- Mass Market Paperback: 624 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Classics; New edition edition (25 April 1974)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140430954
- ISBN-13: 978-0140430950
- Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 11.2 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 961,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Product Description
Struggling manufacturer, Robert Moore has introduced labour saving machinery to his Yorkshire mill, arousing a ferment of unemployment and discontent among his workers. Robert considers marriage to the wealthy and independent Shirley Keeldar to solve his financial woes, yet his heart lies with his cousin Caroline, who, bored and desperate, lives as a dependent in her uncle's home with no prospect of a career. Shirley, meanwhile, is in love with Robert's brother, an impoverished tutor - a match opposed by her family. As industrial unrest builds to a potentially fatal pitch, can the four be reconciled? Set during the Napoleonic wars at a time of national economic struggles, "Shirley" (1849) is an unsentimental, yet passionate depiction of conflict between classes, sexes and generations.
About the Author
Charlotte Bronte (1816-55) is perhaps the most admired of the Bronte sisters. Jane Eyre is her greatest and most loved novel.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Of late years, an abundant shower of curates has fallen upon the north of England: they lie very thick on the hills; every parish has one or more of them; they are young enough to be very active, and ought to be doing a great deal of good. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Of late years, an abundant shower of curates has fallen upon the north of England: they lie very thick on the hills; every parish has one or more of them; they are young enough to be very active, and ought to be doing a great deal of good. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A novel of great depth, rewarding to read,
By Helen Gaw (helen_gaw@hotmail.com) (Paderborn, Germany) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Shirley (Mass Market Paperback)
'Shirley' did not grab my attention from the outset as it is densely written; each sentence must be carefully read, not skimmed over. As you can read from the synopsis on the cover, the novel is set in a fragile social and economic situation, but the novel concerns so much more than Luddite riots. Charlotte Bronte takes us into the hearts and minds of the characters as they are challenged by their surroundings, their church and each other. In the starkest terms it concerns loneliness and companionship, love and enmity. It is testament to her writing that months after reading it, I still feel as if I know the central characters almost better than they know themselves. To me, the world we are drawn into in 'Shirley' seems more real than that of 'Jane Eyre'. It is a wonderful book and I do not know why it is so neglected in comparison. It may take a while to get to grips with, but the result is worth the wait.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An uneven read,
This review is from: Shirley (Paperback)
This is a very uneven book, and doesn’t have the power to take you on a journey from cover to cover like 'Jane Eyre' and 'Villette'. The beginning of the story, which is involved with local and religious politics, is quite hard going, and I found the male characters quite difficult to imagine, even though they’re all described at great length. The character of Caroline Helstone is engaging and sympathetic, but she seems to fall out of focus towards the end. Shirley herself is certainly lively, but not very likable. There are some beautiful descriptive scenes now and again, particularly in the snowy chapter called ‘The Schoolboy and the Wood Nymph’. Altogether I didn’t find this novel very satisfying as a story, but Bronte's narrative voice is like a witty friend throughout.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a great book,
By
This review is from: Shirley (Wordsworth Classics) (Paperback)
this book is set in the early nineteenth century at the time of the luddite riots and the napoleonic wars. even though this was before charlotte brontes time it is clearly very well researched to the extent that it reminded me very much of the time that i was on strike a couple of years ago. the book doesn't though just look at the relations between the desperate, starving luddites and the ruthless industrialist robert moore. throw in to that two women who cannot see fault with him and you have a potent love story as well as a social novel. it also examines the role of the church in village society in the nineteenth century and how that affected the social dynamics of a village at the time. this is charlotte bronte at her wonderful evocative best, a fantastic read
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
