- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Headline Review; 1st Edition edition (14 May 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0755338995
- ISBN-13: 978-0755338993
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15.2 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,311,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Taste of Sorrow
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
From an obscure country parsonage came the most extraordinary family of the nineteenth century. The Bronte sisters created a world in which we still live - the intense, passionate world of JANE EYRE and WUTHERING HEIGHTS; and the phenomenon of this strange explosion of genius remains as baffling now as it was to their Victorian contemporaries. In this panoramic novel we see with new insight the members of a uniquely close-knit family whose tight bonds are the instruments of both triumph and tragedy. Emily, the solitary who turns from the world to the greater temptations of the imagination: Anne, gentle and loyal, under whose quietude lies the harshest perception of the stifling life forced upon her: Branwell, the mercurial and self-destructive brother, meant to be king, unable to be a prince: and the brilliant, uncompromising, tormented Charlotte, longing for both love and independence, who establishes the family's name and learns its price.
About the Author
Jude Morgan was born and brought up in Peterborough on the edge of the Fens and was a student on the University of East Anglia MA Course in Creative Writing under Malcolm Bradbury and Angela Carter.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
It's difficult to put into words just how much I loved this novel! Jude Morgan writes beautifully, and his portrayal of these doyennes of English literature is so perceptive, so intimate, that I found myself instantly absorbed by these very real, if extraordinary, women. Each Brontė sister feels restricted, not just by nineteenth-century society and the low expectations of their father, but also by their own fears. As Emily becomes increasingly detached and Anne more introspective, Charlotte's heartbreak and frustrations drive her on, and it is her passion and need for expression that ultimately saves them all. This fascinating family of geniuses is brought spectacularly to life in a masterpiece of historical fiction, and whether you're a Brontėphile or not, I defy you not to be both moved and gripped by it.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I don't know how Jude Morgan does it! Having read the fantastic 'Passion' and 'Symphony' based on the lives of real historical figures, I was very excited to see this book about the Brontes. Once again, this extremely clever writer has pulled all the epic strands together, and created another masterpiece of atmosphere, storytelling and historical research. This is a fine introduction into the early lives of the sisters - not forgetting Branwell, too, and that rare class of book that you just don't want to end. Even given the grim times in which they lived, wrote and died, Morgan manages to derive some humour and hope. The subject matter may be a path well trodden, but Morgan invests such attention-to-detail in the psychological aspects of the 'characters,' that you feel like you actually know them, and experience genuine grief and admiration by the end of the book.
It's such a travesty not to see Jude Morgan on the bestseller lists. I hope this book wins this talented author many more fans.
I would recommend 'The Taste of Sorrow' without reservation.
It's such a travesty not to see Jude Morgan on the bestseller lists. I hope this book wins this talented author many more fans.
I would recommend 'The Taste of Sorrow' without reservation.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Wow! What a fantastic book this is. True the subject matter is enduringly fascinating, but this brings the stories to life in a totally gripping and encompassing way. It's a sumptuous Brontė-fest.
The Brontės' first biographer was, of course, a novelist, and in the wake of Mrs Gaskell - who confessed, as a writer of fiction, to finding it hard to stick to the facts - their story has been adapted, ad infinitum, for stage and screen as well as in books. The Taste of Sorrow is a very welcome addition to that genre and, unlike Mrs Gaskell, Jude Morgan comfortably takes the route of fiction, albeit using vast amounts of what is known to be historical fact. The result is to really bring this remarkable family to life - and indeed to death as early death was a feature both of the times and their upbringing. The novel starts off with the death of their mother, including a suggestion that may raise some hackles that she may have made a pact with the devil for her daughters' future.
The rich style of writing may not be to all modern tastes, but I loved it. I was instantly taken back 150 years - staggering to think that it really was not that long ago - to Haworth and the newly industrialising villages, together with the restrictions on the opportunities for young girls and the horrors of their limited education.
I came to this book with a fair degree of familiarity with the story - but absolutely none is needed. Indeed, you don't even need to know the novels of the Brontės to enjoy this book, although some knowledge undoubtedly helps you to pick up on some of Morgan's themes which were to re-appear in the girls' books (for example, there are several references to madness and attics in Charlotte's musings - which feature heavily in Jane Eyre, Emily stumbles on a dead bird that will feature in Wuthering Hieghts etc). Picking up on these will undoubtedly deepen your enjoyment, but it's absolutely not necessary - this story stands on its own perfectly well.
And don't expect too much to soon about the actual writing of the books - which was eventful in itself given that they felt the need to write under assumed (male) names. Their tentative steps into publishing don't feature until quite late on in the book.
Each sister is clearly defined - as is the relationship between each of them and their brother Branwell. Emily has always been my favourite - but then Wuthering Heights is one of my favourite books! - and this book did nothing to trample on that image. Neither does Morgan take liberties or trample on the facts - as often happens in some historical fiction - but rather he enlivens the facts and brings the story alive.
Great stuff.
The Brontės' first biographer was, of course, a novelist, and in the wake of Mrs Gaskell - who confessed, as a writer of fiction, to finding it hard to stick to the facts - their story has been adapted, ad infinitum, for stage and screen as well as in books. The Taste of Sorrow is a very welcome addition to that genre and, unlike Mrs Gaskell, Jude Morgan comfortably takes the route of fiction, albeit using vast amounts of what is known to be historical fact. The result is to really bring this remarkable family to life - and indeed to death as early death was a feature both of the times and their upbringing. The novel starts off with the death of their mother, including a suggestion that may raise some hackles that she may have made a pact with the devil for her daughters' future.
The rich style of writing may not be to all modern tastes, but I loved it. I was instantly taken back 150 years - staggering to think that it really was not that long ago - to Haworth and the newly industrialising villages, together with the restrictions on the opportunities for young girls and the horrors of their limited education.
I came to this book with a fair degree of familiarity with the story - but absolutely none is needed. Indeed, you don't even need to know the novels of the Brontės to enjoy this book, although some knowledge undoubtedly helps you to pick up on some of Morgan's themes which were to re-appear in the girls' books (for example, there are several references to madness and attics in Charlotte's musings - which feature heavily in Jane Eyre, Emily stumbles on a dead bird that will feature in Wuthering Hieghts etc). Picking up on these will undoubtedly deepen your enjoyment, but it's absolutely not necessary - this story stands on its own perfectly well.
And don't expect too much to soon about the actual writing of the books - which was eventful in itself given that they felt the need to write under assumed (male) names. Their tentative steps into publishing don't feature until quite late on in the book.
Each sister is clearly defined - as is the relationship between each of them and their brother Branwell. Emily has always been my favourite - but then Wuthering Heights is one of my favourite books! - and this book did nothing to trample on that image. Neither does Morgan take liberties or trample on the facts - as often happens in some historical fiction - but rather he enlivens the facts and brings the story alive.
Great stuff.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Highly recommended!
I have always loved everything to do with the Bronte sisters. I bought this book after hearing it discussed on Radio 4 a few months ago and I am so glad I did. Read more
Published 10 days ago by Whartonfan
Sorry Taste
Sorry to say I really didn't enjoy this fictionalisation of the young life and times of the Brontes. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Rotgut
For those who like historical fiction
At first this book is very heavy going. For me too much detail, particularly at the beginning. However having got through the first couple of chapters it seemed to get better (or I... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Andy O'Boogie
A small taste of sorrow
I've read all the novels (and some poetry) that the Brontės have written and enjoyed them all as I'm a big fan of 19th Century fiction. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Green Book Addict Librarian
A real treat for Bronte fans
The Taste of Sorrow is a fictional retelling of the lives of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontė, beginning with their childhoods and ending just after Charlotte's wedding. Read more
Published 10 months ago by H. Skinner
Slow but deep
The Taste of Sorrow is a fictionalization of the lives of the Bronte sisters (and Branwell).
The story is well known but Jude Morgan tells it as well as anyone. Read more
The story is well known but Jude Morgan tells it as well as anyone. Read more
Published 13 months ago by MisterHobgoblin
Failed to live up to its promise
It took me a couple of starts to get going with this book - the writing style of the first chapter, about the death of the Bronte childrens mother, was just so clunky and plodding... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Princess Mononoke
Long May They Reign
The Taste of Sorrow, is an interesting novel about the lives of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontė. The book is well named as a taste of sorrow as it is an emotion that dogs them... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mrs. Angela H. Smith
Rather a waste of time?
A book about the Bronte sisters, called 'The Taste of Sorrow'? Well, we sure know what we're in for, and it's certainly not a bundle of laughs ... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Bookwoman
Well written, well researched and interesting - a must read for fans...
Having once lived in Haworth, I have always been intrigued by the story of the Brontes and so, when this was offered, I couldn't resist this novelised account of the life of the... Read more
Published 16 months ago by E. Heckingbottom
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