This article originally appeared in British
Weekly.
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The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 03/20/08 - Charlotte Brontë plays sleuth in the Laura Joh Rowland mystery The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte. "What particularly stuck in my mind [about Brontë] was the thought that no matter how much adventure she’d experienced, she always craved more," says Rowland. "She was the ultimate yearning, romantic, creative spirit. I decided that Charlotte would make the perfect heroine for a historical suspense novel." British novelist Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855) is best known for Jane Eyre. |
There are other novels employing famous authors who solve mysteries. One that comes to mind is the Jane Austen Mysteries by Stephanie Barron. The big difference is that Secret Adventures has Charlotte Brontë telling the whole story, but she uses letters and journals written by her brother Branwell and Emily to add to her story.
"As I wrote the book, I combined the rich material of her life with the political and sexual intrigue beneath the prim morality of Victorian England," says Rowland. "I tried to give Charlotte the adventure she craved. The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Brontë is my heartfelt tribute to one of the greatest authors of all time."
Rowland took more than seven years to research and write the book. "I was enthralled by her experience at a grim Victorian boarding school, her extraordinary siblings, her dramatic rise to literary fame, her late in life marriage, and her early, tragic death," says Rowland. "I love Charlotte 's letters. She was amazingly frank. She’s always carrying on about something, or telling someone off. She was a very vocal correspondent."
In Secret Adventures, Brontë receives a letter from her publisher, George Smith, accusing her of breach of contract. While in London to confront her publisher, Brontë witnesses the ghastly death of a poor lonely girl. Brontë vows that she will solve the mystery of why the girl was killed.
If the Rowland had kept the plot simple, it would have been more engaging. Brontë is a famous world figure, so straying too much from what’s known about her tends to strain. For example, that Brontë would have as her protector and possible love interest a British spy seems fantastic. A Victorian Charlotte Brontë dallying in Brussels and in her travels around the United Kingdom unchaperoned with a man goes beyond belief. Still, it’s a fun story.
Laura Joh Rowland wrote the Sano Ichiro Samurai mystery series set in 17th-century Japan. Rowland is the author of twelve other books, including the critically acclaimed Red Chrysanthemum. The granddaughter of Chinese and Korean immigrants, she was educated at the University of Michigan and now lives in New Orleans with her husband.
The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte, Hardback 384 pages. Publisher: Overlook Press, (March 13, 2008). Language: English. ISBN- 978-1590200339 $24.95