Book review: Finola Austin, Brontë’s Mistress

Brontë’s Mistress: A Novel

Finola Austin

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Atria Books (August 04, 2020)

Tour Dates: August 3 – August 16, 2020

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.

Purchase links:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | INDIEBOUND | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

My review

I’ve admitted this before, but I am not the best-read when it comes to the classics, and I’m not that big a fan of 19th century literature. What I do adore though, is writing set in the 19th century, which is what drew me to this book. I’m reviewing this then, from a slightly different angle to others, and I’ll say from the off, that you don’t need to have prior knowledge of the Brontës or their works to thoroughly enjoy this richly-detailed tale of the woes that women of the era faced in their daily lives.

Lydia was an educated woman who did exactly as was expected of her. She married well, had children, and kept her household in order. Except, the passion in her marriage is fading, her mother-in-law is constantly belittling her, and her daughters are proving challenging at every turn. Is it really any wonder that the sparks fly when she meets Branwell Brontë? Of course, nothing is ever that simple, and now Lydia finds herself fighting to preserve her reputation, and ensure her place in society remains intact.

I absolutely loved this book, and completely lost myself in the world the author created around these intertwined families. I found the author’s note at the end also incredibly interesting, explaining where fact and fiction began and ended. In particular, the use of letters between key characters was a great way into the minds of characters who so frequently couldn’t have their say publicly.

I would highly recommend this book, of course, to fans of the Brontës, but also to anyone who enjoys well-written historical fiction, and immersing themselves in a well-researched story.

Advance praise from others

• “…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 Mistressgives 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  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

About Finola

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.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS

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.

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:

Aug 03          Bronteblog (Guest Blog)

Aug 03          The Reading Frenzy (Interview)

Aug 03          Austenprose—A Jane Austen Blog (Review)

Aug 04          Lu’s Reviews (Review)

Aug 04          The Best Historical Fiction (Review)

Aug 05          The Write Review (Review)

Aug 05          English Historical Fiction Authors (Guest Blog)

Aug 06          Historical Fiction Reader (Review)

Aug 06          Captivated Reading         (Review)

Aug 07          Reading the Past (Review)

Aug 07          Diary of an Eccentric (Excerpt)

Aug 08          Book Nursie (Review)

Aug 09          Girl with her Head in a Book (Excerpt)

Aug 10          Frolic Media (Interview)

Aug 10          Historical Fiction with Spirit (Review)

Aug 10          Bronteblog (Review)

Aug 11          Chicks, Rogues and Scandals (Review)

Aug 11          A Bookish Way of Life (Review)

Aug 12          Laura’s Reviews (Review)

Aug 12          Historical Fiction Reader (Interview)

Aug 13          The Lit Bitch (Excerpt)

Aug 14          Silver Petticoat Reviews (Guest Blog)

Aug 14          The Reading Frenzy (Review)

Aug 15          The Write Review (Live Facebook Interview)

Aug 16          Probably at the Library (Review)