Always Emily

by Michaela MacColl

Overview

Emily and Charlotte Brontë are about as opposite as two sisters can be. Charlotte is practical and cautious; Emily is headstrong and imaginative. But they do have one thing in common: a love of writing. This shared passion will lead them to be two of the first published female novelists and authors of several enduring works of classic literature. But they're not there yet. First, they have to figure out if there is a connection between a string of local burglaries, rumors that a neighbor's death may not have been accidental, and the appearance on the moors of a mysterious and handsome stranger. The girls have a lot of knots to untangle— before someone else gets killed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452111742
Publisher:	Chronicle Books
Publication date:	04/08/2014
Pages:	282
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Michaela MacColl studied multidisciplinary history at Vassar College and Yale University, which turns out to be the perfect degree for writing historical fiction. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Connecticut.

Editorial Reviews

"As exhilarating as a stroll across the wind-swept moor..."— Laurie Halse Anderson, New York Times Bestselling Author and Recipient of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

"As exhilarating as a stroll across the wind-swept moor..."— Laurie Halse Anderson, New York Times Bestselling Author and Recipient of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

"As exhilarating as a stroll across the wind-swept moor..."— Laurie Halse Anderson, New York Times Bestselling Author and Recipient of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

"Equal parts gothic melodrama and Nancy Drew derring-do."—Kirkus Reviews

"Equal parts gothic melodrama and Nancy Drew derring-do."—Kirkus Reviews

"Equal parts gothic melodrama and Nancy Drew derring-do."—Kirkus Reviews

"The prolonged climax is satisfyingly action-filled and breathtakingly resolved."—Publishers Weekly

"The prolonged climax is satisfyingly action-filled and breathtakingly resolved."—Publishers Weekly

"The prolonged climax is satisfyingly action-filled and breathtakingly resolved."—Publishers Weekly

A Junior Library Guild Selection

A Junior Library Guild Selection

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"Filled with life, death, mystery and witty humor."-School Library Journal, starred review

"Filled with life, death, mystery and witty humor."-School Library Journal, starred review

"Filled with life, death, mystery and witty humor."-School Library Journal, starred review

"Characters so remarkably that they simply spring to life on the pages."—Reading Today

"Characters so remarkably that they simply spring to life on the pages."—Reading Today

"Characters so remarkably that they simply spring to life on the pages."—Reading Today

"Inspired by the real-life Brontë sisters, MacColl has crafted a fictional tale of suspense and romance that is guaranteed to bring new readership to MacColl, as well as to the classic tales by both Brontë sisters. "—VOYA: Voice of Youth Advocates

"Inspired by the real-life Brontë sisters, MacColl has crafted a fictional tale of suspense and romance that is guaranteed to bring new readership to MacColl, as well as to the classic tales by both Brontë sisters. "—VOYA: Voice of Youth Advocates

"Inspired by the real-life Brontë sisters, MacColl has crafted a fictional tale of suspense and romance that is guaranteed to bring new readership to MacColl, as well as to the classic tales by both Brontë sisters. "—VOYA: Voice of Youth Advocates

"There's lots to like here: mystery, adventure, and a snippet of romance."—Booklist

"There's lots to like here: mystery, adventure, and a snippet of romance."—Booklist

"There's lots to like here: mystery, adventure, and a snippet of romance."—Booklist

"A treat for book lovers."—Brain Child

"A treat for book lovers."—Brain Child

"A treat for book lovers."—Brain Child

From the Publisher

2014-01-15
Reimagined as detectives, the Brontë sisters kick-start their writing careers by solving a mystery in this detailed if dubiously grounded novel. Having lost their mother and several siblings at an early age, the remaining Brontë siblings deal with grief in their own ways: Prim Charlotte grudgingly shoulders responsibility for her family; eccentric Emily runs wild on the moors; reprobate brother Branwell drinks and falls into bad company. Both Charlotte and Emily enjoy writing—Charlotte writes fantasy bodice-rippers, while Emily tends toward the darker stuff—and find sudden inspiration in the strange occurrences in their little town of Haworth. Despite their differences, the teenage sisters unite to solve the (much-belabored) mystery of a madwoman, a long-lost heir and unscrupulous Freemasons. Already familiar with death, the girls also get to experience love, albeit briefly. Sharing narrative responsibility, Emily and Charlotte are distinctive and well-drawn characters, though their depictions are somewhat complicated by the mixture of real biographic details, literary hagiography and modern free-spiritedness. MacColl works hard to connect the real-life Brontës' books to an imagined source in a fictional adventure, blending quotes from Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights with her own historical fantasy. Equal parts gothic melodrama and Nancy Drew derring-do. (Historical fiction. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews