The Man in the Stone Cottage by Stephanie Cowell

 

The story revolves around the tragic Bronte family - the family marked by tragedy. First the loss of the mother at a relatively young age, and then the slow deaths of two daughters, then the beloved son and brother then Anne and  Charlotte and finally Emily. The family was unusually close knit and Anne, Charlotte and Emily had particularly strong ties after they lost their mother and siblings. Patrick Bronte was stubborn, selfish and wanted to keep his daughters tied to their home. 

Emily had a lover and she kept this secret from Charlotte though Anne was aware of it. Charlotte discovered it only after Emily’s death and it devastated her that she did not know her sister the way she thought she knew. All of the girls faced rejection in various forms - whether from lovers and this hit hard, and the rejection of their writings. Jane Eyre was the bonanza which at least lifted them from poverty and especially for Charlotte took her away on frequent visits to London. Though finding romance there, that too ended in loss and Charlotte was once more left heart broken.

The setting of the story amongst the moors and the isolation of this tiny village was atmospheric. The lack of any intelligent conversation amongst village folk hit hard for the three girls who were brilliant in their craft. It was not a time for well educated women (not even allowed to take books from a library). The atmosphere stunted them so that they had to find stimulation for their minds within the house itself. Their father was forward thinking in this way at least.

Their deaths at such a young age was a tragedy which with good hygiene and better living conditions could possibly have been averted. Ironic that their father lived into his nineties.

The story left me impressed with the author who took you into the Bronte home as if you were a sprite watching the story evolve.

Sent by Regal Publishing for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.