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Black Spring

by Alison Croggon (Goodreads Author)

3.38 of 5 stars 3.38 · rating details · 79 ratings · 34 reviews

Inspired by Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, BLACK SPRING reimagines the passionate story in a fantasy 19th century society sustained by wizardry and the vengeance code of vendetta.

Anna spent her childhood with Damek and her volatile foster sister Lina, daughter of the Lord of the village. Lina has magical powers, and in this brutal patriarchal society women with magical...more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published October 1st 2012 by Walker Books Australia

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Mar 16, 2013 Nafiza marked it as to-read-retellings · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-releases, 100-books, books-i-own

OH. MY. God. Finding out that Ms. Croggon's writing another book nearly made me weep. It's going to be awesome, I'm telling you right now.

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Oct 21, 2012 Max rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book scared me so deeply I put the book downwards so I couldn't see the face of the witch on the cover. I don't know if I can look at the front cover again- this book, whilst I was reading it, was far from scary and also, amazingly good with the simple, yet unique style of writing, yet the after taste of it is curious, and I am left in a confused state of what I just read. The story, for one, is so passionate and the love and death that bined together was so gothic and nourishing. The endin...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Michelle Moloney King rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review was also published on http://teachermoloneyking.com

Black Spring by Alison Croggon, award-winning poet, editor, critic and playwright, is a re-imagining of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, the same Gothic love story with a fantasy twist of witches, wizards and the vengeance code of vendetta.

Black Spring is unique in YA as it is written in a layered, almost poetic prose. Lina (Kathy) returns home to the barbaric north. She’s a witch and is under threat from the wizards. (While wizards...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Big Book Little Book rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Helen for www.bigbooklittlebook.com
Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

When I heard that someone had decided to write a re-imaging of Wuthering Heights I wasn't sure whether to be impressed or horrified! Bronte's classic is such an iconic book it is a huge step to undertake to look at it in a fresh light. Cathy and Heathcliff have such strength of personality you wonder if anything could expand on that and their tragic, obsessive love is unique in literature. Having said a...more Helen for www.bigbooklittlebook.com
Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

When I heard that someone had decided to write a re-imaging of Wuthering Heights I wasn't sure whether to be impressed or horrified! Bronte's classic is such an iconic book it is a huge step to undertake to look at it in a fresh light. Cathy and Heathcliff have such strength of personality you wonder if anything could expand on that and their tragic, obsessive love is unique in literature. Having said all that, although I can appreciate Wuthering Heights, it is not one of my favourites so I was ready to see what someone else could do with it.

The story in Black Spring sticks pretty closely to the original, particularly in the beginning when Hammel visits the north to escape illness and a broken love affair (just as Lockwood does). He meets Damek (Heathcliff) an embittered and angry man living in an awful household and treating his young wife abominably. When Hammel returns to his rented house Anna (the maid, aka Nelly) tells him the story of Damek and his lost love Lina (Cathy).

Damek comes to live with Lina when they are both children. Until this point Anna has been Lina's closest friend despite the barrier caused by Anna being the daughter of a servant and Lina having come from the royal line. Damek and Lina spend as much time as they can together, both have a restless and wild nature and they literally run off and leave everyone else behind whenever they can. As they grow up Lina's father dies and due to the disfavour with the king his house and land is given to Maseko, an awful man who forces Damek to live as a servant and eventually causes Lina to leave when he assaults her. Damek too leaves and Lina then marries and has a daughter. Then Damek returns and the consequences for everyone are devastating.

The biggest departure from the original is the addition of the fantasy element. Lina is a witch and there are wizards who have a lot of control over the villages and land they live in. Wizards have control, witches are often executed. Then there is Vendetta. This was a really fascinating part of the story, Vendetta is mentioned a few times before it is fully explained. When it is explained you get an idea of the full horror of it and of the power of the wizards who declare it or finish it. Simply put if someone is killed in the village their honour must be avenged. This happens through the eldest male in their family killing the perpetrator of the crime. However this means that the death of the next murdered man must also be avenged and so it goes on, effectively killing off the entire male population of villages as they take vengeance on each other through the family line, cousins and so on are all included. It may sound gruesome, and in many ways it is, but there was a whole ritual behind it of doing things in a precise way at certain times. I would really have liked Alison to spend more time on this idea and in developing it, along with the whole witch and wizard scenario. Anna is affected by this as her father has to become a part of it and she subsequently loses him. Her feelings about the matter and its impact on the family are obviously enormous and yet a lot of it remained unexplored. In the end I was more interested in this than in Damek and Lina’s story (possibly because I roughly knew what would happen to them!) I hope Alison will write another novel and focus more on this idea.

The novel is beautifully written. The prose is easy to read but not at all simplistic. Although much more contemporary it had a flavour of a book written longer ago with some of the language that the characters use. As the book is set in a historical time this adds to the gothic darkness that pervades it. In addition Alison captured the brutal quality of Wuthering Heights really well in this tale. The families and some of the additional characters are really barbaric at times. I felt that in this story more of the brutality came from external influences whereas Cathy and Heathcliff’s obsessive love brings about much of the brutality in the original. In fact I think that this, for me, is where this story was lacking. The relationship between Damek and Lina just didn't have the impact that the original protagonists had. That is not to say that they don't have a fiery and strong bond, but the punch seemed to be missing.

Verdict: So, after all that (!), I did enjoy this book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of a passionate gothic fantasy. However I think it is better not to think about the connection to Wuthering Heights and just read it as a novel in its own right. I think I would have enjoyed it more reading it that way, and if you want to know about Wuthering Heights just read that!
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Oct 20, 2012 Meg rated it 2 of 5 stars

*** also published at The Next Read ***

I’m not a big one for re-tellings of the classics. Mostly, they seem to run the range between cliché and blatant plagiarism with a rare few stand-outs. Wuthering Heights, in all its Gothic splendour, happens to be one of my favourite classics, so it was with a great deal of apprehension that I started Alison Croggon’s fantasy twist on this tale – and it wasn’t exactly a brilliant beginning. The format of this YA title is pretty much exactly the same as the...more *** also published at The Next Read ***

I’m not a big one for re-tellings of the classics. Mostly, they seem to run the range between cliché and blatant plagiarism with a rare few stand-outs. Wuthering Heights, in all its Gothic splendour, happens to be one of my favourite classics, so it was with a great deal of apprehension that I started Alison Croggon’s fantasy twist on this tale – and it wasn’t exactly a brilliant beginning. The format of this YA title is pretty much exactly the same as the original. Our narrator is the same arrogant, snobbish and frustrating figure, who then falls ill and is entertained by the maid and her shocking tale of the neighbours’ murky past. Sound familiar? The setting is apparently the same as the original, both in time and place, except for one thing: in this world, we have wizards and witches. And our Cathy figure, named Lina? Yeah, she’s a witch. And related to the royal family, and therefore rather fittingly a royal pain in the ass.

Basic storyline remains: Imperious, wilful Cathy’s life on the moors changes when her father brings home a gypsy boy (except, in this, Heathcliff is named Damek and is the bastard son of the king) for her to play with. Cue the beginning of an epic, intense and disturbingly co-dependent relationship in which both parties make it their mission to make each other’s lives – and those of everyone around them – utterly miserable. You know the story: Heathcliff/Damek leaves, Cathy/Lina marries the wrong guy, everyone is desperately unhappy and vicious with it, Lina dies and the cycle begins again with her daughter. For the sake of clarity (I assume) Croggon has eliminated a bunch of characters and simplified many others.

But this is where things get a little different. Croggon’s society is basically run by wizards and the weird and somewhat undefined relationship they have with the crown. They hate Lina, for reasons that are only vaguely sketched out as having something to do with her father’s choice of wife, thus Lina and her family don’t move to the north until she’s roughly ten. And the north is a land of strange, superstitious folk, with curious ways – such as the complicated law of vendetta. To summarise: basically, someone is murdered, and by law their murderer must be killed by a member of the victim’s family. This avenging figure is then taken out by one of their victim’s (the original murderer’s) family members, and so on and so forth until everyone is dead or grieving. The murderers also have to pay a Blood Tax for the privilege of killing and being killed, so everyone is actually dead, grieving or broke.

There are a whole bunch more complicated details to this bizarre rule – ones that, perhaps, if they had a whole novel devoted to them, could become an interesting premise that actually makes sense. As it is, this story reads like two tales crammed unsuccessfully into one: the demented love story of two damaged individuals; and a dark fantasy tale about a superstitious and strange community. It sticks too closely to the storyline of Wuthering Heights to be original, and the magical elements it seeks to add are just not well developed enough to bring anything new to the story. Lina’s powers are never fully explored and neither are the boundaries of magic in general. Somewhat impressively, Croggon has managed to indulge in several info-dumping passages (in part acceptable due to Anna’s narration, but still annoying) as well as failing to fully explain and develop the world she has created.

That’s the bad. Now for the good.

The relationships are pitch-perfect, and the ‘maid’ figure, known as Anna, has far more personality and air-time in this story than in Emily Bronte’s version. She also has nearly enough good qualities to redeem the rest of the morally bankrupt cast. I know, I know – they are meant to be terrible. I’m perfectly OK with that. If anything, Croggon’s Lina is stronger, smarter and blessed with a kinder soul than Bronte’s Cathy. Sure, she’s likely to throw a tantrum if she doesn’t get her way and her maternal instincts are dubious at best, but she also has a strong sense of her own worth and a fundamentally loving heart. For all the weaknesses in the plot, Croggon certainly captured the essence of the relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff – sorry, Lina and Damek – in all its twisted glory. It does, however, lack the absolutely gut-wrenching impact of the original.

The problem with this isn’t that it is bad – it just isn’t good, either. Like the original, it is seductive, dark and slightly addictive. If you manage to get into this story, and do your best to forget the Wuthering Heights connection, it is a decent – if slightly weird and incomprehensible – Gothic fantasy with great characters. However, if you’re like me and think the Bronte sisters are just about the best thing to emerge from the desolate English moors, you might struggle to look past the bastardisation of the storyline and lack of inventive spin. While I’m not exactly highly recommending this, it is an interesting addition to the ever-widening field of classic adaptations and will appeal to a certain group of enthusiasts.

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May 14, 2013 Petty Witter rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An evocative reimagining of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights according to the outer back cover.

Hmm, though not totally unfamiliar with the story I've never actually read Wuthering Heights so I can't possibly comment on this BUT as comparisons with Gothic classics seem to be the order of the day I admit that for me the opening chapters of Black Spring put me in mind of Bram Stokers Dracula.

Rather disappointing all round. The dual narratives (the story telling is shared between Hammel and Anna) di...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Cass - Words on Paper marked it as top-wishlist

Shelves: 2012-release, aussie

That synopsis seems way too telling. But anyway, imagine you're just doing your usual thing, walking around and peeking at what people around you are reading, as you do. And... BAM! This chick with the haunted expression, with the caged-in windswept hair and thick eye makeup is staring back at you! You take a mental note of the title and now you're here. Except this is not the story of how you got here, because this book isn't yet released.

Ahem. If you just read this I'm sorry for wasting your t...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Bec ♥ Live for the ones you love ♥ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

I really liked this book. Hauntingly beautiful comes to mind when describing this book. I haven't read the book Wuthering Heights but I've seen the 2009 version so I saw the similarities in this book and knew that it couldn't end well knowing it was inspired by such a dark story. I felt much the same as when I read When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle, a modern version of Romeo and Juliet but from Rosaline's point of view, I knew it simply couldn't end well but I was helpless to stop it. Safe to...more

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May 05, 2013 Emily Duncan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, own-it, ya

I just want to take this book everywhere with me and love on it and write in the margins and love it as much as I’ve loved my copy of Wuthering Heights because it literally took everything I love with the story I love most and combined it all in splendour.
So, first, forewarning, Wuthering Heights is one of the classics that everyone claims to have read but haven’t/or they read it once and hated it. (Protip, very few people like Wuthering Heights during their first read. It’s one of my favouri...more I just want to take this book everywhere with me and love on it and write in the margins and love it as much as I’ve loved my copy of Wuthering Heights because it literally took everything I love with the story I love most and combined it all in splendour.
So, first, forewarning, Wuthering Heights is one of the classics that everyone claims to have read but haven’t/or they read it once and hated it. (Protip, very few people like Wuthering Heights during their first read. It’s one of my favourite books ever and I didn’t like it until the second time through). Black Spring is very much like Wuthering Heights so if you’ve never read it or hated it (give it another go!) I would approach this with caution.
I’ve been a fan of Croggon’s work since the Pellinor series (which I still fervently tout as being the closest thing to a YA Lord of the Rings in terms of scope and worldbuilding). So, when I found out about this book not only was I ecstatic, I also impatiently bought a UK copy because I didn’t want to wait for the US release date (which is in August, if you’re curious). I had some trepidation because Wuthering Heights! It’s so easy to ruin because it’s such a passionate story! But I was enamoured with the fantasy setting she was placing it against, and I trust Croggon’s worldbuilding (obviously), so I was hopeful in going into this story.
And I was definitely not disappointed. The story has been crafted in about the same way as Wuthering Heights in that it begins with a narrator completely uninvolved in the story. Hammel is from the south and is travelling to the primitive forbidding northern lands to get away from it all. True to WH, he goes to visit the landowner of the house he’s renting and if you know WH, you know who he meets. (wink wink nudge nudge).
Now, I am one of those people who adore all the characters in WH even though the majority who read WH can’t stand them and find them to all be whiny and selfish (and they are! Kind of. It’s part of what makes them so brilliant). The characters in Black Spring are all very true to the WH counterparts. This is a retelling at its finest. It retains the original story in spirit but has set it against a completely new backdrop (proving how transcendent the story itself is, I suppose.) This isn’t like a Deathless retelling in which the story is new but holds the essence of the old story, Black Spring follows the same narrative style and story as WH, it just gives a new tinge to it with its setting. Which, I personally think was the proper way to go about this, because WH is such a complicated story that changing too much would ruin it.
She did cut Hindley and Hareton and the majority of the second generation plot. I, personally, don’t mind that because I care less about that plot (as do most WH readers… so it was a good decision).
Black Spring is set in Elbasa, a harsh village in the northern lands where wizards and blood magic rule underneath the harsh vendetta. The vendetta is this cruel, dark, thing that’s happening outside the basic core of the plot. I don’t want to spoil how it works but there’s a lot of death and most of the village dies. And it’s a beautiful concept. Lina is a witch and should have been put to death because witches are not suffered to live in the north, but she’s also of the royal blood and thus escapes her fate.
What I am so in love with (aside from the setting which is magnificent) is how Croggon used magic to explain and to further Lina’s wild spirit and mad nature. It was… kind of genius, actually because it gave it this twist that was just amazing. (I think it also makes Lina a bit more likeable than Cathy… but only a bit). Damek was perfect (yes, I am also one of those people who love Heathcliff without shame. So.), that’s… that’s all I have to say just that she handled all the characters so perfectly.
The plot was a little scrunched up because Croggon chose to cut out the second generation, and I do wish that we could have seen more of the vendetta and the world building. However, this isn’t really a story for a vast amount of world building because it is so self contained and I recognise that. I appreciate the world building that did happen and I feel as if it was just enough for contain the story.
The prose was gorgeous. It was a little bit purple, but it was true to the style of WH and Croggon’s background as a poet showed in the most beautiful of ways. I’m just in love with the words of this book and how she framed the dreary and blood soaked land in the picturesque ways that the moors of WH were framed.
5 stars without question. A stunning retelling of an often misunderstood classic. (less)

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Feb 03, 2013 Novels On The Run rated it 3 of 5 stars

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle - 16th November 2013 :

RATING: 3.75 TRAGIC STARS!

“There is luck in being born ordinary.”

Black Spring is inspired by Wuthering Heights. I have not read any of the classics, yes, I know that may be a tragedy in itself.

Alison’s story within, is of darkness, passion, twisted love, lust, betrayal and vendetta’s, told from three pov’s, Hammel, Anna and Lina’s . Hammel, is more of a narrator at the start.

The story is set in Elbasa, the Red House. These walls have seen a lot.

I...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Vivienne Serendipity Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: to-review, 2013-books, received-to-review

Originally posted at www.serendipityreviews.co.uk.

It's no big secret that I loathed Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. I don't think a classic has ever seriously depressed me more. So with trepidation I began reading Black Spring, keeping my fingers crossed it would greatly improve on the original, otherwise I knew I wouldn't be reading very much of it. Thankfully, this book was soooo much better. With the inclusion of witches and wizards, giving it a fantasy appeal, this book made a much dislike...more Originally posted at www.serendipityreviews.co.uk.

It's no big secret that I loathed Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. I don't think a classic has ever seriously depressed me more. So with trepidation I began reading Black Spring, keeping my fingers crossed it would greatly improve on the original, otherwise I knew I wouldn't be reading very much of it. Thankfully, this book was soooo much better. With the inclusion of witches and wizards, giving it a fantasy appeal, this book made a much disliked novel really exciting to read. The plot doesn't really deviate that much from the original but the characters are just so much more interesting and likable. It still has that strong Gothic richness to it, yet it loses the terrible depressive nature of the original, giving it much more vibrancy.

The book has two narrators. The first narrator Hammel, comes across as a pompous twit. I struggled to read the chapters in his voice, because he was just so annoying and droll. Surprisingly I felt the same anger that Damek felt towards him. However when Anna took over the narrative the story really improved. I really liked her voice - she was vibrant yet wise; obviously affected by everything she had suffered. Her voice was clear and concise, which made it a pleasure to read her tale. From her words, you could tell how much she loved Lina and Damek, even though they continued to disobey the rules of society.

Lina came across as a spoilt, selfish yet highly spirited child who had a wicked wild side just brimming beneath her surface. and perhaps she was, bearing in mind she was the only child of a rich land owner. She would eventually get her own way even after punishment - she knew how to control a situation. The fact that she was believed to be a witch frightened a lot of people and they would give in to her requests. It is interesting to note how valued and honoured the wizards of the land are, yet all witches would be burned at the stake. In the end it appears that Anna is stronger than the wizard, which surprises many. I much preferred Damek in this book to Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, although his mistreatment of Lina's daughter was disgraceful.

I can't review this book without discussing the vendetta that plagued the country. It was truly horrible - that one person would be killed and a chain of murders would then continually occur to avenge each previous death. Towns would lose every male relative as the murders continued until only the women were left. They all knew they would die and I found it so sad and heart wrenching to read about.

Once I moved past Hammel's part in the book, I really began to enjoy the story. Anyone who can turn my most hated read into an excellent enjoyable book is definitely an author to be explored further. I have never read any of Alison Croggon's fantasy novels but after reading this and really enjoying her style I will definitely look into her other books.

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Jan 10, 2013 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, ya, fantasy, gothic

I eagerly awaited this book for a long time as Croggon's other novels, the Pellinor Series, are most definitely some of my most favourite books.

If that wasn't enough cause for excitement, when I heard that Black Spring was a retelling of Wuthering Heights with wizards I was instantly curious. I was not disappointed. Although widely different to my expectations and undoubtedly one of the saddest and darkest books I have ever read, Black Spring has a kind of tragic, enticing beauty which quickly h...more I eagerly awaited this book for a long time as Croggon's other novels, the Pellinor Series, are most definitely some of my most favourite books.

If that wasn't enough cause for excitement, when I heard that Black Spring was a retelling of Wuthering Heights with wizards I was instantly curious. I was not disappointed. Although widely different to my expectations and undoubtedly one of the saddest and darkest books I have ever read, Black Spring has a kind of tragic, enticing beauty which quickly had me hooked.

WARNING: This review contains mild spoilers!

If you're unfamiliar with the plot of Wuthering Heights, it's basically about a passionate yet doomed love between Cathy and her foster brother, Heathcliff. Their story is brought to light through a traveller, Mr. Lockwood, who after meeting Heathcliff and believing he saw a ghost in his house becomes curious about the past and asks his housekeeper to tell him what happened. In Black Spring all of these characters are kept intact, with Lina and Damek taking the places of Cathy and Heathcliff, Hammel being the traveller and Anna his housekeeper.

I have seen people around the internet criticise Croggon for not being 'original' and sticking too much to the plot of Wuthering Heights and making Black Spring an almost perfect copy of it. However, I think they are being somewhat unfair. Croggon has never denied that Black Spring is a retelling, it even says so on the back cover of the book! Personally, I think it was very brave to take on such a classic story and make it her own and she has done a wonderful job of capturing the bleak, eerie atmosphere of Gothic literature.

The style of writing used in Black Spring is extremely reminiscent of Wuthering Heights in that it is detailed and precise, as well as thorough. I'll admit that I found it a bit heavy going at first, but once I got used to it it flowed nicely and was easy to read. That ever present eerie atmosphere I mentioned put me on edge right from the first chapter, I could just tell that something bad was going to happen. It's like that all the way through, giving a sense of constant unease and suspense, which for me made this book completely unputdownable. As well as this, her description is lyrical and almost hauntingly evocative, adding to the creepy tone and wonderfully depicting the dreary location in which the story takes place. I especially liked how the vendetta was mentioned fleetingly throughout and described without clearly stating what it actually is until it becomes necessary. It is 'worse than flood or fire,' 'like a plague,' and 'a parasite that fruits only graves,' which encourages the reader to speculate and also contributes to the unease and suspense.

While it is an integral part of life in the Black Country, the vendetta plays only a small part in the story. I have seen people question its relevance and criticise Croggon for leaving much of her world unexplained, such as the relationship between the wizards and the king, the origin of the vendetta and how magic works. I agree that much is left for readers to wonder about and many aspects of her world appear to be under developed, but I think people are missing an important point: for the purpose of the story, we don't need to know these things! Sure, it would make the world more realistic and give some context, but essentially whether they are explained or not Lina's story remains the same. Anna, who is the main narrator, would probably not know these things, so why should they be included in her tale? Also, I think that leaving things vague compliments the element of mystery and highlights how strange and harsh the Black Country is. It is clearly a strict, patriarchal society and the wizards govern their towns with a certain degree of fear as well as authority, which is reason enough for them to persecute Lina for slipping through their net. Magic exists in this world, but in the shadows. It is not dominant, but like the murky undertone of the prose just sits there, waiting for a brief moment to reveal itself before skulking back into the gloom. If Croggon had been writing a story focusing on wizards, the royal family and vendetta then there would have been cause for her to be more specific, but since Black Spring is a domestic drama about a maid and her mistress set in a rural area, I have no problem with the lack of information.

Finally, I have a bit to say about characterisation. I found it clever how the narrative position switches from Hammel to Anna, as for the first few chapters readers are getting used to Hammel and preparing to take him on as a main protagonist, but suddenly he fades into the background and we are given Anna instead. But even that is not a proper swap, as despite the fact that she tells the majority of the story I personally would not class Anna as the main character. For me, everything in this novel revolves around Lina. It's interesting to have a passive main character, as Lina is long dead when Black Spring begins and therefore the only impressions we get of her are from Anna, her foster sister and maid, and a few haphazard extracts from a diary she kept as a teenager. But still, she is as colourful and realistic as ever, and there is no escaping that this is her story. She holds the limelight both in her world and on the page, and is one of the most interesting and volatile characters I have ever encountered. It's hard to get a fix on her, and as soon as I thought I had her figured out she would do something to change my mind. She is certainly forceful and charming, and strong but yet naive and childish. Her wildness perfectly contrasts the society of the Black Country and her fate reveals much about the dangers of being different in such a place. She and Anna also provide a character contrast, as Anna is much less dramatic and more sensible and patient. This makes them work well together as dominant characters and gives rise to tension as well as displaying more curiosity about Lina through how she builds relationships. Her affair with Damek also shows this, although he is not as open as Anna and almost as volatile as Lina herself.

Black Spring is like nothing else currently on the YA shelf. It isn't particularly exciting or filled with mythical creatures and paranormal romance, but it is still a wonderful read and I think it's lovely that there is something new out there. Here you will find no sugarcoating or things to make you smile, just pure, enticing darkness. A perfect Winter's read! Black Spring is about as far away from Pellinor as you can get in genre, style and tone, which goes to show Croggon's skill and I salute her for standing out and trying something so different.(less)

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Mar 18, 2013 Shauna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-a-copy, 2013, beautiful-covers, gothic, retelling

Wuthering Heights is my favourite book, so when I saw it inspired this, I kind of had to give it a go. Obviously, I had my doubts, terrified in case it was awful and mangled my favourite. Thankfully, that isn't the case.
Black Spring is quite true to the atmosphere of Wuthering Heights, without being a total copy. I liked the very obvious difference in that there are wizards in this one. I would actually have liked this to be a longer book, with more information about the wizards and vendetta.
I...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dieses Buch war sehr schön und ausführlich geschrieben (übersetzt), aber man kann trotzdem sehen, dass das Schöne daran liegt, dass es schon auf Englisch schön geschrieben wurde. Das Buch wurde für mich, aber eigentlich nicht auf der letzten Seite beendet. Die Geschichte hörte einfach auf. Die wichtigste Fragen waren zwar geklärt, aber mich hätte auch die anderen Floskeln interessiert. Trotzdem würde ich das Buch weiter empfehlen.

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May 11, 2013 Eva rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2013, young-adult, fantasy

Black Spring is compulsively readable and I kept turning the pages to see how the characters would tear each-other apart but it is pretty dark. It's also not difficult to see how this book was inspired by Wuthering Heights (which I sadly have not yet read but may have to) in both its use of atmosphere, anti-heroes, and self-destructive relationships. Her writing is also flawless!

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Mar 11, 2013 K. May rated it 2 of 5 stars

Wuthering Heights fans out there? Do not read this novel; unless you are happy to have the original storyline shred to pieces by magic, witches, wizards and cold-hearted characters.

You've probably gathered that I didn't quite enjoy the story...

Not that I'm the biggest Brone fan out there, but still, I had expected a lot more than what I read, and that was solely because of all the supernatural elements Croggan had incorporated!

It happened again, you see, I judged a book by its awesomely creepy...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Keira rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you like some romance and lots of described violence in a book this is a book you should read. The story is set from three perspectives and overall quite interesting. Alison Croggan has a very interesting way of writing to make you keep on wondering about whats going to happen next. "Black Spring" is a wonderful fantasy and I really enjoyed it.

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Jan 07, 2013 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, australian, teenage

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 31, 2012 Victoria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teenage-young-adult

This imaginative, evocative reimagining of Wuthering Heights is marvellous. Atmospeheric and chilling, it gripped me with its bleak setting and passionate characters. Alison Crogon obviously adores the origional 'Wuthering Heights' as the emotion and love shines through every page but with a magical and stunning twist.

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Jan 07, 2013 Lyn Battersby added it

Shelves: awards

Lyn is a judge for the Aurealis Awards. This review is the personal opinion of Lyn herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.

I will be rating this once the AAs are announced.

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Jul 08, 2012 Coffeecup marked it as to-read

Shelves: top-of-my-tbr, reviewed

Extremely excited for this to come out! Years ago after finishing the Pellinor series I kept waiting for something else from her. My worries about not having another book to read by Alison Croggon are now gone. Just four more months to go!

If you haven't read Pellinor, I highly recommend them.

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Nov 03, 2012 Chantal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

An interesting concept and quirky piece of storytelling (somewhat reminiscent of Wuthering Heights). I enjoyed the telling by different characters. This is actually a 3.5 star rating from me.

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Jan 25, 2013 Paivi Blair rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a wonderful novel in the Gothic classic tradition of Wuthering Heights. I loved the rich, passionate world Alison creates for us. A pure indulgence to read. Loved it.

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Apr 11, 2013 Lynne - The Book Squirrel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013

If you like Wuthering Heights you will like this one, I thought it was ok but thought it was just another version of a good classic being messed around with.

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Apr 07, 2013 Christine Bongers rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-ya, aussie-ya-reading-challenge

Atmospheric homage to Wuthering Heights with witches, wizards and vendetta.

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Oct 02, 2012 Steph marked it as to-read

Hate Wuthering Heights but love Croggon. Maybe I'll try this.

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Oct 01, 2012 Sally marked it as don-t-want-to-read

Love Croggon, but not sure how much bleakness I can handle...

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Apr 07, 2013 Tricia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Disquieting and yet fascinating

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Dec 20, 2012 Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, historical, paranormal, witches, stand-alone

Wuthering Heights with wizards.

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Dec 13, 2012 Sam added it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-or-galley, did-not-finish

DNF. Read up to page 47.

I can't work out if it's the writing or the story, but I am finding this incredibly dull. May try again later...

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Young Adult

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About Alison Croggon

Born in 1962, Alison Croggon is one of a generation of Australian poets which emerged in the 1990s. She writes in many genres, including criticism, theatre and prose.

Alison Croggon is the author of the young adult fantasy quartet, The Books of Pellinor. The first volume was nominated in two categories in the Aurealis Awards for Excellence in Australian Speculative Fiction in December 2002 and nam...more Born in 1962, Alison Croggon is one of a generation of Australian poets which emerged in the 1990s. She writes in many genres, including criticism, theatre and prose.

Alison Croggon is the author of the young adult fantasy quartet, The Books of Pellinor. The first volume was nominated in two categories in the Aurealis Awards for Excellence in Australian Speculative Fiction in December 2002 and named one of the Notable Books of 2003 by the Children's Book Council of Australia. The series has since been released to critical and popular acclaim in the US, the UK and Europe. Her new novel Black Spring will be released in 2012 and a children's book, Jimmy Wonderspoon (ages 9-12), is available as an ebook.

Her poetry has been published widely in anthologies and magazines in Australia and overseas. Her most recent poetry publication is Theatre, (Salt Publishing 2008). Others are Ash (Cusp Books, Los Angeles 2007), November Burning (Vagabond Press Rare Objects Series, Sydney, 2004); Mnemosyne, (Wild Honey Press, Ireland, 2001); The Common Flesh (New and Selected Poems) (Arc Publications, UK, 2003) and Attempts at Being (Salt Publishing, UK, 2002).

Her first book of poems, This is the Stone, won the 1991 Anne Elder and Dame Mary Gilmore Prizes. Her novel Navigatio, published by Black Pepper Press, was highly commended in the 1995 Australian/Vogel literary awards and is being translated for publication in France. Her second book of poems, The Blue Gate, was released in 1997 and was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's Poetry Prize. Attempts at Being was shortlisted for the Kenneth Slessor Poetry Prize in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards. In 2000 she was the Australia Council Writer in Residence at Pembroke College, University of Cambridge (UK).

Alison has to date written and had performed nine works for theatre. Her performed work includes the operas Gauguin (Melbourne Festival 2000) and The Burrow (Perth Festival, Sydney, Melbourne 1994-95 and broadcast by ABC Radio), both with Michael Smetanin. Her plays include Lenz (Melbourne Festival 1996), Samarkand and The Famine (Rules of Thumb season, Red Shed Company, Adelaide 1997 and ABC Radio 1998), Blue (CIA, La Mama, Melbourne and the Street Theatre, Canberra, 2001). ABC Radio commissions include Monologues for an Apocalypse (2001) and Specula (2006). She also wrote lyrics for Confidentially Yours (Playbox Theatre 1998, Hong Kong Festival 1999).
Many of her poems have been set to music by various composers, including Smetanin (Skinless Kiss of Angels, Elision New Music Emsemble), Christine McCombe and Margaret Legge-Wilkinson (Canberra New Music Ensemble) and most recently Andreé Greenwell.

She was Melbourne theatre critic for the national daily newspaper, The Australian, until 2010, and keeps a blog of theatre criticism, Theatre Notes. at http://theatrenotes.com (less)

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