The Crimes of Charlotte Bronte by James Tully
James Tully, a renowned true-crime novelist, uses fiction to further explore his inquiry into the lives of the Brontes and to disclose a hidden aspect of their literary myth. His murder mystery is darker than anything the Brontes could have imagined. Rev. Arthur Bell Nicholls arrived at Haworth Parsonage in 1845 to take up the position of the curate. The four Bronte siblings’ solitary lives on the Yorkshire moors were roused by his arrival. Agnes Grey, Wuthering Heights, and Jane Eyre were all published in less than two years. Branwell, Emily, and Anne died two years later. After just one year of marriage to Nicholls, Charlotte had also passed away by 1855. The reasons for their demise were never completely explored; instead, the Bronte myth was created.
The Crimes of Charlotte Bronte by James Tully
Amazon.com
- Used Book in Good Condition
The Crimes of Charlotte Bronte explores the cramped environment in which the Bronte sisters created their tales of turbulent passions and perverse love via the perspective of the parsonage maid, Martha Brown.
The narrative continues as young Martha, a maid in the Bronte parsonage, recounts all the events that took place at Haworth over the course of nearly 20 years. At the end of each chapter, the lawyer speculates on possible truths that would lend more credibility to Martha’s account. According to Martha’s account, Charlotte’s husband Arthur Bell Nicholls was responsible for the unexplained deaths that took place at the Haworth Parsonage, including Charlotte’s own demise.
Tully has a compelling hypothesis. How three Bronte family members passed away in such a short period of time and with comparable symptoms does seem unusual and mysterious. He poses several queries that may cause you to doubt Brontes’ historical accuracy.
