What do readers think of Romancing Miss Bronte by Juliet Gael? Write your own review.

I really wanted to like this book, but, when, after 100 pages both Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights were already published, and I knew that the Brontes hadn't written any other books....Yikes! what would the remaining 300 pages be about? How plain, how sad the lives of the sisters...but a bit too drawn out for my taste.

Although the book started very slowly, I gradually got into it and was able to finish. I liked Juliet Gael's writing style, but thought she could have gone a little deeper into character development. I didn't end up feeling like I really "cared for" any of the characters in this book. I would like to read her future books to see how she progresses as an author.

Since 'Romancing Miss Bronte' is a fictionalization of Charlotte Bronte's life, much of the mystery usually present in a novel, the "what will happen next" element is of necessity diminished and can only be compensated by a thrilling conveyance of the characters' internal workings. To this end, somehow author Gael tries very diligently but doesn't always write convincingly or evenly.

The book is, despite its lack of depth, a good read and does give the reader at least some idea of Bronte's difficult life, as a daughter of a tyrannical clergyman, beset by poverty and plagued by a lack of physical beauty and social grace. The author also is quite thorough in her rendering of the relationship among Charlotte and her sisters, Anne and Emily, and the tragedy of her brother. I think the best drawn character in the entire work is that of Arthur Nicholls, Charlotte's suitor, who in the end wins her hand and heart and leads her to emotional places never before imagined.

Ultimately, I would recommend this book, despite its unevenness, but would strongly advocate also reading 'Becoming Jane Eyre', a much more sensitively written novel, based on the same subject.

Juliet Gael has a winner. The novel can be read and enjoyed without any knowledge of Charlotte Bronte. If you are aware of Charlotte’s family or life, Gael’s novel is accurate. I thought the ending came a little too fast. But that may have been because I was enjoying the book and wanted it to continue. The writing was true to the time period without being cloying. Some of the scenes in the book were so vivid, I “watched them” in my mind as I read them. At the end of this thoroughly enjoyable book (knowing more about Charlotte Bronte) you may want to re-read Charlotte’s books.

Gael's book completely transports the reader to the Yorkshire Moors of the Bronte sisters. The descriptions of the sisters writing their first novels and struggling to publish them under the pseudonyms of Currer, Acton, and Ellis Bell simply beg the reader to revisit the worlds of 'Jane Eyre', 'Agnes Grey', and' Wuthering Heights'. My one complaint is that the book sometimes reads as a straight biography rather than historical fiction. Sometimes it seems that the author can't decide which kind of book she wanted to write. On the plus side, Gael's meticulous research shines through.

As I have said before, I have been very lucky in getting the books I have - this is another lovely book, one concerning Charlotte Bronte's love affair with, and subsequent marriage to, Arthur Nicholls. It is a tender story, with well-drawn characters. Well worth the reading.

Romancing Miss Bronte provides a convincing, yet tragic, portrayal of the Bronte sisters. Juliet Gael brings the women to life again for fans of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre as she provides a rare look into the literary lives of moral women who walk the line between duty to their father and the fear of personal success. Gael's exploration of the connections between the literary characters and their authors provides fans with a rare and wondrous look into the hearts, minds, and souls of the Brontes.

This is a good read for anyone who is already a fan of the Bronte sisters. It is slow to draw you in, beginning with a more biographical feel. The author does manage to paint an accurate picture of the role of a poor woman in those times and the struggle the sisters went through to become authors. It isn't until after Charlotte's publication of Jane Eyre that the book goes deeper into their lives and we really get to see more of the characters. At times if feels more like being told things about the characters rather than being showed them, which was a little disappointing. Overall, a great read for Bronte fans and it made me want to go back and re-read all their books!