Shirley - Charlotte Bronte

...two women Caroline Helstone and Shirley Keeldar and their involvement with the Moore brothers. These relationships are set against the politics of England and the Continent at the time of the Luddite uprisings and Napoleonic wars respectively. In that respect Shirley has a farther reach as a novel than some of Charlotte Bronte's other more personal novels such as Jane Eyre. It is particularly interesting as a literary piece because there is some ...
...shy and retiring individual whilst Shirley Keeldar (modelled on Emily) a confident, self possessed and fiery personality. What is both an interesting and sad fact is that the description of Caroline's illness was written around the time of Anne Bronte's death. I will not pretend that this is an easy book to read but it is worth the effort. ...

mjn 09.01.2001 (05.01.2001) · Read full review
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Review of Shirley - Charlotte Bronte

...novel, especially when the independent Shirley is contrasted with Caroline, who worries about becoming an old maid. It's vital to remember that Charlotte was writing in one of the most anti-feminist eras of history and that even the relatively-mild Jane Eyre was criticised for having a female character with strong emotion and opinions. Shirley is a free spirit who acts like a boy because her parents 'gave me a boy's name' (hard to get your head around ...
...as a girls name!), taking control of her wealth and property with a dominance which was unusual in the nineteenth century, when women would rely on male relatives or friends to take care of their estate. Charlotte Bronte also shows an industrial/economic awareness that I never expected of her: the ending is beautiful, as despite the characters themselves finding happiness, there is a sense of unease as the land around them is changing and the future ...

DoubleFantasy11 13.08.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Shirley - Charlotte Bronte

...in sympathy with Caroline at some points. I would highly reccomend this book, even for people who tend not to like the classics because- unlike some authors- Charlotte Bronte's writing has stood the test of time, in terms of readablilty. Shirley is an excellent example of her work. ...

TangoLady 26.04.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Shirley - Charlotte Bronte