amylandranch 's review for:

Always Emily by Michaela MacColl

3.0

---

Fans of the Bronte sisters and historical fiction will enjoy this book. The story takes a fictional peek into their lives, but has a lot of historical facts as well. Charlotte is trying to be the responsible older sister and earn a living by teaching but desperately wants to write. Emily is forced to go to school but hates it and ends up at home, writing. Anne is not really in the story. Both Charlotte and Emily end up solving a mystery together and helping unravel a bad past. It was interesting to see them snipe at each other as sisters do. I wonder how much of that was true. The author shows parts of the story that could perhaps influence their later writings like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. I enjoyed it but it might be too much for some teens. I would recommend it for 8th grade and up. It might be a good pre-read for people who would like to read a classic but want a baby step.