BrontëBlog readers review Daphne and The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Brontë

Both our winners of the our latest contests (Justine Picardie's Daphne and Laura Joh Rowland's The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Brontë) have been so kind to forward us their reviews. Furthermore, it seems that both of them have enjoyed their reads, therefore our delight is double.

Christine from book-a-rama has published her Daphne review on her blog:

Daphne by Justine Picardie is a little hard to describe. It's about a college grad researching Daphne duMaurier while she was researching Branwell Bronte. Are you following me? The narrator (who remains nameless until the end of her story), let's call her Nar, is married to a douche a professor much older than herself. Oh, he thinks he's right smart, he does. Nar loves all things Daphne and is working on a paper about her obsession with the Brontes. Paul, the professor, poo-poos the idea. Daphne is, afterall, just a writer of bestsellers, a romance writer. Paul and Nar grow colder towards one another and Nar suspects Paul's attitude has more to do with his mysterious ex-wife Rachel than anything else.

At the same time, Daphne's own story runs parallel to the narrator's. Daphne's husband, Tommy, has just had a nervous breakdown and her own mental health is questionable. To distract herself she throws herself into writing a biography of the short life of Branwell Bronte. She starts a correspondence with a disgraced currator, a gollum-like hoarder ("my precious") of Bronte documents, J.A. Symington. He's an odd character with delusions of grandeur mixed with periods of extreme self-doubt.

Not a lot happens during the book, no car chases or running from museum to museum a la Dan Brown. The story is told through the letters of Daphne and Symington as well as their own thoughts. The letters hide more than they tell. Daphne's crumbling marriage and her paranoid thoughts aren't revealed to Symington. Symington wants Daphne to feel he's superior to her a mere novelist, when he's actually a thief. I found Daphne so fascinating. She had a family connection to J.M. Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan. Her family also had a history of depression and mental illness. At times, I wondered how much of what Daphne perceived was real or a figment of her imagination. Echoes of her books and stories are sprinkled throughout the book; some subtle, some obvious. I found myself thinking, "Oh, that's where she got Don't Look Now."

There were echoes of Daphne's stories in the narrator's tale as well. She's almost like the second Mrs DeWinter only with more balls. Her husband's ex is named Rachel. She's much like Rebecca only without the evil. She's a charismatic woman. She was very well written by Picardie. Daphne and 'Nar's ' story isn't exactly circular. It's more like Picardie shoved them and the Brontes in a blender and poured them onto the page. And it works.

Even though, I was left with some questions, I really enjoyed this quiet novel that's not quite a biography. I'm definitely going to read more of DuMaurier's work including The Infernal World of Branwell Bronte. (...) Recommended.

Incidentally, BookBath (no relation to our contest) has also posted a positive review of Justine Picardie's book:

This book was beautiful, haunting, lovely and engrossing - one of those books you can't put down but at the same time you don't want the end to come. (...) The similarities to the constructs of "Rebecca" are obviously present - but the author is not attempting to hide or disguise these in any way - it is clear that Rebecca - both character and book - is a fourth character in Daphne. Each of the characters are compelling and true - you feel connected to their lives and their choices. In the acknowledgements at the end of the book Justine Picardie talks about becoming "utterly possessed by the story" involving the Bronte manuscripts - I can see why! It is a wonderful mystery that is gorgeously told by Picardie. It has inspired me to read further in the du Maurier and Bronte world.

Our other winner, Michael, has also sent us his views on The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Brontë:

I have not had time to a write a detailed review of "The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte" but I finished it rather quickly. I very much enjoyed it although I echo the comments from other reviewers who stated CB tended to fall for every man she runs into and as with conspiracy based stories one needs to have bigger suspenses of belief as the conspiracy grew more elaborate. Also, Mr. Rowland tended to focus a lot on the unsanitary conditions of life in mid-Victorian England. She makes loss of references to cesspits, etc. I really enjoyed the scenes of CB walking with Arthur Bell Nicholls knowing inside this is her future husband although this is the only man in the story she does not fall for, the meeting with M. Heger, for me you could how much he was used as a template for M. Paul Emanuel, and her conversation with Mr. Slade regarding Jane Eyre. I very much enjoyed the real historical figures incorporated into the story especially Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Ms. Rowland seemed to capture from what I understand as their personalities and their relationship. Based on your posts, especially regarding the Polly Teale play, Ms. Rowland appeared to capture the popular perception of the personalities of the Bronte siblings. Although I was rather shocked at some of CB's thoughts when she runs into Mr. Slade on the moors and sends her dog after him.

I want to add Ms. Rowland's research into the Victorian era really shined in the book. She was able to incorporate China's humiliation at the hands of the British, the revolutionary agitation of 1848 including the Chartists, the industrial revolution, and CB makes references to her and Mr. Slade as representative of the new and growing middle class. I thought her characterizations of Victoria's and Albert's children Princess Royal Victoria and Bertie, future Edward VII, seemed to be accurate from my limited understanding and of course foreshadowing of their future reputation especially Bertie as the son who would rebel against his parents' morals in terms of his rather promoscious lifestyle and fondness for living the "good life" including smoking. Although she did make one minor blunder when CB was referred to as a "citizen" before Queen Victoria instead of "subject". The epilogue was very poignant and melancholy. (Michael Kim)

Categories: Books, Contest, Fiction