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| Plot Summary of Emma Brown |
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"
Viking, Apr 2004, 25.95
ISBN: 0670032972
A gentleman drops off heiress Matilda Fitzgibbon to attend Fulchia Lodge as a student. The three Wilcox sisters (the Bronte sisters?) who run the school hide their excitement. However, Matilda complains she suffers from amnesia only remembering being sold like cattle and soon the three owners become concerned that no money has been forthcoming as promised.
Not long afterward, Matilda apparently runs away, stealing money. Kind matronly widow Isabel Chalfont, who provided some nurturing to the lonely Matilda, is very concerned for the child. She discusses what she knows with her close friend Mr. Ellin. He makes inquiries into what happened to Matilda including searching the mean streets of the London slums. Matilda, who recalled her real name, sought the mother who gave her away, but instead is now facing starvation or potential prostitution.
Talk about guts. Clare Boylan takes two chapters written by Charlotte Bronte just before the great author's death and turns that into a delightful Victorian drama. The strong story line feels as if Bronte met Dickens with Wilkie introducing them. The cast is powerful and the change in narration enhances how readers see the prime players as their voice tend to reflect their respective personalities. Though the use of coincidence moves Ellin's investigation forward and enables Matilda to get a bit closer to finding her mother, readers will not care as Ms. Boylan furbishes a wonderful homage to the Victorian novel, especially those of Ms. Bronte.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Emma Brown |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- 19th century
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Internal struggle/realization?
Yes
Struggle over
- search for family/history
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Something wrong upstairs/downstairs?
- searching for identity/meaning
Parents/lack of parents problem?
- Momma gone
Wild kid(s)?
- runaway!
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a teen
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 4 (a fair amount)
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Unusual Style:
- a lot of stream of consciousness
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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