Shirley: Including Introductory Essays by G. K. Chesterton and Virginia Woolf

By Charlotte Brontë

“Shirley” is an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë. Her second novel, it was set in post-Napoleonic Wars Yorkshire and follows the centers around the uprisings in the Yorkshire textile industry. It tackles ideas of gender equality and is responsible for the name Shirley (the female protagonist's name) becoming a common woman's name—before the publication of this, it was a distinctly masculine name. Charlotte Brontë (1816 – 31 March 1855) was an English novelist and poet, and the oldest sister in the world-famous trio of literary sisters. Along with her sisters', her novels have become classics of English literature still read and enjoyed by people of all ages the world over. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this classic volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a biography of Charlotte Brontë by G. K. Chesterton, and an essay by Virginia Woolf on the Brontë family home, Haworth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read & Co. Classics
• Release date: Nov 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781528781978

Charlotte Brontë

Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855) was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sister authors. Her novels are considered masterpieces of English literature – the most famous of which is Jane Eyre.

Reviews for Shirley

[karenzukor · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My favorite Bronte book. Not so dark and lonely as Jane Eyre (never really liked the Mrs. Rochester part) or Villette (never liked her delusions.) Shirley is an interesting character, a strong woman who makes her own, unconventional decisions in the face of a very convention-bound society. The hero (Robert) isn't perfect.

[nx74defiant · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Slow read. At first it is a social commentary about the changes brought on by new technology. The mill owner who needs to innovate to stay in business vs. the workers who will lose there jobs.Shirley arrives and it is about the position of women.Then at the end it is a love story.

[aine.fin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I think this is the only Charlotte Bronte I hadn't read years ago. A book of its time. Quite frustrating at points with all the talking around relationships as opposed to actually straight up discussion of them. Love quadrangle. Labour aspects reminded me of Elizabeth Gaskell. Shirley herself was irritating and didn't appear until about a third of the way through which bothered me more than it should. Had no trouble getting through more than 600 pages so clearly my review is a bit harsh!

[geekitten_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A meandering but enjoyable story. It covers the friendship and love lives of several people in an English community. Unrest among the local people occurs when the local textile mill begins to industrialize, which makes for some intense confrontations. Shirley is the title character, but a for a good deal of the book she is no where to be seen. Still enjoyed everyone else's stories though!

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set during the Napoleonic wars, Shirley is partially a story of economics and industrialization. It's also partially a love story. Religion also plays a part in the novel. There is a reason it has stood the test of time. The characters are very strong, and one can truly get a feel for the era in which the novel is set.

[drpeff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

have read several times. well-written

[encephalical · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brontë showing her mastery by dropping twenty different styles on the reader, almost like a prose collage.

[heidijane_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was ok, but perhaps overlong and a bit hit and miss. I admired Shirley herself, and the fact that she was unconventional and didn't automatically marry the "most eligible" man.