The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë

We present today Syrie James's new novel. BrontëBlog will publish a review next week.

The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë
By Syrie James

ISBN: 9780061648373
ISBN10: 006164837X
Imprint: Avon A
On Sale: 6/30/2009
Format: Trade PB

ISBN: 9780061891786 (ebook)
ISBN: 9780061720192 (large print)

Book Description

"I have written about the joys of love. I have, in my secret heart, long dreamt of an intimate connection with a man; every Jane, I believe, deserves her Rochester."

Though poor, plain, and unconnected, Charlotte Bronte possesses a deeply passionate side which she reveals only in her writings—creating Jane Eyre and other novels that stand among literature's most beloved works. Living a secluded life in the wilds of Yorkshire with her sisters Emily and Anne, their drug-addicted brother, and an eccentric father who is going blind, Charlotte Bronte dreams of a real love story as fiery as the ones she creates.

But it is in the pages of her diary where Charlotte exposes her deepest feelings and desires—and the truth about her life, its triumphs and shattering disappointments, her family, the inspiration behind her work, her scandalous secret passion for the man she can never have . . . and her intense, dramatic relationship with the man she comes to love, the enigmatic Arthur Bell Nicholls.

"Who is this man who has dared to ask for my hand? Why is my father so dead set against him? Why are half the residents of Haworth determined to lynch him—or shoot him?"

From Syrie James, the acclaimed, bestselling author of The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, comes a powerfully compelling, intensely researched literary feat that blends historical fact and fiction to explore the passionate heart and unquiet soul of Charlotte Bronte. It is Charlotte's story, just as she might have written it herself.

On Syrie James's web much more information can be found: a Q&A with the author, an excerpt and even a Reading Group Study Guide.

Harriet Klausner on the B&N website has published a review:

This is a super historical biography that uses a diary to tell the tale of Charlotte Bronte, author of Jane Eyre. Using a first person perspective brings depth to the great author even that much more, but also detracts from how others see her and events like her sisters and Arthur as they come across through a Charlotte filter. Still this is an excellent biographical fiction that looks profoundly at a great nineteenth century writer as Syrie James does her research to tell the story of Charlotte Bronte as she did with THE LOST MEMOIRS OF JANE AUSTEN.

And Katherine Pierson on Fresh Fiction:

Syrie James writes in a similar style to Charlotte and Emily, and any who have read JANE EYRE or WUTHERING HEIGHTS will recognize the long, flowing sentences of a more old-fashioned construction. The style works well for this story as it mirrors both the time period and Charlotte's writing, and James uses footnotes to explain archaic terminology and to translate French conversation.
The book gets off to a slow start, but the pace picks up once the women publish a book of poetry and focus on their novels. I admit to hoping the author would get to the marriage proposal and romance sooner than she did, but I kept reading knowing it would come. I appreciate fiction for fiction's sake, but knowing that a story portrays an individual -- and not just a made-up character -- gives an extra sense of passion and curiosity to my reading. Fans of historical fiction -- and the Bronte sisters in particular -- will find this an enjoyable read.

Categories: Books, Fiction