Always Emily
Author: Michaela MacColl
Publication Date: April 8th 2014
~A copy was provided by Chronicle Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review~
~A copy was provided by Chronicle Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review~
Emily and Charlotte Brontë are about as opposite as two sisters can be. Charlotte is practical and cautious; Emily is headstrong and imaginative. But they do have one thing in common: a love of writing. This shared passion will lead them to be two of the first published female novelists and authors of several enduring works of classic literature.
But they’re not there yet.
First, they have to figure out if there is a connection between a string of local burglaries, rumors that a neighbor’s death may not have been accidental, and the appearance on the moors of a mysterious and handsome stranger. The girls have a lot of knots to untangle—before someone else gets killed.
But they’re not there yet.
First, they have to figure out if there is a connection between a string of local burglaries, rumors that a neighbor’s death may not have been accidental, and the appearance on the moors of a mysterious and handsome stranger. The girls have a lot of knots to untangle—before someone else gets killed.
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- I confess, this is more of a mini-review.
I love Historical fiction, but it's one I always have to
concentrate harder on than any other genre,
but Always Emily was different, though it had the feel and context of an
historian. That could either be the way it was written or perceived, or mainly because
of our MC's are not your traditional brand you'd expect from that century. Emily's more headstrong and unconventional in
what she wants, while Charlottes more diligent and conservative, but they both
have one thing in common.
They both love to write (obviously.)
Though whereas Charlotte tries, while at Head Roe academy,
Emily simply cannot be restricted.
This is a mystery, but it solely focuses on the relationship
between the siblings', and the mystery is more of a sub-plot, as I said,
Emily's more headstrong. She get what she wants one way or another, she wants
adventure, she wants fun and excitement, romance is not on the cards and she
doesn't want to get married, and she loathes that Charlotte's trying to push
her into being more conventional. Charlotte wants what Emily does not, and even
what Emily didn't bargain for. She wants romance, she wants someone to take
care of her, and she's ever so worrisome to the point that it creates this
wedge between them, and she always has to clean up Emily's messes, though she
does create some herself.
The mystery is pretty simple itself, and it's quick to
resolve, with a heavy dose of danger and not all of the characters that are
involved come away unscathed, but it was a fun one to read, and to see how the
females become to hero's.
Since I'm not a diehard Bronte fan, I can't accurately say
if the research has been done well or not, but it certainly feels like it has,
and it's vivid in its imagery.
Rating: 3.5/5
