Charlotte and Emily: A Novel of the Brontë's [Paperback]

Jude Morgan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2010

From an obscure country parsonage came three extraordinary sisters, who defied the outward bleakness of their lives to create the most brilliant literary work of their time. Now, in an astonishingly daring novel by the acclaimed Jude Morgan, the genius of the haunted Brontës is revealed and the sisters are brought to full, resplendent life: Emily, who turned from the world to the greater temptations of the imagination; gentle Anne, who suffered the harshest perception of the stifling life forced upon her; and the brilliant, uncompromising, and tormented Charlotte, who longed for both love and independence, and learned their ultimate price. 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The haunting Brontës bloom like heather on the rain-drenched moors in this feverish re-creation of the Victorian English family by Morgan (pseudonym for the U.K.'s Tim Wilson), who has mined literary icons like Byron, Keats, and Shelley (Passion) before tackling the sisters. The Brontës of lonely Haworth, a rural town with a mortality rate to rival the worst of London's slums, are daunting as subjects because of their constant struggle to survive. The novel doesn't just focus on Charlotte and Emily, celebrated scribes of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, but also on Branwell, their egocentric brother whom their father, the Rev. Patrick Brontë, doted upon. Sharp glimpses of the talented youngest sibling, Anne, and elder sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, both of whom died after falling ill at a nightmarish girl's school, complete the family picture. Branwell's profligate ways can seem excessive, and although coltish Emily remains a blurry conundrum, this memorable ode to the Brontës and their impressive contribution to world literature, despite relentless trials and early deaths (only Charlotte reached 40), is bitterly exquisite. (May)
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From Booklist

Isolated in provincial Haworth, sometimes venturing out into the wider world but always drawn back home out of a sense of duty or disappointment or homesickness, tending to die young, the Brontë sisters lived lives narrowed both by preference and circumstance. How did they produce such astonishing fiction? Morgan (An Accomplished Woman, 2009) cleaves closely to the facts in this fictionalized biography, beginning with mother Maria’s death in 1821 and ending with Charlotte’s death at 38 in 1855, having outlived her five siblings. What emerges is a picture of women who became remarkable artists partly because they found their imaginations far more compelling and rewarding than life outside the parsonage doors. Morgan is a deft enough writer that even readers who are familiar with the biographical details will relish seeing how they are fleshed out here. Since Anne has as much of a presence in the novel as Emily, the title is a bit misleading, but Anne never seems to get out from under her sisters’ shadow. --Mary Ellen Quinn

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (April 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312642733
• ISBN-13: 978-0312642730
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #843,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Horrible title, great book, May 1, 2010

By 

S. Chiger (New York, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Charlotte and Emily: A Novel of the Brontë's (Paperback)

There are more novels about the Brontes than there are novels by the Brontes. But this is a worthy addition to the former group. Jude Morgan avoids the wild speculation of some Bronte fiction (Emily was a lesbian! Branwell seduced his male student!) but manages to reimagine some of the tropes so that Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne emerge as complex, believable individuals. (I found his depiction of Emily in particular refreshing.) Perhaps more important, you don't need to know anything about the Brontes or even to have read any of their works to enjoy this book.
The title of the book is misleading, by the way. It focuses on the entire Bronte family, not solely, or even primarily, on the two best-known members. The UK title is The Taste of Sorrow, which is perhaps a bit melodramatic but more in keeping with the tone of the writing.
Why didn't I give this book five stars? Because while Morgan's language is often dazzling, presenting numerous mini epiphanies, at times it's overly mannered, detracting rather than enhancing the story. That minor quibble, though, should not put you off Charlotte and Emily!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Six Funerals and a Wedding, June 23, 2010

By 

A Reviewer (Chicago, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Charlotte and Emily: A Novel of the Brontë's (Paperback)

Having taught Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, I was enthusiastic about reading this impressive novel of the Brontes. It's the best book I've read this year.

The title can be deceiving. The story relates the hard lives of Patrick Bronte, his wife, five daughters and a single son, Branwell.

These characters are so very well drawn, the reader completely empathizes with their little victories and crushing tragedies. The author beautifully and cleverly ties in elements that arise in the published novels of the three literary sisters, Emily, Anne, and Charlotte. The metaphors the author employs are startingly different and yet superbly applicable.

The sense of place--removed, rustic, "wuthering"--provides the reader with the coldness and solitariness of the parsonage in which they lived. The setting to a great extent defines much of the character of the Brontes, some of whose lives become as irregular and bent as the trees and shrubs out on the moors.

As a teacher and as a writer Push Not the RiverI cannot recommend this book more highly.

James Conroyd Martin, Author of PUSH NOT THE RIVER & AGAINST A CRIMSON SKY

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charlotte, Emily, Branwell and Anne, July 21, 2010

By 

G. Messersmith "calliopemuse" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Charlotte and Emily: A Novel of the Brontë's (Paperback)

The book opens on the evening before their mother dies, just the first in many tragedies that will haunt their lives, causing them to live very much within their imagination. The two older sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, step into the mothering role only to be sent off to an awful school where they are overcome with illness and come home to die. This leaves Charlotte as the oldest child. The Bronte children grew up poor and as girls they had no dowry so they had to work as governesses and teachers to make their way in the world. The whole family, including the father, had pinned their hopes on Branwell to do something with his life and save the family, and it is pitiful to watch him waste his life away.

Writing was a way of escape for them all. When they were children they invented an imaginary kingdom which Branwell's wooden soldiers took part in and they wrote tiny on little scraps of paper which they sewed together into books. Even when away from home at school or working for other families, they would often continue writing these stories. Unfortunately they lived in a time when writing was seen as unimportant and for a woman to write a novel was considered nonsense at best. Morgan beautifully captures their love of the written word and how dedicated to it they were, even though they knew there was little chance of success from their writing.

This novel will surprise and delight you. It is beautifully written and even though the outcome is well known you'll still want to read to the final word to find out what happens. Morgan's writing draws you in and it brings the Bronte family to life. I highly recommend this novel.