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Emma Brown: A Novel From the Unfinished Manuscript by Charlotte Bronte
Charlotte Brontë’s death in 1855 deprived the world of what might have been her masterpiece. The twenty unfinished manuscript pages that are the nucleus of Emma Brown signaled her most compelling work since Jane Eyre—the story of a young girl, Matilda, brought by her father to a small school in provincial Victorian England. The school, Fuschia Lodge, is foundering, so its headmistress is delighted to welcome a new pupil—especially one so elaborately dressed, with an apparently rich father who is “quite the gentleman.” But when Matilda’s tuition goes unpaid and it comes time to make arrangements for the Christmas holidays, she is shocked to find that the identity of the father, Conway Fitzgibbon—like the address he left behind—does not exist.
So who is the mysterious Matilda? She herself will not say, and it falls to a local gentleman, Mr. Ellin, and a childless widow, Isabel Chalfont, to unravel the truth. From the drawing rooms of English country society to the grimy backstreets of London’s seamiest reaches, from the dandified members of the city’s elite clubs to the blowsy ranks of its brothels, Emma Brown follows the search—first for Matilda’s true identity and then for the girl herself.
With all the wit and pathos of the novel’s originator, Clare Boylan’s accomplished pen has seamlessly developed Brontë’s sketch of a girl without a past into a stunning portrait of a Victorian society with a shameful secret at its heart.
437 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 207 reviews
June 17, 2017
Not many people know that this novel was actually started by Charlotte Bronte and left unfinished with her death. Clare Boylan picked up this thread and finished the novel with remarkable results. It's virtually seamless and worthy of Charlotte Bronte's beginning. I think Charlotte would have approved. I bought a hardcover copy and proudly added it to my bookshelves. 4.5 stars
June 24, 2017
I like the (sweetly morbid) germination of this novel -- i.e., Charlotte Bronte jots a 2-chapter snippet about a girl without memory of her past, then dies before completing it...only to have the novel finished 150+ years later by a different author who has no idea what CB planned, so she creates it from scratch.
...Which ultimately begs a question. Is Emma/Matilda's story anything resembling what CB had in mind for her woebegone little gal? The world will never know, & I like that uncertainty.
In any case, Boylan's continuation is a change from the microcosmic claustrophobia of Jane Eyre & Villette. Purists are pissed (of course) & rate the book accordingly. But some Bronte scholars guess this sort of change was in the works, given hints in letters & hitherto untried paths CB was exploring in RL. Again, the world will never know; the sensational Collins & Dickens elements might well be due to Boylan alone. But CB never shied from 'scandalous' heroines -- ugly girls finding passion while still being ugly, depressed girls rejecting the notion that they're broken simply because they don't heal on male command. I can definitely see her tackling problematic themes like unrequited youthful passion vs contented arranged marriage, or an abused teenager who thinks she was a child prostitute & therefore doesn't deserve gentle things in life.
Even when couched as a pastiche novel, Boylan has more freedom to discuss these things. Emma's devaluing of herself even while she recognizes the injustice of said devaluing has all the earmarks of classic sensation novels, as does her journey through sleazy London before that all-important rescue at the last possible moment. But I particularly liked Boylan's portrayal of the narrator, Isabel (a 35+ widow) & her history, including arranged marriage. It would have been easy to make Albert an abusive ass, but he's not. Instead he's a blustering, big-hearted dude who shows great kindness to others. Isabel comes to love him dearly, despite the fact that he's not her first choice. But when fate brings that first choice back into her life, she's reluctant to re-open old wounds -- time has proven that youthful passion isn't the only path to happiness & self-worth.
Given CB's treatment of her other heroines, I think she would have approved.
...Which ultimately begs a question. Is Emma/Matilda's story anything resembling what CB had in mind for her woebegone little gal? The world will never know, & I like that uncertainty.
In any case, Boylan's continuation is a change from the microcosmic claustrophobia of Jane Eyre & Villette. Purists are pissed (of course) & rate the book accordingly. But some Bronte scholars guess this sort of change was in the works, given hints in letters & hitherto untried paths CB was exploring in RL. Again, the world will never know; the sensational Collins & Dickens elements might well be due to Boylan alone. But CB never shied from 'scandalous' heroines -- ugly girls finding passion while still being ugly, depressed girls rejecting the notion that they're broken simply because they don't heal on male command. I can definitely see her tackling problematic themes like unrequited youthful passion vs contented arranged marriage, or an abused teenager who thinks she was a child prostitute & therefore doesn't deserve gentle things in life.
Even when couched as a pastiche novel, Boylan has more freedom to discuss these things. Emma's devaluing of herself even while she recognizes the injustice of said devaluing has all the earmarks of classic sensation novels, as does her journey through sleazy London before that all-important rescue at the last possible moment. But I particularly liked Boylan's portrayal of the narrator, Isabel (a 35+ widow) & her history, including arranged marriage. It would have been easy to make Albert an abusive ass, but he's not. Instead he's a blustering, big-hearted dude who shows great kindness to others. Isabel comes to love him dearly, despite the fact that he's not her first choice. But when fate brings that first choice back into her life, she's reluctant to re-open old wounds -- time has proven that youthful passion isn't the only path to happiness & self-worth.
Given CB's treatment of her other heroines, I think she would have approved.
April 5, 2014
If ever there was a underrated novel, this is it. After reading it, I wonder why this novel didn´t received the attention and the praise of other equally goods novels as "Fingersmith". Clare Boylan took the daunting task of building a novel around first two chapters written by Charlotte Bronte and what she managed to do is triumphant. Not only she stays true to the Bronte tone but she also put in her writing (full and rich) a dash of Dickens and Wilkie Collins. The result is a mystery novel that evokes the zeitgeist of Victorian Times pointing the finger to the many idiosyncracies of the period.
Do you miss reading a novel that, though you promised yourself that that would be the last chapter for the day, but as the chapter ends with a riveting cliffhanger, you are obliged to read one more to know what happens next? If so, this is the book for you and this novel certainly has many twists and turns ( shocking scenes also) to keep you interested to the final. If you enjoyed books as "Fingersmith", "Slammerkin","The Dress Lodger" or " The Observations" you certainly will enjoy this novel. And take with a grain of salt the opinion of purists.
Do you miss reading a novel that, though you promised yourself that that would be the last chapter for the day, but as the chapter ends with a riveting cliffhanger, you are obliged to read one more to know what happens next? If so, this is the book for you and this novel certainly has many twists and turns ( shocking scenes also) to keep you interested to the final. If you enjoyed books as "Fingersmith", "Slammerkin","The Dress Lodger" or " The Observations" you certainly will enjoy this novel. And take with a grain of salt the opinion of purists.
October 24, 2021
A child is mysteriously left at a girls boarding school. She has no memory of her past and is enrolled under a false name. Mr. Ellin takes it upon himself to find out about the girl's history, hoping to restore her to her family.
Charlotte Bronte wrote the first twenty pages, and then tragically passed away before she could finish this intriguing story. And a modern author, Clare Boylan, has tried to finish the book in Charlotte Bronte's style. I was not impressed.
I don't think anything about this reflects Charlotte Bronte's writing style. The tone feels much more modern. The story structure is not her style. The characters are not at all like Bronte's characters. The subject material takes a dark turn that I have never seen in a Bronte novel. (Trigger Warning: Sexual slavery and sexual violence)
I am so disappointed in this novel. I really tried to give it a chance, but it did not live up to the Bronte legacy. Even apart from the high expectations that I have from any book connected with the Bronte's, I just didn't like the story. Even standing on its own, this story isn't that great.
I liked the characters well enough. They are complex and interesting. But the subject material and the structure of the plot were not the best.
Charlotte Bronte wrote the first twenty pages, and then tragically passed away before she could finish this intriguing story. And a modern author, Clare Boylan, has tried to finish the book in Charlotte Bronte's style. I was not impressed.
I don't think anything about this reflects Charlotte Bronte's writing style. The tone feels much more modern. The story structure is not her style. The characters are not at all like Bronte's characters. The subject material takes a dark turn that I have never seen in a Bronte novel. (Trigger Warning: Sexual slavery and sexual violence)
I am so disappointed in this novel. I really tried to give it a chance, but it did not live up to the Bronte legacy. Even apart from the high expectations that I have from any book connected with the Bronte's, I just didn't like the story. Even standing on its own, this story isn't that great.
I liked the characters well enough. They are complex and interesting. But the subject material and the structure of the plot were not the best.
September 18, 2017
Not usually one I would read, but I enjoyed it.
September 22, 2014
Why oh why did I wait ten years to read this book? for that is how long it has patiently waited on my shelf. Emma Brown is definitely my book of 2014, and im keen to see more of this author too.
The story begins with Charlotte Bronte's working manuscript and introduces the main characters, and what characters they are! Clare Boylan has then shaped the plot with a great mystery and of course, a love story (or two!).
Apparently some critics said the setting in a school was repetitious.... but the school is nothing like that of Jane Eyre, so this is a ridiculous comment!
I enjoyed Boylan's exploration of the Great Exhibition housed in the Crystal Palace of Hyde Park, and her dark trail through Victorian London. ( A pleasant change to Bath!)
Most definitely worth a read!
The story begins with Charlotte Bronte's working manuscript and introduces the main characters, and what characters they are! Clare Boylan has then shaped the plot with a great mystery and of course, a love story (or two!).
Apparently some critics said the setting in a school was repetitious.... but the school is nothing like that of Jane Eyre, so this is a ridiculous comment!
I enjoyed Boylan's exploration of the Great Exhibition housed in the Crystal Palace of Hyde Park, and her dark trail through Victorian London. ( A pleasant change to Bath!)
Most definitely worth a read!
August 15, 2007
Having been a great fan of the Brontes, I obviously had to read this book. You can easily tell where Bronte's work is done and Boylan's takes up, the style is completely different, but not altogether bad. Boylan weaves an interesting story in the style of Charlotte Bronte, so she deserves some credit.
May 1, 2009
I read this a couple of weeks ago. I really liked it. Clare Boyland completed a small portion of a novel (two chapters) written by Charlotte Bronte. A girl is left at a girl's school in a small town. She is reputed to be an heiress and is homely and quiet. Soon it is discovered that she is no heiress because the man who left her left false information and wasn't who he said he was. Two local people a widow Isa Chalfont and Mr. Ellin try to help to discover who she is and where she belongs. This child calls herself Emma Brown but has no recollection of who she is or where she comes from. Isa tries to make Emma feel at home by telling her own story of growing up poor and going into service as a Governess at a young age and falling in love with the oldest son of the house Finch. When his mother discovers this she goes to great lengths to separate them forever. She sends him into the army and sends Isa to her home. Isa discovers her mother gravely ill and is told if she marries a local grocer this man has promised to care for her family and pay all expenses. She wants to wait for Finch but reluctantly she marries this grocer. Her mother doesn't last much longer after she marries and she is told soon after her marriage that Finch is dead. She is grief stricken but tries to make the best of her life. She never loves her husband as she does Finch but he is a good man who takes good care of her and builds a house for her and her father and sisters. They live together until her father dies followed years later by her husband. She has raised her sisters as her own and they have all married and moved away.
She gains Emma's trust relaying this but when she tries to help Emma try to remember her past Emma runs away. Now the story is split between Emmma, Isa and Mr. Ellin who relays his abusive childhood at the hands of his monstrous elder brother. While there she meets a distant older cousin he falls in love with. He's sent on the continent to make his fortune and returns to discover his true love widowed by a scoundrel who gambled away her fortune and left her homeless with her little girl.
He doesn't reveal his love for her while making his way and is shortly told that in order to save a home for her child his love married his widowed brother. He turns his back on her. Years later he is told her first husband comes to her second husband's home demanding money to cover up the fact that he faked his death.Her second husband ends up dead and her first husband tries to make it seem she killed him.
He testifes against her but she is found not guilty. She was defended by Mr. Ellin but when a man testifies she was having an affair he believes it he abandons her pregnant with her daughter on the street.
We find Emma in London on the streets because she has found her money stolen. She tries to find the women she thinks is her mother. Along the way she befriends an Irish conman, works for a minister who want to marry her to prevent having to pay her , and finds a little girl who likes to carry around dead babies like dolls because there are some many of them abandoned on the streets. A lot of this book show the true grit and misery of being homeless in London during the Victorian era.
Emma finds a home for her and the little girl Jenny in a slop house where she cleans and serves until she has to try to take Jenny to find medical care because she is dying from an illness. She is robbed once again and tries to give Jenny an experience by taking her to the Grand Expedition happining at the time. She is kidnapped by two thugs that want to ransome her for money. Mr.Ellin had left fliers looking for Emma and they want to make money. When they find this dangerous they decide to sell her into prostitution. Fontunately Emma escapes and is returned to Isa.
Isa meanwhile waits for the return of Emmma and is shocked when of all people her beloved Finch comes to her looking for Emma. He was the man who left Emma at the school. He was trying to expose the selling of children which had been happening for a while but was put in jail instead. He was trying to return Emma to of all people Mr. Ellin.
Emma turns out to be the daughter of his true love who he had left to die in the poorhouse along with Emma's little sister.
Mr. Ellin is so grief stricken and feels so guilty he goes on a mission to find Jenny who he brings back to Emma and Isa. Isa is thrilled at Finch's return and discovers that Finch was turned away from Isa by a letter his bitch of a mother forged in Isa's hand. They are reunited for just a short time unfortunatly Finch dies before they can marry.
Isa misses and grieves for Finch again but realizes she has more freedom this way. She raises Emma and Jenny and it looks as though Emma will marry Mr. Ellin by the end of this book. Reading the interview with the author at the end of the book she says she killed off Finch because this was what was better for Isa. I don't agree. I think she would have been able to be true to her self and still share the love of the man she adored.
She gains Emma's trust relaying this but when she tries to help Emma try to remember her past Emma runs away. Now the story is split between Emmma, Isa and Mr. Ellin who relays his abusive childhood at the hands of his monstrous elder brother. While there she meets a distant older cousin he falls in love with. He's sent on the continent to make his fortune and returns to discover his true love widowed by a scoundrel who gambled away her fortune and left her homeless with her little girl.
He doesn't reveal his love for her while making his way and is shortly told that in order to save a home for her child his love married his widowed brother. He turns his back on her. Years later he is told her first husband comes to her second husband's home demanding money to cover up the fact that he faked his death.Her second husband ends up dead and her first husband tries to make it seem she killed him.
He testifes against her but she is found not guilty. She was defended by Mr. Ellin but when a man testifies she was having an affair he believes it he abandons her pregnant with her daughter on the street.
We find Emma in London on the streets because she has found her money stolen. She tries to find the women she thinks is her mother. Along the way she befriends an Irish conman, works for a minister who want to marry her to prevent having to pay her , and finds a little girl who likes to carry around dead babies like dolls because there are some many of them abandoned on the streets. A lot of this book show the true grit and misery of being homeless in London during the Victorian era.
Emma finds a home for her and the little girl Jenny in a slop house where she cleans and serves until she has to try to take Jenny to find medical care because she is dying from an illness. She is robbed once again and tries to give Jenny an experience by taking her to the Grand Expedition happining at the time. She is kidnapped by two thugs that want to ransome her for money. Mr.Ellin had left fliers looking for Emma and they want to make money. When they find this dangerous they decide to sell her into prostitution. Fontunately Emma escapes and is returned to Isa.
Isa meanwhile waits for the return of Emmma and is shocked when of all people her beloved Finch comes to her looking for Emma. He was the man who left Emma at the school. He was trying to expose the selling of children which had been happening for a while but was put in jail instead. He was trying to return Emma to of all people Mr. Ellin.
Emma turns out to be the daughter of his true love who he had left to die in the poorhouse along with Emma's little sister.
Mr. Ellin is so grief stricken and feels so guilty he goes on a mission to find Jenny who he brings back to Emma and Isa. Isa is thrilled at Finch's return and discovers that Finch was turned away from Isa by a letter his bitch of a mother forged in Isa's hand. They are reunited for just a short time unfortunatly Finch dies before they can marry.
Isa misses and grieves for Finch again but realizes she has more freedom this way. She raises Emma and Jenny and it looks as though Emma will marry Mr. Ellin by the end of this book. Reading the interview with the author at the end of the book she says she killed off Finch because this was what was better for Isa. I don't agree. I think she would have been able to be true to her self and still share the love of the man she adored.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2016
A beautiful composition of melancholy and love. Shows the reader-through the eyes of a homeless child-the darker and the uglier side of London, where dwells nothing but the misery and sickness and helplessness of the hapless beings. Through the eyes of an ill-fated lover, shows the reader a not so happily-ever-after ending.. A grandeur tale of love where lovers depart for the better and the worse! Not all lovers are doomed but then not all are fortunate.
Jaded, these lives walk further into the future with "hope" though wee bit. And if these characters didn't teach you anything then what on Earth possibly could? Could you stay strong under the circumstances Emma managed to strive? Or could you survive another day amongst the heinous and horrendous out in the open? With Slavery and prostitution the very threats to your dear or undear life? Or could you marry a man your father's age to save your dying mother and burn the hearth of your home? This fine novel very much presents you with the side of London you fine and educated ladies or gentlemen could never other wise begin to fathom. Here, the children such as our Emma and Jenny Drew are sold, maidens sent away to France or stolen right off from the wicked streets by drunken men or left with no choice, enter prostitution! Well, there is more to London than the fine buildings, arrogant ladies in expensive silk and umbrellas or gentlemen in fine suites with walking sticks. Mirth and finery is all but a facade. Beautiful churches but monstrous Reverends and fathers... A sight the beings of finery and luxury never experience.
As for the amazing and the answer-demanding ending... I think her husband! For he was the one who taught her kindness and patience and affection in many ways. Though I hated him but I came to respect him. Still, a lying fellow he was.
NOW, to the author!
You cruel and heartless being. I dwelled on streets in ragged clothes, penniless and homeless out in the cold in search of my past and myself. I stole. I lost love. I carried sick in my arms. I pampered the broken and the hurt. I loved Finch. I saw kindness only to bereft of it all?
You raised my dying hopes and resurrected Finch only to take him away? Why? Finch really did love her tho. I mean he went for her character... Her intelligence and not her appearance. But young love as they say, is bound to be doomed.
Perhaps happily ever afters are too overrated!
Good Job!
Jaded, these lives walk further into the future with "hope" though wee bit. And if these characters didn't teach you anything then what on Earth possibly could? Could you stay strong under the circumstances Emma managed to strive? Or could you survive another day amongst the heinous and horrendous out in the open? With Slavery and prostitution the very threats to your dear or undear life? Or could you marry a man your father's age to save your dying mother and burn the hearth of your home? This fine novel very much presents you with the side of London you fine and educated ladies or gentlemen could never other wise begin to fathom. Here, the children such as our Emma and Jenny Drew are sold, maidens sent away to France or stolen right off from the wicked streets by drunken men or left with no choice, enter prostitution! Well, there is more to London than the fine buildings, arrogant ladies in expensive silk and umbrellas or gentlemen in fine suites with walking sticks. Mirth and finery is all but a facade. Beautiful churches but monstrous Reverends and fathers... A sight the beings of finery and luxury never experience.
As for the amazing and the answer-demanding ending... I think her husband! For he was the one who taught her kindness and patience and affection in many ways. Though I hated him but I came to respect him. Still, a lying fellow he was.
NOW, to the author!
You cruel and heartless being. I dwelled on streets in ragged clothes, penniless and homeless out in the cold in search of my past and myself. I stole. I lost love. I carried sick in my arms. I pampered the broken and the hurt. I loved Finch. I saw kindness only to bereft of it all?
You raised my dying hopes and resurrected Finch only to take him away? Why? Finch really did love her tho. I mean he went for her character... Her intelligence and not her appearance. But young love as they say, is bound to be doomed.
Perhaps happily ever afters are too overrated!
Good Job!
August 4, 2019
Emma Brown was a brave undertaking on Clare Boylan's part. To take the fledgling feathers of a story begun by such a formidable novelist and try to give them life, remaining true to Charlotte Brontë's voice, despite lacking all but the smallest hints as to where she may have expected the story to go... can't you just imagine critics getting out their pitchforks?
Truly, though, I don't understand why. No writer will ever perfectly imitate another's voice because our voices are constantly shaped by our experiences and changing lives. A writer who wrote Emma Brown as Jane Eyre would miss any changes to Brontë's voice in the years between the two. It was interesting to read - in the Author's Note and in a question and answer session included at the back of the book - that Brontë was exploring a poorer, seedier side of London before her death. I don't think it too large a leap to say that her writing might have taken the Dickensian turn that Boylan has imagined. It's clear that she had a strong sense of injustice; I see no reason why that wouldn't have taken a broader scale.
Plot-wise, Emma Brown has a similar feel to Jane Eyre. It is, dare I say it, somewhat florid and far-fetched. It thrives on coincidences that would make many a modern editor wince. I would expect no different. In any case, plot is not the driver here. Rather, the modern reader will more likely enjoy the distinct feminist sentiment, although I suspect that may be more clearly attributable to Boylan, than Brontë, at least in its intensity.
All things considered, I think Boylan fulfilled the difficult task she put herself to admirably.
Truly, though, I don't understand why. No writer will ever perfectly imitate another's voice because our voices are constantly shaped by our experiences and changing lives. A writer who wrote Emma Brown as Jane Eyre would miss any changes to Brontë's voice in the years between the two. It was interesting to read - in the Author's Note and in a question and answer session included at the back of the book - that Brontë was exploring a poorer, seedier side of London before her death. I don't think it too large a leap to say that her writing might have taken the Dickensian turn that Boylan has imagined. It's clear that she had a strong sense of injustice; I see no reason why that wouldn't have taken a broader scale.
Plot-wise, Emma Brown has a similar feel to Jane Eyre. It is, dare I say it, somewhat florid and far-fetched. It thrives on coincidences that would make many a modern editor wince. I would expect no different. In any case, plot is not the driver here. Rather, the modern reader will more likely enjoy the distinct feminist sentiment, although I suspect that may be more clearly attributable to Boylan, than Brontë, at least in its intensity.
All things considered, I think Boylan fulfilled the difficult task she put herself to admirably.
April 28, 2012
Jane Eyre fans, I've found a little treasure! This book is a continuation of a 20-page manuscript (Emma) written by Charlotte Brontë and completed by Clare Boylan, an Irish author. I didn't even realize she had left unfinished works! I really, really enjoyed this one. It reminds me a bit of a Dickens novel, in that it exposes social injustices in Victorian England, and it is fairly true to Brontë's voice. You can tell where the manuscript ends and Boylan's novel begins, but I have to give her credit for doing her homework and writing a story Charlotte Brontë would have approved of.
It begins at a boarding school like Jane Eyre, and follows the tale of a mysterious young lady who can't recall her past. It has all kinds of twists and turns (some of them fairly abrupt but not annoyingly so), and it's a fun ride, very tastefully done. It has just enough mystery, romance, and religion to be a lovely tribute to Jane Eyre.
It begins at a boarding school like Jane Eyre, and follows the tale of a mysterious young lady who can't recall her past. It has all kinds of twists and turns (some of them fairly abrupt but not annoyingly so), and it's a fun ride, very tastefully done. It has just enough mystery, romance, and religion to be a lovely tribute to Jane Eyre.
September 14, 2007
I didn't even finish this book. it was so dark, and in some ways seemed to have a preachy anachronistic tone. after I gave up on reading through the whole book I skimmed through it, and it seemed to only develop that tone more as the book went on. I have no idea what Charlotte Bronte's original would have been like, had she finished it, but I doubt it would have read like this book. I was disappointed. I hate when modern people meddle with classics and come up with messes like this.
September 9, 2011
Not a bad read. I found it interesting because it came from an unfinished manuscript written by Charlotte Bronte. Clare Boylan weaved in her own imagination and finished it. The story is pretty solid, though it sometimes stretched a little, following a few characters through their trials and connecting them to each other. I enjoyed it but it wasn't great (as I'm sure it would've been if Bronte had finished it). Still, it was a nice story and I read through it fairly quickly.
August 15, 2012
This book was a gripping page turner. I couldn't wait to finish it.
In writing this story Boylan expanded on Charlotte Bronte's fragment . Boylan also took a story line that was started in the "Angrian Saga" and expanded on in "The Professor".
Charlotte Bronte would be proud of what had become of her story.
In writing this story Boylan expanded on Charlotte Bronte's fragment . Boylan also took a story line that was started in the "Angrian Saga" and expanded on in "The Professor".
Charlotte Bronte would be proud of what had become of her story.
July 14, 2019
Charlotte bronte wrote a 20 page manuscript about a mysterious young girl abandoned by a man at a girl's finishing school, which she left unfinished when she died. Clare Boylan, attempted to finish it, and did a decent job, but the story dragged in parts, and I found myself skimming paragraphs at the end. Unfortunately, no one can compare to Bronte.
November 27, 2025
I read the hardcover version EMMA BROWN a novel from the unfinished manuscript by Charlotte Bronte by Clare Boylan, published in 2003 by Viking
I was not delighted by this treatment of Charlotte Bronte's unfinished tale. The full review of this (plus EMMA by Charlotte Bronte and Constance Savery) is here: https://youtu.be/dqOKY9uik8c?si=n_Oci...)
The first two chapters of EMMA were written by Charlotte; with them she introduces us to Mrs. Chalfont, a not-yet-old widow who lives about a mile from three sisters who own and operate a ladies' school named Fuchsia Lodge. Because the school isn't yet successful, Miss Mable Wilcox isn't cautious and takes a visitor at his word, being impressed by his fine clothes, fine name, fine carriage, fine dress of his ward, and she takes in the new student by the supposed name of Matilda Fitzgibbon. The "fine gentleman" leaves the ward there with the understanding she'll have advantages and favors and will be treated like a star pupil.
Shortly before the Christmas break, Mable sends a note to the parents of each of the four students at Fuchsia Lodge querying how the girls are to spend the holiday. The letter to Mr. Fitzgibbon is returned as not deliverable because, surprise! There's no such person and no such estate for the letter to go to. Matilda Fitzgibbon is a fraud. But does the child know she's a fraud?
Mabel Wilcox turns to a gentleman in the neighborhood for advice. Mr. Ellin -- whom we see in Charlotte's other writings -- is called upon to help Miss Wilcox interrogate the child, look for Mr. Fitzgibbon, and basically assure her that it's okay to berate and turn out the child now. Charlotte writes of Miss Wilcox: "She is very business-like, very practical; she never in her life knew a refinement of feeling or of thought; she is entirely limited, respectable, and self-satisfied." Charlotte also wrote: "'Keep yourself still, and reply, if you please,' said Miss Wilcox, whom nobody would blame for lacking pity, because nature had not made her compassionate."
By the end of chapter two, Mr. Ellin convinces Miss Wilcox to let "Matilda" rest so he might question her when she's recovered from the haranguing from Mabel. The child is obviously distressed by the questioning and the discovery that she's hiding something...something...
When Clare Boylan takes up chapter three, it's apparent that we're diverging from Charlotte's story, voice, and characters. In this novel, we go back in time to Mrs. Chalfont's youth and see the hard choices her family had to make, leading to her widowhood. When we return to "present day" in storytime, we also see a dark and seedy world of human trafficking and underage sexual slavery that the mystery child needs to be saved from.
While characters were well-drawn and Boylan did a good job of telling a dark and foreboding story, I didn't enjoy the experience of reading this novel as much as I enjoyed EMMA by Charlotte and Constance Savery. This one, by Boylan, had sundry nods to Charlotte and Bronte "trivia" sprinkled throughout (like the name Cornhill, which was a callback to the magazine that published the Emma fragment originally) and I found that entertaining.
Overall, I wasn't as pleased with this imagining of Charlotte's story.
I was not delighted by this treatment of Charlotte Bronte's unfinished tale. The full review of this (plus EMMA by Charlotte Bronte and Constance Savery) is here: https://youtu.be/dqOKY9uik8c?si=n_Oci...)
The first two chapters of EMMA were written by Charlotte; with them she introduces us to Mrs. Chalfont, a not-yet-old widow who lives about a mile from three sisters who own and operate a ladies' school named Fuchsia Lodge. Because the school isn't yet successful, Miss Mable Wilcox isn't cautious and takes a visitor at his word, being impressed by his fine clothes, fine name, fine carriage, fine dress of his ward, and she takes in the new student by the supposed name of Matilda Fitzgibbon. The "fine gentleman" leaves the ward there with the understanding she'll have advantages and favors and will be treated like a star pupil.
Shortly before the Christmas break, Mable sends a note to the parents of each of the four students at Fuchsia Lodge querying how the girls are to spend the holiday. The letter to Mr. Fitzgibbon is returned as not deliverable because, surprise! There's no such person and no such estate for the letter to go to. Matilda Fitzgibbon is a fraud. But does the child know she's a fraud?
Mabel Wilcox turns to a gentleman in the neighborhood for advice. Mr. Ellin -- whom we see in Charlotte's other writings -- is called upon to help Miss Wilcox interrogate the child, look for Mr. Fitzgibbon, and basically assure her that it's okay to berate and turn out the child now. Charlotte writes of Miss Wilcox: "She is very business-like, very practical; she never in her life knew a refinement of feeling or of thought; she is entirely limited, respectable, and self-satisfied." Charlotte also wrote: "'Keep yourself still, and reply, if you please,' said Miss Wilcox, whom nobody would blame for lacking pity, because nature had not made her compassionate."
By the end of chapter two, Mr. Ellin convinces Miss Wilcox to let "Matilda" rest so he might question her when she's recovered from the haranguing from Mabel. The child is obviously distressed by the questioning and the discovery that she's hiding something...something...
When Clare Boylan takes up chapter three, it's apparent that we're diverging from Charlotte's story, voice, and characters. In this novel, we go back in time to Mrs. Chalfont's youth and see the hard choices her family had to make, leading to her widowhood. When we return to "present day" in storytime, we also see a dark and seedy world of human trafficking and underage sexual slavery that the mystery child needs to be saved from.
While characters were well-drawn and Boylan did a good job of telling a dark and foreboding story, I didn't enjoy the experience of reading this novel as much as I enjoyed EMMA by Charlotte and Constance Savery. This one, by Boylan, had sundry nods to Charlotte and Bronte "trivia" sprinkled throughout (like the name Cornhill, which was a callback to the magazine that published the Emma fragment originally) and I found that entertaining.
Overall, I wasn't as pleased with this imagining of Charlotte's story.
March 13, 2021
* 2.5 stars *
I wanted to love this, but it just felt so inauthentic. Charlotte Bronte wrote the first two chapters before her untimely death in 1855, and nearly 150 years later Clare Boylan took the task of finishing Bronte's work. Sounds cool, right? I thought so too, before I read it. Honestly, once chapter 3 hit, the tone obviously changes and I just did not like the direction of the story.
Initially, I was excited to see what the author came up with based on Charlotte Bronte's initial two chapters, but the result was just so boring and kinda stupid? This novel just does not seem to resemble a Bronte story. It wasn't very unique or special to me. Seemed very basic. Didn't have the feel of a classic novel or have that specific charm of a Bronte novel. And I wasn't very interested in the backstory of any of the characters. I was supposed to be immersed in the mystery of the main character's life, but I just wasn't. After 100 pages, I just ended up skimming until the end because I was so terribly bored. The mystery of the little girl dragged on for too long and I just lost interest. All in all, the story wasn't compelling, it was pretty boring and basic. Read like a fanfiction, really.
I wanted to love this, but it just felt so inauthentic. Charlotte Bronte wrote the first two chapters before her untimely death in 1855, and nearly 150 years later Clare Boylan took the task of finishing Bronte's work. Sounds cool, right? I thought so too, before I read it. Honestly, once chapter 3 hit, the tone obviously changes and I just did not like the direction of the story.
Initially, I was excited to see what the author came up with based on Charlotte Bronte's initial two chapters, but the result was just so boring and kinda stupid? This novel just does not seem to resemble a Bronte story. It wasn't very unique or special to me. Seemed very basic. Didn't have the feel of a classic novel or have that specific charm of a Bronte novel. And I wasn't very interested in the backstory of any of the characters. I was supposed to be immersed in the mystery of the main character's life, but I just wasn't. After 100 pages, I just ended up skimming until the end because I was so terribly bored. The mystery of the little girl dragged on for too long and I just lost interest. All in all, the story wasn't compelling, it was pretty boring and basic. Read like a fanfiction, really.
November 24, 2025
Clare Boylan has taken an unfinished fragment of Charlotte Brontë's and used it as the basis of her own story. Is it anything like Charlotte would have envisioned? We'll never know due to just how little the fragment contains. I found the novel to be interesting in parts (the mystery of the heiress, Mrs Chalfont's past), but stretched thin in others (Emma frequently running away, connections between characters that would give Dickens a headache). Overall, I liked some characters but found others, including the title character, tiresome. The style is more like Anne Brontë's writing in parts, but I don't think it resembles Charlotte's style. I think there are a few too many subplots and hidden background stories contesting for space in the narrative. Overall it's not bad, but it's a couple of hundred pages too long.
August 19, 2018
I really wanted this to be a Good read , But sadly this does not hit that spot.
When I first started reading this it felt very much like I was beginning to read a bit of Jane Eyre, and then it went downhill. Though this book is set in Edwardian London, and is supposed to be dark, this is more a drudge grey.
I found it hard to care about the characters and I really wanted to with Emma. The only time really enjoyed Any part of this novel , was at the time when Emma was with Jenny. That one chapter of Jenny being ill and Emma being so caring was probably the best Part of the storyline.
When I first started reading this it felt very much like I was beginning to read a bit of Jane Eyre, and then it went downhill. Though this book is set in Edwardian London, and is supposed to be dark, this is more a drudge grey.
I found it hard to care about the characters and I really wanted to with Emma. The only time really enjoyed Any part of this novel , was at the time when Emma was with Jenny. That one chapter of Jenny being ill and Emma being so caring was probably the best Part of the storyline.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2019
Beautiful language. Well-conceived characters. Intricate plot.
July 2, 2010
In the months prior to Charlotte Brontë's marriage to Arthur Bell Nicholls, Charlotte began to pen a story, familiar in theme, about a small, plain girl in a school. Charlotte only completed two chapters of this manuscript and gave it the working title of Emma (similar to Jane Austen's 1815 novel!) If not for her death in March of 1855, Charlotte most likely would have completed Emma and would have introduced yet another remarkable work of literature to the world.
Clare Boylan, who interestingly enough shares the same initials and birthday as Charlotte Brontë, felt herself inspired and propelled to complete this unfinished manuscript. Ms. Boylan finishes this work of fiction employing and expounding upon themes such as women in society, independence/dependence, morality, and social consciousness that will be familiar to readers of Charlotte Brontë's novels. In addition, Ms. Boylan's tale, which takes place in London, emphasizes the social and working conditions of the poor during the Victorian Era, a situation that greatly interested and distressed Charlotte Brontë during her visits to that great city. The result is this dark, mysterious, and heartrending tale titled: Emma Brown.
A young teenage girl (Emma) is brought to a pretentious finishing school called Fuchsia Lodge. She is bedecked with a wardrobe for an heiress and given the name Matilda Fitzgibbon. She cannot remember her past or where she came from, but she is convinced that she is a wicked person who has done unspeakable things. While she is favored and cosseted by her teachers, Emma (Matilda) is despised and discarded by her peers. Poor wretched and frightened Emma lives in a world of misery and isolation until two dear and kind souls take an interest in her: Mr. Ellin and Mrs. Chalfont. Mr. Ellin, an affable gentleman of leisure, hides secret sorrows of an abused childhood and can sympathize with Emma's harsh past. Mrs. Chalfont, a lonely childless widow, endeavors to provide a comfortable and secure home for Emma when she is exposed as a fraud.
Throughout Emma Brown the lives and histories of these three characters are intertwined as Mr. Ellin and Mrs. Chalfont attempt to uncover the story of Emma's obscure and forgotten past. Here is where Ms. Boylan's talent really shines as she intricately weaves the lives of these characters, supplying her readers with many surprising twists and turns. I greatly enjoyed the flashbacks and the surprises in this novel. In addition, I found the characters of Emma, Mrs. Chalfont, and Mr. Ellin to be well-drawn and intriguing. I did, however, wish Emma was a bit more likable and endearing. My other small complaint is that at times, the story of Emma's life was a little too depressing and her trials too prolonged. Ms. Boylan, in accentuating the degrading and destitute lives of London's poor, included scenes of children being sold and prostitution. While I believe that Charlotte Brontë could have alluded to situations like these in her writing, I felt that to have them so extensively featured was a bit contemporary and malapropos.
Though it may not appeal to everyone, Emma Brown, is a praiseworthy completion of Charlotte Brontë's manuscript. Brontë admirers will appreciate Ms. Boylan's meticulous research, reverence towards Charlotte Brontë , and her gentle nods to Jane Eyre and Villette. I recommend it!
Austenesque Reviews
Clare Boylan, who interestingly enough shares the same initials and birthday as Charlotte Brontë, felt herself inspired and propelled to complete this unfinished manuscript. Ms. Boylan finishes this work of fiction employing and expounding upon themes such as women in society, independence/dependence, morality, and social consciousness that will be familiar to readers of Charlotte Brontë's novels. In addition, Ms. Boylan's tale, which takes place in London, emphasizes the social and working conditions of the poor during the Victorian Era, a situation that greatly interested and distressed Charlotte Brontë during her visits to that great city. The result is this dark, mysterious, and heartrending tale titled: Emma Brown.
A young teenage girl (Emma) is brought to a pretentious finishing school called Fuchsia Lodge. She is bedecked with a wardrobe for an heiress and given the name Matilda Fitzgibbon. She cannot remember her past or where she came from, but she is convinced that she is a wicked person who has done unspeakable things. While she is favored and cosseted by her teachers, Emma (Matilda) is despised and discarded by her peers. Poor wretched and frightened Emma lives in a world of misery and isolation until two dear and kind souls take an interest in her: Mr. Ellin and Mrs. Chalfont. Mr. Ellin, an affable gentleman of leisure, hides secret sorrows of an abused childhood and can sympathize with Emma's harsh past. Mrs. Chalfont, a lonely childless widow, endeavors to provide a comfortable and secure home for Emma when she is exposed as a fraud.
Throughout Emma Brown the lives and histories of these three characters are intertwined as Mr. Ellin and Mrs. Chalfont attempt to uncover the story of Emma's obscure and forgotten past. Here is where Ms. Boylan's talent really shines as she intricately weaves the lives of these characters, supplying her readers with many surprising twists and turns. I greatly enjoyed the flashbacks and the surprises in this novel. In addition, I found the characters of Emma, Mrs. Chalfont, and Mr. Ellin to be well-drawn and intriguing. I did, however, wish Emma was a bit more likable and endearing. My other small complaint is that at times, the story of Emma's life was a little too depressing and her trials too prolonged. Ms. Boylan, in accentuating the degrading and destitute lives of London's poor, included scenes of children being sold and prostitution. While I believe that Charlotte Brontë could have alluded to situations like these in her writing, I felt that to have them so extensively featured was a bit contemporary and malapropos.
Though it may not appeal to everyone, Emma Brown, is a praiseworthy completion of Charlotte Brontë's manuscript. Brontë admirers will appreciate Ms. Boylan's meticulous research, reverence towards Charlotte Brontë , and her gentle nods to Jane Eyre and Villette. I recommend it!
Austenesque Reviews
December 31, 2019
The first two chapters were written by Charlotte Brontë shortly before her death, and this version of the novel was completed by Clare Boylan in 2003. For details about the other version of this novel as completed by Constance Savery in 1980, please see Emma.
5 stars for Chapters 1 – 2 by Charlotte Brontë
The beginning of a masterpiece, Charlotte’s writing mesmerized me completely. As in Jane Eyre, Villette, and Shirley, she focuses on every woman’s need for a life purpose, the craving to find a “quest”: "We all seek an ideal in life." And, as always, Charlotte is fascinated by the interplay of various personalities and their effect on human relationships: “Say no more to her. Beware, or you will do more mischief than you think or wish. That kind of nature is very different from yours. It is not possible that you should like it; but let it alone.” To make it even more delicious, she introduces a mystery in which a little girl wearing rich furs and silks is brought to a boarding school in a fine carriage by her well-dressed “father”, but when the headmistress writes to him the letter is returned to her: no such person, no such house. Who is this little girl really, how will her tuition be paid, and what in the world should they do with her?
4 stars for Chapters 3 – 38 by Clare Boylan
5 stars for some portions and 3 stars for others, for an average of 4 stars.
5 stars for brilliant passages like this which sound as though Charlotte Brontë could have penned them herself: What compromises woman merely garlands man with mystery. His attachment to a female made him twice as interesting; whereas my attentions from a man had halved my reputation. Nor did he endure the agonies of indecision that assailed me. A blessed single-mindedness gave him easy answers to every question.
3 stars for the 50% of the book set in the London criminal underworld, in which the Brontë-esque countryside setting abruptly turns darkly Dickensian (but without any of Dickens’ dry wit or quirky characters to lighten the darkness). These passages feel unauthentic to me because I believe that Charlotte never would have set her novel in a criminal world which she had never personally experienced, as she points out in her 30 October 1852 letter to her publisher, George Smith: I cannot write books handling the topics of the day – it is of no use trying. Nor can I write a book for its moral…and I voluntarily and sincerely veil my face before such a mighty subject as that handled in Mrs Beecher Stowe’s work – ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin.’ To manage these great matters rightly they must be long and practically studied – their bearings known intimately and their evils felt genuinely.
I’m not sure whether this book is still in print, but I was glad to find a copy of it at my local library.
5 stars for Chapters 1 – 2 by Charlotte Brontë
The beginning of a masterpiece, Charlotte’s writing mesmerized me completely. As in Jane Eyre, Villette, and Shirley, she focuses on every woman’s need for a life purpose, the craving to find a “quest”: "We all seek an ideal in life." And, as always, Charlotte is fascinated by the interplay of various personalities and their effect on human relationships: “Say no more to her. Beware, or you will do more mischief than you think or wish. That kind of nature is very different from yours. It is not possible that you should like it; but let it alone.” To make it even more delicious, she introduces a mystery in which a little girl wearing rich furs and silks is brought to a boarding school in a fine carriage by her well-dressed “father”, but when the headmistress writes to him the letter is returned to her: no such person, no such house. Who is this little girl really, how will her tuition be paid, and what in the world should they do with her?
4 stars for Chapters 3 – 38 by Clare Boylan
5 stars for some portions and 3 stars for others, for an average of 4 stars.
5 stars for brilliant passages like this which sound as though Charlotte Brontë could have penned them herself: What compromises woman merely garlands man with mystery. His attachment to a female made him twice as interesting; whereas my attentions from a man had halved my reputation. Nor did he endure the agonies of indecision that assailed me. A blessed single-mindedness gave him easy answers to every question.
3 stars for the 50% of the book set in the London criminal underworld, in which the Brontë-esque countryside setting abruptly turns darkly Dickensian (but without any of Dickens’ dry wit or quirky characters to lighten the darkness). These passages feel unauthentic to me because I believe that Charlotte never would have set her novel in a criminal world which she had never personally experienced, as she points out in her 30 October 1852 letter to her publisher, George Smith: I cannot write books handling the topics of the day – it is of no use trying. Nor can I write a book for its moral…and I voluntarily and sincerely veil my face before such a mighty subject as that handled in Mrs Beecher Stowe’s work – ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin.’ To manage these great matters rightly they must be long and practically studied – their bearings known intimately and their evils felt genuinely.
I’m not sure whether this book is still in print, but I was glad to find a copy of it at my local library.
August 10, 2009
When Charlotte Brontë died, she left 20 pages of a novel behind. Clare Boylan decided to finish it. A little girl is enrolled in a private girls' academy. She is shy and reclusive, but the headmistresses make much of her because it's obvious that her benefactor has money. Trouble arises when her benefactor can't be found and the girl can't--or won't--tell anyone anything about herself.
I have to say that this novel stayed true to the whole Gothic, melodramatic feel that I associate with the Brontës. There were all kinds of improbable twists, turns, loops, and coincidences. Boylan was much more explicit than Charlotte Brontë could have been. Not that she was explicit, it just seems that some things weren't referred to, even obliquely, in those times. I did pick out where Charlotte left off and Boylan took over, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well it did all fit together.
There were a lot of chapters covering the back stories of the supporting characters. They were absolutely necessary, but since I didn't know that until the end, I was mostly frustrated and wishing I could get on with the "real" story.
I would have rated this a little higher if I could have liked Emma a little better. But I really, really didn't like her. She was all "Woe is me!" and "All is ashes." She kept going though, through all her troubles, so I had to admire her for that, but would a smile really have killed her? And her world view was stark black and white. She did not see or acknowledge any shade of gray. She was very unforgiving and intolerant. If this character had been written in Jane Eyre's place, she would never have forgiven Mr. Rochester for lying about his marriage and that would have been the end of that.
But I did like Isabel Chalfont. Her life was never easy either, but she made the best of it, learned what she could, found happiness where she could, and tried not to dwell too much on things she couldn't change.
I think fans of the Brontës, who have read all their work and wish they could read more, will actually like this. Just don't expect anything other than doom and gloom from Emma.
I have to say that this novel stayed true to the whole Gothic, melodramatic feel that I associate with the Brontës. There were all kinds of improbable twists, turns, loops, and coincidences. Boylan was much more explicit than Charlotte Brontë could have been. Not that she was explicit, it just seems that some things weren't referred to, even obliquely, in those times. I did pick out where Charlotte left off and Boylan took over, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well it did all fit together.
There were a lot of chapters covering the back stories of the supporting characters. They were absolutely necessary, but since I didn't know that until the end, I was mostly frustrated and wishing I could get on with the "real" story.
I would have rated this a little higher if I could have liked Emma a little better. But I really, really didn't like her. She was all "Woe is me!" and "All is ashes." She kept going though, through all her troubles, so I had to admire her for that, but would a smile really have killed her? And her world view was stark black and white. She did not see or acknowledge any shade of gray. She was very unforgiving and intolerant. If this character had been written in Jane Eyre's place, she would never have forgiven Mr. Rochester for lying about his marriage and that would have been the end of that.
But I did like Isabel Chalfont. Her life was never easy either, but she made the best of it, learned what she could, found happiness where she could, and tried not to dwell too much on things she couldn't change.
I think fans of the Brontës, who have read all their work and wish they could read more, will actually like this. Just don't expect anything other than doom and gloom from Emma.
May 4, 2009
I feel enriched after reading this book, partly because the language was so rich and full, but mainly because the experiences and developing courses of the characters were so profound. The first two chapters of Emma Brown were drafted by Charlotte Bronte but, upon her death, were left as an introduction to a story waiting to be told. Contemporary writer Clare Boylan took on the challenge of telling Emma's story, and though I'm far from being a true judge of Bronte's style, I thought Boylan modeled it accurately and did a beautiful job of maintaining an authentic tone as she continued the story.
Emma Brown is a mystery from the very start, which grows more complicated as characters' histories overlap. But there is also subtle romance and intrigue. Matilda is a young girl with dark eyes, carrying the mystery of her life as an orphan. Though frail and vulnerable, with a vibrant heart, she fights to survive as she searches for her past. Meanwhile a parallel search takes place when Matilda disappears, as Isabel Chalfont (the narrator of the story, with a tale all her own) and Mr. Ellin (her dear friend who carries his own mysteries) try to find an explanation for the young girl's mysterious identity.
It took me a while to finish this book, which is no reflection on how much I enjoyed it... no, it's just a dense tale that can't be gobbled up too quickly, it's more like tiramisu-- you have to savor it slowly. I loved the sense of melancholy and hope intertwined... the dingy alleys of Victorian London to the pensive quiet of a widow's sitting room to the adventures of a brave bachelor trying to battle society's ills. It reminded me of sunshine bursting from around the rims of dark clouds.
Emma Brown is a mystery from the very start, which grows more complicated as characters' histories overlap. But there is also subtle romance and intrigue. Matilda is a young girl with dark eyes, carrying the mystery of her life as an orphan. Though frail and vulnerable, with a vibrant heart, she fights to survive as she searches for her past. Meanwhile a parallel search takes place when Matilda disappears, as Isabel Chalfont (the narrator of the story, with a tale all her own) and Mr. Ellin (her dear friend who carries his own mysteries) try to find an explanation for the young girl's mysterious identity.
It took me a while to finish this book, which is no reflection on how much I enjoyed it... no, it's just a dense tale that can't be gobbled up too quickly, it's more like tiramisu-- you have to savor it slowly. I loved the sense of melancholy and hope intertwined... the dingy alleys of Victorian London to the pensive quiet of a widow's sitting room to the adventures of a brave bachelor trying to battle society's ills. It reminded me of sunshine bursting from around the rims of dark clouds.
January 15, 2023
A shocking, gripping mystery I had trouble putting down and which has left me with a severe book hangover and a hankering for Brontë country...
I don't feel I am worthy to make this judgement, but what an achievement, to pick up the first two chapters written by such a beloved author and carry on the tale. I do not think this is the novel Charlotte Brontë could have written; considering the uproar when her own were published, I think the society of the time would not have been able to accept this tale, at the very least declaiming it as sensationalist fiction of the worst kind. But I am sure she would have liked to have written it. It shows a side of Victorian England that even Dickens shied away from and although I have the hindsight of 250 years, it still shocked me.
Clare Boylan stays true to Charlotte Brontë's tone, to her native landscape and to her themes of the struggles women faced in society, including lack of autonomy and agency, and the ever present spectre of poverty.
She also writes beautifully about grief, but I can't say more here without spoiling the plot.
A detailed and intriguing read you can lose yourself in (and a world you will be grateful to be viewing and not inhabiting at times!); well worth a read.
A couple of quotes:
'What comprises woman merely garlands man with mystery. His attachment to a female made him twice as interesting, whereas my attentions from a man had halved my reputation.'
'To love is to refresh and renew the soul, to explore at tender leisure one's self and another. To marry is to move house…It is to throw out some of the furniture of one's feelings in order to accommodate those of another.'
I don't feel I am worthy to make this judgement, but what an achievement, to pick up the first two chapters written by such a beloved author and carry on the tale. I do not think this is the novel Charlotte Brontë could have written; considering the uproar when her own were published, I think the society of the time would not have been able to accept this tale, at the very least declaiming it as sensationalist fiction of the worst kind. But I am sure she would have liked to have written it. It shows a side of Victorian England that even Dickens shied away from and although I have the hindsight of 250 years, it still shocked me.
Clare Boylan stays true to Charlotte Brontë's tone, to her native landscape and to her themes of the struggles women faced in society, including lack of autonomy and agency, and the ever present spectre of poverty.
She also writes beautifully about grief, but I can't say more here without spoiling the plot.
A detailed and intriguing read you can lose yourself in (and a world you will be grateful to be viewing and not inhabiting at times!); well worth a read.
A couple of quotes:
'What comprises woman merely garlands man with mystery. His attachment to a female made him twice as interesting, whereas my attentions from a man had halved my reputation.'
'To love is to refresh and renew the soul, to explore at tender leisure one's self and another. To marry is to move house…It is to throw out some of the furniture of one's feelings in order to accommodate those of another.'
September 21, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. Ms. Boylan took the unfinished manuscript of Charlotte Bronte (2 chapters). The author does a nice job of melding her prose and ideas with Charlotte's. What results is a satisfying Victorian mystery. The story revolves around Emma Brown. She is a young girl between 12 to 14 years of age who appears well dressed with a good pedigree at the steps of a Young Ladies School. Her escort, a nicely dressed gentleman, drops her off with instructions to take great care of her. Emma is described as a plain introvert and spends little time socializing with the other girls. She speaks rarely about herself to others. When the money to continue her education no longer arrives, Emma is exposed as a penniless child and presumed to be a participant in a scam. Emma has no memory of her past and with the assistance of other characters, begins a journey to find out who she really is. Along the way she displays grit and fortitude which prove to be her means of survival. She does encounter the horrors of Victorian London which were difficult to read, but I suspect true. I did feel that some of Emma's journey was unnecessary towards the end of the book and could have been shortened. However, the author did a nice job of tying in all the characters for a satisfying conclusion.
August 18, 2017
My expectations were low, given the heavy task of following in Bronte's footsteps. But, I was enthralled, surprised, thoroughly entertained in this engrossing tale that begins with two chapters of unfinished manuscript by Charlotte Bronte and completed by Boylan.
Part of what I loved about this novel was the myriad of directions Boylan could have taken the story. Instead of one tale, she gives us several fascinating characters, their histories, and their journeys toward redemption. These characters are interwoven by all these soulful connections that made the novel a pleasure to read.
I admit I was quite shocked to find the sobering topic of child trafficking at the center of the novel. However, I don't think that Bronte shied away from controversy (hello Bertha!). The candor of the piece was the only thing that detracted me from Bronte's voice or reminded me that this was a modern novel. It is a powerful story though and a relevant one.
I think Charlotte would approve!!
Part of what I loved about this novel was the myriad of directions Boylan could have taken the story. Instead of one tale, she gives us several fascinating characters, their histories, and their journeys toward redemption. These characters are interwoven by all these soulful connections that made the novel a pleasure to read.
I admit I was quite shocked to find the sobering topic of child trafficking at the center of the novel. However, I don't think that Bronte shied away from controversy (hello Bertha!). The candor of the piece was the only thing that detracted me from Bronte's voice or reminded me that this was a modern novel. It is a powerful story though and a relevant one.
I think Charlotte would approve!!
November 23, 2017
I started this book with trepidation. Often, works based off of unfinished manuscripts are horrible. The worst of the genre being those that just recycle characters and plot points from other works by the same author.
Thus, I was pleasantly surprised by how Boylan took 20 pages of a manuscript from Charlotte Bronte and wrote a story that was all her own and highly entertaining in its own right. The first chapter from Boylan was a bit of an abrupt transition. As the story gained in momentum though, Boylan found her own rhythm and voice that was reminiscent of Bronte without being derivative or fake.
All in all, I really enjoyed this and would have been quite happy to read it even without the Bronte connection.
Thus, I was pleasantly surprised by how Boylan took 20 pages of a manuscript from Charlotte Bronte and wrote a story that was all her own and highly entertaining in its own right. The first chapter from Boylan was a bit of an abrupt transition. As the story gained in momentum though, Boylan found her own rhythm and voice that was reminiscent of Bronte without being derivative or fake.
All in all, I really enjoyed this and would have been quite happy to read it even without the Bronte connection.
May 14, 2018
An interesting take on the barely-started manuscript of Charlotte Bronte. It is said that CB had become more interested in societal issues of the time later in her life and she never shied away from controversy, but I don't think she'd have had the knowledge or awareness to quite take the narrative in this direction.
Clare Boylan did a good job in many ways, not least in capturing the Bronte style of incredible coincidences! The protagonist's narrative was so relentlessly woeful that I appreciated the side story of Isabel Chalfont. Overall though it was always bleak and dull in parts, so I can't say that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Clare Boylan did a good job in many ways, not least in capturing the Bronte style of incredible coincidences! The protagonist's narrative was so relentlessly woeful that I appreciated the side story of Isabel Chalfont. Overall though it was always bleak and dull in parts, so I can't say that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
March 18, 2016
Charlotte Bronte she is not. Maybe because I read this while reading an Outlander series book, I was over details and slow moving story lines.
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