Emma Brown

By: Clare Boylan
Genre: Historical Drama

One of the biggest draws to this novel is the fact that it is based on an unfinished work by Charlotte Bronte, acclaimed author of Jane Eyre. Clare Boylan has taken the liberty of expanding on her first few chapters and produced a solid work that explores identity, social and moral issues.

We are introduced to a frail child, Matilda Fitzgibbon, who is dropped off at a struggling boarding school, Fushia Lodge, run by the Wilcox sisters. Under the impression that Matilda is the heiress of a large fortune, the sisters shower this unsociable child with extra attention...until they discover before the holidays that she has no fortune to speak of! The child reveals nothing because of her amnesia. Mr. Ellin, a good friend of the Misses Wilcox, takes pity on the child and strives to uncover the mystery behind her past. He puts her under the kind care of widow Mrs. Chalfont, but Matilda is just as driven to discover her own identity. Stealing the funds that were meant to cover her tuition, she runs off to the city, only to end up in the dirty slums of Victorian London. All the characters are intertwined in an incredibly unbelievable way, but it makes for an interesting ending!