The Madwoman Upstairs: A Novel

I read this novel as my annual post-Christmas ritual of re-reading Jane Eyre or one of its many retellings or adaptations - something I've been doing for the past 30 years now. This one is not a retelling or adaptation exactly; it plays more on the famous myth of the Bronte sisters and the long-held rumor that the Bronte family left behind some as yet undiscovered estate or treasure. As such, this novel dives deeply into not only the novels of all three sisters but also into elements of their lives, both historically verified and speculatively unfounded.It was a great ride; I read it in two days. Lowell really knows how to spin a story, and she weaves in history, literary criticism, humor, the accurate trappings of academia (at Oxford no less), and all kinds of mystery and psychological twists and turns that really kept me moving forward - I found myself deeply immersed in Samantha's quest.I also love it when a book that is inspired by another novel (or in this case several novels) makes me rethink those original novels; the passages when Samantha and Orville (her tutor) engage in critical analysis of each of the novels (especially Anne's two novels) have compelled me to re-read those novels with fresh eyes. And although there are some real flights of fancy on Samantha's part in her interpretation of the novels - all in the service of Lowell's wonderful story of Samantha and her father - I found some of her theories compelling enough that, when I do re-read Jane Eyre, Agnes Grey, and Tenant of Wildfell Hall, those ideas will be there on the edge of my mind.Aside from being captivated by the "frame" story involving Samantha, her father, and Orville - and the idea that Samantha is truly a descendant of the Bronte family - I found myself riveted by the debates about literary criticism in general (as a literary scholar myself, I have engaged in these same kinds of debates with both colleagues and students for more than 25 years), and especially engaged by the arguments about how to approach the reading of the Bronte novels given the mythical proportion their lives have taken on.I will not soon forget this novel; it will have a place of honor next to my Bronte novels.

Catherine Lowell's debut novel The Madwoman Upstairs dazzles with elegant prose and creative literary criticism. I'm not certain exactly who the intended audience was for this novel, but it might help you to know from the outset that I have a couple degrees in English and that I don't love the Bronte works (and maybe haven't actually read any of them in full), but I appreciate them. That being said, I really did enjoy this novel for the most part. I don't usually go for romance novels, but the romance in this book was subtle enough that I didn't mind it, although some of it seemed rather improbable. The description of the book says that the plot involves a treasure hunt, and it does, but the pace isn't quick and from what I remember, the plot was more relationship and philosophy driven than plot driven. I think it all comes down to what you're expecting if you wonder who will and who will not like this book.As a multiple-time English major, I enjoyed the literary criticism debates, and they never got too esoteric or long-winded, IMO. I also enjoyed the Oxford setting and the literary treasure hunt. (Spoiler warning: there is only one significant thing that Samantha finds--not some kind of vast treasure.) The dialogue in this book is outstanding, the conflict is fascinating and intense, and the character of Samantha's father is intriguing.Samantha herself, unfortunately, is not so enjoyable. About halfway through the book I started to get rather irritated that I was spending so much time with her, and that she was so very annoying. She has no siblings, no father, and no friends, and she does absolutely nothing to attempt to make female friends: she just hides in her room feeling sorry for herself a lot. Samantha isn't a very brave character, and I found her difficult to relate to as a result. Other introverts might have a much easier time relating to her, however. Another frustration that I had with the book is that one major mystery is never explained, and the fact that for utterly inexplicable reasons, Sam is majoring in Literature when she apparently hates literature and authors in general, although she has a love/hate relationship with the Brontes.But Lowell's writing is extremely clever, and I wonder if she had the last laugh after all: there's debate about whether or not the epilogue "actually happened" or not, but the larger question I was left with was whether or not Samantha and Orville were re-enacting Jane Eyre in this tragicomedy. Samantha is a young semi-orphan who has had a lonely upbringing. She travels to a Gothic edifice (an Oxford tower room) and meets a cantankerous man who is in a position of power over her. She falls for him, and things get complicated. There is a fire, but the fire occurred before the book began, and Orville was not involved in it. There is another jealous woman, although perhaps unlike Bertha Mason, the woman isn't in love with the Orville/Rochester character. The only blindness in the novel, though, would be Samantha's inability to see the immediate significance of her father's clues and the few relationships in her life for what they truly are. Additionally, the mysterious epilogue even begins with a famous quote from the end of Jane Eyre, leading the reader to speculate upon endless intriguing possibilities.What would Keats and Aristotle say? This novel is definitely beautiful in execution, and it does have some meaningful things to say about life. One of my favorite quotes near the beginning is, "Love always came with scars, and this was mine: the knowledge that the friends I knew best were those I had never actually met." I don't think I can say that the novel is great in content, as I'm not sure that Samantha markedly improves or grows as a person by the end. She definitely grows as a scholar, which is delightful, but not so much as a person, I think. All told, however, the story is more charming than not.

Catherine Lowell has a way with words. Her descriptions of the not very ordinary objects and places her Bronte descendant encounters made me smile, slow down and almost want to read out loud. Lowell's ability to turn a phrase is like that of a young Barbara Kingsolver or Joyce Carol Oates. I have seldom seen such a polished first novel.Many first novels have an element of autobiography to them, the problem is that the short biographies of starting novelists often don't have the depth of experience to make the story fascinating. Lowell avoids that problem by making her protagonist the scion of the Bronte family, giving her centuries of literary experiences to mine for our entertainment.Placing a first novel in the world of literature in general and the Bronte sisters in particular could be seen as an audacious act of hubris. A Madwoman Upstairs, however, does not scream out notice me, I am great too; rather it just acknowledges the past as the foundation for this well put together and interesting book.I have a feeling Catherine Lowell will be entertaining us for years. If you buy her first book, you will be able to tell your friends you were one of the first to jump on the band wagon. Enjoy it.

I didn't enjoy this book, quite far fetched.

Als Jane-Eyre-Fan hat man natürlich hohe Erwartungen an das Buch, aber die Story plätschert recht ereignislos vor sich hin. Besser zum Original greifen und zum zigsten Mal verschlingen.

Gran bel libro

I haven't quite finished it yet, but so far I am enjoying it..

I absolutely loved this book. It made me want to read all the Bronte sister books. It was intriguing and funny all the way through!