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Charlotte and Arthur
It is the morning of June 29th, 1854, here is the groom coming up the cobbles in Haworth, for his nuptial appointment with Charlotte Brontë. Only a handful of guests have been invited, and you, dear Reader, are one of them …
Charlotte Brontë, the celebrated author of Jane Eyre, has married her papa’s Curate, Irishman, Arthur Bell Nicholls. At thirty-eight years of age, and the unlikelihood of there ever being further proposals, Charlotte’s dread of the lonely life of the spinster has convinced her that this is a calculated risk she must take.
For the month of July, the couple’s itinerary brings them from the castles of Wales to the most popular tourist attractions in Victorian Ireland, spending some time along the way with Arthur’s family in Banagher, on the banks of the River Shannon. Set against the backdrop of the recent famine, their tour exposes the contrasting lives of the poor and the privileged of Irish society.
Charlotte & Arthur, invites the reader into the heart and mind of the revered author, and it allows that reader to walk beside her as she realises that to have Arthur as her husband was in her own words ‘…better than to earn either Wealth or Fame or Power.’
Charlotte Brontë, the celebrated author of Jane Eyre, has married her papa’s Curate, Irishman, Arthur Bell Nicholls. At thirty-eight years of age, and the unlikelihood of there ever being further proposals, Charlotte’s dread of the lonely life of the spinster has convinced her that this is a calculated risk she must take.
For the month of July, the couple’s itinerary brings them from the castles of Wales to the most popular tourist attractions in Victorian Ireland, spending some time along the way with Arthur’s family in Banagher, on the banks of the River Shannon. Set against the backdrop of the recent famine, their tour exposes the contrasting lives of the poor and the privileged of Irish society.
Charlotte & Arthur, invites the reader into the heart and mind of the revered author, and it allows that reader to walk beside her as she realises that to have Arthur as her husband was in her own words ‘…better than to earn either Wealth or Fame or Power.’
296 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 28, 2021
About the author
Pauline Clooney
2 books5 followersOriginally from Portlaoise, Ireland, Pauline has been living in Kildare since 1982.
Her debut Novel, Charlotte & Arthur published by Merdog Books, was released in October 2021.
Pauline has an M.Litt. in English literature on the work of Charlotte Brontë from NUI Maynooth (2006), a diploma in Creative writing and publishing also from Maynooth University (2012) and a first class MA in Creative Writing from UCD (2015).
Her short stories have been anthologised in publications in Ireland and Great Britain, including an anthology of stories associated with historical houses, Come into the House: Tales of Secrets, History, and Mystery, the 2017 Ireland’s Own Anthology of Short Stories, The RTE Guide and HCE Review (UCD arts and literary journal).
Pauline has been shortlisted for many competitions including the RTE Guide/Penguin Ireland Short Story
competition, the Doolin Short Story competition in 2014, and the Hennessey New Irish Writing in association with the Irish Times.
Pauline won the RTE Guide/Penguin Ireland Short Story competition in 2015.
In 2017 She left a teaching career at the Patrician Secondary School in Newbridge, in order to give more time to her writing.
As well as writing, Pauline has vast experience teaching creative writing at the Kildare Writing Centre, which she established, at many literary festivals and with the Irish Writers Centre.
Her debut Novel, Charlotte & Arthur published by Merdog Books, was released in October 2021.
Pauline has an M.Litt. in English literature on the work of Charlotte Brontë from NUI Maynooth (2006), a diploma in Creative writing and publishing also from Maynooth University (2012) and a first class MA in Creative Writing from UCD (2015).
Her short stories have been anthologised in publications in Ireland and Great Britain, including an anthology of stories associated with historical houses, Come into the House: Tales of Secrets, History, and Mystery, the 2017 Ireland’s Own Anthology of Short Stories, The RTE Guide and HCE Review (UCD arts and literary journal).
Pauline has been shortlisted for many competitions including the RTE Guide/Penguin Ireland Short Story
competition, the Doolin Short Story competition in 2014, and the Hennessey New Irish Writing in association with the Irish Times.
Pauline won the RTE Guide/Penguin Ireland Short Story competition in 2015.
In 2017 She left a teaching career at the Patrician Secondary School in Newbridge, in order to give more time to her writing.
As well as writing, Pauline has vast experience teaching creative writing at the Kildare Writing Centre, which she established, at many literary festivals and with the Irish Writers Centre.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 7, 2021
A wonderful account of Charlotte Brontë’s and her new husband Arthur Bell Nicholl’s’ honeymoon in North Wales and then on into Ireland. Most Brontë authors dedicate only a few paragraphs to the honeymoon simply listing where they went and so this novel is a welcome addition to a subject that has hitherto been overlooked.This historical novel by Pauline Clooney is so well researched and written that I felt I was travelling with the newly weds! The conversations she creates for Charlotte and Arthur are entirely believable and help to portray what they both must have been feeling, not only for each other, but also for the sights and locations they were seeing and visiting. She captures their characters so well. I genuinely felt, having read this novel, that both Charlotte and Arthur found happiness in each other’s company. I am now inspired to follow in the couple’s footsteps and go and visit the lovely towns, countryside and seascapes they enjoyed in both Wales and Ireland. This historical novel is a must for all Brontë aficionados!
January 14, 2023
An interesting insight into the private life of Charlotte Brontë, full of lots of beautiful imagery and engaging supporting characters, but also with far too many fancy words and a main character that somehow still felt aloof despite being the focus of the book. This is between a 3.5 and 4 for me, but I will round up because I thought the supporting cast felt so lively and it’s clear a lot of care was taken to bring this story to life.
July 25, 2025
Charlotte Bronte is alone with her father at the start of this novel about her marriage. It is not a spoiler to say that Patrick Brontë is feeling ill on the morning of her wedding and doesn't give her away as planned. However, Pauline Clooney takes the reader down the aisle of Haworth Church and away on a honeymoon with her new husband across England and through Ireland. Her research and use of Bronte's letters allow Clooney to recreate moments between the couple with accuracy. She shows Charlotte getting used to living so close to another person after so many years in charge of herself. Gradually Charlotte begins to enjoy moments of togetherness that at the start she finds challenging. But Clooney also shows us Bronte's health issues. From the start of the honeymoon, Charlotte struggles with headaches and faints. A woman who has lost her siblings to illness, Charlotte's vulnerability is clear. This is an accurate account of Charlotte's honeymoon although at times the author may have squeezed in too much detail gathered in research. However, enjoyable for Brontë fans, which I am.
November 1, 2021
Charlotte and Arthur
Many will be familiar with the works of Charlotte Bronte but few will be familiar with Charlotte Bronte herself. Thanks to Pauline Clooneys’s excellent novel Charlotte and Arthur we meet head on with Charlotte the person. It is not before time that someone has taken on the task of introducing us to the real Charlotte. As you read this novel it is easy to see that for Pauline this was a labour of love. It is a warm, engaging, sensuous and imaginative account of how Charlotte and Arthur came together. The novel is a superb accomplishment by Pauline, it points to intensive research and familiarity with the works of Charlotte Bronte and all that has been written about her. The story oozes authenticity. Every event and every conversation is believable because nothing is out of time or out of character. The perception many might have had of Charlotte being somewhat remote is replaced by a story of a warm, empathetic, loyal and loving person. The story takes us from Charlotte receiving a marriage proposal from her father’s curate Arthur Bell to her actual marriage to him in spite of a few bumps along the way mainly due to her father’s reluctance to approve of the marriage, and then to their honeymoon in Wales and Ireland. In the course of the story we meet the real Charlotte, the Charlotte who rather than offend her father turned down Arthur’s initial proposal, the Charlotte who struck a blow for independence by marrying Arthur, the Charlotte who was modest about her status as a writer, who shunned the limelight, who eschewed what was grandiose or pompous, the Charlotte who empathized with ordinary simple people, who felt more at ease in the company of housemaids and cab drivers, the Charlotte who was deeply moved by the plight of the starving poor that were a familiar sight on the roads in a post-famine Ireland, the Charlotte who did not allow a frequent nagging cough or a general lack of energy to inhibit her zest for life, the Charlotte who loved nature. We know that she experienced a lot of sadness in her life, the unspeakable grief she must have felt at the deaths of all her siblings. But rather than being overwhelmed by such grief here we find a Charlotte who is full of positivity in her approach to life. This is a triumph of the human spirit. Pauline deftly describes how her love grows in intensity for Arthur who surpasses all her expectations of him. There is a sense of triumph as Charlotte admits to herself that she has never been happier. This is a novel that takes the reader back in time to life as lived by Charlotte and her contemporaries. We meet a whole range of characters, some serious, some garrulous, some very funny but all very real and interesting. What is remarkable about this novel is that at times we can forget that we not reading segments from Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights such are the descriptive powers of the author, her command of language and diction that firmly set the story in its time and place. One segment that stood out for me was Charlotte and Arthur's stroll in the woods above Glengarriff. Here all the reader’s senses are assailed as we share with Charlotte her delight in this ‘enchanted woodland’, this ‘portal to a magical kingdom’, this ‘fairy land’. To say too much more about the novel would be to encroach upon the guaranteed enjoyment of future readers as they accompany Charlotte and Arthur on their honeymoon adventure. I was only a few chapters into the novel when it was taken up by my better half who immediately loved it and that was that. Knowing that I wasn’t going to get it back any time soon I resorted to reading it on my Kindle. This did not take away from my enjoyment of what is an extremely well-written, pleasant, absorbing, and dare I say, authentic story. Like all good books my problem was that late into the night I still wanted to go on to the next chapter. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Seamus Mullooly
Many will be familiar with the works of Charlotte Bronte but few will be familiar with Charlotte Bronte herself. Thanks to Pauline Clooneys’s excellent novel Charlotte and Arthur we meet head on with Charlotte the person. It is not before time that someone has taken on the task of introducing us to the real Charlotte. As you read this novel it is easy to see that for Pauline this was a labour of love. It is a warm, engaging, sensuous and imaginative account of how Charlotte and Arthur came together. The novel is a superb accomplishment by Pauline, it points to intensive research and familiarity with the works of Charlotte Bronte and all that has been written about her. The story oozes authenticity. Every event and every conversation is believable because nothing is out of time or out of character. The perception many might have had of Charlotte being somewhat remote is replaced by a story of a warm, empathetic, loyal and loving person. The story takes us from Charlotte receiving a marriage proposal from her father’s curate Arthur Bell to her actual marriage to him in spite of a few bumps along the way mainly due to her father’s reluctance to approve of the marriage, and then to their honeymoon in Wales and Ireland. In the course of the story we meet the real Charlotte, the Charlotte who rather than offend her father turned down Arthur’s initial proposal, the Charlotte who struck a blow for independence by marrying Arthur, the Charlotte who was modest about her status as a writer, who shunned the limelight, who eschewed what was grandiose or pompous, the Charlotte who empathized with ordinary simple people, who felt more at ease in the company of housemaids and cab drivers, the Charlotte who was deeply moved by the plight of the starving poor that were a familiar sight on the roads in a post-famine Ireland, the Charlotte who did not allow a frequent nagging cough or a general lack of energy to inhibit her zest for life, the Charlotte who loved nature. We know that she experienced a lot of sadness in her life, the unspeakable grief she must have felt at the deaths of all her siblings. But rather than being overwhelmed by such grief here we find a Charlotte who is full of positivity in her approach to life. This is a triumph of the human spirit. Pauline deftly describes how her love grows in intensity for Arthur who surpasses all her expectations of him. There is a sense of triumph as Charlotte admits to herself that she has never been happier. This is a novel that takes the reader back in time to life as lived by Charlotte and her contemporaries. We meet a whole range of characters, some serious, some garrulous, some very funny but all very real and interesting. What is remarkable about this novel is that at times we can forget that we not reading segments from Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights such are the descriptive powers of the author, her command of language and diction that firmly set the story in its time and place. One segment that stood out for me was Charlotte and Arthur's stroll in the woods above Glengarriff. Here all the reader’s senses are assailed as we share with Charlotte her delight in this ‘enchanted woodland’, this ‘portal to a magical kingdom’, this ‘fairy land’. To say too much more about the novel would be to encroach upon the guaranteed enjoyment of future readers as they accompany Charlotte and Arthur on their honeymoon adventure. I was only a few chapters into the novel when it was taken up by my better half who immediately loved it and that was that. Knowing that I wasn’t going to get it back any time soon I resorted to reading it on my Kindle. This did not take away from my enjoyment of what is an extremely well-written, pleasant, absorbing, and dare I say, authentic story. Like all good books my problem was that late into the night I still wanted to go on to the next chapter. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Seamus Mullooly
March 5, 2022
Pray tell, with all the labyrinthine twists and turns in wending one’s way through a legion of grim novels nowadays, do you ever yearn for a good old-fashioned story revolving around a fascinating human being, a tale told in masterful fashion populated by decent people of good intention who (imagine) exhibit admirable qualities? Then, Pauline Clooney’’s “Charlotte & Arthur” is a book for you, as it was and is for me.
Revolving around the honeymoon sojourn of the celebrated Charlotte Brontë and her modest and unassuming husband Arthur Bell Nicholls in Wales and Ireland in 1854, this fascinating volume explores the mind of a great writer, but it also treats us to an object lesson in forging a loving relationship with another human being in an all too brief and fleeting moment in time.
Charlotte sees things differently than most of us do and feels compelled to lend form to the visions that crystallize in her mind. It’s a crowded mind, brimming with a cavalcade of writers whose works she’s read and drawn from. Shakespeare, Swift, Dickens, Thackeray, Wordsworth… and more. Old familiar literary ghosts whose words echo in all too few of our minds today, but danced in hers.
Yet, perhaps, the most telling lesson to be culled from this superbly crafted novel has to do with the miracle of two human beings - each orbiting in a different galaxy - learning to live harmoniously and happily during their brief time together on this planet.
How is this accomplished? Humor, patience, forgiveness, seeking virtues rather than objectionable traits in the other, and perhaps the most formidable challenge of all - discovering amusing and redeeming qualities in their shortcomings.
What kind of impact did Charlotte and Arthur have on one another? Her story ends tragically less than a year after their marriage, with Charlotte grateful for his tenderness, kindness and the comfort he’d brought to her. Arthur dies a half century later, whispering Charlotte’s name.
Pauline Clooney writes like her heroine, with purpose, skill and grace. What did Spinoza say? All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare. “Charlotte & Arthur” is excellent in all respects, and Clooney’s linguistic facility makes it look easy. It isn’t.
“Charlotte & Arthur” is published by Merdog Books and is available through them as well as Waterstone’s and Amazon.
Revolving around the honeymoon sojourn of the celebrated Charlotte Brontë and her modest and unassuming husband Arthur Bell Nicholls in Wales and Ireland in 1854, this fascinating volume explores the mind of a great writer, but it also treats us to an object lesson in forging a loving relationship with another human being in an all too brief and fleeting moment in time.
Charlotte sees things differently than most of us do and feels compelled to lend form to the visions that crystallize in her mind. It’s a crowded mind, brimming with a cavalcade of writers whose works she’s read and drawn from. Shakespeare, Swift, Dickens, Thackeray, Wordsworth… and more. Old familiar literary ghosts whose words echo in all too few of our minds today, but danced in hers.
Yet, perhaps, the most telling lesson to be culled from this superbly crafted novel has to do with the miracle of two human beings - each orbiting in a different galaxy - learning to live harmoniously and happily during their brief time together on this planet.
How is this accomplished? Humor, patience, forgiveness, seeking virtues rather than objectionable traits in the other, and perhaps the most formidable challenge of all - discovering amusing and redeeming qualities in their shortcomings.
What kind of impact did Charlotte and Arthur have on one another? Her story ends tragically less than a year after their marriage, with Charlotte grateful for his tenderness, kindness and the comfort he’d brought to her. Arthur dies a half century later, whispering Charlotte’s name.
Pauline Clooney writes like her heroine, with purpose, skill and grace. What did Spinoza say? All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare. “Charlotte & Arthur” is excellent in all respects, and Clooney’s linguistic facility makes it look easy. It isn’t.
“Charlotte & Arthur” is published by Merdog Books and is available through them as well as Waterstone’s and Amazon.
January 24, 2022
a beautiful lyrical novel.
Clooney's wonderful prose and her refined sensitivity sheds a real, and not always flattering, light upon one of our most enigmatic heroines of women's writing. Charlotte Bronte is revealed gradually, at first seeming cold, somewhat distant, overly conscious of her dignity and her towering intellect; one wonders if one will enjoy the time spent with her in this novel. The answer thankfully is, Yes.
Knowing, as i did, the bare facts of the life and work of Charlotte Bronte, i was concerned that my mind might always be rushing ahead, jumping to conclusions, but the exquisitely paced prose kept my attention and i savoured each chapter.
I, personally, do not particularly ever enjoy the phonetic rendering of anglophone dialect, but that is a very small matter and purely a stylistic choice of my own. The dialogue itself is rich and layered, gradually moving from the extreme formality of a diffident bride who addresses her husband as Mr Nicholls, to a playful, joyful relaxation into the knowledge that she is coming to love and respect the man to whom she has joined her fate. The casual register of the many people of all classes she interacts with in Ireland acts as a lovely foil to the more formal dialogue of Charlotte and of her husband and his aunt.
Despite this review focusing almost entirely upon Charlotte, we do get a heart-warming and affectionate portrayal of Arthur Bell Nichols, and a good insight into the sisters and brother of Charlotte Bronte, and the numerous tragedies which befall the family,
highly recommended
Clooney's wonderful prose and her refined sensitivity sheds a real, and not always flattering, light upon one of our most enigmatic heroines of women's writing. Charlotte Bronte is revealed gradually, at first seeming cold, somewhat distant, overly conscious of her dignity and her towering intellect; one wonders if one will enjoy the time spent with her in this novel. The answer thankfully is, Yes.
Knowing, as i did, the bare facts of the life and work of Charlotte Bronte, i was concerned that my mind might always be rushing ahead, jumping to conclusions, but the exquisitely paced prose kept my attention and i savoured each chapter.
I, personally, do not particularly ever enjoy the phonetic rendering of anglophone dialect, but that is a very small matter and purely a stylistic choice of my own. The dialogue itself is rich and layered, gradually moving from the extreme formality of a diffident bride who addresses her husband as Mr Nicholls, to a playful, joyful relaxation into the knowledge that she is coming to love and respect the man to whom she has joined her fate. The casual register of the many people of all classes she interacts with in Ireland acts as a lovely foil to the more formal dialogue of Charlotte and of her husband and his aunt.
Despite this review focusing almost entirely upon Charlotte, we do get a heart-warming and affectionate portrayal of Arthur Bell Nichols, and a good insight into the sisters and brother of Charlotte Bronte, and the numerous tragedies which befall the family,
highly recommended
January 23, 2022
Such an exquisitely crafted and meticulously researched book about Charlotte Bronte's honeymoon through Wales and Ireland with Arthur Bell Nichols and it transports us back to a more gentle and subtle time.
The story moves like a meditation, softly observing without embroiling us in any unnecessary drama. It allows us to savour the depth of Charlotte's experiences as she travels through post-famine Ireland and we can delicately observe how Charlotte and Arthur's relationship deepens.
Clooney's masterful use of the writing style of the era adds to our appreciation of the story and is a real testament to her skill as a writer. It is an absolute pleasure of a book to read and I am curious to know what Clooney's next book will be
The story moves like a meditation, softly observing without embroiling us in any unnecessary drama. It allows us to savour the depth of Charlotte's experiences as she travels through post-famine Ireland and we can delicately observe how Charlotte and Arthur's relationship deepens.
Clooney's masterful use of the writing style of the era adds to our appreciation of the story and is a real testament to her skill as a writer. It is an absolute pleasure of a book to read and I am curious to know what Clooney's next book will be
March 18, 2026
Ever since I finished all of Charlotte Brontë's novels, I've had a keen interest in her marital life. After all, the woman who conjured up characters like Mr. Rochester and Paul Emmanuel is sure to have her love life thoroughly inspected. This novel is a creative imagining of Brontë's honeymoon to her husband, Arthur Bell Nicholls. While not a biographical account, it mixes documented happenings (taken from letters) with fiction. Brontë fans would like to think Charlotte had a happy, albeit brief, marriage. This novel is a cozy read. Clooney's prose is easy to follow and I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of the natural wonders of Ireland. It made me happy to imagine my favorite author happy with her new husband on her honeymoon, and I would recommend this book to any Brontë fan.
May 28, 2023
Part biography and part fiction, 'Charlotte and Arthur' was somehow neither. This book was not what I was expecting. I thought it would be a biography detailing an often missing part of Charlotte Bronte's life, her honeymoon. It was mostly fictional speculation, however. I am not averse to historical fiction. It has to have a plot, however, which 'Charlotte and Arthur' lacked. The two characters mostly just travel from place to place, talking while nothing happens. There is no suspense, drama, or development. I'm struggling to understand what to point of the book was. Overall, I couldn't recommend this book, unless, like me, you are studying the Brontes in specific circumstances.
February 13, 2022
A really wonderful book which I thoroughly enjoyed. I have to admit I only read the book to please my mother who had read about it in the local paper and she wanted to buy it for me. I am so glad she did. The book is a perfect blend of detailed historical research and excellent writing. It has inspired me to find out more about Charlotte Brontë and her Irish connections. I am also looking forward to more books by Pauline Clooney.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews