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| The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte | 
 enlarge | Author: Laura Joh Rowland
Publisher: Overlook Hardcover
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $4.86
You Save: $20.09 (81%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 279341
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.5
ISBN: 1590200330
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9781590200339
ASIN: 1590200330
Publication Date: March 13, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Upon learning that she has been falsely accused of breaching her publishing contract, the normally mild-mannered Charlotte Bronte sets off for London to clear her name. But when she unintentionally witnesses a murder, Charlotte finds herself embroiled in a dangerous chain of events. With the aid of her sisters, Emily and Anne, and of the suspiciously well-informed but irresistibly attractive brother of the victim, Charlotte works to unravel a deadly web of intrigue that threatens not only her own safety but the very fabric of the British Empire. Charlotte is plunged into a thrilling adventure and a passionate romance that leads her from the peaceful Yorkshire moors to the crime-infested streets of London, across the sea to the Continent to the ports of Cornwall, the wilds of Scotland, and the palaces of Queen Victoria herself. Will Charlotte be able to stop a devious invisible villain whose schemes threaten her life, her family, and her country?Laura Joh Rowland's Sano Ichiro samurai detective series has enthralled tens of thousands of readers. Now the author turns her gifts for historical fiction to Victorian England in this thriller starring the legendary 19th century author Charlotte Bronte and her equally famous family. Laura Joh Rowland is the author of twelve other books, including the critically acclaimed Red Chrysanthemum. The granddaughter of Chinese and Korean immigrants, she was educated at the University of Michigan and now lives in New Orleans with her husband.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 a delightfully enthralling read March 23, 2008
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
Laura Joh Rowland takes a break from her Sano Ichiro series to pen this delightfully intriguing Victorian-era mystery novel featuring the Bronte sisters, and Charlotte Bronte in particular. "The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte" reads like a stand alone novel, but truth to tell, I rather hope that there will be future installments featuring Charlotte in the not too distant future.
When Charlotte Bronte receives a letter from her publishers accusing her of breaking her contract with them, she quickly realises that she must go to London to clear things up. Nervous but excited, she sets off for London with her sister Anne reluctantly in tow. While on their way, the sisters make acquaintance of a beautiful but enigmatic governess, Isabel White. Isabel seems to be in distress and moved by her plight, Charlotte impulsively invites her to seek the Bronte sisters out at the inn they'll be staying at. The last thing Charlotte expected was that she and Anne would witness Isabel's brutal murder, or that the apparent non-interest of the police would inspire in her a need to discover why Isabel was murdered and bring her murderer to justice. Aided by sisters Anne and Emily, and by Isabel's disturbingly attractive brother, Gilbert White, Charlotte begins her investigation, and finds herself totally unprepared for the web of revenge and intrigue she finds herself in the middle of, or the threat that this investigations poses to her family...
The first thing that impressed me about "The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte" was the narrative voice -- to me it seemed authentic and I felt as if the author really had captured Charlotte Bronte's "voice." Obviously, Rowland spent a great many happy hours rereading all of Charlotte's novels and letters. Because this novel really hinged on Charlotte -- her experiences, feelings, setbacks, etc -- getting the narrative voice right was really vital. Rowland, brought Charlotte Bronte, to life, for me, and this allowed me to fully enter into everything our stalwart heroine was experiencing and made the intrigues Charlotte found herself in quite probable and believeable. The pacing was swift and even, and the plot a compelling and intriguing one, that was full of interesting plot twists and turns. All in all, this is one Victorian-era mystery novel not to be missed.
Charlotte Bronte, Detective March 27, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Here's a marvelous surprise from one of our best mystery writers. I don't usually read "real detective" stories, the ones where some famous actual person, usually a writer (Edgar Allan Poe, Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, etc.), makes like Sherlock Holmes. The "mystery" is usually pretty dumb, and it's always buried under a long, badly-written avalanche of extraneous information about the writer culled from graduate English courses. Even worse, the writing style is usually a strained imitation of the celebrity in question. But I bought THE SECRET ADVENTURES OF CHARLOTTE BRONTE for two reasons--my lifelong love of the Brontes and my great respect for Laura Joh Rowland.
This novel is exceptional in every way. The Bronte family is depicted in a straightforward, realistic manner, and Charlotte's first-person "voice" is sensible and authentic. But the real pleasure here is the story itself. It's fast-paced, fascinating, and constantly surprising, with all the right elements of coincidence, melodrama, and romantic passion we'd expect from the author of JANE EYRE. We're not assaulted with a laundry list of tedious facts and figures about Bronte--she seems like a living, breathing woman. And the plot is solid--the events in the novel incorporate actual happenings in the world in 1848. I've long admired Rowland's wonderful mysteries set in feudal Japan, and this stand-alone is another real treat for Rowland fans (and Bronte fans). Highly recommended.
 Is it me? May 6, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
At the start I thought this was a book I could get into but ended up not being able to finish it. I just thought the author was taking an awfully long time getting to the point. I am an avid mystery reader. Since I enjoy Stephanie Barron's mysteries with Jane Austen as the detective, I thought I'd find Charlotte Bronte as the main character equally enjoyable. I was quite disappointed.
 BORING! May 12, 2008
2 out of 8 found this review helpful
This is a really stupid, poorly written book. So boring that I finally started skimming (and skipping) pages just to get to the end. Because Charlotte Bronte was a real person with a real and known history, there were not a lot of places to go with her character. She and her sisters were portrayed in this book as insipid, overly romantic, weak-willed, and/or somewhat insane. They were forced into situations and decisions that never would have been theirs in real life. The language is forced (is the author trying to write in the Bronte style? If so, it was an utter failure...). I would skip this one if you are a Jane Austen or Bronte sisters fan.
Fascinating May 13, 2008
Rowland, author of a series of detective novels that take place in Japan (which I haven't read), now conquers new territory in turning Charlotte Bronte into a detective. What could have turned into a disaster is actually a delightful mystery. The story begins when Charlotte and her sisters receive a letter from Charlotte's publisher, in which the publisher believes that the same man wrote Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Agnes Grey. Charlotte and Anne go to London to clear things up. On their way there, they run into a woman name Isabel White, whose strange behavior leads to Charlotte witnessing her murder in a London alley later. When the police decide that the former governess's murder was a chance happening, Charlotte realizes that it wasn't, and she sets off in pursuit of the real murderer, prompted by an account written by Isabel in the margins of a book. We are introduced to John Slade, who Charlotte finds herself attracted to. But is he one of the good guys, or the bad?
Charlotte's adventures lead her across Europe, from London to the English countryside, to Scotland and beyond, eventually engulfing her in the opium wars of the 1840s. Charlotte comes across as an adventurous and brave woman, resourceful and intelligent. She's also very passionate, and devoted to her cause. I was enthralled by the mystery, which unfolded perfectly, and did not want this book to end. It's a must read for anyone who enjoys the works of the Bronte sisters, and the book made me want to re-read Jane Eyre.
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