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The Brontë Plot

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

When a bookseller's secret is unearthed, her world begins to crumble. But it may be the best thing that has ever happened to her.

Lucy Alling makes a living selling rare books, often taking suspicious liberties to reach her goals. When her unorthodox methods are discovered, Lucy's secret ruins her relationship with her boss and her boyfriend, James—leaving Lucy in a heap of hurt and trouble. Something has to change; she has to change.

In a sudden turn of events, James's wealthy grandmother, Helen, hires Lucy as a consultant for a London literary and antiques excursion. Lucy reluctantly agrees and soon discovers Helen holds secrets of her own. In fact, Helen understands Lucy's predicament better than anyone else.

As the two travel across England, Lucy benefits from Helen's wisdom as Helen confronts ghosts from her own past. Everything comes to a head at Haworth, home of the Brontë sisters, where Lucy is reminded of the sisters' beloved heroines who, with tenacity and resolution, endured—even in the midst of impossible circumstances.

Now Lucy must face her past in order to move forward. And while it may hold mistakes and regrets, she will prevail—if only she can step into the life and the love that have been waiting for her all along.

"You're going to love The Brontë Plot." —Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author

  • Sweet and thoughtful contemporary read
  • Stand-alone novel
  • Book length: 86,000 words
  • Includes discussion questions for book clubs
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      • Booklist

        Starred review from November 15, 2015
        In her third charming, classics-inspired, faith-driven novel, following Dear Mr. Knightley (2013), Christy Award finalist and INSPY Award winner Reay reminds us that sometimes you have to go back to go forward. Rare-book dealer Lucy Alling has made some unethical business decisions that have cost her James, her new boyfriend, and threaten her job. Helen, James' grandmother, who has months to live, regrets an action from her past. When Helen recruits Lucy for a buying trip to England, the two realize that there still may be a way to find redemption. They make a perfect team for a tour of London's sites. Lucy, a Victorian-literature expert as well as a budding interior designer, appreciates the city's rich culture and history; Helen vividly recalls her former youthful visits and adventurous past. As they ponder their lives and the lives of their favorite authors (including the Brontes and Jane Austen), they begin to see a way to move forward. Lucy's youth contrasts nicely with Helen's experience. Book lovers will savor the literary references as well as the story's lessons on choices, friendship, and redemption.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

      • Kirkus

        September 1, 2015
        Great works of literature and other priceless antiques populate Reay's (Lizzy & Jane, 2014, etc.) thoughtful tribute to the Bronte sisters. Lucy Alling has found her niche selling rare books inside the gallery of Chicago's premier interior designer. She charms her client James Carmichael with a limited-edition Jane Eyre-and her latent talent for design-but when James catches Lucy in a lie, he exposes a secret that could end her career. Just when all hope is seemingly lost, Lucy peeks up at readers from the middle pages and assures us that her story is far from over: "All books have it...that time when you don't know where you'll be, but you can't stay as you are." Opportunity knocks when James' grandmother Helen proposes an unusual trip to England's literary landmarks with Lucy as her shopping consultant. James' disapproval adds tension, and the shopping transforms Lucy's soul-searching into something more tangible. Reay handles each souvenir as carefully with her prose as her interior designers do with their hands-creating the effect of walking through an expensive gallery without any pressure to buy-and with a discerning eye, she brings out the varying shades of emotion in her characters. Lucy, for example, compares Helen's eyes to paint colors-they start out as "Benjamin Moore #810 Blue Dragon" and change with her mood. Confronting her past at the Bronte sisters' home in Haworth, Lucy soon discovers how much she and Helen have in common. Although age brings wisdom, Helen suggests that even wisdom can come with a price. The moral ambiguity makes the story more modern than its premise would suggest-and proves how well its source material holds up over time.

        COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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    • English

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