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Digital Audiobook
The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell

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The Madwoman Upstairs

Publisher
Quercus
Publish Date
3 March 2016
Run Time
12 hours 27 minutes
Format
Audiobook

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What to expect

Samantha Whipple - a young American woman - is the last remaining descendent of the famous Brontë family, of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre fame. After losing her father, a brilliant author in his own right, Samantha travels to Oxford in search of a mysterious family inheritance, described to her in her father's will only as 'The Warnings of Experience'.

While at Oxford, Samantha studies under Professor J. Timothy Orville III, a disarmingly handsome tutor who seems nothing but annoyed by her family heritage. With Orville as her tempestuous sidekick, Samantha sets out on a mission to piece together her family's history - which, it turns out, may also be literature's greatest buried secret.
(P)2016 WF Howes Ltd

Critics Review

  • A funny, smart read with a kick-ass heroine

    Sun on Sunday

  • A perfectly paced and plotted literary mystery with a wonderful heroine at its heart

    Elle magazine

  • An absolutely brilliant, fun debut

    Open Book, BBC Radio 4

  • My pick is this fast-paced, very funny mystery about the (fictional) last-remaining descendant of the Brontes trying to unravel clues that will reveal long hidden secrets about the famous sisters

    Elle Magazine, Best New Books for 2016

See more reviews
  • It's a super premise, stylishly written and the bits about the sisters are great

    Mail on Sunday

  • Filled with gothic twists and leading [the protagonist] - and the reader - down pathways strewn with Brontë arcana

    New York Times Book Review

  • Blending a detective story with a Jane/Mr Rochester-style romance, it has something for everyone

    Stylist

  • If you liked the page-turning historical mystery of The Discovery of Witches trilogy, are just a little bit obsessed by the Brontës and have a small crush on Mr Rochester, this entertaining literary romp has got your name all over it

    The Pool

  • A witty story that brilliantly weaves together history with the present day

    Red Magazine

  • An enjoyable academic romp that successfully combines romance and intrigue, one that benefits from never taking itself too seriously

    Publisher's Weekly

  • Clever and mysterious, it keeps you turning the pages

    Candis

  • An intriguing, entertaining debut, which doesn't easily fit into any one genre...[protanogist] Samantha could be a Brontë heroine

    Irish Independent

  • Professor James Orville is the perfect Brontë leading man, as complex and passionate as his student. A supporting cast of dark figures enhances the experience. Lowell crafts a first novel that is as enthralling as it is heartbreaking

    Library Journal, starred review

  • **Best Books to Read This March**

    Red Online

  • Unlike anything I've read before. It's a thought-provoking novel that made me take a moment to consider what it means to me to be a reader . . . This book may have changed the way I read and appreciate books and authors for ever

    M's Bookshelf

  • For mystery and Brontë fans alike, this is a delightful romp by very clever author to watch

    The Indie Next List

  • A modern-day retelling of Jane Eyre, and deeper than that, a kind of love letter to the work of the Bronte sisters, and to literature itself

    Forest of Books blog

User Reviews

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Details

Author
Catherine Lowell
Narrator
Caitlin Thorburn
Duration
12 hours 27 minutes
Release Date
3 March 2016
ISBN
9781784299033
Format
Audiobook
Publisher
Quercus
Genre
Modern and contemporary fiction: general and literary, Classic fiction: general and literary, Romance

Synopsis

Samantha Whipple - a young American woman - is the last remaining descendent of the famous Brontë family, of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre fame. After losing her father, a brilliant author in his own right, Samantha travels to Oxford in search of a mysterious family inheritance, described to her in her father's will only as 'The Warnings of Experience'. While at Oxford, Samantha studies under Professor J. Timothy Orville III, a disarmingly handsome tutor who seems nothing but annoyed by her family heritage. With Orville as her tempestuous sidekick, Samantha sets out on a mission to piece together her family's history - which, it turns out, may also be literature's greatest buried secret.(P)2016 WF Howes Ltd

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