
Brontë's Mistress
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Danielle Cohen
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By:
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Finola Austin
About this listen
“[A] meticulously researched debut novel...In a word? Juicy.” (O, The Oprah Magazine)
The scandalous historical love affair between Lydia Robinson and Branwell Brontë, brother to novelists Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, gives voice to the woman who allegedly brought down one of literature’s most famous families.
Yorkshire, 1843: Lydia Robinson has tragically lost her precious young daughter and her mother within the same year. She returns to her bleak home, grief-stricken and unmoored. With her teenage daughters rebelling, her testy mother-in-law scrutinizing her every move, and her marriage grown cold, Lydia is restless and yearning for something more.
All of that changes with the arrival of her son’s tutor, Branwell Brontë, brother of her daughters’ governess, Miss Anne Brontë and those other writerly sisters, Charlotte and Emily. Branwell has his own demons to contend with - including living up to the ideals of his intelligent family - but his presence is a breath of fresh air for Lydia. Handsome, passionate, and uninhibited by social conventions, he’s also 25 to her 43. A love of poetry, music, and theatre bring mistress and tutor together, and Branwell’s colorful tales of his sisters’ imaginative worlds form the backdrop for seduction.
But their new passion comes with consequences. As Branwell’s inner turmoil rises to the surface, his behavior grows erratic, and whispers of their romantic relationship spout from Lydia’s servants’ lips, reaching all three Brontë sisters. Soon, it falls on Mrs. Robinson to save not just her reputation, but her way of life, before those clever girls reveal all her secrets in their novels. Unfortunately, she might be too late.
©2020 Finola Austin. All rights reserved. (P)2020 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Copper’s best one yet
- By Corrie Coldwell on 08-28-24
By: Tea Cooper
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Lost in Paris
- By: Elizabeth Thompson
- Narrated by: Emily Tremaine, Imogen Church
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Hannah Bond has always been a bookworm, which is why she fled Florida - and her unstable, alcoholic mother - for a quiet life leading Jane Austen-themed tours through the British countryside. But on New Year’s Eve, everything comes crashing down when she arrives back at her London flat to find her mother, Marla, waiting for her. Marla’s brought two things with her: a black eye from her ex-boyfriend and an envelope. Its contents? The deed to an apartment in Paris, an old key, and newspaper clippings about the death of a famous writer named Andres Armand.
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Stuck with it despite narration
- By Martha on 04-16-21
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The Summer of No Attachments
- By: Lori Foster
- Narrated by: Marni Penning
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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After putting the brakes on her dead-end relationship, local veterinarian Ivey Anders is ready to soak up this summer on her own terms. The way she sees it, no dating means no disappointment. Why complicate life with anything long-term? But when she meets Corbin Meyer - and his troubled young son, Justin - Ivey’s no-strings strategy threatens to unravel before she can put it into practice.
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One big cliche
- By stephanie somogyi on 04-26-25
By: Lori Foster
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To Sir, with Love
- By: Lauren Layne
- Narrated by: Rachanee Lumayno, Shaun Taylor-Corbett
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Perpetually cheerful and eager to please, Gracie Cooper strives to make the best out of every situation. So when her father dies just months after a lung cancer diagnosis, she sets aside her dreams of pursuing her passion for art to take over his Midtown Manhattan champagne shop. She soon finds out that the store’s profit margins are being squeezed perilously tight, and complicating matters further, a giant corporation headed by the impossibly handsome, but irritatingly arrogant Sebastian Andrews is proposing a buyout.
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LL's best yet!
- By Jason Chatfield on 07-04-21
By: Lauren Layne
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The Orphan of Cemetery Hill
- By: Hester Fox
- Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Tabby has a peculiar gift: She can communicate with the recently departed. It makes her special, but it also makes her dangerous. As an orphaned child, she fled with her sister, Alice, from their charlatan aunt Bellefonte, who wanted only to exploit Tabby's gift so she could profit from the recent craze for seances. Now a young woman and tragically separated from Alice, Tabby works with her adopted father, Eli, the kind caretaker of a large Boston cemetery.
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It was a good story
- By LYSO129 on 12-13-23
By: Hester Fox
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The Nightingale's Castle
- A Novel of Erzsébet Báthory, the Blood Countess
- By: Sonia Velton
- Narrated by: Elinor Coleman
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1573, Countess Erzsébet Báthory gives birth to an illegitimate child. Secretly taken to a peasant family living in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, the infant girl is raised as their own. Years later, a young woman called Boróka—ignorant of her true history—is sent to join the Countess’s household. Terrified of the Countess’s murderous reputation and the brutally cruel women who run the castle, Boróka struggles to find her place. Then plague breaches the castle’s walls, and a tentative bond unexpectedly forms between the girl and the Countess.
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Mixed Thoughts - Fantastic Audio Performance
- By Darcia Helle on 08-31-24
By: Sonia Velton
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Twilight at Moorington Cross
- A Regency Romance
- By: Abigail Wilson
- Narrated by: Laura Kirman
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Everything changed the moment Amelia became heiress to Moorington Cross. A young widow and patient at Cluett's Mesmeric Hospital, Amelia is stunned to learn that her doctor--and the only father figure she's ever known--has altered his will naming her his primary beneficiary. Such an opportunity is beyond what any Regency-era woman could dare to dream--especially one with a sleeping disorder that finds her falling asleep at the most random of times.
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So good!
- By Kim on 06-21-23
By: Abigail Wilson
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The Door-to-Door Bookstore
- A Novel
- By: Carsten Henn
- Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Small-town German bookseller Carl Kollhoff delivers his books to special customers in the evening hours after closing time, walking through the picturesque alleys of the city. These people are almost like friends to him, and he is their most important connection to the world. When Kollhoff unexpectedly loses his job, it takes the power of books and a nine-year-old girl to make them all find the courage to rebuild their bonds with each other.
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Delightful
- By susan boardman on 07-11-23
By: Carsten Henn
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Plot Twist
- By: Bethany Turner
- Narrated by: Talon David
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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February 4, 2003, promises to be a typical day for Olivia Ross - a greeting card writer whose passion project is a screenplay of her own. But after she and a handsome actor have a magical meet-cute in a coffee shop, they make a spontaneous pact: in 10 years, after they’ve found the success they’re just sure they’re going to achieve, they’ll return to the coffeehouse to partner up and make a film together. The only problem? Olivia neglected to get the stranger’s name. But she doesn’t forget his face - or the date.
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Eeeeeekkkkk
- By Mike Thompson on 02-07-22
By: Bethany Turner
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Fatal Inheritance
- A Novel
- By: Rachel Rhys
- Narrated by: Charlotte Hamblin, Roy McMillan
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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London, 1948: Eve Forrester is stuck in a loveless marriage, isolated in her gloomy house, when out of the blue, she receives a letter. A wealthy stranger has left her a mysterious inheritance, but in order to find out more, she must travel to the glittering French Riviera. There, Eve discovers she has been bequeathed an enchanting villa overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, and suddenly, life could not be more glamorous. But while she rubs shoulders with the rich and famous, challengers to her unexplained fortune begin to emerge - challengers who would love to see Eve gone forever.
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An enticing story
- By fiction lover on 12-23-19
By: Rachel Rhys
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Battle Royal
- A Novel
- By: Lucy Parker
- Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Four years ago, Sylvie Fairchild charmed the world as a contestant on the hit baking show Operation Cake. Her ingenious, creations captivated viewers and intrigued all but one of the judges, Dominic De Vere. When Sylvie's unicorn cake went spectacularly sideways, Dominic was quick to vote her off the show. Since then, Sylvie has used her fame to fulfill her dream of opening a bakery. The toast of Instagram, Sugar Fair has captured the attention of the Operation Cake producers...and a princess.
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Sweet treat
- By Brianne on 09-12-21
By: Lucy Parker
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The Love Scribe
- By: Amy Meyerson
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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When Alice’s best friend, Gabby, is reeling from a breakup, Alice writes her a heartfelt story to cheer her up. While reading it in a café, Gabby, as if by magic, meets the man of her dreams. Thinking the story might have some special power to it, Gabby shares it with her sister and other friends, who all find instant love. Word of mouth spreads, and Alice stumbles upon a new calling—to be a love scribe.
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Great Narration but . . . . .
- By Dee Mitch on 02-14-23
By: Amy Meyerson
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Every Time You Go Away
- By: Abigail Johnson
- Narrated by: Ferdelle Capistrano, Graham Halstead
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Eight years ago, Ethan and Rebecca met, two troublemaking kids sharing secrets and first kisses in a tree house, until Ethan’s mom returned to take him away. Each and every visit, his only goodbye was a flower on Rebecca’s windowsill. Four years ago, Ethan left for the last time to take care of his mother, who has struggled with addiction his whole life. Two years ago, Rebecca was in a car accident that killed her father. She’s been learning to navigate life as a wheelchair user ever since. Now, they discover if their hardships have torn them apart…or will bring them closer than ever.
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This was a really good book
- By Anonymous User on 03-27-25
By: Abigail Johnson
Wonderful story behind the story
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The one perplexing thing was Lydia’s obsession with Charlotte Brontë. I really didn’t understand it and it didn’t figure enough into plot to be a tail worth chasing. The author’s note at the end is well worth listening so don’t miss it.
A True Anti-Heroine
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Austin is an adept writer, invoking the time period with every turn of phrase and with each bit of dialogue. I knew I’d go into this judging the older
Woman for her behavior; instead, I found Deep understanding and care. If only women could—now days would— stand up for them selves so that these kinds of pains in their lives didn’t have to be born with quite so much tragedy.
Well done, Finola Austin. What’s next? Sign me up!
Powerful Feminist Imagining—in its own time
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