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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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After thinking long and hard, I have come to the conclusion that - although it may not be the kind of love my sister and I once had in mind - marrying Mr Darcy would be marrying for a love of the deepest kind. Recovering from their parents' deaths, Elizabeth and Jane Bennet have held their family together, leaning on the support of their uncle, Edward Gardiner, to help them survive. Thus, when Mr. Gardiner is threatened with scandal and ruin, Elizabeth vows to help him.
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Narration needs to be re-recorded!
- By That's so fetch on 10-15-21
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The Dead Travel Fast
- By: Deanna Raybourn
- Narrated by: Charlotte Parry
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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With a modest inheritance and the three gowns that comprise her entire wardrobe, Theodora leaves Edinburgh—and a disappointed suitor—far behind. She is bound for Romania, where tales of vampires are still whispered, to visit an old friend and write the book that will bring her true independence. She arrives at a magnificent, decaying castle in the Carpathians, replete with eccentric inhabitants, including the castle’s master, Count Andrei Dragulescu.
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Process vs getting their
- By Aryn on 04-29-11
By: Deanna Raybourn
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Sensibly Wed
- Bradwell Brothers, Book 1
- By: Kasey Stockton
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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When Felicity Thurston is caught alone with a man at a ball, she must marry him to avoid a ruined reputation. But what she doesn't know is that he's the brother of the man she loves.
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The Narrator is Lacking
- By Montana Mama on 11-11-23
By: Kasey Stockton
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Silent in the Grave
- By: Deanna Raybourn
- Narrated by: Ellen Archer
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. These ominous words, slashed from the pages of a book of Psalms, are the last threat that the darling of London society, Sir Edward Grey, receives from his killer. Before he can show them to Nicholas Brisbane, the private inquiry agent he has retained for his protection, Sir Edward collapses and dies at his London home, in the presence of his wife, Julia, and a roomful of dinner guests.
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Happily surprised
- By 9S on 07-04-09
By: Deanna Raybourn
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The Darcy Monologues
- By: Lory Lilian, Caitlin Williams, Joana Starnes, and others
- Narrated by: Harry Frost
- Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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In this romance anthology, 15 Austenesque authors assemble to sketch Darcy's character through a series of reimaginings, set in the Regency through contemporary times - from faithful narratives to the fanciful. In The Darcy Monologues, the man himself reveals his intimate thoughts, his passionate dreams, and his journey to love - all told with a previously concealed wit and enduring charm.
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Absolutely Fantastic!
- By HeatherY on 01-04-18
By: Lory Lilian, and others
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Refining the Debutante
- By: Anneka R. Walker
- Narrated by: Noah Wall
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
Miss Miranda Bartley is in love with the Honorable Ethan Roderick, their engagement all but official. But as she basks in the success of her London Season, her joy is cut short when Ethan ends their courtship, claiming she is too insensitive. In the wake of her heartbreak, Miranda is dealt yet another blow, one that changes everything. In a harsh twist of fate, she quickly falls from Society darling to servant in her uncle’s home.
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A near miss
- By Kindle Customer on 09-09-23
By: Anneka R. Walker
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The Virgin and the Rogue
- The Rogue Files
- By: Sophie Jordan
- Narrated by: Carolyn Morris
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
Charlotte Langley has always been the prudent middle sister, so her family is not surprised when she makes the safe choice and agrees to wed her childhood sweetheart. But when she finds herself under the weather and drinks a "healing" tonic, the potion provokes the most maddening desire...for someone other than her betrothed.
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Predictable and Satisfying
- By Kimberly on 08-20-22
By: Sophie Jordan
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And Then He Kissed Her
- By: Laura Lee Guhrke
- Narrated by: Zara Hampton-Brown
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
An expert in etiquette, Emma takes her pristine reputation most seriously. But the devilish Lord Marlowe is determined to prove that some rules of proper behavior are made to be broken....
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Love the story, but the narrator misses the mark
- By Lady Wesley on 05-19-20
By: Laura Lee Guhrke
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The Chocolate Maker's Wife
- By: Karen Brooks
- Narrated by: Willow Nash
- Length: 20 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
Born into poverty, brutalised and ignored by her family, it is only when she is married off to a nobleman that her life undergoes a transformation, as her husband recognises in Rosamund a magic she does not know she possesses but which affects almost all who encounter her. Presiding over a luxurious chocolate house where men go to be seen, exchange news and indulge in the sweet and heady drink to which they have become addicted, Rosamund feels blessed. But disaster strikes, and Rosamund stands on the brink of losing all she has worked so hard to achieve.
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Loved the history....
- By Kim Tyler on 01-20-20
By: Karen Brooks
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Mistletoe Christmas
- An Anthology
- By: Eloisa James, Christi Caldwell, Janna MacGregor, and others
- Narrated by: Susan Duerden
- Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Duke of Greystoke’s Christmas Revelry is famous throughout the British Isles for its plays, dancing, magical grotto...not to mention scandals leading to the marriage licenses he hands out like confetti. But not everyone welcomes a visit from Cupid.
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Too much relationship drama
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 12-18-22
By: Eloisa James, and others
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The Ladies Most...
- The Collected Works: The Lady Most Likely/The Lady Most Willing
- By: Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Connie Brockway
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor, Susan Duerden
- Length: 17 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From Julia Quinn, author of the Bridgerton series, now streaming on Netflix - writing along with close friends and popular authors Eloisa James and Connie Brockway - comes The Ladies Most...: a duo of cleverly crafted novels, The Lady Most Likely and The Lady Most Willing, together for the first time.
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Most disappointing!
- By Jeanne on 08-09-21
By: Julia Quinn, and others
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Dombey and Son
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 39 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Dombey and Son is vintage Dickens and explores the classic themes of betrayal, cruelty and deceit. Dombey's dysfunctional relationships are painted against a backdrop of social unrest in industrialized London, which is populated by a host of fascinating and memorable secondary characters. The complete and unabridged novel is brought spectacularly to life by veteran reader David Timson.
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Utterly incredible!
- By Amazon Customer on 03-12-12
By: Charles Dickens
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My Last Duchess
- A Novel
- By: Eloisa James
- Narrated by: Susan Duerden
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Hugo Wilde, the duke of Lindow, has a drafty castle, eight naughty children - and no wife. Ophelia, Lady Astley, has a fine house, one well-behaved daughter - and no husband. Hugo takes one look at Ophelia and loses his heart, but she doesn’t want more children or a castle. She takes one look at him and heads for her carriage. Desperate to find a duchess, Hugo identifies an appropriate lady to woo. Yet when he meets Ophelia again, the duke realizes that he will marry her, or no one.
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Delightful!
- By Beckymmoe on 11-02-20
By: Eloisa James
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“People do mysterious things when they think they have found paradise,” reflects Shay, the heroine of Red Island House. When Shay, an intrepid Black American professor, marries Senna, a brash Italian businessman, she doesn’t imagine that her life’s greatest adventure will carry her far beyond their home in Milan: to an idyllic stretch of beach in Madagascar where Senna builds a flamboyant vacation villa. Before she knows it, she becomes the reluctant mistress of a sprawling household.
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Good
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Iris Maynard lost her husband in World War II, her daughter to illness and, finally, her reason to live. Walled off from the world for decades behind the towering fence surrounding her home, Iris has built a new family…of flowers. Iris propagates her own daylilies and roses while tending to a garden filled with the heirloom starts that keep the memories of her loved ones alive.
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Audible vs Hard Copy
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What listeners say about Brontë's Mistress
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Reader
- 08-09-20
Wonderful story behind the story
Really enjoyable listen to a well written novel about a woman and the Brontë sisters’ less famous brother
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- HistoryNerd
- 10-11-20
A True Anti-Heroine
Finola Austin’s “Brontë’s Mistress” looks at the well-known Brontë family, honing in on a supposed affair between the drunkard brother Bramwell and his employer’s wife. It’s a well-written novel...6about generally unlikeable people. I don’t think there was one major character that I could like but the characterization was done so well I was still invested in the story. It’s actually a very sad novel—Lydia Robinson (“Mrs. Robinson” as she is known turns out to be a very apt moniker) is a worn down housewife and mother in a time where the Cult of Domesticity reigned supreme. I did feel sorry for her at times, knowing what I know about the period, but then she would go do (or say) something horrifically selfish and my sympathy would fly out the window.
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.
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- Syd Young
- 02-10-21
Powerful Feminist Imagining—in its own time
This is such an interesting, unique book. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book like this, where the woman makes no excuses for grasping at what she needs, and while the modern readers sees and understands exactly why she does. Austin paints Lydia Robinson as a deprived, suffering mess/despite seemingly having everything. Here, she’s brought back to life for a bit by an illicit affair with the brother Bronte. How sad that women had so little say, so little control over their lives. If Lydia’s life was anything like what Austin paints, I’m glad she found some joy, though it cost her much.
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!
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