James C. H. Tully

This is the sort of book which, when described, sounds indefensible (imputing the crime of sororicide to an historical figure, even as a fictional gesture, is in very poor taste) but which is nonetheless great fun to read. Tully gets his Victorian pastiche right on target with the maidservant's narration, and adds extra layers of observation/wild supposition with modern commentary at the end of every episode.

Treat it as a fictional narrative with no bearing on the real Brontes whatsoever, show more and I think you'll be entertained by the dark, sinister grand unifying conspiracy theory at the heart of it all (the scene in which the Brontes choose their pen names, and *why* they choose them, is particularly good). show less

OMIGOODNESS--if you're a Bronte freak you should probably read this. :) Strangely enthralling for quite didactic writing. The story's written in the alternating points-of-view of Martha, one of the Brontes' servants, and a young lawyer who finds her journals and realizes that perhaps the tragedy of all those young writers' untimely deaths was something more sinister than mere ill health. I TOTALLY NEED TO RESEARCH THE BRONTES MORE SERIOUSLY NOW.

I'm fairly sure the Bronte estate abhor this book & say none of it is true.. That said it was interesting to read - I couldn't put it down. It gives pause to think about previous era's when many underhanded and heinous things were done that slipped by the law or were in fact legal.

Oh, sure, villify Charlotte - but that wicked Emily Jane gets away scott-free (as ever)