Revisiting Shirley

Continuing my #BigBronteReadalong2023 I grabbed my old copy of Charlotte Bronte's Shirley (1849). While I was certain I had read it long ago, I found a bookmark at page sixty and a dog-ear at one-hundred and fourteen, from two previous failed attempts. Would I make it to the end this time?

Reader, I made it. But it was by no means certain, almost chucking the book across the room several times in frustration. Having loved Charlotte Bronte's previous novel Jane Eyre, why was Shirley such a hard slog?

Set in Yorkshire in 1811-1812, England is industrialising and the Napoleonic Wars are raging in Europe. Caroline Helstone is a young woman living with her uncle, Reverend Matthewston Helstone, having been abandoned by her mother when her father died. As a poor orphan, Caroline has limited options and contemplates work as a governess as her future path. Caroline learns French from her cousin Hortense Moore who lives nearby. She secretly pines for Hortense's brother Robert, a mill owner who is entirely focussed on his work. 

Two hundred pages in, we meet the titular character Miss Shirley Keeldar. Independently wealthy, vivacious and whip-smart, Shirley can forge her own path. While she is wooed by many potential suitors (keen to get their hands on her and her estate), she has the liberty to decline and will not marry for anything short of love.

One would think that this is the 'story of two contrasting heroines and the men they love' (as stated on the book jacket), but to get to this the reader has to wade through 600 pages with an abundance of idle curates, luddite uprisings, pollution, sickness, and reunions. While I appreciated Bronte's empathetic portrayal of women and the limited choices they had at the time and her exploration of female friendships, I ultimately did not care for any of the characters. For me, the novel would have benefited from introducing Shirley much earlier - she is a breath of fresh air. 

I appreciate that Charlotte Bronte had a lot going on while she wrote this novel, having lost her siblings Branwell, Emily and Anne in less than twelve months during 1848/1849. This explains the anger and grief that underpins the novel. I think Bronte was trying to do too much in this novel, rebelling against expectations following the success of her debut Jane Eyre.

Ultimately, I did not enjoy Shirley. I was hoping that it would be akin to Elizabeth Gaskell's wonderful North and South (1854) which also focuses on the impact of the Industrial Revolution, but which has an engaging storyline and memorable characters. My Shirley experience was made better by listening to the audiobook while I read along, providing more depth to the characters than I found on the page. While I managed to succeed on my third attempt, this is not a novel I will revisit again.