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Shirley

By Charlotte Brontë
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Shirley by Charlotte Brontë, set during the industrial depression in 19th-century England, delves into themes of class, religion, and human desires. It explores the intertwined lives of mill owner Robert Moore, who is determined to restore his business despite local unrest, and two women, Caroline Helstone and Shirley Keeldar, navigating their own societal and emotional challenges. The novel provides a rich tapestry of personal and social struggles, accentuated by Brontë’s keen characterisation.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2100
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy historical romances with strong-willed female protagonists and themes of social change. Set against the backdrop of the industrial depression in early 19th-century Yorkshire, it explores themes of friendship, class struggles, and the complexities of love with Brontë's signature depth and insight. If you appreciate rich character development and social commentary woven with dramatic elements, you might find this novel compelling.

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Shirley

Struggling manufacturer Robert Moore has introduced labour saving machinery to his Yorkshire mill, arousing a ferment of unemployment and discontent among his workers. Set during the Napoleonic wars at a time of national economic struggles, this work depicts the conflict between classes, sexes and generations.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A new edition of the least well-known of Charlotte Brontë's novels, but one of the most fascinating, for its engagement with the 'woman question' and the vivid depiction of Yorkshire during the Napoleonic Wars.

Struggling manufacturer Robert Moore has introduced labour-saving machinery to his Yorkshire mill, arousing a ferment of unemployment and discontent among his workers. Robert considers marriage to the wealthy and independent Shirley Keeldar to solve his financial woes, yet his heart lies with his cousin Caroline, who, bored and desperate, lives as a dependent in her uncle's home with no prospect of a career. Shirley, meanwhile, is in love with Robert's brother, an impoverished tutor—a match opposed by her family. As industrial unrest builds to a potentially fatal pitch, can the four be reconciled?

Set during the Napoleonic wars at a time of national economic struggles, Shirley (1849) is an unsentimental, yet passionate depiction of conflict between classes, sexes, and generations.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Shirley by Charlotte Brontë is praised for its rich historical detail and complex characters, set against the backdrop of the industrial unrest in early 19th-century England. Readers appreciate Brontë's exploration of social issues and the strong, independent female protagonist. However, some reviews suggest it lacks the emotional intensity and narrative focus of her more famous work, Jane Eyre.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780141439860

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 29 June 2006

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Contributors:

  • Introduction by Lucasta Miller
  • Notes by Jessica Cox

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 482g

Pages: 704

Collections

Charlotte Brontë Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Penguin Books Penguin Classics

About the Author

Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855), English writer noted for her novel Jane Eyre (1847), sister of Anne Bronte and Emily Bronte. The three sisters are almost as famous for their short, tragic lives as for their novels. The collection of poems, Poems By Currer, Ellis And Acton Bell (1846), which Charlotte wrote with her sisters, sold only two copies. Her novel THE PROFESSOR never found a publisher during her lifetime. Undeterred by this rejection, Charlotte began Jane Eyre, which appeared in 1847 and became an immediate success. Jane Eyre was followed by Shirley (1848) and Vilette (1853). Lucasta Miller read English at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. She is the author of The Bronte Myth and writes for The Guardian. Jessica Cox is a research student and postgraduate tutorial assistant in the Department of English at the University of Wales Swansea. Her research interests include the sensation fiction of the 1860s, the feminist movement of the nineteenth century and the Victorians in the twentieth century.

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