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Emma
In the very last month before her death at the age of thirty-nine, at the height of her powers, Charlotte Brontë set the scene of a new novel called Emma. A child spiritually oppressed, a school run on shallow and mercenary principles, a brutish schoolmistress, a quiet observer of the injustice and cruelty--it contained the same preoccupations which elsewhere had called forth her most passionate and dramatic writing.
Another Lady has now at last fulfilled the promise of that novel. Her lively powers of invention have worked the unfolding mystery of Charlotte Brontë's two opening chapters into an exciting and poignant story. The characters grow in vitality and complexity while remaining true in spirit, tone and style to the original conception.
The wanton havoc wrought by Emma in the life of Mrs Chalfont, the narrator, is not the only proof of her ruthlessness; she plays a part, too, in the sufferings of the abandoned child, Martina. The affection which grows between Mrs Chalfont and Martina out of their mutual distress illumines this story, and Emma herself, with her inexplicable motives, her incomprehensible anger and her darkness of soul, develops into a character of whom Charlotte Brontë would have been proud.
Another Lady has now at last fulfilled the promise of that novel. Her lively powers of invention have worked the unfolding mystery of Charlotte Brontë's two opening chapters into an exciting and poignant story. The characters grow in vitality and complexity while remaining true in spirit, tone and style to the original conception.
The wanton havoc wrought by Emma in the life of Mrs Chalfont, the narrator, is not the only proof of her ruthlessness; she plays a part, too, in the sufferings of the abandoned child, Martina. The affection which grows between Mrs Chalfont and Martina out of their mutual distress illumines this story, and Emma herself, with her inexplicable motives, her incomprehensible anger and her darkness of soul, develops into a character of whom Charlotte Brontë would have been proud.
215 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1860
About the author
Charlotte Brontë
1,718 books17.5k followersCharlotte Brontë was an English novelist, the eldest out of the three famous Brontë sisters whose novels have become standards of English literature. See also Emily Brontë and Anne Brontë.
Charlotte Brontë was born in Thornton, Yorkshire, England, the third of six children, to Patrick Brontë (formerly "Patrick Brunty"), an Irish Anglican clergyman, and his wife, Maria Branwell. In April 1820 the family moved a few miles to Haworth, a remote town on the Yorkshire moors, where Patrick had been appointed Perpetual Curate. This is where the Brontë children would spend most of their lives. Maria Branwell Brontë died from what was thought to be cancer on 15 September 1821, leaving five daughters and a son to the care of her spinster sister Elizabeth Branwell, who moved to Yorkshire to help the family.
In August 1824 Charlotte, along with her sisters Emily, Maria, and Elizabeth, was sent to the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire, a new school for the daughters of poor clergyman (which she would describe as Lowood School in Jane Eyre). The school was a horrific experience for the girls and conditions were appalling. They were regularly deprived of food, beaten by teachers and humiliated for the slightest error. The school was unheated and the pupils slept two to a bed for warmth. Seven pupils died in a typhus epidemic that swept the school and all four of the Brontë girls became very ill - Maria and Elizabeth dying of tuberculosis in 1825. Her experiences at the school deeply affected Brontë - her health never recovered and she immortalised the cruel and brutal treatment in her novel, Jane Eyre. Following the tragedy, their father withdrew his daughters from the school.
At home in Haworth Parsonage, Charlotte and the other surviving children — Branwell, Emily, and Anne — continued their ad-hoc education. In 1826 her father returned home with a box of toy soldiers for Branwell. They would prove the catalyst for the sisters' extraordinary creative development as they immediately set to creating lives and characters for the soldiers, inventing a world for them which the siblings called 'Angria'. The siblings became addicted to writing, creating stories, poetry and plays. Brontë later said that the reason for this burst of creativity was that:
'We were wholly dependent on ourselves and each other, on books and study, for the enjoyments and occupations of life. The highest stimulus, as well as the liveliest pleasure we had known from childhood upwards, lay in attempts at literary composition.'
After her father began to suffer from a lung disorder, Charlotte was again sent to school to complete her education at Roe Head school in Mirfield from 1831 to 1832, where she met her lifelong friends and correspondents, Ellen Nussey and Mary Taylor. During this period (1833), she wrote her novella The Green Dwarf under the name of Wellesley. The school was extremely small with only ten pupils meaning the top floor was completely unused and believed to be supposedly haunted by the ghost of a young lady dressed in silk. This story fascinated Brontë and inspired the figure of Mrs Rochester in Jane Eyre.
Brontë left the school after a few years, however she swiftly returned in 1835 to take up a position as a teacher, and used her wages to pay for Emily and Anne to be taught at the school. Teaching did not appeal to Brontë and in 1838 she left Roe Head to become a governess to the Sidgewick family -- partly from a sense of adventure and a desire to see the world, and partly from financial necessity.
Charlotte became pregnant soon after her wedding, but her health declined rapidly and, according to biographer Elizabeth Gaskell, she was attacked by "sensations of perpetual nausea and ever-recurring faintness." She died, with her unborn child, on 31 March 1855.
Charlotte Brontë was born in Thornton, Yorkshire, England, the third of six children, to Patrick Brontë (formerly "Patrick Brunty"), an Irish Anglican clergyman, and his wife, Maria Branwell. In April 1820 the family moved a few miles to Haworth, a remote town on the Yorkshire moors, where Patrick had been appointed Perpetual Curate. This is where the Brontë children would spend most of their lives. Maria Branwell Brontë died from what was thought to be cancer on 15 September 1821, leaving five daughters and a son to the care of her spinster sister Elizabeth Branwell, who moved to Yorkshire to help the family.
In August 1824 Charlotte, along with her sisters Emily, Maria, and Elizabeth, was sent to the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire, a new school for the daughters of poor clergyman (which she would describe as Lowood School in Jane Eyre). The school was a horrific experience for the girls and conditions were appalling. They were regularly deprived of food, beaten by teachers and humiliated for the slightest error. The school was unheated and the pupils slept two to a bed for warmth. Seven pupils died in a typhus epidemic that swept the school and all four of the Brontë girls became very ill - Maria and Elizabeth dying of tuberculosis in 1825. Her experiences at the school deeply affected Brontë - her health never recovered and she immortalised the cruel and brutal treatment in her novel, Jane Eyre. Following the tragedy, their father withdrew his daughters from the school.
At home in Haworth Parsonage, Charlotte and the other surviving children — Branwell, Emily, and Anne — continued their ad-hoc education. In 1826 her father returned home with a box of toy soldiers for Branwell. They would prove the catalyst for the sisters' extraordinary creative development as they immediately set to creating lives and characters for the soldiers, inventing a world for them which the siblings called 'Angria'. The siblings became addicted to writing, creating stories, poetry and plays. Brontë later said that the reason for this burst of creativity was that:
'We were wholly dependent on ourselves and each other, on books and study, for the enjoyments and occupations of life. The highest stimulus, as well as the liveliest pleasure we had known from childhood upwards, lay in attempts at literary composition.'
After her father began to suffer from a lung disorder, Charlotte was again sent to school to complete her education at Roe Head school in Mirfield from 1831 to 1832, where she met her lifelong friends and correspondents, Ellen Nussey and Mary Taylor. During this period (1833), she wrote her novella The Green Dwarf under the name of Wellesley. The school was extremely small with only ten pupils meaning the top floor was completely unused and believed to be supposedly haunted by the ghost of a young lady dressed in silk. This story fascinated Brontë and inspired the figure of Mrs Rochester in Jane Eyre.
Brontë left the school after a few years, however she swiftly returned in 1835 to take up a position as a teacher, and used her wages to pay for Emily and Anne to be taught at the school. Teaching did not appeal to Brontë and in 1838 she left Roe Head to become a governess to the Sidgewick family -- partly from a sense of adventure and a desire to see the world, and partly from financial necessity.
Charlotte became pregnant soon after her wedding, but her health declined rapidly and, according to biographer Elizabeth Gaskell, she was attacked by "sensations of perpetual nausea and ever-recurring faintness." She died, with her unborn child, on 31 March 1855.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
July 30, 2014
I am a fan of all 19th century novels named Emma.
August 24, 2024
Nachtrag/2010
February 10, 2013
Free download available at Internet Archive
The Works of Charlotte Bronte:
1. The Professor
2. Emma
3. Poems
This fragment, the last literary effort of the author of 'Jane Eyre', appeared in the 'Cornhill Magazine' fro April, 1860, preceded by the following introduction from the pen of its editor, Mr. W.M. Thackeray, entitled: - Tje Last Sketch.
Charlotte Bronte was only able to write two chapters of her last and unfinished work.
Clare Boylan wrote Emma Brown gave a final version of the above manuscript 50 years later, after Charlotte's death. To be checked.
The Works of Charlotte Bronte:
1. The Professor
2. Emma
3. Poems
This fragment, the last literary effort of the author of 'Jane Eyre', appeared in the 'Cornhill Magazine' fro April, 1860, preceded by the following introduction from the pen of its editor, Mr. W.M. Thackeray, entitled: - Tje Last Sketch.
Charlotte Bronte was only able to write two chapters of her last and unfinished work.
Clare Boylan wrote Emma Brown gave a final version of the above manuscript 50 years later, after Charlotte's death. To be checked.
December 29, 2015
Claro que son solamente unos capítulos (Charlotte falleció antes de poder terminarlo) pero, creo yo, tenía mucho potencial... más allá de que Arthur opinara que su esposa estaba repitiéndose...
June 22, 2021
Emma, by Charlotte Brontë, is an unfinished novel. We only get two chapters. It’s a really fast read (less than an hour) but I’m sad Charlotte hadn’t the opportunity to write the whole thing. The beginning is really good and caught the reader right away
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July 21, 2021won’t rate this embryo classic for it is only a couple chapters long, but giving this five stars in spirit. i loved the sliver of satire, and the mystery (!!!) but of course don’t have much matter to review, so here are my two favorite lines—1) “[...] her large leghorn hat shading such a face as fortunately had not its parallel on the premises” 2) “the misses wilcox, for instance, were not much less shallow than the china saucer which held their teacups” charlotte brontë i love you so much!
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July 4, 2024you know you have a banger in your hands when a charlotte brontë character address the reader directly. i had not found it in maturity. i was become resigned never to find it. i had lived certain dim years entirely tranquil and unexpectant. and now i was not sure but something was hovering round my hearth which pleased me wonderfully.
look at it, reader. come into my parlor and judge for yourself whether i do right to care for this thing.
look at it, reader. come into my parlor and judge for yourself whether i do right to care for this thing.
January 2, 2021
This book is a continuation of Charlotte Bronte's last writing before she died. She only finished the first two chapters of this book, and it has been finished by "another lady". I am usually skeptical about modern authors trying to finish work from a classic author, but this was well done.
The writing doesn't exactly mimic Charlotte Bronte's writing style, but it does a fair job. The themes and plot have many elements that I would expect to find in a Bronte story. There is a gothic moodiness, plot twists, wild scenery, and of course, complex and compelling characters.
Mrs. Chalfont is a lonely widow who adopts an abandoned child and tries to penetrate the mystery of the child's true identity. With the help of Mr. Ellin, she embarks on a journey of discovery and intrigue to unravel the secrets the child is hiding. It is only when the ruthless Emma appears on the scene that the depths of crime and hatred become apparent, and only Mrs. Chalfont can save the innocent child she has come to love.
I loved the story so much! I was laughing and crying and clutching the book to my heart! The emotional power in the story is very reminiscent of Charlotte Bronte's style.
I figured out the big plot reveal on page 86, and it is not actually revealed until page 163. There are only four words on page 86 that made it plain, so I think if that clue had been removed, it would not have ruined the mystery too early. But even though I figured it out early, I still enjoyed seeing it all unfold for the characters.
Mrs. Chalfont is such a sweet and lonesome character. She is kind and generous and forgiving, but she hides secret pain and anguish in her heart. I just loved seeing how she interacts with the various heroes and villains, and how they are all astonished at her big heart.
Mr. Ellin is a bit of an enigma. I'm not sure that his personality in the rest of the book really fits with the first two chapters. He is a complex person; private and secretive about his own business, but also sociable and charming in company. He is languid at times until you almost think he is lazy, but then he'll be springing into action with energy and determination. He certainly kept my interest.
The elusive Emma is the titular character, but she is only in one scene. The story is all about how her anger and hatred have affected the lives of so many people. We see people's reactions when her name is mentioned, how the county gossips about her, how people's memories of her are skewed, how her family try to shield her and make excuses for her. She is a force to be reckoned with at every turn.
Overall, I enjoyed this book so much! I only took off one star because the prose isn't quite the same at Bronte's, but pretty close; and because I figured out the big reveal too early.
The writing doesn't exactly mimic Charlotte Bronte's writing style, but it does a fair job. The themes and plot have many elements that I would expect to find in a Bronte story. There is a gothic moodiness, plot twists, wild scenery, and of course, complex and compelling characters.
Mrs. Chalfont is a lonely widow who adopts an abandoned child and tries to penetrate the mystery of the child's true identity. With the help of Mr. Ellin, she embarks on a journey of discovery and intrigue to unravel the secrets the child is hiding. It is only when the ruthless Emma appears on the scene that the depths of crime and hatred become apparent, and only Mrs. Chalfont can save the innocent child she has come to love.
I loved the story so much! I was laughing and crying and clutching the book to my heart! The emotional power in the story is very reminiscent of Charlotte Bronte's style.
I figured out the big plot reveal on page 86, and it is not actually revealed until page 163. There are only four words on page 86 that made it plain, so I think if that clue had been removed, it would not have ruined the mystery too early. But even though I figured it out early, I still enjoyed seeing it all unfold for the characters.
Mrs. Chalfont is such a sweet and lonesome character. She is kind and generous and forgiving, but she hides secret pain and anguish in her heart. I just loved seeing how she interacts with the various heroes and villains, and how they are all astonished at her big heart.
Mr. Ellin is a bit of an enigma. I'm not sure that his personality in the rest of the book really fits with the first two chapters. He is a complex person; private and secretive about his own business, but also sociable and charming in company. He is languid at times until you almost think he is lazy, but then he'll be springing into action with energy and determination. He certainly kept my interest.
The elusive Emma is the titular character, but she is only in one scene. The story is all about how her anger and hatred have affected the lives of so many people. We see people's reactions when her name is mentioned, how the county gossips about her, how people's memories of her are skewed, how her family try to shield her and make excuses for her. She is a force to be reckoned with at every turn.
Overall, I enjoyed this book so much! I only took off one star because the prose isn't quite the same at Bronte's, but pretty close; and because I figured out the big reveal too early.
October 30, 2019
The first two chapters were written by Charlotte Brontë shortly before her death, and this version of the novel was completed by Constance Savery in 1980. For details about the other version of this novel as completed by Clare Boylan in 2003, please see Emma Brown.
5 stars for Chapters 1 – 2 by Charlotte Brontë
The beginning of a masterpiece, Charlotte’s writing mesmerized me completely. As in Jane Eyre, Villette, and Shirley, she focuses on every woman’s need for a life purpose, the craving to find a “quest”: "We all seek an ideal in life." And, as always, Charlotte is fascinated by the interplay of various personalities and their effect on human relationships: “Say no more to her. Beware, or you will do more mischief than you think or wish. That kind of nature is very different from yours. It is not possible that you should like it; but let it alone.” To make it even more delicious, she introduces a mystery in which a little girl wearing rich furs and silks is brought to a boarding school in a fine carriage by her well-dressed “father”, but when the headmistress writes to him the letter is returned to her: no such person, no such house. Who is this little girl really, how will her tuition be paid, and what in the world should they do with her?
4 stars for Chapters 3 – 17 by Constance Savery (also known as “Another Lady”)
Constance Savery’s completion of the novel is lovely and compelling. The eloquence of her prose doesn’t quite match Charlotte Brontë’s but it’s beautiful all the same, and her style stays true to the Victorian era. There are waking dreams and sleeping dreams. In which did I pass the night? I have never been able to answer that question. All I know is that till dawn I glided alone, now over the purple moors that surrounded Grewby Towers, now among the grassy mounds and crumbling headstones of Grewby churchyard, always questing, always seeking, for some precious thing I had lost. We remain in the English countryside throughout the novel, in the kind and faithful hands of Mrs. Chalfont (the first-person narrator whom Charlotte Brontë introduced to us in the first chapter) and the mystery reaches a satisfying resolution.
Sadly, this book is out of print but I was able to buy a used copy from AbeBooks.com. I believe it’s truly worthy of being reprinted for the enjoyment of fellow Charlotte Brontë devotees.
5 stars for Chapters 1 – 2 by Charlotte Brontë
The beginning of a masterpiece, Charlotte’s writing mesmerized me completely. As in Jane Eyre, Villette, and Shirley, she focuses on every woman’s need for a life purpose, the craving to find a “quest”: "We all seek an ideal in life." And, as always, Charlotte is fascinated by the interplay of various personalities and their effect on human relationships: “Say no more to her. Beware, or you will do more mischief than you think or wish. That kind of nature is very different from yours. It is not possible that you should like it; but let it alone.” To make it even more delicious, she introduces a mystery in which a little girl wearing rich furs and silks is brought to a boarding school in a fine carriage by her well-dressed “father”, but when the headmistress writes to him the letter is returned to her: no such person, no such house. Who is this little girl really, how will her tuition be paid, and what in the world should they do with her?
4 stars for Chapters 3 – 17 by Constance Savery (also known as “Another Lady”)
Constance Savery’s completion of the novel is lovely and compelling. The eloquence of her prose doesn’t quite match Charlotte Brontë’s but it’s beautiful all the same, and her style stays true to the Victorian era. There are waking dreams and sleeping dreams. In which did I pass the night? I have never been able to answer that question. All I know is that till dawn I glided alone, now over the purple moors that surrounded Grewby Towers, now among the grassy mounds and crumbling headstones of Grewby churchyard, always questing, always seeking, for some precious thing I had lost. We remain in the English countryside throughout the novel, in the kind and faithful hands of Mrs. Chalfont (the first-person narrator whom Charlotte Brontë introduced to us in the first chapter) and the mystery reaches a satisfying resolution.
Sadly, this book is out of print but I was able to buy a used copy from AbeBooks.com. I believe it’s truly worthy of being reprinted for the enjoyment of fellow Charlotte Brontë devotees.
Want to read
August 29, 2017Sign me up for any classic called Emma!
July 15, 2021
"[...] Hundreds of those who, like myself, recognized and admired that master-work of a great genius, will look with a mournful interest and regard and curiosity upon this, the last fragmentary sketch from the noble hand which wrote Jane Eyre"
- William Makepeace Thackeray, The Last Sketch.
Charlotte was able to write only two chapters before her tragic demise in 1855. The story is narrated by a widow named Mrs. Chalfont who talks about a ladies' school owned by the Wilcox sisters.The plot progresses with the arrival of an apparently rich heiress named Matilda Fitzgibbon in the institution. We are introduced with characters of the local gentleman Mr. Ellin and a dauntless pupil of the very institution named Diana.The story takes a turn as false identity of this timid and shy girl comes out and Mr. Ellin ventures to untangle it. A couple of paragraphs follow these incidents so far mentioned and the reader comes to a dead end.
As I reached the last line of this fragment, my heart swelled and before I could realise anything, tears were streaming down my cheeks. I grew pensive for a while and sank in thoughts about this promising work and what Brontë would have written had she lived. Author Clare Boylan gave a final version of this manuscript one hundred fifty years later in her novel 'Emma Brown'.
- William Makepeace Thackeray, The Last Sketch.
Charlotte was able to write only two chapters before her tragic demise in 1855. The story is narrated by a widow named Mrs. Chalfont who talks about a ladies' school owned by the Wilcox sisters.The plot progresses with the arrival of an apparently rich heiress named Matilda Fitzgibbon in the institution. We are introduced with characters of the local gentleman Mr. Ellin and a dauntless pupil of the very institution named Diana.The story takes a turn as false identity of this timid and shy girl comes out and Mr. Ellin ventures to untangle it. A couple of paragraphs follow these incidents so far mentioned and the reader comes to a dead end.
As I reached the last line of this fragment, my heart swelled and before I could realise anything, tears were streaming down my cheeks. I grew pensive for a while and sank in thoughts about this promising work and what Brontë would have written had she lived. Author Clare Boylan gave a final version of this manuscript one hundred fifty years later in her novel 'Emma Brown'.
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January 26, 2019Vill verkligen veta vad som skulle ha hänt!
August 8, 2019
სუფთა საპნის ოპერაა დრამატული ეფექტებით. მაინც ჩემთვის რთული დასაჯერებელია 15 წლის გამწარება, ამას მოყოლებული მწარე მოგონებები და სხვა რამ, ასე დაუფიქრებლად აპატიო ადამიანს. ემას კი ერთი მათრახი უნდოდა...
December 31, 2021
It's just so... unique. It's humour is funny at times, but the story is another one of a girl who is a snob falling in love. For others it could definitely be a 5 star. But then again, the other books like this are probably based on this book because this may have been the first to have someone like this.
September 13, 2012
Victorian literature is the literature produced during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), tend to be idealized portraits of difficult lives, perseverance and love in civil society….
The main elements in Victorian and pre-Victorian literature, are mostly hidden loves, jelousy, planned marriages for money and social positions, women’s situation both in family and the society, and the roll of Church which dominate all over the society. One can not deny the roll of Victorian novels, specially works by Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, Jane Austen, William Thackeray, Bronte’s sisters, George Eliot and others…effectioning on all social aspects, changing the modern society, carrying up moral and etic, law and behaviour. Novels in particular, became ubiquitous, and created legacy appeal for human rights …
The main elements in Victorian and pre-Victorian literature, are mostly hidden loves, jelousy, planned marriages for money and social positions, women’s situation both in family and the society, and the roll of Church which dominate all over the society. One can not deny the roll of Victorian novels, specially works by Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, Jane Austen, William Thackeray, Bronte’s sisters, George Eliot and others…effectioning on all social aspects, changing the modern society, carrying up moral and etic, law and behaviour. Novels in particular, became ubiquitous, and created legacy appeal for human rights …
March 21, 2011
Is there a female alive that has not at some point been a bit of an Emma? And hasn't every female experienced bafflement due to an Emma placing her, at some point in her journey, in a situation with a member of the opposite sex that brought on a feeling of complete and utter mortification? THAT is why I love this book. I have lived the roles from various perspectives, and I have observed Emma in the lives of others.
June 14, 2016
De första två kapitlen från det som blev Charlottes sista roman. Mycket intressant början, hade med stor glädje fortsatt läsa om boken blivit klar!
February 5, 2017
"Emma. Due capitoli. Perché tradurti? Cosa può apprezzare di te il lettore che macina centinaia di pagine, mentre tu ne copri a malapena una ventina? La risposta è racchiusa in una sola parola : desiderio" (nota del traduttore).
Pubblicato insieme a “La storia di Willie Ellin” grazie alla casa editrice Flower-ed per la collana Five Yards, “Emma” è l’ultimo romanzo a cui lavorò la Bronte ormai provata dalle perdite famigliari - e narra le vicende di una giovane apparentemente molto ricca e studentessa in collegio.
Per forza di cose manca del completo appagamento che può dare un lavoro ultimato, sono solo venti pagine, ma indubbiamente predisposta e con del potenziale tangibile.
Ed è inevitabile pensare: Chissà se solo Charlotte avesse avuto più tempo..
Pubblicato insieme a “La storia di Willie Ellin” grazie alla casa editrice Flower-ed per la collana Five Yards, “Emma” è l’ultimo romanzo a cui lavorò la Bronte ormai provata dalle perdite famigliari - e narra le vicende di una giovane apparentemente molto ricca e studentessa in collegio.
Per forza di cose manca del completo appagamento che può dare un lavoro ultimato, sono solo venti pagine, ma indubbiamente predisposta e con del potenziale tangibile.
Ed è inevitabile pensare: Chissà se solo Charlotte avesse avuto più tempo..
December 24, 2017
Så välskriven! Det är verkligen sorgligt att författaren inte hade möjlighet att slutföra denna.. Tror nämligen den hade haft potential att bli lika välkänd och klassisk som Jane Eyre har blivit över tid.
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October 7, 2024so sad she didn’t get to finish this one :(
July 30, 2023
Intrigued on how this story would have unfolded. It reminds me of “ The Little Princess” movie with Shirley Temple.
August 19, 2020
This was as well written as a Jane Austen. What a treat.
August 29, 2007
It is unfortunate that Charlotte Bronte passed away before she could finish Emma. I would have liked to have read the story she wanted to tell.
This story, however, is merely tolerable. The reason for which can be laid entirely at the door of "Another Lady." I don't know what she was thinking; at times it almost seems as if the story is going to plunge into a gothic bodice-ripping romance instead of Bronte's moodier fare. Not that I have anything against bodice-rippers, I just prefer to have them not occur in one of Bronte's stories.
Aside from the tone of the story, however, I found that there were - dare I say, hints? - at sinister goings-on that were never revealed. The one line I recall very clearly which has puzzled me ever since I read it is, "I began to be afraid of this child with the long memory." What? This line occurs three pages from the end of the book. What is that supposed to do? Make me think that there is a sequel coming?
This story, however, is merely tolerable. The reason for which can be laid entirely at the door of "Another Lady." I don't know what she was thinking; at times it almost seems as if the story is going to plunge into a gothic bodice-ripping romance instead of Bronte's moodier fare. Not that I have anything against bodice-rippers, I just prefer to have them not occur in one of Bronte's stories.
Aside from the tone of the story, however, I found that there were - dare I say, hints? - at sinister goings-on that were never revealed. The one line I recall very clearly which has puzzled me ever since I read it is, "I began to be afraid of this child with the long memory." What? This line occurs three pages from the end of the book. What is that supposed to do? Make me think that there is a sequel coming?
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December 26, 2020SPOILERS
Brontë started writing it before her death, but she didn't make it far and most of the book was written by Another Lady.
Quite fast paced, lot of twists and turns typical to Victorian era. Writing style did remember Brontë, so kudos for that.
Must admit wasn't fan of the ending - seemed little bit odd that after everything Mrs. Chalfont and Martina forgave Emma so much that they named a new baby after her. But ok. What wasn't believable at all was Emma's, who showed from the start psychopathic tendencies, change - the person who had never felt sorry towards anybody and showed so much cruelty, would at the end send a letter "i am sorry". This unfortunately ruined a book for me a little as it didn't seem to fit to the main theme.
Brontë started writing it before her death, but she didn't make it far and most of the book was written by Another Lady.
Quite fast paced, lot of twists and turns typical to Victorian era. Writing style did remember Brontë, so kudos for that.
Must admit wasn't fan of the ending - seemed little bit odd that after everything Mrs. Chalfont and Martina forgave Emma so much that they named a new baby after her. But ok. What wasn't believable at all was Emma's, who showed from the start psychopathic tendencies, change - the person who had never felt sorry towards anybody and showed so much cruelty, would at the end send a letter "i am sorry". This unfortunately ruined a book for me a little as it didn't seem to fit to the main theme.
April 28, 2010
THis is a very short intro into what was to be Charlotte Bronte's last novel. Unfortunately she did not get very far into it before she met her untimely death. I have read "Emma Brown" which was taken from the first few chapters that Charlotte wrote and then made into a story that the new author came up with. I love Emma Brown, so I wanted to read what Charlotte herself had written. I really wish she could've finished Emma - I would've liked to see what her ideas for Emma and the other characters in the book were, but am glad to have at least been able to read the few short pages we have and to have been able to read the newer, tied in Emma Brown.
February 3, 2022
Absolutně by mě nenapadlo, že se mi tato knížka bude až tak moc líbit, a přece. Je to společenský historický román, kde opravdu chcete číst dál a dál a rozkrývat rodinná tajemství z minulosti. Čte se s velkou lehkostí, překlad se mi zdá být také zdařilý a závěrečné rozklíčování příběhu se mi velmi líbilo. Ač je kniha z většiny dopsána až po smrti autorky, tak přesto jsem tam cítila i Janu Eyrovou a prostě autorčin rukopis. Za mě můžu určitě vřele doporučit, knížka má vše potřebné a podstatné, příběh, pointu, rozuzlení, najdeme tam lásku, nenávist, pochopení, odpuštění, vysvětlení, prostě všechno.
May 10, 2015
Obviously, one can't really call this a book by Charlotte Bronte, as she only wrote the first two chapters before she died, and it was finished by "Another Lady" (Constance Savery) 100+ years later. As such, we have no way of knowing how Charlotte Bronte had planned on this story playing out, and I think we can safely assume that it would not have been identical to what the finished product turned out to be, but I think she would have been pleased with the result. Likeable protagonists, twisting turning story, and a happy ending. I'm glad I read this.
July 6, 2016
This is the first time I've read an unfinished work, a fragment, that I really wanted so much to continue. It will of course have to remain a mystery, but even in its truncated form it is a very good representation of the characters, particularly of the headmistress Miss Wilcox. And, it is a very good introduction to the works of Charlotte Bronte. It's the first I've read of her books but it will not be the last.
August 5, 2011
I don't know why more people don't know about this book. I ran across it in a used bookstore and have loved it ever since! It was an unfinished fragment by Charlotte Bronte that was finished by "another lady"--real name unknown at ths point. Would make a great historical romance/mystery miniseries!
October 1, 2015
This is a partial manuscript at the end of The Professor
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