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A review by roisinmarie_
Charlotte by Helen Moffett
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
One of my favourite ‘Classic’ books is Pride and Prejudice, and I loved being back in that world whilst reading this book. This book follows the character of Charlotte Lucas, who then becomes Charlotte Collins. In the original, Charlotte is the best friend of Elizabeth Darcy/Bennett, and is mostly referred to as the unlucky plain woman who will inevitably become an old maid. She then surprises everyone by announcing an engagement with Mr Collins, the Bennett’s cousin who was spurned by Elizabeth.
This book gives new life to the character of Charlotte. This book is predominantly set seven years after Pride and Prejudice, where Charlotte’s third child and only son has recently died, after fighting illness throughout his three years of life. This book details the process of grief devastatingly accurately but also beautifully and I think gives credit to grieving tmothers and fathers. It was very emotional to read at times so I can only imagine how this would affect grieving parents but I think it is a realistic display of the difficult and long process of grief. We also, in the form of Charlotte retelling her story to a third party, see her point of view of her growing up and her view of herself. She managed to almost mastermind her way into becoming Mrs Collins, with her realising that he was maybe her only option. I admire her spirit and her being able to find pleasure in a seemingly simple life. She isn’t in love with Mr Collins, but there is love, comfort and familiarity in their life and history together.
However, I was slightly shocked but riveted by her affair with Herr Jacob Rosenstein and I think that their relationship was so passionate and loving that it made total sense to me. I found myself wishing she could divorce Mr Collins and marrying Jacob, but obviously in the early 1800s it wasn’t to be. I was happy reading the epilogue and seeing how Charlotte’s life had come to be and that her family had grown in size, love and station with the help of Anne de-Bourgh. This book shows the perspective of women in regards to children - how difficult it can be to become mothers, how difficult it can be to not become mothers, the choices you have to make when parenting boys and girls, and all that womanhood entails. This book mostly focuses on women’s decisions and it is focused more on character than plot, but if you like Pride and Prejudice, I recommend this book as I think every woman will see a bit of themselves in Charlotte’s character.
This book gives new life to the character of Charlotte. This book is predominantly set seven years after Pride and Prejudice, where Charlotte’s third child and only son has recently died, after fighting illness throughout his three years of life. This book details the process of grief devastatingly accurately but also beautifully and I think gives credit to grieving tmothers and fathers. It was very emotional to read at times so I can only imagine how this would affect grieving parents but I think it is a realistic display of the difficult and long process of grief. We also, in the form of Charlotte retelling her story to a third party, see her point of view of her growing up and her view of herself. She managed to almost mastermind her way into becoming Mrs Collins, with her realising that he was maybe her only option. I admire her spirit and her being able to find pleasure in a seemingly simple life. She isn’t in love with Mr Collins, but there is love, comfort and familiarity in their life and history together.
However, I was slightly shocked but riveted by her affair with Herr Jacob Rosenstein and I think that their relationship was so passionate and loving that it made total sense to me. I found myself wishing she could divorce Mr Collins and marrying Jacob, but obviously in the early 1800s it wasn’t to be. I was happy reading the epilogue and seeing how Charlotte’s life had come to be and that her family had grown in size, love and station with the help of Anne de-Bourgh. This book shows the perspective of women in regards to children - how difficult it can be to become mothers, how difficult it can be to not become mothers, the choices you have to make when parenting boys and girls, and all that womanhood entails. This book mostly focuses on women’s decisions and it is focused more on character than plot, but if you like Pride and Prejudice, I recommend this book as I think every woman will see a bit of themselves in Charlotte’s character.