giveaway!”

  1. I love modern retellings because they make an old well-known or beloved story more digestible by audiences of a generation later than their original readers. It allows us to find different ways to learn or apply the same lessons presented to us.

    Reply »

  2. I love modern retellings because they make an old well-known or beloved story more digestible by audiences of a generation later than their original readers. They allow us to find different ways to learn or apply the same lessons presented to us.

    Reply »

  3. Vivien

    I love re-tellings. It’s so fascinating to be able to re-imagine a fairy tale that we know inside and out. A lot of times, it can add a whole new perspective!

    Reply »

  4. Brynna

    I like retellings because they add a new twist on an old story that I love. So, maybe I’m a little bored with the old one, even though I still love it, but when you add the new elements there’s so much more to discover!

    Reply »

  5. Chanpreet

    I really enjoy modern retellings because authors are able to take them and their own spin to a wonderful story. It makes a classic fresh, while never coming close to usurping its position in readers hearts.

    Reply »

  6. Wow. I know I’ve read Wuthering Heights, but it’s been a LONG time and I honestly can’t remember much about it aside from the fact that it was a bit of a downer. Clearly, I need a refresher and this retelling might be just perfect for that! Thanks so much for the fabulous review and interview Danny!

    Reply »

  7. erinf1

    I like seeing how creative an author can be while “retelling” an old story/concept. How do they fit it in modern times? how do they keep the tone/suspense similar? Thanks for sharing!

    Reply »

  8. Karin

    My reading list for school here in Canada was quite different (I don’t know if this is all of Canada or just my School District…), so I love reading the retellings to get the general story-line and plot points without having to wade through the original.

    ~ Karin

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  9. Nice review (glad that the characters are vivid and complex!) and interview! I really enjoyed Lindner’s novel JANE, so I’m very curious about this book.

    I love how modern retellings revisit a classic story and give it a fresh twist. I find it interesting to see what changes an author makes, along with what remains the same. Thanks for the giveaway! 🙂
    Lea J. recently posted..Review: THE TESTING by Joelle CharbonneauMy Profile

    Reply »

  10. Angie

    Modern retellings are just so intriguing because half of the time they wouldn’t work due to the amazingness of cell phones and the internet, so seeing how authors tweak the details to make them work is really exciting.

    Reply »

  11. Haley

    I really like the modern part. I love all old fashioned books and writing. But the modern is easier for me and more interesting generally, for me.

    Reply »

  12. Kai W.

    I love myths, fairy tales, and folklores retold into modern times. Things are not as simple when these tales were first told. I like to see some modernization made to them. Thanks for the giveaway.

    Reply »

  13. Kayla C

    Wuthering Heights was one of my favorite books we read in high school! And retellings are some of my favorite stories, so this book will probably be great! I love getting new perspective on characters and plot points. Thanks for the awesome giveaway! 😀

    Reply »

  14. Josie Hink

    I enjoy how the author turns the story in to their own version of how they see the classic story!! Lets you see it another way that you might not have before!!!

    Reply »

  15. Tiffany Drew

    I love retellings because I like to see the story from a different perspective. I’m always anxious to see how an author can take a well known story and make it their own. I also like to imagine what would these character’s lives be like had they been born in a different time period, retellings answer that question for me. Thank you!

    Reply »

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