‘Charlotte’ by Martina Devlin
Charlotte Brontë, who dazzled the world with some of literature’s most vital and richly-drawn characters, spent her brief but extraordinary life in search of love. She eventually found it with Arthur Bell, a reserved yet passionate Irishman.
The pair honeymooned in Ireland but their joy was quenched nine months later: Charlotte died in 1855. The aura of mystery surrounding her was to intensify after her death.
Martina Devlin’s enthralling new novel Charlotte weaves back and forth through Charlotte’s life, reflecting on the myths built around her by those who knew her, those who thought they knew her, and those who longed to know her.
Listen to Martina discuss Charlotte with Miriam O’Calllaghan
‘An intriguing journey into the ghostly, distorted afterlife of Charlotte Brontë. Martina Devlin tells her story with great elegance, skill and delicacy. The result is utterly engrossing.’
‘Charlotte is elegant and sophisticated but also completely gripping. Martina Devlin brilliantly creates the world around this iconic writer, with characters who have the power to surprise and compel. I loved it.’
‘In her fiction, Martina Devlin has a rare gift for reconstructing the past and bringing real historical figures to life on the page. In Charlotte she uses the substantial research her readers have come to expect from her in inventive and compelling ways, posing intriguing and unanswerable questions such as: If she hadn’t died so soon after her honeymoon visit to Ireland, might Charlotte Brontë have written an Irish novel?’
‘In Charlotte, the raw gold of Charlotte Brontë’s marriage to Arthur Nicholls has been wrought in a wonderful artefact; this is a beautiful novel full of mystery, intrigue and story.’
‘I was utterly enthralled by this fictional rendering of Charlotte Brontë’s life—and its aftermath—as viewed through the eyes of her husband’s second wife. This is a powerful and compelling novel that expertly imagines the lives and times of those closest to Brontë, and captivates the reader with its cleverness and eloquence.’
CLICK HERE or on the image to listen to Martina discuss Charlotte on RTE Radio One with Miriam O’Callaghan
Broadcast on 15 September 2024
