Join the
virtual online blog tour of BRONTË’S MISTRESS, Finola Austin’s highly
acclaimed debut novel August 3 through August 16, 2020. Twenty-five
popular blogs and websites specializing in historical fiction, historical
romance, and women’s fiction will feature guest blogs, interviews, excerpts,
and reviews of this early Victorian novel set in Yorkshire, England.
I have a Bronte
obsession. My senior year of high
school, my English research paper was on Charlotte Bronte. I read every Bronte novel and many
biographies including the first famous biography about Charlotte Bronte by
novelist Elizabeth Gaskell. I also
watched every version of every movie I could get my hands on at the time. It was intriguing to be immersed in their
world. I’ve reread their novels over the
years and get something different out of them each time. I still love Jane Eyre, but as I’ve gotten
older, I’ve felt bad that Anne Bronte has been neglected by history. Her novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, was
revolutionary.
The Bronte sisters’
only brother, Branwell, has always loomed large in their story. Their great hope was that he would be the
famous artist of their family. But he
couldn’t hold a job down and alcohol, drugs and women interested him more than
his art. Shocking accusations in the
original Gaskell biography state that when Branwell was a tutor for the
Robinson family, his older employer, Mrs. Robinson, seduced him, tossed him
aside, and was the downfall of the entire Bronte family. Anne was the governess for the family and
resigned abruptly. Who was Lydia
Robinson and what is her story?
Author Finola
Austin fills in the gaps and tells Lydia Robinson’s story. Lydia loved her husband and together they had
five children. After the death of their
youngest beloved daughter, the spark has left their marriage. Lydia tries to get it back, but her husband
is distant and cold. Her mother-in-law controls various aspects of the family
and Lydia feels like she is trapped in her own home. After Mr. Bronte arrives
as her son’s new tutor, Lydia feels like someone is finally noticing and loving
her after all. As their affair steams
forward, how can Lydia return to her normal life? What will happen to her marriage and her
children?
I loved the look
at the life of a Victorian woman and how even though you had slightly more
freedom if you were married, there were still so many restrictions. Lydia was not able to feel passion, express
her true feelings, or even pick where her family summered. I didn’t feel in the novel that Lydia loved
Branwell at all. It seemed more that
Lydia liked the feeling of being able to give in to her passions and control
their relationship. Lydia liked how
Branwell thought she was special and gifted.
Branwell seemed to love her, or at least obsess about her, but his
alcoholism and seeming mental health problems made it so their relationship
could never work.
I enjoyed the
author’s note at the end of the novel that went into detail about how the novel
was put together, information that was used, what was left out, and what
happened to all of the main characters.
I find it
interesting that Gaskell chose to frame Lydia Robinson as the seducer of
Branwell and the downfall of the entire Bronte family. They all had their illnesses, but couldn’t
the downfall have been caused by Branwell himself? Anne was governess to the family for five
years before the affair and she was left without a job. Branwell already had a reputation for women,
alcohol, and drugs before he worked for the Robinson’s and a spotty record on
actually being able to hold down a job. But
instead of blaming Branwell, it must be the older woman tempting him. It is
interesting to contemplate. I also find it fascinating that this Mrs. Robinson was the inspiration for Mrs. Robinson of The Graduate and subsequent song fame.
Favorite Quotes:
“Imagination is
the only passport required for entry there.”
“Waiting is all
there is. That’s all I’ve had, and I can’t
– I won’t – have it anymore.”
Overall, Bronte’s
Mistress is a fascinating look into the life of a privileged Victorian woman
who is yearning to break free from all of her trappings.
Book Source: Review Copy from Atria Books for being a part
of the Blog Tour. Thank-you!
QUICK FACTS:
- Title: Brontë’s Mistress: A Novel
- Author: Finola Austin
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Publisher: Atria Books (August 04, 2020)
- Length: (320) pages
- Hardcover ISBN: 978-1982137236
- eBook ISBN: 978-1982137250
- Audiobook ISBN: 9781797106878
- Tour Dates: August 3 – August 16, 2020
BOOK
DESCRIPTION:
Yorkshire, 1843: Lydia
Robinson—mistress of Thorp Green Hall—has lost her precious young daughter and
her mother within the same year. She returns to her bleak home, grief-stricken
and unmoored. With her teenage daughters rebelling, her testy mother-in-law
scrutinizing her every move, and her marriage grown cold, Lydia is restless and
yearning for something more.All of that changes with the arrival of her son’s tutor, Branwell Brontë, brother of her daughters’ governess, Miss Anne Brontë and those other writerly sisters, Charlotte and Emily. Branwell has his own demons to contend with—including living up to the ideals of his intelligent family—but his presence is a breath of fresh air for Lydia. Handsome, passionate, and uninhibited by social conventions, he’s also twenty-five to her forty-three. A love of poetry, music, and theatre bring mistress and tutor together, and Branwell’s colorful tales of his sisters’ elaborate play-acting and made-up worlds form the backdrop for seduction.
But Lydia’s new taste of passion comes with consequences. As Branwell’s inner turmoil rises to the surface, his behavior grows erratic and dangerous, and whispers of their passionate relationship spout from her servants’ lips, reaching all three protective Brontë sisters. Soon, it falls on Lydia to save not just her reputation, but her way of life, before those clever girls reveal all her secrets in their novels. Unfortunately, she might be too late.
Meticulously researched and deliciously told, Brontë’s Mistress is a captivating reimagining of the scandalous affair that has divided Brontë enthusiasts for generations and an illuminating portrait of a courageous, sharp-witted woman who fights to emerge with her dignity intact.
ADVANCE
PRAISE
·
“…a page-turning read full of passion and
fire…[Austin] dares to give us a main character as flawed as Jane Austen’s Lady
Susan and Margaret Mitchell’s Scarlett O’Hara—a real, hot-blooded woman who has
desires and passions and isn’t afraid to act on them.” —Syrie James, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte
·
Brontë's Mistress gives
voice to a woman who, until now, has been voiceless; and, indeed, to thousands
of women whose lives, like Lydia's, were so terribly suffocating.” —Molly Greeley, author of The
Clergyman's Wife
·
“Confident, convincing and engrossing, and
with a sure historical touch, it illuminates another dark corner in the
Brontës' story.” —Gill
Hornby, author of Miss Austen
·
"Rich in heart and detail, Finola
Austin’s novel Brontë’s Mistress is a beautifully created
tour-de-force." —Sarah
Shoemaker, author of Mr. Rochester
·
“This is not a book about a
nineteenth-century affair - it is about using physical passion and experience
to get at the very sense of self that society wanted women of the time to
repress and even deny. It is a daring, troubling, and sophisticated first
novel, and it heralds a most intriguing new voice in historical fiction.” —Natalie Jenner, author of The Jane
Austen Society
AUTHOR
BIO:
Finola Austin, also known as the Secret Victorianist on her award-winning
blog, is an England-born, Northern Ireland-raised, Brooklyn-based historical
novelist and lover of the 19th century. By day, she works in digital
advertising. Find her online at FinolaAustin.com. Brontë’s Mistress
is her debut novel.
BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:
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This sounds like an intriguing book for Bronte fans! Laura, your review is wonderful, as always.
ReplyDeleteThank-you! It was intriguing for both Bronte fans and I think fans of Victorian novels wanting to know what it was like for a lady living during those times.
DeleteI did not realize that you are a big Bronte fam, Laura. This book was a great match to your passions. Thanks for participating in the tour.
ReplyDeleteThank-you for having me on the tour! There definitely doesn't seem to be near the amount of Bronte books as there are compared to Jane Austen. I always love to read them when I find them!
DeleteYeah... I'm putting this on my "wish list"!
ReplyDeleteI loved your review Thanks!
ReplyDelete