At long last, the untold story of the mysterious Mrs Bront . They were from different lands, different classes, different worlds almost. The chances of Cornish gentlewoman Maria Branwell even meeting the poor Irish curate Patrick Bront in Regency England, let alone falling passionately in love, were remote. Yet Maria and Patrick did meet, making a life together as devoted lovers and doting parents in the heartland of the industrial revolution. An unlikely romance and novel wedding were soon followed by the birth of six children. They included Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bront , the most gifted literary siblings the world has ever known. Her children inherited her intelligence and wit and wrote masterpieces such as Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Yet Maria has remained an enigma while the fame of her family spread across the world. It is time to bring her out of the shadows, along with her overlooked contribution to the Bront genius. Untimely death stalked Maria as it was to stalk all her children. But first there was her fascinating life’s story, told here for the first time by Sharon Wright. AUTHOR: Sharon Wright is an author, journalist and playwright. She was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and lives in South West London with her family. She has worked as a writer, editor and columnist for leading national magazines, newspapers and websites including The Guardian, Daily Express, BBC, Disney, Glamour, Red and Take a Break. She is also the author of critically acclaimed plays performed in Yorkshire and London. Her first book Balloonomania Belles was serialised in the Mail on Sunday and received widespread coverage, including on BBC Woman’s Hour and in the New York Post.
32 b/w illustrations