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Half-Life of a Stolen Sister
A form-shattering novel that reimagines the lives of the Brontë siblings from precocious childhood, through the writings of their great novels, to their early deaths.
How did sisters Emily, Charlotte, and Anne write literary landmarks Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Agnes Grey? What in their lives and circumstances, in the choices they made, and in their close but complex relationships with one another made such greatness possible? In her new novel, Rachel Cantor melds biographical fact with unruly invention to illuminate their genius, their bonds of love and duty, periods of furious creativity, and the ongoing tolls of illness, isolation, and loss.
As it tells the story of the Brontës, Half-Life of a Stolen Sister itself perpetually transforms and renews its own style and methods, sometimes hewing close to the facts of the Brontë lives as we know them (or think we know them), and at others radically reimagining the siblings, moving them into new time periods and possibilities.
Chapter by chapter, the novel brings together diaries, letters, home movies, television and radio interviews, deathbed monologues, and fragments from the sprawling invented worlds of siblings’ childhood; and as it does so, a kaleidoscopic portrait emerges, giving us with startling intensity and invention new ways of seeing—and reading—the sisters who would create some of the supreme works of literature of all time.
How did sisters Emily, Charlotte, and Anne write literary landmarks Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Agnes Grey? What in their lives and circumstances, in the choices they made, and in their close but complex relationships with one another made such greatness possible? In her new novel, Rachel Cantor melds biographical fact with unruly invention to illuminate their genius, their bonds of love and duty, periods of furious creativity, and the ongoing tolls of illness, isolation, and loss.
As it tells the story of the Brontës, Half-Life of a Stolen Sister itself perpetually transforms and renews its own style and methods, sometimes hewing close to the facts of the Brontë lives as we know them (or think we know them), and at others radically reimagining the siblings, moving them into new time periods and possibilities.
Chapter by chapter, the novel brings together diaries, letters, home movies, television and radio interviews, deathbed monologues, and fragments from the sprawling invented worlds of siblings’ childhood; and as it does so, a kaleidoscopic portrait emerges, giving us with startling intensity and invention new ways of seeing—and reading—the sisters who would create some of the supreme works of literature of all time.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 11, 2023
32 people are currently reading
5253 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Cantor
9 books99 followersI am the author of the novels Half-Life of a Stolen Sister (Soho Press 2023), Good on Paper (Melville House 2016), and A Highly Unlikely Scenario, or a Neetsa Pizza Employee's Guide to Saving the World (Melville House 2014).
I live in New York, in the writerly borough of Brooklyn, but have also made my home in most U.S. states between Virginia and Vermont. In addition to writing fiction, I freelance as a writer for nonprofits that work in low-income countries. I’ve worked everywhere from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe (most recently in Laos, Namibia, and Nigeria). I spent much of my adolescence in Rome, and as a young adult, wandered the world--working on food festivals in Melbourne, Australia, and European jazz festivals in France; living in rural Gujarat while interning for a Gandhian nonprofit; and teaching Afghan women refugees in Peshawar, Pakistan. I am a native New Englander; my love for the Boston Red Sox is fanatical.
My stories have appeared in magazines such as the Paris Review, One Story, Ninth Letter, Kenyon Review, New England Review, Fence, and Volume 1 Brooklyn. They have been anthologized, nominated for three Pushcart Prizes, and short-listed by both the O. Henry Awards and Best American Short Stories. I have also written about fiction for National Public Radio, the Guardian, Publishers Weekly, and other publications. I'm working now on a series of middle grade and young adult books set in Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
I live in New York, in the writerly borough of Brooklyn, but have also made my home in most U.S. states between Virginia and Vermont. In addition to writing fiction, I freelance as a writer for nonprofits that work in low-income countries. I’ve worked everywhere from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe (most recently in Laos, Namibia, and Nigeria). I spent much of my adolescence in Rome, and as a young adult, wandered the world--working on food festivals in Melbourne, Australia, and European jazz festivals in France; living in rural Gujarat while interning for a Gandhian nonprofit; and teaching Afghan women refugees in Peshawar, Pakistan. I am a native New Englander; my love for the Boston Red Sox is fanatical.
My stories have appeared in magazines such as the Paris Review, One Story, Ninth Letter, Kenyon Review, New England Review, Fence, and Volume 1 Brooklyn. They have been anthologized, nominated for three Pushcart Prizes, and short-listed by both the O. Henry Awards and Best American Short Stories. I have also written about fiction for National Public Radio, the Guardian, Publishers Weekly, and other publications. I'm working now on a series of middle grade and young adult books set in Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
July 29, 2023
Actual Rating 1.5
I don’t know how to write a summary of this work. It’s supposed to be a reimagining of the Brontë siblings that follows them from childhood to their early deaths. But to be quite honest, the only way I got some enjoyment out of this novel was by pretending it had nothing to do with the Brontës and that these were instead completely original characters.
I wouldn’t classify this work as historical fiction. Maybe literary fiction? But here’s why. The story started feeling like traditional 19th century, which makes sense. Then suddenly, with no transition or explanation, the characters are talking about emails and computers and working modern jobs. There’s no explanation, no situating ourselves in this, no time machine, nothing. You turn a page and you’re suddenly reading emails written by a Brontë.
This book was all over the place. Much of it was spent as the characters daydreaming or thinking about what they wanted to write, or trying to write, keeping journals, writing emails, etc. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything so disjointed. There were portions that I quite enjoyed, mostly in the first 30% of the book. These were the times when the siblings were interacting with each other and their father, when it seemed to be set in the 19th century and was the only time when their personalities and emotions really shone through. This portion of the book was a more traditional narrative, and I found it to be quite compelling.
I really don’t know who to recommend this read to. If you enjoy literary fiction you might like this. I usually like literary fiction and don’t mind challenging reads, but I couldn’t make this one work. As I listened to the audio version, it’s possible that a physical copy would be more accessible, but I’m not tempted to find out. I received a copy of this work from NetGalley and HighBridge Audio in exchange for my honest opinion.
I don’t know how to write a summary of this work. It’s supposed to be a reimagining of the Brontë siblings that follows them from childhood to their early deaths. But to be quite honest, the only way I got some enjoyment out of this novel was by pretending it had nothing to do with the Brontës and that these were instead completely original characters.
I wouldn’t classify this work as historical fiction. Maybe literary fiction? But here’s why. The story started feeling like traditional 19th century, which makes sense. Then suddenly, with no transition or explanation, the characters are talking about emails and computers and working modern jobs. There’s no explanation, no situating ourselves in this, no time machine, nothing. You turn a page and you’re suddenly reading emails written by a Brontë.
This book was all over the place. Much of it was spent as the characters daydreaming or thinking about what they wanted to write, or trying to write, keeping journals, writing emails, etc. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything so disjointed. There were portions that I quite enjoyed, mostly in the first 30% of the book. These were the times when the siblings were interacting with each other and their father, when it seemed to be set in the 19th century and was the only time when their personalities and emotions really shone through. This portion of the book was a more traditional narrative, and I found it to be quite compelling.
I really don’t know who to recommend this read to. If you enjoy literary fiction you might like this. I usually like literary fiction and don’t mind challenging reads, but I couldn’t make this one work. As I listened to the audio version, it’s possible that a physical copy would be more accessible, but I’m not tempted to find out. I received a copy of this work from NetGalley and HighBridge Audio in exchange for my honest opinion.
July 5, 2024
3.5
Uncharacteristically I bought this book on an impulse. It’s true about covers and titles: My eye was immediately drawn to both when I spotted the book facing outward on the shelf of an independent bookstore.
I was intrigued by what I thought might be a different take on the Brontë biography. But, in many ways, it’s not very different from the story I already know. That’s a good thing, as far as veracity goes. And placing their story in modern-day settings reinforces the family’s brilliance, oddness, and dire poverty. However, some of the execution— not changing the language of the past much; not changing the peripheral characters to mesh more with the present-day, such as in the letters— worked against this.
Some things were very effective: a radio broadcast with the host trying to get Lotte’s publisher to “out” the Brontë writers as women despite their androgynous pseudonyms brought to mind all the unnecessary hoopla around Elena Ferrante’s identity; and the home-movies with Branny having the last words reinforce all his sisters had to deal with in their household, much less when they had to go outside of it.
I enjoyed the book while reading it, but I was never fully invested. I found it easy to put down, which worked well for the different forms of the chapters. But I’m guessing my (over)familiarity with the story of the Brontës made me not the ideal audience for this novel.
Uncharacteristically I bought this book on an impulse. It’s true about covers and titles: My eye was immediately drawn to both when I spotted the book facing outward on the shelf of an independent bookstore.
I was intrigued by what I thought might be a different take on the Brontë biography. But, in many ways, it’s not very different from the story I already know. That’s a good thing, as far as veracity goes. And placing their story in modern-day settings reinforces the family’s brilliance, oddness, and dire poverty. However, some of the execution— not changing the language of the past much; not changing the peripheral characters to mesh more with the present-day, such as in the letters— worked against this.
Some things were very effective: a radio broadcast with the host trying to get Lotte’s publisher to “out” the Brontë writers as women despite their androgynous pseudonyms brought to mind all the unnecessary hoopla around Elena Ferrante’s identity; and the home-movies with Branny having the last words reinforce all his sisters had to deal with in their household, much less when they had to go outside of it.
I enjoyed the book while reading it, but I was never fully invested. I found it easy to put down, which worked well for the different forms of the chapters. But I’m guessing my (over)familiarity with the story of the Brontës made me not the ideal audience for this novel.
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September 15, 2023My personal favorite literary and artistic responses to the Brontes's life and work are a mixed bunch: "Wide Sargasso Sea," the trippy, tormented view of "Jane Eyre" from the viewpoint of the first Mrs. Rochester. "Bronte's Mistress," presenting the point of view of the woman who (supposedly) ruined Branwell's life. "Wuthering Heights," the unforgettable Kate Bush song. "Worlds of Ink and Shadow," a YA book that deserves to be better known than it is.
To this short list I must add "Half-Life of a Stolen Sister," a work as weird as the Brontes, and I mean that in the very best way.
At first this, seemed a little too self-consciously experimental for me, for I am less thrilled than I used to be by experiments in form, and fonder of 19th-century novels. But only at first -- Half-Life grew on me; it grew and grew and grew, like Jack's beanstalk. For there is a story here, and one I know well.
I have been thinking about the Brontes for a long time now as I, too, have struggled to write a (weird) novel about them. And I think Half-Life of a Stolen Sister might have perplexed a 10-years-ago version of me.
People unfamiliar with the details of Bronte biography might fail to realize how fact-based this wildly inventive novel really is. Anachronisms and alterations are thrown in, like raisins in a cake, but they feel like dreamlike shifts more than violations of the historical record. These "Bronteys," for example, live in a rent-controlled apartment, which is a situation not unlike Patrick Bronte's housing arrangement as the perpetual curate of Haworth: a place much nicer than their income actually suggests that they could afford. The character of Arthur Bell Nicholls is represented by a man named Mr. Fivepenny. The novels of Charlotte (or Lotte, as she's known here) are Plain Jane, Surely! and V, while her sisters wrote "The Heights" and "Nanny." The chapter consisting of a podcast where two people discuss the mysterious Bell siblings in modern terms brilliantly captures in a modern idiom the sort of thing people were saying back then.
Experimental novels have a bad reputation for being more interested in form than content, for being a bit cold. This might sometimes be a fair criticism, but not in this case. The section late in the book where Charlotte writes to her unborn child is among the most moving things I have ever read, knowing as I do that Charlotte (as she feared) did not survive, nor did the child.
To this short list I must add "Half-Life of a Stolen Sister," a work as weird as the Brontes, and I mean that in the very best way.
At first this, seemed a little too self-consciously experimental for me, for I am less thrilled than I used to be by experiments in form, and fonder of 19th-century novels. But only at first -- Half-Life grew on me; it grew and grew and grew, like Jack's beanstalk. For there is a story here, and one I know well.
I have been thinking about the Brontes for a long time now as I, too, have struggled to write a (weird) novel about them. And I think Half-Life of a Stolen Sister might have perplexed a 10-years-ago version of me.
People unfamiliar with the details of Bronte biography might fail to realize how fact-based this wildly inventive novel really is. Anachronisms and alterations are thrown in, like raisins in a cake, but they feel like dreamlike shifts more than violations of the historical record. These "Bronteys," for example, live in a rent-controlled apartment, which is a situation not unlike Patrick Bronte's housing arrangement as the perpetual curate of Haworth: a place much nicer than their income actually suggests that they could afford. The character of Arthur Bell Nicholls is represented by a man named Mr. Fivepenny. The novels of Charlotte (or Lotte, as she's known here) are Plain Jane, Surely! and V, while her sisters wrote "The Heights" and "Nanny." The chapter consisting of a podcast where two people discuss the mysterious Bell siblings in modern terms brilliantly captures in a modern idiom the sort of thing people were saying back then.
Experimental novels have a bad reputation for being more interested in form than content, for being a bit cold. This might sometimes be a fair criticism, but not in this case. The section late in the book where Charlotte writes to her unborn child is among the most moving things I have ever read, knowing as I do that Charlotte (as she feared) did not survive, nor did the child.
November 24, 2023
Was interested in the Bronte's story and curious as to what "form-shattering" the novel would include but found it not to my liking. It moves between classic narrative, to other inventive forms and I found this a bit jarring, the pacing ran hot and cold. The narrative sections were lovely and well written but not enough to keep me engaged. Sadly, it's a DNF. I won a copy of this in a Goodreads giveaway.
July 2, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook version of this novel. I love historical books, stories, fiction and all of that but I had trouble following the plot line. Now sometimes an audiobook is not as compelling as an eRead or physical copy. (In my opinion) I would however will see if they have the eRead version and come back in the future to update this review.
July 12, 2023
This was a very curious little book. The target audience must be very specific: those who already know quite a bit about the Bronte family and their work, in order for some of the references to land. It starts off hewing very close to imaginative non-fiction, and then the anachronisms slowly trickle in. At first it was items so minor I questioned if they belonged: do I actually know when soup cans came into use? Maybe the subway in question is the very first London underground which was built earlier than I realized?
By the time computers and televisions enter the scene the penny has dropped and the reader knows this is getting very fictional indeed. Still the language stays Bronte-era appropriate, the deaths continue to happen tragically young (though even more galling in an era with things like vaccines and IVs), and the gross injustices done to talented women because of their gender remain.
It's almost off-puttingly unique, and really won't be for everyone, but it's creative and in a strange way very true in its intentional untruths.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
By the time computers and televisions enter the scene the penny has dropped and the reader knows this is getting very fictional indeed. Still the language stays Bronte-era appropriate, the deaths continue to happen tragically young (though even more galling in an era with things like vaccines and IVs), and the gross injustices done to talented women because of their gender remain.
It's almost off-puttingly unique, and really won't be for everyone, but it's creative and in a strange way very true in its intentional untruths.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
November 14, 2023
I loved the experience of reading this book. A brilliant and inventive work of biography using a variety of methods - prose, journal entries, a play, letters, transcripts, interviews, a home movie, and more - to tell the story of the Brontes - do-gooder and biased father, mother and older sisters who die young, the famous three sister-authors, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, their spoiled and ne'er do well brother. Family life, sisterhood, its tight binds and competitiveness, poverty, shortened lives, aspirations, loneliness, creativity, story-making, world-making, and more sort of set in the 20th century, perhaps in NYC, in an apartment, rather than in an English village in the 19th century, though the language is often that of the 19th century, but not always, and the depth into the brains and hearts of these extraordinary people is done so well and is a rush. The Brontes' story is an eccentric one, and here, that eccentricity is spun out in the ways it is told, getting close to them all, especially the sisters. Though some seem to think that familiarity with the Brontes and their novels that are still read today helps readers of this one, I don't think that's true. I think you can come to this fantastic biographical novel without knowing a thing about the Brontes. It might take some readers a little bit of adjustment to the methods used, but it is worth it. My only quibble, and perhaps I missed what it refers to, but I don't understand the title.
Thanks to Soho Press and Netgalley for the ARC.
Thanks to Soho Press and Netgalley for the ARC.
September 14, 2023
I loved this book very much. It de-deified the Brontes for me, showed me the human writers within the legacy. So tragic, and absurd, and truly wonderful.
January 12, 2024
Having trouble rating this one. On the one hand, i went nuts (in a bad way) with the author’s multiple, unnecessary inserts of modern details in otherwise authentic (?) documents, letters, and notebooks; on the other, it made me so hyper-curious about the lives of the Brontes that I ordered all their books.
August 1, 2023
Loved this inventive take on the real life story of the Brontë sisters and their family! It made me want to read all the Brontë books I haven’t yet immediately.
July 20, 2023
A diverse, chaotic, messy, eclectic conglomeration of originality. It was a joy to listen to this patchwork about real figures in a thoroughly inventive style. This is far from your typical book, but I completely enjoyed its inventiveness.
Netgalley
Netgalley
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July 3, 2024One of the most unusual books that I have ever read. I knew when I started that the book was about the Brontë siblings but not much else. I realized that something was different from the biography I browsed through as a teenager in the first section, when “cocktail” dresses are mentioned. The Brontë exist in the future in this re-imaging and the author writes playfully (I imagined her laughing to herself as she wrote) about the cast of eccentrics in a variety of forms - dialogue from plays, letters, emails, a dating profile - from several points of view. “Lotte” (Charlotte), the longest living sibling, is the main character and she has three grey dresses and lives in a chaotic NYC apartment with her family who suffer from a great variety of illnesses and unusual behaviour. An intriguing book for sure, unlike any of today’s historical fiction or retellings of past lives … I admired this clever book, but really had to be in the right mindset to read it.
July 9, 2023
The Brontes are a fascinating topic so I was excited to read this book, but I found it wasn't for me. At least not on audiobook. The plot is difficult to follow and the narrative varies from style to style. Perhaps this would work better in print / ebook vs on audiobook, but I found it confusing on audio. If these types of narrative devices are of interest, it may be more your speed.
A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
September 26, 2023
I thought I would give this book a shot, but I should have listened To my gut instinct. I’m not a fan of the Brontë sisters’ writings but I thought I could read a novel based on their lives.
I was wrong. I couldn’t get into the book at all. I found the writing to be disjointed and I found it difficult to follow it.
I’m sure legions of English literature fans adore this book and that’s great. It just wasn’t for me.
Thanks to Soho Press and NetGalley for the digital copy.
I was wrong. I couldn’t get into the book at all. I found the writing to be disjointed and I found it difficult to follow it.
I’m sure legions of English literature fans adore this book and that’s great. It just wasn’t for me.
Thanks to Soho Press and NetGalley for the digital copy.
July 25, 2023
I understand why so many reviewers were thrown for a loop by this retelling of the Brontë mythology, and I will admit Half-Life of a Stolen Sister will not be to everyone’s taste. But after reading umpteen nonfiction interpretations and nearly as many fictive reimaginings, it is so refreshing to find someone with a genuinely unique take on the material. Rachel Cantor unmoors (literally and figuratively) the Brontës from their time and place in such a way that both allows them to be their most authentic selves—odd, transgressive, unlovable, wildly creative—while opening up their well-trod story to invite the reader with their own experiences into their closed circle (Emily would be appalled). The result is a funhouse mirror room where you think you know every beat in the story, but it keeps being bent in a slightly different direction away from your expectations. Half-Life keeps you on your toes with its sometimes caustic wit, but without sacrificing its emotional punch. Like all great tragic stories, we tell and retell the Brontës’ story in part because a small piece of us hopes it might turn out different this time. Cantor offers a version compelling enough in its novelty that for a moment, I could believe that moving the Brontës to a rent-controlled apartment and shuffling a few names around might change their fates. What more magic could one ask for?
July 16, 2024
I received Half-Life of a Stolen Sister as a birthday gift from a friend -- who happens to know the author. I started reading 22 June 2024, and read until page 11. Every page was a struggle because neither the topic nor the writing style appealed to me.
Marking this as DNF on 24 June 2024.
Marking this as DNF on 24 June 2024.
August 18, 2024
Are you a Brontean? I think so - otherwise you wouldn't have read this review. And which one of them is yours: Charlotte's noble self-denial or Emily's boundless passion? Or maybe Ann's Gray Mouse? I was very surprised, but it turns out that among us there are those who prefer her to everyone. It seems that the number of biographies of the Bronte sisters has long exceeded the total number of books written by them, although Charlotte, except for "Gorodok", which I read without enthusiasm from her, in addition to "Jane Eyre", enthusiastically read by everyone, wrote half a dozen more novels (they are unlikely to have a dozen fans in the Russian-speaking space).
So, a biography, but not one of them, but a general, family, postmodern novel, where the narrative baton passes alternately to all participants in the action: family members (the deceased also participate), Charlotte's future husband Arthur Bell Nicholls, named here Mr. Five Pence, will add his four kopecks and five pence. I did not mention Ferraris and trolleybuses because of my own bad creativity, Kantor built "The Lives of the B. Sisters" as a story in almost modern realities, where the heroines from the lower middle class face material difficulties, which, however, play a surprisingly small role in their value system. They travel by public transport today, write emails, join a creative collaboration to publish a general collection of poems, negotiate with the publisher (Charlotte) in the style of business correspondence of the present time. They solve problems with a wayward brother and an authoritarian father, and there is a fire extinguisher near the door of each of the rooms - the first time the fire almost occurred at the behest of Patrick, the second time Branwell almost burned them all, smoking drunk in bed.
Judging by the ratings on LiveLib and Goodreads, readers did not appreciate the innovation, but when the first cultural shock passed, it seemed more than justified to me. No, they are not our contemporaries, but yes, they lived half their lives, and literally: Charlotte is 39, Emily is 30, Anne is 29; and in a metaphorical sense - sacrificing self-realization in favor of the only boy. which turned out to be in the field of sowing. Half lives. which many women still live.
Украденные жизни
Писательство требует прочтения. Оно наполнено желанием и потребностью быть узнанным.
Вы бронтеанка? Думаю да - в противном случае не читали бы этой рецензии. А кто из них ваша: Благородное самоотречение Шарлотта или Безграничная страсть Эмили? А может Серая мышка Энн? Я сильно удивилась, но оказывается среди нас есть и те, кто предпочитает всем именно ее Кажется количество биографий сестер Бронте давно превысило совокупное количество написанных ими книг, хотя Шарлотта, кроме "Городка", который без восторга читала у нее я, в придачу к "Джейн Эйр", с восторгом читанной всеми, написала еще полдюжины романов (вряд ли у них найдется на русскоязычном пространстве десяток поклонников).
Итак, биография, но не одной из них, а общая, семейная, которая охватывает и выбившегося усердной учебой из бедняков в священники (не совсем из грязи в князи, но прыжок по социальной лестнице, какой редко кому удается) Патрика. И Марию, супругу его, которая могла бы рассчитывать на более респектабельную партию, но полюбила бедного священника, вышла за него замуж, родила ему за семь лет брака шестерых детей и упокоилась на близлежащем кладбище, не дожив до тридцати. Другую Марию, "маленькую маму", взявшую на себя материнские обязанности и опеку над пятью малышами в восьмилетнем возрасте. А еще Элизабет - обе старшие умрут в результате пребывания в школе, которую Шарлотта с такой безжалостной точностью опишет в бессмертном романе.
Найдется здесь место и единственному мальчику. надежде семьи, Брэнуэллу, которого воспитывали как принца, не в том смысле, что он ездил на Феррари пока остальные члены семьи на Ладе Калине, там соотношение совокупного дохода с количеством ртов было таким, что на троллейбус хватило бы. Но мальчик скажем так, ездил, пока трое выживших сестер ходили свои несколько остановок пешком. И наконец, фанфары: Шарлотта годом старше брата, Эмили - годом младше, Энн - двумя годами моложе Эмили. Две лучшие женщины в английской, а может и мировой литературе 19 века и одна весьма недурная. Как могло случиться, какие звезды сошлись, чтобы такие яркие, такие непохожие друг на друга звезды вспыхнули в семье бедного священника? Самоучки, даже не посещавшие школы (та, где уморили двух старших, не в счет).
Книга Рэйчел Кантор постмодернистский роман, где повествовательная эстафета переходит поочередно ко всем участникам действа: члены семьи (умершие тоже, участвуют), добавит свои четыре копейки пять пенсов и будущий муж Шарлотты Артур Бэлл Николлс, названный тут мистером Пятипенсом. Феррари и троллейбусы я упоминала не в силу собственной дурной креативности, Кантор выстроила "Жизни сестер Б." как историю в почти современных реалиях, где героини из нижнего слоя среднего класса сталкиваются с материальными сложностями, которые, впрочем, играют удивительно малую роль в их системе ценностей. Ездят на сегодняшнем общественном транспорте, пишут мейлы, вступают в творческую коллабу для издания общего сборника стихов, ведут переговоры с издателем (Шарлотта) в стиле деловой переписки нынешнего времени. Решают проблемы с непутевым братом и авторитарным отцом, а возле двери каждой из комнат огнетушитель - в первый раз пожар едва не произошел по воле Патрика, во второй всех чуть не сжег Брэнуэлл, куривший спьяну в постели.
Судя по оценкам на LiveLib и Goodreads, читатели не оценили новаторства, но мне, когда прошел первый культурный шок, оно показалось более, чем обоснованным. Нет, они не наши современницы, но да, они прожили половинные жизни, и в буквальном: Шарлотта 39, Эмили 30, Энн 29 лет; и в метафорическом смысле - жертвуя самореализацией в пользу единственного мальчика. который оказался во поле обсевком. Половинные жизни. какие и сейчас живут многие женщины.
So, a biography, but not one of them, but a general, family, postmodern novel, where the narrative baton passes alternately to all participants in the action: family members (the deceased also participate), Charlotte's future husband Arthur Bell Nicholls, named here Mr. Five Pence, will add his four kopecks and five pence. I did not mention Ferraris and trolleybuses because of my own bad creativity, Kantor built "The Lives of the B. Sisters" as a story in almost modern realities, where the heroines from the lower middle class face material difficulties, which, however, play a surprisingly small role in their value system. They travel by public transport today, write emails, join a creative collaboration to publish a general collection of poems, negotiate with the publisher (Charlotte) in the style of business correspondence of the present time. They solve problems with a wayward brother and an authoritarian father, and there is a fire extinguisher near the door of each of the rooms - the first time the fire almost occurred at the behest of Patrick, the second time Branwell almost burned them all, smoking drunk in bed.
Judging by the ratings on LiveLib and Goodreads, readers did not appreciate the innovation, but when the first cultural shock passed, it seemed more than justified to me. No, they are not our contemporaries, but yes, they lived half their lives, and literally: Charlotte is 39, Emily is 30, Anne is 29; and in a metaphorical sense - sacrificing self-realization in favor of the only boy. which turned out to be in the field of sowing. Half lives. which many women still live.
Украденные жизни
Писательство требует прочтения. Оно наполнено желанием и потребностью быть узнанным.
Вы бронтеанка? Думаю да - в противном случае не читали бы этой рецензии. А кто из них ваша: Благородное самоотречение Шарлотта или Безграничная страсть Эмили? А может Серая мышка Энн? Я сильно удивилась, но оказывается среди нас есть и те, кто предпочитает всем именно ее Кажется количество биографий сестер Бронте давно превысило совокупное количество написанных ими книг, хотя Шарлотта, кроме "Городка", который без восторга читала у нее я, в придачу к "Джейн Эйр", с восторгом читанной всеми, написала еще полдюжины романов (вряд ли у них найдется на русскоязычном пространстве десяток поклонников).
Итак, биография, но не одной из них, а общая, семейная, которая охватывает и выбившегося усердной учебой из бедняков в священники (не совсем из грязи в князи, но прыжок по социальной лестнице, какой редко кому удается) Патрика. И Марию, супругу его, которая могла бы рассчитывать на более респектабельную партию, но полюбила бедного священника, вышла за него замуж, родила ему за семь лет брака шестерых детей и упокоилась на близлежащем кладбище, не дожив до тридцати. Другую Марию, "маленькую маму", взявшую на себя материнские обязанности и опеку над пятью малышами в восьмилетнем возрасте. А еще Элизабет - обе старшие умрут в результате пребывания в школе, которую Шарлотта с такой безжалостной точностью опишет в бессмертном романе.
Найдется здесь место и единственному мальчику. надежде семьи, Брэнуэллу, которого воспитывали как принца, не в том смысле, что он ездил на Феррари пока остальные члены семьи на Ладе Калине, там соотношение совокупного дохода с количеством ртов было таким, что на троллейбус хватило бы. Но мальчик скажем так, ездил, пока трое выживших сестер ходили свои несколько остановок пешком. И наконец, фанфары: Шарлотта годом старше брата, Эмили - годом младше, Энн - двумя годами моложе Эмили. Две лучшие женщины в английской, а может и мировой литературе 19 века и одна весьма недурная. Как могло случиться, какие звезды сошлись, чтобы такие яркие, такие непохожие друг на друга звезды вспыхнули в семье бедного священника? Самоучки, даже не посещавшие школы (та, где уморили двух старших, не в счет).
Книга Рэйчел Кантор постмодернистский роман, где повествовательная эстафета переходит поочередно ко всем участникам действа: члены семьи (умершие тоже, участвуют), добавит свои четыре копейки пять пенсов и будущий муж Шарлотты Артур Бэлл Николлс, названный тут мистером Пятипенсом. Феррари и троллейбусы я упоминала не в силу собственной дурной креативности, Кантор выстроила "Жизни сестер Б." как историю в почти современных реалиях, где героини из нижнего слоя среднего класса сталкиваются с материальными сложностями, которые, впрочем, играют удивительно малую роль в их системе ценностей. Ездят на сегодняшнем общественном транспорте, пишут мейлы, вступают в творческую коллабу для издания общего сборника стихов, ведут переговоры с издателем (Шарлотта) в стиле деловой переписки нынешнего времени. Решают проблемы с непутевым братом и авторитарным отцом, а возле двери каждой из комнат огнетушитель - в первый раз пожар едва не произошел по воле Патрика, во второй всех чуть не сжег Брэнуэлл, куривший спьяну в постели.
Судя по оценкам на LiveLib и Goodreads, читатели не оценили новаторства, но мне, когда прошел первый культурный шок, оно показалось более, чем обоснованным. Нет, они не наши современницы, но да, они прожили половинные жизни, и в буквальном: Шарлотта 39, Эмили 30, Энн 29 лет; и в метафорическом смысле - жертвуя самореализацией в пользу единственного мальчика. который оказался во поле обсевком. Половинные жизни. какие и сейчас живут многие женщины.
May 11, 2023
This combination of history and imagination creates a compelling story but is sometimes a little hard to follow
April 12, 2023
A quick read with lots going on, this fictitious memoir of the lives of the Brontë family provided a good deal of useful tidbits and helpful framing for understanding better who these women ( and their “men”) were. Written in a variety of forms- letters, diary, news entries, prose.
- the story read like a gossipy conversation with a familiar friend. After reading, I feel confident that I understand the sisters and their struggles a lot better! Well, worth the read – especially if you enjoyed Jane Eyre!
- the story read like a gossipy conversation with a familiar friend. After reading, I feel confident that I understand the sisters and their struggles a lot better! Well, worth the read – especially if you enjoyed Jane Eyre!
July 29, 2024
Мир вокруг - сплошное давление и темнота, страшное место, потому что давление и темнота не заканчиваются.
Заглядывалась на эту книгу ещё, когда она только вышла в оригинале, а потом радовалась, что её переведут. Синопсис я не читала и повелась на сестёр Бронте, поэтому была очень удивлена, когда узнала, что это вообще-то экспериментальный роман и авторка периодами "помещала" реалии современности там, где их не было. И что же, мне такой подход не пришёлся по вкусу. Это никак не влияло на сам сюжет, так при этом общение сестёр никак не меняются и ты, как читательница ощущаешь ненужность данного нововведения. Задавалась вопросами "зачем" и "почему", даже хотела бросить где-то ближе к середине, но оста��ась из-за прекрасной чтицы. Что же, не пожалела.
Несмотря на то, что это считается биографией всех трёх сестёр, чувствуется влияние Шарлотты. Может быть, потому что её жизнь была длиннее или по той причине, что она после себя оставила куда больше, чем её рано ушедшие из жизни сёстры. Так как я до этого мало о них знала, ответа на этот вопрос не нашла. Книга поделена на части: от ранней жизни и до самого её конца. Главы делятся между сёстрами, мужем Шарлотты и издателем. Также упоминаются брат и отец, но отдельных глав от их лиц нет. Повествование постоянно прерывается и местами начинает казаться, что авторка немного добавляет от себя, но во время прочтения кратко ознакомилась с основными моментами из их биографии и оказалось, что это не так.
Текст красивый, достаточно депрессивный и не взирая на то, что к Шарлотте у меня куда меньше тёплых чувств, чем к остальным девушкам, понемногу роман начал мне нравиться. Когда его читаешь (в моём случае слушаешь, но я чередовала аудио с электронной версией) складывается ощущение, что это не реально жившие когда-то люди, а просто кем-то придуманные персонажи. Постоянно спотыкаешься на резком появлении компьютера или какого-нибудь телевизионного шоу, но в целом к такому начинаешь привыкать и уже не хочется сильно закатывать глаза. А ещё книга всё-таки добавляет интереса к личностям писательниц. Мало-помалу, практически незаметно, но мне в один момент очень сильно захотелось прочесть какую-нибудь полноценную биографию.
Я вполне понимаю всех тех, кому роман не понравился и которые остались разочарованы, после знакомства с ним. Сама такой была, но это не убирает того, что он хорошо написан и некоторые главы проникли в самое сердце. К примеру, глава, где Шарлотта в последний брат разговаривает с братом. Это было очень трогательно и захотелось немного всплакнуть от того, насколько красиво это выглядело.
Да, мои ожидания не оправдались, но отчего-то я всё равно не осталась разочарована. Ну и чтица просто прелесть.
July 11, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced audio of this book. I love Classic Literature and The Bronte sisters and was excited to read this. I think this will be a great read for someone who doesn't already know a great deal about the Bronte's or for someone that can go in not expecting this book to be a glimpse into their lives. The story could have been about any family and really only seemed to be related to the Bronte's because of the names, the family tragedies and the love of writing.
This work is loosely based on the overarching theme of their lives of the love for one's family and writing. The story unravels in different styles including letters, diary entries, interview transcripts and internal monologues. The time periods in which the characters were set in jumped around a lot, with mentions of bodices and Lords in one section and then convertibles and bright blue shining swimming pools in the next. It was a bit chaotic and possibly it just didn't translate well as an audiobook. Despite that, I loved the overall theme of the book which was love for family and writing. I felt the larger picture overall was touching and because of that I would say this is closer to a 3.75 star rating rather than a 3.
This work is loosely based on the overarching theme of their lives of the love for one's family and writing. The story unravels in different styles including letters, diary entries, interview transcripts and internal monologues. The time periods in which the characters were set in jumped around a lot, with mentions of bodices and Lords in one section and then convertibles and bright blue shining swimming pools in the next. It was a bit chaotic and possibly it just didn't translate well as an audiobook. Despite that, I loved the overall theme of the book which was love for family and writing. I felt the larger picture overall was touching and because of that I would say this is closer to a 3.75 star rating rather than a 3.
November 8, 2023
I wanted to like this so badly, so I have to give it three stars, but it is out of loyalty rather than the merit of the book itself. This book has the same cadence and whimsy as the new 2022 film adaptation of Persuasion- which means you will either love or hate it.
If you know nothing about the Brontes and aren't fans of historical biographies, this could be a great way to engage with their story. It is a fast-paced engaging read that anachronistically brings a family of literary giants to life. They are a fun witty and complex family that this book brings to life in an easily accessible way.
Maybe I am a snob and a literary purist, but I just didn't like it. I feel like the Brontes can stand on their own two feet without shoehorning them into modern-day situations. Perhaps Cantor was allowing their characters to shine through, but I was bothered by the American terms and modernity that crept throughout the book. The Brontes in many ways defined the Victorian era so it feels like sacrilege to remove them from that era.
But to each their own. If this book inspires someone to pick up Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, or The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, then I guess this book isn't all that bad after all...
If you know nothing about the Brontes and aren't fans of historical biographies, this could be a great way to engage with their story. It is a fast-paced engaging read that anachronistically brings a family of literary giants to life. They are a fun witty and complex family that this book brings to life in an easily accessible way.
Maybe I am a snob and a literary purist, but I just didn't like it. I feel like the Brontes can stand on their own two feet without shoehorning them into modern-day situations. Perhaps Cantor was allowing their characters to shine through, but I was bothered by the American terms and modernity that crept throughout the book. The Brontes in many ways defined the Victorian era so it feels like sacrilege to remove them from that era.
But to each their own. If this book inspires someone to pick up Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, or The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, then I guess this book isn't all that bad after all...
July 20, 2023
a spectacular and unexpected delight
What was unexpected was the format—I fully expected the outsized pleasure I got from reading this book, having read the author’s previous books. In this strange and moving story of the Brontë sisters (here “Brontey”) the point of view dances from sister to sister — and occasionally brother — as the facts of their lives unfold. But nothing is as it should be, and somehow the family is living in Dickensonian squalor, in a rent-controlled apartment, and at the end, sending emails, while still saying “he hath left,” and “ye are late.”
Victims of intense neglect, blessed and cursed with uncompromising intelligence, the sisters navigate the cruelties of a world where death is too easily come by. The story, of course, is a sad one, and each tragic sister’s grief supersedes her triumph.
But sadness notwithstanding, the book is riveting. In fact, given the brilliance of the Brontë sisters, any telling of their life-story in a conventional way would fail. The subjects demand a fractured, glittering kaleidoscope of a book, and Half-Life delivers.
What was unexpected was the format—I fully expected the outsized pleasure I got from reading this book, having read the author’s previous books. In this strange and moving story of the Brontë sisters (here “Brontey”) the point of view dances from sister to sister — and occasionally brother — as the facts of their lives unfold. But nothing is as it should be, and somehow the family is living in Dickensonian squalor, in a rent-controlled apartment, and at the end, sending emails, while still saying “he hath left,” and “ye are late.”
Victims of intense neglect, blessed and cursed with uncompromising intelligence, the sisters navigate the cruelties of a world where death is too easily come by. The story, of course, is a sad one, and each tragic sister’s grief supersedes her triumph.
But sadness notwithstanding, the book is riveting. In fact, given the brilliance of the Brontë sisters, any telling of their life-story in a conventional way would fail. The subjects demand a fractured, glittering kaleidoscope of a book, and Half-Life delivers.
February 15, 2024
*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book!*
I really like the Brontë sisters' œuvre and was quite excited to read this book which was supposed to have an interesting narrative approach. Sadly, and in part due to the terrible formatting of the eBook I received, I could not enjoy it at all. I felt disconnected from all characters throughout, I did not find it enjoyable at all, and, as an English Lit academic, I found the connections to the siblings to be somewhat underwhelming. The various approaches annoyed me and I never managed to really stay immersed or interested in what I was reading. After 40% I started excessive skim-reading and even that couldn't make it better.
I think "Half-Life of a Stolen Sister" has a lot of potential, the majority of it unused sadly. I'm sure this book will be liked by some, but I found it terrible tedious and unimaginative and disconnected. Again, the formatting was horrible and it was really hard to read and understand where chapters began and ended too (the same picture again and again? Why?), but the content also did not convince me...
1.5 stars
I really like the Brontë sisters' œuvre and was quite excited to read this book which was supposed to have an interesting narrative approach. Sadly, and in part due to the terrible formatting of the eBook I received, I could not enjoy it at all. I felt disconnected from all characters throughout, I did not find it enjoyable at all, and, as an English Lit academic, I found the connections to the siblings to be somewhat underwhelming. The various approaches annoyed me and I never managed to really stay immersed or interested in what I was reading. After 40% I started excessive skim-reading and even that couldn't make it better.
I think "Half-Life of a Stolen Sister" has a lot of potential, the majority of it unused sadly. I'm sure this book will be liked by some, but I found it terrible tedious and unimaginative and disconnected. Again, the formatting was horrible and it was really hard to read and understand where chapters began and ended too (the same picture again and again? Why?), but the content also did not convince me...
1.5 stars
July 22, 2023
Half-Life of a Stolen Sister reimagines the lives of the famous Brontë sisters and their most famous works Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Agnes Grey. Following the Brontë family from their childhood to the death of Charlotte, Rachel Cantor gives us a version of how this family could generate so many creative geniuses.
Though I did enjoy much of the speculation behind the Brontë sisters lives, the time period swaps were hard for me to swallow. It is very hard for me to envision literary great Charlotte Brontë dealing with a publisher via email. For those purists (I’m talking to you English teachers—myself included) this tale a bit hard to consume. If you don’t mind the creative liberties with time and technology, and you love the Brontës, then you will quite enjoy this novel. Hamnet this is not. Not every book is for everyone’s cup of tea.
Thank you to NetGalley, Highbridge Audio, and the author Rachel Cantor for the advanced copy of the audiobook. Half-Life of a Stolen Sister is out now. All opinions are my own.
Though I did enjoy much of the speculation behind the Brontë sisters lives, the time period swaps were hard for me to swallow. It is very hard for me to envision literary great Charlotte Brontë dealing with a publisher via email. For those purists (I’m talking to you English teachers—myself included) this tale a bit hard to consume. If you don’t mind the creative liberties with time and technology, and you love the Brontës, then you will quite enjoy this novel. Hamnet this is not. Not every book is for everyone’s cup of tea.
Thank you to NetGalley, Highbridge Audio, and the author Rachel Cantor for the advanced copy of the audiobook. Half-Life of a Stolen Sister is out now. All opinions are my own.
Read
September 4, 2023This book was so much my kind of thing that it startled me. I bought it with misgivings because of the number of coyly experimental novels I’ve ended up disliking in the last few years. I am so pleased that this isn’t one of them.
It may help that I’ve known and felt attached to the Brontë childhood since reading a children’s biography of them from the library when I was very young. The Brontës’ ‘web of sunny air’ ensorcelled me from that point and I flung myself at Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights when I was much too little to finish them, and went back again and again as I grew up. I’ve written about their childhood and Gondal, Glasstown, and Angria, and my greatest concern was that Cantor would get the feel wrong - that the book would cause me sensory discomfort the way a tag in a shirt will.
The Brontës were my first childhood reckoning with liminality, and somehow that comes through in Cantor’s gauzy parallel-worlding of their childhood.
I don’t think you need to know the story to find this book worth your time, but I don’t know for certain.
It may help that I’ve known and felt attached to the Brontë childhood since reading a children’s biography of them from the library when I was very young. The Brontës’ ‘web of sunny air’ ensorcelled me from that point and I flung myself at Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights when I was much too little to finish them, and went back again and again as I grew up. I’ve written about their childhood and Gondal, Glasstown, and Angria, and my greatest concern was that Cantor would get the feel wrong - that the book would cause me sensory discomfort the way a tag in a shirt will.
The Brontës were my first childhood reckoning with liminality, and somehow that comes through in Cantor’s gauzy parallel-worlding of their childhood.
I don’t think you need to know the story to find this book worth your time, but I don’t know for certain.
July 10, 2023
I really wanted to dive into this book and imagine more of the lives of the Bronte sisters and one brother beyond what we already knew from history and literature. This book tries to delve into what might have gone on in their minds as they try to process the grief and loss associated with the death of their mother, their sisters, and their absentee father. However, as I progressed through the book it felt a bit disjointed as though we were presented with an immature stream of consciousness and bouncing perspectives. The chapters did not feel as though they tied together very well and it seems large portions of time would pass between chapters as well. Part of the synopsis says "form shattering" but it does not help me understand the story any better. I'm not sure the Bronte's would be very pleased with the style over substance techniques applied to their lives. For me, it's a bit too avant garde and I will say it's not really my literary taste.
July 12, 2023
It's unclear to me if this is a product of the audiobook, but some of Rachel Cantor's "form-shattering" elements in Half-Life of a Stolen Sister aren't quite tracking for me. Transporting the Bronte siblings across place and time to see them interact in impossible scenarios is interesting, but little about the characters themselves changes; these moments end up feeling jarringly anachronistic (they still speak like early 19th-century people while eating spaghetti-os) rather than inventive.
The standout element of the novel is the way Cantor invites you to consider new, illegible facets of these "characters'" lives. You can feel the connection between the siblings and how these relationships evolve over time and circumstances.
I definitely recommend this one for anyone who has read Wide Sargasso Sea and novels where real people are characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
The standout element of the novel is the way Cantor invites you to consider new, illegible facets of these "characters'" lives. You can feel the connection between the siblings and how these relationships evolve over time and circumstances.
I definitely recommend this one for anyone who has read Wide Sargasso Sea and novels where real people are characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
September 18, 2023
This is an odd book and difficult to review. So I'll just focus on my experience of reading it. It was slow going for a person who can often finish a book in a day or two. It was slow because each section was a complete little world made from one perspective within a specific moment in time. This is furthered by chapters using such different ways to allow the character to speak - emails, thoughts, correspondence, conversations, letters, film clips - every thing but telepathy. This results in each chapter capturing a moment for a character in a unique fully woven cocoon. The book became a series of little stand alone stories - related in subject but differing in style, tone, voice, delivery. Initially I found this approach disjointed. Once I explored each chapter as an individual jeweled bead on an unconventional strand my enjoyment returned. Reading a chapter a day let the style changes dissolve and allowed the book to gel.
November 15, 2023
Cantor reminds me of Isabel Allende- not because they write similarly, but because they both find ways to delight in multiple genres and styles. And both are great reads.
At first, I was skeptical about a book that "melds biographical fact with unruly invention", but I read it because I truly loved Good on Paper and A Highly Unlikely Scenario (and gave copies of both to many of my friends). I don't know why I wondered- Half-Life was witty, sometimes funny, often poignant, easy to read, and intensely gripping. Whereas I laughed my way through her first book, this time I stopped, shook my head, and marveled at the brilliant writing, observations, and craft of her way of expressing insights about the Brontes and about life.
Cantor's work can seem like it's only for smart readers (and be clear, smart readers will love her work). But like her previous work, it's easy to read, wonderfully written, and enjoyable to the last. Once again, I was sad to finish. Read this book!
At first, I was skeptical about a book that "melds biographical fact with unruly invention", but I read it because I truly loved Good on Paper and A Highly Unlikely Scenario (and gave copies of both to many of my friends). I don't know why I wondered- Half-Life was witty, sometimes funny, often poignant, easy to read, and intensely gripping. Whereas I laughed my way through her first book, this time I stopped, shook my head, and marveled at the brilliant writing, observations, and craft of her way of expressing insights about the Brontes and about life.
Cantor's work can seem like it's only for smart readers (and be clear, smart readers will love her work). But like her previous work, it's easy to read, wonderfully written, and enjoyable to the last. Once again, I was sad to finish. Read this book!
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