Bronte Girl

Readers who love YA historical fiction will fall in love with Kate Roper, a 15 year old girl from Haworth, West Yorkshire, who finds herself working at the Parsonage, home to Reverend Bronte and his four children, Bramwell, Charlotte, Emily and Anne. 'I am just going to write because I cannot help it.'Charlotte Bronte'October 19th, 1846. Kate felt as though the date was etched upon her heart forever.'When Mother and her beloved twin brothers are taken by the Haworth 'miasma', Fatherdrowns his sorrow in drink and younger sister Lizzie begins to run wild. It is left to Kate atonly fifteen to keep her family out of the dreaded workhouse. She is offered a cleaning job at the Parsonage, home of Reverend Bronte, his son Branwelland the three Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Anne, and Emily. Kate harbours a secret; to write for the famous Blackwood Magazine, but poverty andgender are against her. Luke, a farmer's son, has dreams of being an engineer, and wants tomarry Kate but believes writing stories is a waste of time. One day whilst repairing the fire inthe Parsonage sitting room, Kate sees a small volume of Shakespeare on the shelf. Shedecides to borrow it, only to be caught by Charlotte Bronte. When Miss Charlotte discoversKate's passion for books, a friendship begins to develop. Charlotte and her sister Anne fillKate's head with ideas of equality between women and men. 'Women feel just as men feel,'declares Miss Charlotte. Kate confides in Charlotte that she writes and is encouraged to seeher writing as more than just a dream. Kate also begins to spot clues that the Bronte sistersare writing novels. Then she meets Seth, an artist, on the moor with equally free ideas about women and men. Now Kate is faced with a dilemma. Marriage to the dependable Luke or a new independentlife, influenced by Seth and his artist friends. The novel ends a year after it opens with Kate making the biggest decision of her life. Miriam Halahmy has written a novel which brings the Brontes alive for a new generation ofreaders. Themes of women's rights, the harsh realities of poverty and inequality areilluminated in uncluttered, beautiful character-driven storytelling and through it all shinesthe indomitable spirit of the human soul. In a world of increasing inequality and globalattacks on women's rights, this is a novel for our time.