Reimagines the lives of the Brontë siblings—Charlotte, Emily, Anne, and brother Branwell—from their precocious childhoods, to the writing of their great novels, to their early deaths.
A form-shattering novel by an author praised as “laugh-out-loud hilarious and thought-provokingly philosophical” (Boston Globe).
How did sisters Emily, Charlotte, and Anne write literary landmarks Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Agnes Grey? What in their lives and circumstances, in the choices they made, and in their close but complex relationships with one another made such greatness possible? In her new novel, Rachel Cantor melds biographical fact with unruly invention to illuminate the siblings’ genius, their bonds of love and duty, periods of furious creativity, and the ongoing tolls of illness, isolation, and loss.
As it tells the story of the Brontës, Half-Life of a Stolen Sister itself perpetually transforms and renews its own style and methods, sometimes hewing close to the facts of the Brontë lives as we know them (or think we know them), and at others radically reimagining the siblings, moving them into new time periods and possibilities.
Chapter by chapter, the novel brings together diaries, letters, home movies, television and radio interviews, deathbed monologues, and fragments from the sprawling invented worlds of the siblings’ childhood. As it does so, a kaleidoscopic portrait emerges, giving us with startling intensity and invention new ways of seeing—and reading—the sisters who would create some of the supreme works of literature of all time.
Genre: Historical
A form-shattering novel by an author praised as “laugh-out-loud hilarious and thought-provokingly philosophical” (Boston Globe).
How did sisters Emily, Charlotte, and Anne write literary landmarks Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Agnes Grey? What in their lives and circumstances, in the choices they made, and in their close but complex relationships with one another made such greatness possible? In her new novel, Rachel Cantor melds biographical fact with unruly invention to illuminate the siblings’ genius, their bonds of love and duty, periods of furious creativity, and the ongoing tolls of illness, isolation, and loss.
As it tells the story of the Brontës, Half-Life of a Stolen Sister itself perpetually transforms and renews its own style and methods, sometimes hewing close to the facts of the Brontë lives as we know them (or think we know them), and at others radically reimagining the siblings, moving them into new time periods and possibilities.
Chapter by chapter, the novel brings together diaries, letters, home movies, television and radio interviews, deathbed monologues, and fragments from the sprawling invented worlds of the siblings’ childhood. As it does so, a kaleidoscopic portrait emerges, giving us with startling intensity and invention new ways of seeing—and reading—the sisters who would create some of the supreme works of literature of all time.
Genre: Historical
Praise for this book
"Long a fan of Cantor's breathtaking synthesis of intellectual brilliance and rare compassion, I am gobsmacked by this novel, and by the steadily building power of what the author herself calls its 'eccentric form'. Playful, doleful, witty, tragic, loving; as a life is all of this at once, so is this magical volume. The Brontes deserve something extraordinary, and Rachel Cantor has given them - and us - exactly that. Brava!" - Robin Black
"A show-stopping retelling of the lives of the Bronte sisters (and brother Branwell) that gleefully shape-shifts the legends we think we know . . . Cantor's exuberant risk-taking and bottomless compassion for her genius subjects make this book a work of genius in itself." - Caroline Leavitt
"With humor and heart, Rachel Cantor paints a vivid, multi-voiced picture of the Brontes via a shape-shifting, time-bending tapestry of unforgettable characters and situations. Whether you're a fan of this literary family or not, this book is a must-read for anyone looking for a truly innovative, tender, and humorous take on genius, the creative process, family, and life." - Marie Myung-Ok Lee
"Rachel Cantor is among the most exciting, singular novelists of our time and Half-Life of a Stolen Sister is her best yet." - Joanna Rakoff
"I was entranced. Through Cantor's virtuosic prose and empathic storytelling, I was drawn into the swirling drama and brilliance of this dysfunctional and ambitious family. I felt each death, each hurt, each creative triumph as my own. By the end, I became one of the Brontes. This hypnotic novel is a masterpiece." - Sari Wilson
"A show-stopping retelling of the lives of the Bronte sisters (and brother Branwell) that gleefully shape-shifts the legends we think we know . . . Cantor's exuberant risk-taking and bottomless compassion for her genius subjects make this book a work of genius in itself." - Caroline Leavitt
"With humor and heart, Rachel Cantor paints a vivid, multi-voiced picture of the Brontes via a shape-shifting, time-bending tapestry of unforgettable characters and situations. Whether you're a fan of this literary family or not, this book is a must-read for anyone looking for a truly innovative, tender, and humorous take on genius, the creative process, family, and life." - Marie Myung-Ok Lee
"Rachel Cantor is among the most exciting, singular novelists of our time and Half-Life of a Stolen Sister is her best yet." - Joanna Rakoff
"I was entranced. Through Cantor's virtuosic prose and empathic storytelling, I was drawn into the swirling drama and brilliance of this dysfunctional and ambitious family. I felt each death, each hurt, each creative triumph as my own. By the end, I became one of the Brontes. This hypnotic novel is a masterpiece." - Sari Wilson
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