Stancliffe's Hotel

The blurb of this tiny wee novella describes it as a 'witty romp' and I feel like that suits it really well.

This is some of Bronte's earlier work and it's not some of her most mature or well-developed classics but it's fun.

I actually really liked the narrator of this story, who is described as a 'cynical dandy'. He's a bit of a fuckboy but Bronte writes him really well and as irritating as he appears he has a really excellent narrative voice. I feel like if I'd read more of this world I would've enjoyed it even more -- the world-building between the Bronte siblings insane, maybe I'll look up more of the stories if I need a classic.

I picked this up at the library and I don't regret borrowing it or reading it but I'm not sure that I'd show more purchase this little novella on its own. However, I will say that the narrator had excellent banter and it gave me the feeling of reading a classic without all the mental and staying power needed to actually read a 300 page classic.

If you're a die-hard Bronte fan, or you're just curious about her writing style, or maybe you're intent on reading all of these Penguin Little Black Classics, go ahead and give this a go. show less

I found it hard to concentrate on "Stancliffe's Hotel" as it featured little to interest me. Apart from a few humorous lines of dialogue I was bored for the most part. Everything and everyone is over described.

But it's hardly fair to criticize a work of this nature, considering the author was not writing for the public, nor had she been taut how to improve her writing style at this stage of her life. At the height of her success Charlotte Brontë would doubtless never have dreamed of "Stancliffe's Hotel" being published. Here the genius she would become was waiting in the wings.

If you're a Brontë fan wanting to read everything the famous sisters ever wrote, check this
out with no high expectations.

Got stuck in the strange Angria kingdom of the Brontes prior to their fame as individuals. I am glad I didn't read this before Jane Eyre.

Eh. Maybe if there were some introductory notes or something to give these vignettes a bit more context, I would have got more out of this. Then again, barely anything happened in any of them, so maybe not.