Sanctuary

by Robert Edric

Haworth, West Yorkshire, 1848.

Branwell Brontë - unexhibited artist, unacknowledged writer, sacked railwayman, disgraced tutor and spurned lover - finds himself unhappily back in Haworth Parsonage, to face the disappointment of his father and his three sisters, the scale of whose own pseudonymous successes is only just becoming apparent.

With his health failing rapidly, his aspirations abandoned and his once loyal circle of friends shrinking fast, Branwell resorts to a world of secrets, conspiracies and endlessly imagined betrayals. But his spiral of self-destruction only accelerates the sense of his destiny to be a bystander looking across at greatness, and the madness which that realisation will bring…

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Novels

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2014

About the author

Robert Edric (b. 1956) is the pseudonym of Gary Edric Armitage, a British novelist born in Sheffield.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Branwell Brontë narrates his final year of life (1848), when alcoholism, mental illness and a sense of disgrace hounded him to despair. I have a lifelong love of the Victorians, so though it was a pleasure to spend time with the Brontës, I don’t necessarily feel I learned anything about them from this novel, or had their lives brought into full color. Charlotte, Emily and Anne are little more than critical voices here; none of them has a distinctive personality.

Worse, I felt I never came to understand Branwell’s inner life, beneath the decadence and all the feeling sorry for himself. There was certainly a wonderful story to be told here, but I think it would take a historical fiction master like Hilary Mantel to tell it properly. Nevertheless, Sanctuary has whetted my appetite to learn more about Branwell. I think I’ll start with The Infernal World of Branwell Brontë, the 1961 biography by Daphne du Maurier.

See my full review at The Bookbag.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in 1848, this novel takes as its central character, Patrick Branwell Bronte – only brother of Charlotte, Emily and Anne. Branwell has returned home, but it is not the joyous return of the prodigal son. Instead, he leaves behind him several failed careers – he has been a frustrated portrait artist, a failed poet, a tutor to the Robinson family, who was dismissed after becoming infatuated with the lady of the house, and who even had his employment as a railway clerk terminated.

The Branwell of this novel is a man who is full of regrets, disappointments and debts. His hopes dashed he turns to drink, he claims he has suffered setbacks and who wallows in his misfortunes. His father is obviously respected by all he meets , while he is considered a wastrel – the wayward son. Branwell has always been closest to Charlotte, but now their relationship has become difficult and strained. His sisters accuse him of making excuses and suggest he should find work. Meanwhile, the parsonage is a place of secrets. Letters pored over by his sisters are suddenly put away when he enters a room; Charlotte and Anne go on a mysterious errand to London, and he has to face the fact that they are having their work published, while his ambitions have ground to a halt.

It is a difficult thing to take a real person, especially one with the difficulties that Branwell faced, and make him sympathetic. However, this book both brings the characters, and the places that the Bronte’s inhabited, alive. Haworth is a harsh place, full of poverty and need. Branwell is constantly told that he doesn’t understand his father’s parishioners or the situation of his family. Although he is home, he is almost a stranger. His father is a moving presence in the house and the other spectre that haunts the pages is illness, which throws a dark shadow over the parsonage. Whether you love the Bronte’s or not, this is a moving and fascinating portrait of Branwell and his family. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publishers, from NetGalley, for review.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't be familiar with the brooding moorlands near Howarth and not feel as though you understand something of the Bronte family and their lives. Most of us think we know something about them: the mother and sisters who died, the sisters who remained hewing their path towards immortality in slow, painful steps. And then there's the brother, Bramwell, the black sheep, fighting his failures, his addictions, his inability to find a way to make something of his life. He is the subject, in fact the 'author' of this book. He paints a sorry picture of his stumbling path, in the final year of his young life, towards illness, addiction and death. I found the picture he painted of himself - hopelessly depressed, fault-finding, increasingly estranged from his family, increasingly self-deluded a fascinating one. In this book, Bramwell does not dig deep in his moments of introspection, but then you wouldn't expect him to. He doesn't favour us with pen portraits of his father, his sisters. Just tantalising glimpses of what they're like. But nobody is more self-centred, less self-aware than Bramwell Bronte. Edric has carefully constructed this book in a series of vignettes that barely constitute a narrative, but which leave us feeling bewildered sympathy for an intelligent young man who has utterly lost his way. A beautifully imagined reconstruction of a life ill-lived.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel based on the life of Branwell Bronte, brother to the famous sisters. History remembers him as something as a degenerate living in his sisters' shadow. This made him more of a rounded character, a man with problems but a real person nonetheless. Little was made of the girls except in relation to their brother and father and I don't think you need to be overly familiar with the Bronte story to enjoy this historical fiction. Edric is a masterful writer and I've enjoyed all the novels of his I've read.

[4cats · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fictionalised account of Branwell Bronte's last days. Through Branwell's eye's we see his family and their weariness with him, his self pity and the support he needs to function. We see a man who lived amongst a group of strong women fighting for a voice in a world where that voice was ignored and denied. I quite liked how the main players in his life are there either in the present or through remembrance. Those who are interested in the Bronte's will find this an interesting concept.

[Teresa Bower · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the imagined thoughts and actions of Branwell Bronte, the wayward brother of Charlotte, Emily and Anne. It covers the final year of his life and I almost gave up on it because it is quite a depressing read, Branwell constantly bemoaning his lot. He seems to be smothered by his sisters, especially Charlotte, who love him but are frustrated by his poor choices in life and are forever bailing him out. His father is also frustrated by Branwell but never gives up on him. He cannot hold a job down, falls for the older woman who is employing him to teach her son, even though she is married, accrues huge debts and spends most of his time drinking in pubs with friends. The book almost reads like a diary and ends when Branwell's life ends. You get the impression that Branwell felt overshadowed by his sisters although it is not made clear whether he knew that they had managed to get their books published. He also wrote, and painted, but had little success. A wasted life, so really quite sad.

[Ell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just could not get in to this book. That may have been fault of my own as I read it before going to sleep each night... Nevertheless, I just couldn't work out who was who and what was happening. Every time I picked it up to continue from where I left off, I couldn't remember what the hell had happened previously. The only details that were memorable were those of that last 20 pages or so. Maybe this is just a book that I need to reread at a later date...

[Sean Kennedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It felt like the novel missed its shot here - by trying to give an 'insider's' look at the Bronte family we never felt like we got to know them. Bronte fans will fill in the gaps, but it never felt like a cohesive narrative nor that enough depth was given to the 'characters' to make us understand them.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written book with an authentic sense of time and place, which is something I always appreciate. The last days of the Brontë brother are presented in a sympathetic light, which makes one feel truly sorry for his plight.

[Mariele · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel had a great title, a great cover picture, and, most importantly, a very promising onset. And still, I can't say that the lost Brontë brother ever became more relatable to me. I have only a very cursory knowledge of the Brontës, so some of the story elements were quite interesting (for example, I didn't know that Branwell worked for the railroad), but I noted some flaws in the narration, which can be quite a turn-off. (Emily wasn't short: she was as tall as Branwell, and used to walk across the moors in his clothes. And where is Flossy? Also, I am not sure if the father was as kind and patient as he is portrayed in here.) The plot was very episodical, and it was difficult to keep track of Branwell's many acquaintances. First and foremost, however, I found it quite lamentable that the three sisters had no distinct personalities. Isn't that what most readers are drawn to when they start this book? (First person narration only goes so far, really. What Branwell seems to know, the readers are not let in on. Pity.) Neither their writing nor Branwell's painting featured in the story beyond some brief remarks. Hence, it remains to be said that Robert Edric missed a lot of opportunities to make this re-telling of historical characters more momentous.

[Damaskcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Branwell Bronte - only son of the Rector of Haworth and sister to Charlotte, Anne and Emily Bronte - Victorian novelists - is much misunderstood. He was highly intelligent but never seemed to find the right niche for himself in his short life. In this book the author uses Branwell as the narrator to tell the story of his last few months as his health fails and his literary ambitions disappear like puffs of smoke.

I found this a moving picture of how a highly intelligent man wasted his many gifts and opportunities. He seemed to feel the world was against him and yet like many of us he brought many of his problems on himself. The novel paints a good picture of the claustrophobic world of Haworth and its harsh and unforgiving climate.

If you enjoy well written historical novels then this may be one for you as Branwell's voice comes alive in its pages and it makes a change to read about him rather than his more famous sisters. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.

[Mirella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Branwell Bronte is the only son of the Rector of Haworth. He has three highly successful sisters, all writers, Charlotte, Anne and Emily Bronte. While his sisters seen to enjoy good fortune with everything they do, Branwell struggles to strike out with a career. Whatever he writes never sees the same level of success as that of his sisters - and each attempt ends in miserable failure. No one seems to understand him. With one failure after another, his live spins into decline, and he begins to sqauander his opportunities.

This is a well written, but painful story about a protagonist who is neither stellar nor heroic, but rather someone who is a dismal failure at all he attempts. It is a study about human nature and how the power of one's attitude in life has a powerful effect upon us all. A nice historical novel about the lesser known brother of the famous Bronte sisters.

[Trina Hollis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable read it made me feel a bit sorry for Bramwell although a lot of his problems he brought on himself I felt he was a bit overshadowed by his sisters.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sanctuary is about Branwell Bronte, so it was fitting to read this immediately after having read Wuthering Heights.

Robert Edric sets the book in 1848 in the year of Branwell's death. The book is told from Branwell's point of view in the first person in the manner of an intimate conversation between Branwell and the reader, so much so that there is very little in the way of scene-setting or background information forcing the reader to figure out connections between the people Branwell interacts with, and to figure out past events that have shaped his present. This is an unusual style but I quite liked it -it made you feel like you were walking beside Branwell as he went about his daily life.

Branwell was only 31 when he died, but had managed to make quite a mess of his life, failing as a painter and writer, being sacked from a job with the railways, running up debt, being dismissed from a job as a tutor after having an affair with the lady of the house, and becoming addicted to alcohol, laudanum and opium. All this while his three sisters stars were rising.

Here Branwell is back home in disgrace and seems to wallow in self-pity and delusion. He's not a sympathetic character and his relationship with his sisters is a bit fraught, as they try to protect their father, curate Patrick Bronte, from the pain and disapppointment Branwell causes.

This is an intimate look into the last year in the life of a failed man, which also gives us a look into the great upheavals of the industrial revolution which were putting people out of work and denuding the landscape of trees. The impoverished lives of the people of Hawick throw Branwell's self-induced troubles into a very unflattering light.

While Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte all appear in the story, the person I was left wanting to know more about was their father, Patrick, a man who outlived his wife and all six of his children by 12 years.

[David Grieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

An utterly engrossing story of Branwell Brontë told from his perspective. The story is basically a series of events both current and from his past, linked by his steady decline and the relationship with the rest of his family. In the current time he is 31 and living back at Haworth Parsonage with his father, the parson and his three sisters. His father, being a devout orthodox Christian, ensures that religion is one of the themes of the book along with the steady decline of a young man who had once had a future. This was put paid to by failed relationships, lost jobs, alcoholism and mounting debts. Branwell's self-delusion and brief flashes of self-awareness play constantly through the tale colouring relations with friends and family alike.

As with all Edric's books, the dialogue is beautifully written; flowing when it needs to be and broken and disconcerting at other times. The characters feel real and the reader gets a genuine sense of place and time.

I knew very little of the story of the Brontës before reading this and thoroughly enjoyed being carried along with the story of heartaches and failures tempered with the strong bonds of family.

[Roland Marchal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about Branwell Bronte the un talented and wayward brother of the Bronte sisters. He has previously left the family home but now lives with his father and 3 sisters in Howarth Parsonage.
He seems to have wayward friends and many depts. and his sisters treat him with scorn and pity. The story chronicles his failing health and increasing despair until his death in his early 3os.
It is well written can kept me engaged throughout. I will seek out more of Robert Edrics work.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 *

[Tabitha · Rating 2 out of 5]

In a word... disappointed ☹️ Was expecting so much more but it's a book that doesn't go anywhere, or really tell a story! Don't waste your time!!

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Guard your good name. My own given names imprison me with their history, and are serpent and lamb to me. Some would say my very nature is born of them – I am betrayed by my instincts and damned by them.”
-Patrick Branwell Bronte

“You are a fortunate man and your home is a fortress and a sanctuary…”

Sanctuary by Robert Edric is a fictional account of Patrick Branwell Bronte’s last months. Set in Haworth, West Yorkshire in 1848, the Year of Revolutions, the Industrial Revolution is in full swing but the seeming promise it made of wealth and prosperity for all is less than an illusion for most. This is a period of change as the old ways are being swept away by the new wave of technology and ‘progress’. His father, the Reverend Patrick Bronte, ministers to the miners who live lives marked mainly by constant illness and early deaths. The Rectory, itself is situated near the moors and next to a graveyard. Bronte has been trying to get the graveyard expanded to accommodate the rising number of deaths but without success.

Yet, these miners seem much more content than Branwell who has pretty much failed at everything he has tried: poet, artist, tutor, railroad station clerk. He has returned home to lick his wounds. His home could be the sanctuary he seeks but he refuses to see it. He divides his time in drunken meetings with his friends and dodging his creditors. His father prays for him and his sisters preach at him.
Charlotte, once his greatest friend and admirer, is now his greatest critic. She pays off some of his debts which only increases the resentment on both sides. Reverend Bronte is loved and respected by his parishioners and the sisters are eliciting fascination from his friends and the media but Branwell sees it all as an indictment of himself. Instead of seeing how good his life is compared to many of his father’s parishioners or his friends, he only sees his own failures.

Yet, it is clear that his family loves him and wants only the best for him. They even try to keep the sisters’ success from him, going off on mysterious trips to London. When he sets his bed on fire, his father starts to sleep with him: Branwell sees this as a way to punish and imprison him while the rest of the family see it as an attempt to protect him from himself. When others offer a life-line to him, he sees a rod and hook. Despite the fact that both Anne and Emily are sick and his father is becoming frail, Branwell continues to demand constant attention and the limited resources from the family.

As I read Sanctuary, I kept thinking I should hate this book. Branwell is the narrator and it is a litany of self-pity and self-recriminations. The story tends to consist of short episodes, meetings with various friends in different public houses, attempts to avoid creditors and his father’s prayers, and moments of nostalgia, remembering their childhood when, as the only boy, he was the main object of his sisters’ affections. The sisters often seem like shrews, constantly berating him over his failures when he thinks they should be more understanding. He is annoying, selfish, and completely self-centred. He blames everyone for his failure including, in his more rational moments, himself but is unwilling or unable to change. And yet, somehow, Edric made me care just a little for him and want to know him just a little bit better. Edric is also a master at capturing the feel of the particular time and place and he brings to the pages a real sense of the world that produced the literary genius of the Bronte sisters. It is well-written, often lyrical, and insightful. Based on real events, it is a fascinating look at a man who, despite his early promise and the constant love of his brilliant family, became the author of his own failures.

[3PCats · Rating 1 out of 5]

Branwell talks to the locals. A lot. Then he dies off the page. This was eye-wateringly boring. Stopped reading around 40% in and skipped ahead to the end.

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1848, Branwell Bronte returns to the parsonage at Howarth after yet another failed attempt at a career. He is full of self pity, hindered by crippling doubts and struggling with mental illness, he is his own worst enemy, and yet, glimpses of his tortured genius can still be seen in this fictional account of the last year of his life. The author has done a commendable job of bringing Branwell to life and has, with some sympathy, allowed his voice to be heard. Time and place is captured really well, and there is a definite sense of the world changing around him and as society moved forward, Branwell was inevitably left floundering in the wake of his more successful and fascinating sisters.

There's something intriguing about the Bronte family which continues, long after their deaths, to perplex and enthral. Anyone who has ever visited the Bronte parsonage in Howarth will have stopped to wonder at the way in which the harsh and often brutal landscape of the Yorkshire moors shaped all their personalities to such an extent that the very essence of them still lingers in the shadows, and you half expect to catch a glimpse of them sitting at table, pens poised at the ready. Somehow, there's a huge sense of disappointment that lingers around Branwell Bronte, as all too often he stands lost in the shadow of his more charismatic sisters. However, that doesn't mean that he missed out on his share of genius, he was simply troubled by circumstances, lack of ambition and a lingering sense of not quite knowing his place in the world.

Having a story based on one of the lesser known Bronte siblings is an inspired choice of historical fiction, and is well worth a read if you are as intrigued by this enigmatic family as I am.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Haworth, West Yorkshire, 1848.

Branwell Brontë - unexhibited artist, unacknowledged writer, sacked railwayman, disgraced tutor and spurned lover - finds himself unhappily back in Haworth Parsonage, to face the disappointment of his father and his three sisters, the scale of whose own pseudonymous successes is only just becoming apparent.
Bramwell, the brother of the Bronte sisters, is the depressed alcoholic anti-hero in this book. Haunted by failure, the young man returns to the sanctuary of home.. He continues on his downward path, frequently rescued by his sisters and forgiven by his father in whose arms he eventually dies.
A sad character and difficult to like.
For me,the lives of The Bronte sisters was brief and did not learn much about them.
The book was book tedious, dark and drawn out, which probably well portrays the main character's experience and landscape.The . Victorian attitudes towards religion, duty and family, the poor, industry and the arts are well portrayed,however overall I found it hard going.

[weemarie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book club read 📚

This wasn't the book for me and I suspected that before I picked it up (the cover and blurb did not appeal at all). I have been pleasantly surprised before (Winifred Holtby's South Riding, for instance) but that was not to be this time.

Every chapter of this book was like a short story in itself - almost none of them flowed into each other or connected in any way. I didn't like that as it never felt like one coherent story, and the plot was jumpy and all over the place.

The characters were undeveloped (which is a real shame) except for Branwell himself who was hateful. Maybe he genuinely was hateful but surely novels should make characters somewhat likeable or at least sympathetic ... but he wasn't either.

The story is based around an interesting time in history and a fascinating family, which is something I'd like to read more about, but I wouldn't recommend this book.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully-written study of the final months of Branwell Bronte. Some may not sympathise with him, but after reading this I did, more than ever - it must have been tortuous to fight addiction while living with a deeply religious father and three stoic, secretive sisters. For all their love and care, the Bronte trio did judge him (and in all fairness, how could they not?) Once part of his siblings' imaginative life, Branwell was excluded from its fruition. He was both the most indulged, and vulnerable of the family. By the rigid code of 19th century England, the only son was expected to achieve greatness alone, and he just couldn't do it. It's a singular point of view, but one that isn't always considered. Robert Edric - himself a Yorkshireman - draws a bewitching picture of rural Haworth and the changing society just beyond its boundaries.

[Lisa Blosfelds · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot of this book mostly comprises Branwell Bronte meeting up with friends to cadge drinks and feel sorry for himself, and to lament his increasing debts. As such it is quite boring and not very convincing. At first it seems quite well researched but several quite basic errors can be found in the text. For instance, it is implied that Emily is smaller than he brother when in reality she was the tallest person in the house apart from their father. Also in this book Emily is seriously ill all the way through but the real Emily only fell ill after catching a cold at Branwell's funeral. To non Bronte enthusiasts these may seem irrelevant details but to an afficionado they rob the book of its credibility.

[Lizie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bramwell, the brother of the Bronte sisters, is the depressed alcoholic anti-hero of this sad book. Haunted by failure, the young man returns to the sanctuary of his father and sisters' home. He continues on his downward path, frequently rescued by his sisters and forgiven by his father in whose arms he eventually dies.

I found the book tedious, dark and drawn out, which probably well portrays the main character's experience. Victorian attitudes towards religion, duty and family, the poor, industry and the arts are well portrayed, yet I would be reluctant to read another by this author.

[Jackie Mcwilliams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am fascinated by the Bronte's and up to now knew very little about Branwell. I found this book really interesting. It gives an insight into the life of a very talented yet sad and troubled individual try to survive fighting against his own demons while living in a small village well away from civilisation; and also in the shadow of his sisters and trying not to let his father down.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edric explores life with the Brontes from Branwell's perspective in his last few months. Well written, atmospheric and an enjoyable read. Not an easy topic to come up with something new perspective wise but handled really well.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read about the lesser known member of the Bronte family.

[Joanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dull. I read down the middle of the page for most of the book.