Sophie in the Shadows by Gabrielle Molyneux

Sophie in the Shadows is an intriguing re-telling of Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre which shifts the focus onto a minor character from the original novel. In Charlotte's tale, Sophie is a French nursemaid to the child Jane is hired to be a governess to at Thornfield Hall. This novel fleshes Sophie's character out a…

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Love and Literature by Aviva Orr

It seems fitting to be posting this review of a tale inspired by Charlotte Brontë's underappreciated novel The Professor on her birthday. She was born on this day (21st April) in 1816 and went on to create memorable novels and stories that have ensured her literary legacy is alive and well in 2023. In September…

Brontë’s Mistress Review

Finola Austin's compelling debut novel explores the allegedly scandalous relationship between the brother of the Brontë sisters, Branwell, and Lydia Robinson, the wife of his employer. Released in 2020, it's long been on my TBR pile. Thankfully it was nudged up the list after being chosen as February's novel for my Brontë-themed book club. The…

Wide Sargasso Sea Book Club Questions

The Brontë Buddies’ Book Club meets via Zoom every month. We read works by and about the Brontës as well as Brontë-inspired fiction. If anyone would like to join us, then head over to our Facebook page for further details. Below are some questions about Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys which you’re welcome to use…

Brontë-Inspired Reads of 2022

I made my way through 43 books in 2022. It will come as no surprise that a few of them were inspired in some way by the Brontës. Here's a quick recap of those titles and my general thoughts on them. Have you read any of the titles below? If so, what did you think…

A Tale of Two Glass Towns – Pre-Order Now!

Reader, I'm delighted to announce that my debut novel, A Tale of Two Glass Towns is now available to pre-order on Olympia Publisher's website and is due for release on 26/01/2023! Synopsis In 1999, seven-year-old Theo has been uprooted to live with his grandparents at the opposite end of the country. As the countdown to…

Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë

Anne Brontë's novels are firmly grounded in reality and the world around her. Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall are narratives that forced the 19th-century reader into an uncomfortable examination of their society and their treatment of others, and they have a similar effect on the 21st-century reader. However, in a world (largely) without governesses and servants,…

The Politics of Verdopolis by Branwell Brontë

The Politics of Verdopolis is an 1833 manuscript written by Patrick Branwell Brontë, better known as Branwell Brontë. For many decades, Branwell has been seen predominantly as the ne'er do well, lazy, drunken brother of the Brontë sisters who caused his family much pain, sorrow, and embarrassment. Whilst I don't doubt the latter part of that…

The Poetaster by Charlotte Brontë

Charlotte Brontë's satirical short play The Poetaster is one of her earliest contributions to the Glass Town/Angrian saga, and one of the most enjoyable. The Poetaster is one of the famous Brontë tiny books which were produced mainly between the years 1829 and 1830, and which were the results of creative collaborations between Charlotte and her younger brother, Branwell.…

The Search After Happiness by Charlotte Brontë

The Search After Happiness is a short story written by Charlotte Brontë in 1829 when she was thirteen years old. The manuscript is one of the Brontë children’s tiny books, written in mock magazine style, and is now housed in the British Library’s archives. The manuscript contains many errors and revisions, one of the most…