For some reason, I couldn't stop reading this. It's the story of Charlotte Bronte following the death of all her siblings until her own death. Their story was told in "Dark Quartet;" now, it becomes the story of Charlotte alone.
Charlotte Bronte, as well as her two sisters, published under a pen name at first. But the secret of Jane Eyre's authorship could only be kept for so long...and once it was out, her popularity knew no bounds. Her personality was ill suited to handle such fame.
"The infliction of strangers--especially of a sophisticated breed, with their epigrammatic style of conversation and their sharp, sly wit demanding constant ripostes--was an enervating torment to her; she could never be at ease except among those who spoke plainly and intelligently and who liked her for herself."
Fortunately, Charlotte doesn't have to be in the thick of it all the time; her home in Yorkshire is quiet, though trying in its own way. Also, her fame brings her in touch with a few true friends, especially Elizabeth Gaskell (who would later be asked to write the first biography of Charlotte).

The true story of Charlotte Bronte's struggles makes for fascinating reading. Especially the parts where she ruthlessly analyzes whether she is cut out for married life or spinsterhood...and if she marries for the sake of not being lonely, to what degree should she expect sympathy of mind and heart from a husband? There is no easy answer, but eventually she, sort of, finds her answer.

I am again impressed by the balance between biography and fiction that Lynne Reid Banks manages to achieve. The book certainly read as smoothly as a novel, but I was never assailed by doubts that the real Charlotte Bronte might not have said or felt something ascribed to her, and everything I read matched up to what I previously knew of her life.

There's no denying it, every single one of the Bronte sisters had an unfair life, cut tragically short. But their tenacity and creative genius still make a powerful impression, one worth reading about. ( )

No ☆s because I read only the first 80 pages. To a literary history buff, this is probably an attractive biography. Regardless of LRB's writerly craft, I wasn't enjoying the story of Charlotte Brontë.

In this acclaimed sequel to Dark Quartet [the author] recreates Charlotte's indomitable courage as a woman and genius as a novelist as they gradually drew her back to life, despite the triple blow that she had suffered...

'[The author] communicates her story with a clarity and conviction that establishes her among the noblest of factual writers' – Guardian

'Cannot fail to engage the imagination of all Bronte addicts' - Cosmopolitan

My surgeon's bill arrived today = NOT helping recovery. A horizontal chaise lounge continually calls me. Reviews and course work piling up but they will have to wait. ( )