This book struck me as a creative tool to address some interesting theories about the Bronte sisters and their writing. The give and take between differing literary views was weaved effectively into the story. At times it felt like listening to a debate in a college literary class. Around this the narrative was interesting and had just enough little mysteries sprinkled throughout to keep me moving forward with reading. The only thing I am not sure of is whether I would like this book more or less if I was more of a student of the Bronte sisters works. ( )

The premise is often done, a series of clues in books leading to an inheritance. Here it is really secondary to the relationship story and the examinations, here and there, of various bronte works. As a bronte fan, I was glad to see Anne getting some attention. There is a theory about Charlotte which I resented, but at least some plausible background was provided. I think the author tried hard to provide a situation that could mirror Jane Eyre, the position of authority held by the male protagonist, the naïveté of the female character, home schooled and growing up without a mother in the house. A good effort, but the romance didn't really work for me ( )

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

This is a very difficult book to review, for me. It was by no means a bad book, but I can't deny it left me feeling very disappointed. While there wasn't anything terribly wrong with it, I just couldn't help but feel the pages dragging on. It's probably only a typical case of "it's not you, it's me" and it's likely I wasn't in the right mood for this, but the end result is just: meh.

The book focuses on Samantha Whipple, the last descendant of the Brontës and her quest to put together the pieces in the puzzle her father left as her inheritance after his death. I had a great deal of trouble in connecting with Samantha as a character. True, she had a very particular childhood, being homeschooled by her eccentric father, which definitely accounted for her underdeveloped social skills. But, whilst some of her awkwardness was charming, most of the time she just resulted terribly annoying. I also wasn't terribly sold on the romance, which is actually a fairly central part of the story. Orville was quite an appealing character, and I did like some of the banter between him and Samantha, but ultimately their relationship felt kind of forced and definitely very asymmetrical, as she constantly feels inferior to him, intellectually and not.

What I did really enjoy in this book was getting lots of insights into the life and work of the Brontës. Charlotte, Emily and Anne hover in the background throughout the whole book, and their works feature heavily. I particularly enjoyed the fact that a lot of emphasis was put on Anne and her work. I have to admit I wasn't very familiar with her character, and I have never read her books, so it was very pleasant to get to know her in more depth. I may actually go and read some of her work now.

Overall, this was a fairly average read, pleasant enough not to abandon halfway through but ultimately forgettable in the short term. ( )

The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell was just fun and left me wanting to reread the Brontë canon. Main character Samantha Whipple is the last Brontë and supposed heir to a treasure trove of paintings, letters and novel drafts. Whipple enrolls in Oxford and is just settling in to life with her tutor when artifacts from the past begin to appear, seemingly leading to her father whose early death left her adrift in the world. ( )

And here comes the "real review" or technically speaking me trying to write something that isn't 100% gushing over how much I love the book and failing completely...

Samantha Whipple is a bright young girl whose loss of her father a couple of years ago still pains her a lot. She is however not an orphan, her mother lives in Paris. But Samantha has always had a closer relationship with her father than her mother. So living without him is tough for her. Especially since they also shared another thing in common. They are both descendants of the Brontë family. And, now she is the last one. Now she has enrolled in Oxford to study and it's at Oxford her father's last will and testament will be carried out. If she just could piece together all the clues...

This book is so freaking good that I want to go out and buy a hardcover of it because I want to hug it and hugging my Ipad is just not the same thing (It's a bit too metallic and can be a bit cold to hug). Loved it from page 1 to the last page.

The sentence above is what I wrote after I finished the book (well a cleaned the sentence up a bit since I used a bad word instead of freaking) and it pretty much summons up my feelings towards the book. I have read many great books this year, but this one, oh this one is like a delicious pie that just gets better the more you eat it. And, the best thing is that you don't have to feel stuffed and no weight gain. In short, this is a book that makes one happy, at least, it left me happy. I just totally adore the book. And, I haven't even read all Brontë books, just Jane Eyre, and Wuthering Heights, and I even don't like Jane Eyre. But, that doesn't matter because the book is so well-written. Also, you really don't need any previous knowledge of the books before you read the book, sure they are discussed in The Madwoman Upstairs, but not in a way that makes you feel lost.

Samantha Whipple is without a doubt one of the greatest characters ever created. She's incredibly witty and I read through this book chuckling and smiling like a lunatic. This is the kind of book that has an amazingly good storyline, fantastic characters, and awesome dialogue. Her banter with Orville her Oxford tutor are especially very good. And, speaking of Orville, he is such a great, great man. I don't want to give away the plot, but the mystery of her father's testament together with her "relationship" with Orville makes this book fantastic!

I loved this book. It's worth thousands of stars. Read it!

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review.

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This book is so fucking good that I want to go out and buy a hardcover of it because I want to hug it and hugging my Ipad is just not the same thing (It's a bit too metallic and can be a bit cold to hug). Loved it from page 1 to the last page and now I don't know what to do with myself...



This book turned out to be a freaking love story and I loved it! And, I'm just usually that fond of romantic books, but I all through this book I just wanted the main characters to hook up...



Will try to write a review when I have calmed down...



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