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lgpiper's review against another edition
3.0
I had a weird obsession that led me to read this book. Once I'd finished, I realized I'd been barking up the wrong tree, so to speak. More about that later.
Once upon a time, there were three sisters (well, and a brother) who wrote novels during the Victorian era. The most famous was Emily, who wrote Wuthering Heights, a not-much-fun book because every single character in the book is an asshole (well, except the housekeeper). The second sister (in fame, but eldest of the three), Charlotte, wrote Jane Eyre, a much beloved book, and three others, of which Shirley is one of them. The third sister, Anne, wrote two books that no one ever reads (well, except that I did). So, one day I said to myself, I bet I can make myself completely unique if I can say that I've kicked a Nobel laureate in the shins (one Dudley Herschbach) and have read all seven books written by the three Brontë sisters. This book, then is the culmination of that endeavor. It is also, by far, the longest of the seven books.
The story is somewhat interesting, although the book's excessive blather gets a bit tedious at times. I guess that in Victorian times, no one else had anything to do, so that reading endless pages of blather gave them something to do. It probably is a better thing to do that endless scrolling through one's social media threads. But, I digress, yet again.
We begin with a nice young woman Caroline Helstone. She's the niece of a local vicar, Matthewson Hellstone. She goes to the nearby house of her cousin, Robert Moore, to be tutored by his sister, Hortense. She develops "feelings" for Robert, who runs a local cloth mill. The mill is in a spot of trouble because the Napoleonic wars have cut off "supply chains", to use the modern parlance.
A young woman, Shirley Keeldar, inherits and moves into a local estate. Robert's mill is on the estate, so Shirley is, in essence, Robert's landlord. Shirley and Caroline become best buddies, but there is some friction because Caroline worries that Robert might have more feelings for Shirley than for her. This, of course, causes Caroline to go into decline with an extended fit of the vapors, or whatever it was young women had back in the day.
Shirley has a companion, Mrs. Pryor, who ends up being much more than that, as we learn later on. Also, a somewhat related family come for an extended visit, and they have a tutor for their son, Henry. Said tutor just happens to be Robert Moore's brother, Nicholas. It also turns out that Nicholas was, for a time, tutor to Shirley.
Well, as you can see, it's all rather convoluted. The proper people pair up appropriately in the end and all live happily ever after...or something like that.
As an afterword, in retrospect, I realize that I needn't have read all seven books written by the Brontë sisters. I've read all ten books written by Margaret Piper [Chalmers], and there's much less likelihood that someone has ever kicked a Nobel laureate in the shins and read all ten of Margaret Piper [Chalmers]'s books.
I should also mention that this book is better than 3*, and should have a + appended, but, for some reason, one can't do that on GoodReads. Why not?
Once upon a time, there were three sisters (well, and a brother) who wrote novels during the Victorian era. The most famous was Emily, who wrote Wuthering Heights, a not-much-fun book because every single character in the book is an asshole (well, except the housekeeper). The second sister (in fame, but eldest of the three), Charlotte, wrote Jane Eyre, a much beloved book, and three others, of which Shirley is one of them. The third sister, Anne, wrote two books that no one ever reads (well, except that I did). So, one day I said to myself, I bet I can make myself completely unique if I can say that I've kicked a Nobel laureate in the shins (one Dudley Herschbach) and have read all seven books written by the three Brontë sisters. This book, then is the culmination of that endeavor. It is also, by far, the longest of the seven books.
The story is somewhat interesting, although the book's excessive blather gets a bit tedious at times. I guess that in Victorian times, no one else had anything to do, so that reading endless pages of blather gave them something to do. It probably is a better thing to do that endless scrolling through one's social media threads. But, I digress, yet again.
We begin with a nice young woman Caroline Helstone. She's the niece of a local vicar, Matthewson Hellstone. She goes to the nearby house of her cousin, Robert Moore, to be tutored by his sister, Hortense. She develops "feelings" for Robert, who runs a local cloth mill. The mill is in a spot of trouble because the Napoleonic wars have cut off "supply chains", to use the modern parlance.
A young woman, Shirley Keeldar, inherits and moves into a local estate. Robert's mill is on the estate, so Shirley is, in essence, Robert's landlord. Shirley and Caroline become best buddies, but there is some friction because Caroline worries that Robert might have more feelings for Shirley than for her. This, of course, causes Caroline to go into decline with an extended fit of the vapors, or whatever it was young women had back in the day.
Shirley has a companion, Mrs. Pryor, who ends up being much more than that, as we learn later on. Also, a somewhat related family come for an extended visit, and they have a tutor for their son, Henry. Said tutor just happens to be Robert Moore's brother, Nicholas. It also turns out that Nicholas was, for a time, tutor to Shirley.
Well, as you can see, it's all rather convoluted. The proper people pair up appropriately in the end and all live happily ever after...or something like that.
As an afterword, in retrospect, I realize that I needn't have read all seven books written by the Brontë sisters. I've read all ten books written by Margaret Piper [Chalmers], and there's much less likelihood that someone has ever kicked a Nobel laureate in the shins and read all ten of Margaret Piper [Chalmers]'s books.
I should also mention that this book is better than 3*, and should have a + appended, but, for some reason, one can't do that on GoodReads. Why not?
backtobook's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
mariamag001's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
xmyrin's review against another edition
4.0
A very good read! I loved the ending, it made me feel warm and fuzzy. It is a challenging read though, I wouldn't recommend it to a casual reader, but to someone who has genuine interest in Victorian Literature and/or the works of Charlotte Bronte.
alisonnobrega's review against another edition
3.0
I had to read it for my English lit class. Some parts were good and interesting, other parts felt like the story was just dragging on. Felt protofeminist and I enjoyed that aspect
mrswythe89's review against another edition
4.0
Reread. Aw, I like Shirley. Though I'm not sure Louis Moore is quite good enough for her. The problem is that you see Robert Moore from Caroline Helstone's POV, so you see how he's attractive, but you don't really get that inside look into Shirley's brain. So you're told, but don't quite believe, she's madly in love with Louis ... well, I hope they are happy!
I'd totally forgotten all the stuff about the labourers smashing machines and rioting. /o\
I'd totally forgotten all the stuff about the labourers smashing machines and rioting. /o\
manadziesma's review against another edition
4.0
7.5/10
A very wordy, even rambling novel. At some moments, I felt as if the authoress was writing just for the sake of it, just to let out her thoughts and to find a safe space in this half-imagined, half-real past. Charlotte must have been in a very peculiar, pensive state of mind at the time of writing this. But who can blame her? Her life was not exactly a happy tale.
The characters were wonderfully carved out, though; even if several of them did nothing at all for the plot, I enjoyed the descriptions of their little peculiarities. Also, the parts explaining the sociopolitical context added to my enjoyment of this book.
A very wordy, even rambling novel. At some moments, I felt as if the authoress was writing just for the sake of it, just to let out her thoughts and to find a safe space in this half-imagined, half-real past. Charlotte must have been in a very peculiar, pensive state of mind at the time of writing this. But who can blame her? Her life was not exactly a happy tale.
The characters were wonderfully carved out, though; even if several of them did nothing at all for the plot, I enjoyed the descriptions of their little peculiarities. Also, the parts explaining the sociopolitical context added to my enjoyment of this book.
inesgodinhopereira's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
berlinbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
All in all, I enjoyed this book. It is an interesting time to read about, and especially the beginning of the book is full of interesting bits about the Methodists and other reform churches, as well as tantalising glimpses of levellers and labour riots in the North of England.
What I found least interesting, sadly, were the principal relationships. I liked Caroline and Shirley's friendship a lot, and I really appreciated Charlotte Brontë's depiction of an entirely independent female character, one who takes care of her own business and is able to do what she likes and only what she likes. What I take issue with are the last ~80 pages of the book, in which the romantic relationships come to a head and Shirley must suddenly be "tamed". In the scene in which Louis Moore, her future husband, forces her to reveals her feelings to him, he says that "I scared her; that I could see: it was right; she must be scared to be won." (p. 512) Shirley can only marry, apparently, when she recognises someone who can curb and control her independent spirit and behaviour, which I had thought was the best part of her character. She is compared to a wild animal, without the human capacity to control herself, and she accepts this judgement of herself: "I am glad I know my keeper, and am used to him. Only his voice will I follow; only his hand shall manage me; only at his feet will I repose." (p. 514) I was disappointed that this book, up until this point full of female characters who organise their own lives and live according to their own ideals and standards, ends with Shirley made to give up management of her property and her own self.
What I found least interesting, sadly, were the principal relationships. I liked Caroline and Shirley's friendship a lot, and I really appreciated Charlotte Brontë's depiction of an entirely independent female character, one who takes care of her own business and is able to do what she likes and only what she likes. What I take issue with are the last ~80 pages of the book, in which the romantic relationships come to a head and Shirley must suddenly be "tamed". In the scene in which Louis Moore, her future husband, forces her to reveals her feelings to him, he says that "I scared her; that I could see: it was right; she must be scared to be won." (p. 512) Shirley can only marry, apparently, when she recognises someone who can curb and control her independent spirit and behaviour, which I had thought was the best part of her character. She is compared to a wild animal, without the human capacity to control herself, and she accepts this judgement of herself: "I am glad I know my keeper, and am used to him. Only his voice will I follow; only his hand shall manage me; only at his feet will I repose." (p. 514) I was disappointed that this book, up until this point full of female characters who organise their own lives and live according to their own ideals and standards, ends with Shirley made to give up management of her property and her own self.