The Brontё Girl : Zuntold Books

“I am just going to write because I cannot help it.”

 Charlotte Brontё

 

Haworth 1847. When Mother and her beloved twin brothers are taken by the Haworth ‘miasma’, to keep her family from the workhouse, 15-year-old Kate starts work at the Parsonage, home to the Brontё family. Kate dreams of being a writer. Poverty and gender stand in her way and Luke Feather who wants to marry her, believes writing stories is a waste of time.

When Charlotte Brontё discovers Kate’s passion for books and writing an important friendship develops. Kate begins to embrace Charlotte’s radical ideas of equality and is thrilled when she spots clues that the Brontё sisters are writing stories. But how can Kate achieve her ambition to write, while locked in the daily struggle to survive in Haworth?

 

Miriam Halahmy has written a novel which brings the Brontёs alive for a new generation of readers. Themes of women’s rights, inequality and poverty are illuminated in beautiful character-driven story telling. In a world of increasing inequality and global attacks on women’s rights, this is a novel for our time.

 

NOMINATED 2025 Young Quills Prize for children's historical fiction.

 

REVIEWS

Miriam Halahmy has created a strong sense of time and place. The restrictions and frustrations that Kate feels as a young woman of very limited means are well portrayed and I was so pleased that, at the end of the book, she can follow her own path (a true ‘rebel slave’!). Jane Eyre is one of my favourite classics and it was so good to find direct references to the original text and to Charlotte’s letters! There are many parallels between the characters of Kate and Jane. This is Kate’s story and the focus is on her struggle for freedom, fuelled and informed by Charlotte’s own ‘fiery views’. I look forward to introducing Kate’s story to our students. I’m sure Miriam’s book will encourage a new generation of readers to explore the lives and the novels of the amazing Brontë sisters.

Tracy Shepherd, Beaumont School Librarian

An adept and meaningful work of historical fiction; gripping ( I couldn't put it down,} inspirational and thought-provoking. And...a brilliantly engaging look at women's rights and inequality. How far we have come, but how much further we have to go. An amazing offering from Miriam Halahmy.

Mary Esther Judy, Book Reviewer, Ireland.

I loved this beautifully told tale of a young servant girl’s determination to realise her secret ambition of becoming a writer, set in the deftly imagined wild and wuthering world of the Brontё sisters. A must for all Brontё fans everywhere and anyone seeking the courage to pursue their dreams.

Ally Sherrick, Children’s Historical Author, Winner, Young Quills Award.

A slice of social commentary, a touch of romance with a twist, a glimpse into the lives and world of the Brontё Sisters. This is all wrapped up in a beautifully and skilfully written story of a young girl desperate to break out of her life of poverty, escape the shackles of gender inequality, pursue her passion for writing and follow her dreams! A compulsive and enthralling read that hooks the reader from the beginning to the very last page and with characters that feel real and the reader cares about. I loved it, felt bereft when I finished it and am desperate for a sequel!!!

Annie Everall OBE, Director Authors Aloud UK and Children’s Book Reviewer

“An absorbing story of bright but poor teenager Kate born on the ‘wrong’ side of the cobbles in Haworth, who finds work as a servant at the Parsonage - along with an unexpected friend and mentor in Charlotte Brontë. The book radiates with Halahmy’s meticulous research, allowing us to appreciate the harsh realities of life for Kate in 1840s Yorkshire - and her struggle to escape by writing, like Charlotte, because she cannot help it. A clever and insightful slant on the Brontës from an author adept at bringing fresh perspectives to young readers.”

Sharon Wright, author of Mother of the Brontës: The Life of Maria Branwell

This highly entertaining novel should ensure a new generation of Brontë fans!’

Dr Michael Stewart

Reader (Associate Professor) in Creative Writing, Huddersfield University

I very much enjoyed The Bronte Girl... Halahmy has done a great job in making the reader feel what it would be like to live a hand-to-mouth existence without running water, proper sewage and enough money to provide decent food and ward of illness. But the idea that ambition and inspiration might keep alive in these circumstances is really worth writing about.

Dr Patsy Stoneman, Brontё scholar, Vice President, Brontё Society

Emeritus Reader in English, Hull University. 

MY RESEARCH

Many thanks to Arts Council, England, for a grant to research and write this novel. I spent a year travelling to Haworth from London, researching in the archives, kindly facilitated by Ann Dinsdale, Principal Curator, Brontё Parsonage Museum. Steven Wood, local Historian, walked me all over the village, discussing the social history of Haworth with me. I walked on the moors, all the way up to Top Withins, Alcomden Stones and the Fairy Cave, soaking up the atmosphere, imagining the Brontё sisters walking and discussing their work. Every time I went up to Haworth I stood for hours in the Parsonage, imagining scenes for my book.  I joined the Brontё Society in London and I attended the annual Brontё Conference in Brussels, where Emily and Charlotte attended school and Charlotte fell passionately and hopelessly in love with her teacher, Professor Heger. I also researched in the British Museum. I have loved every minute of researching and writing this book. The following photos were taken over the past few years as I continue to learn about one of the greatest literary families in the world. 

I kept diaries and took photos throughout my research period. 

The Brontё Girl in the Brontё Parsonage Museum Bookshop : a proud moment!