When Charlotte Brontë discovers Kate’s passion for books and writing, an important friendship develops. Kate begins to embrace Charlotte’s radical ideas of equality and is thrilled when she spots clues that the Brontë sisters are writing stories. But how can Kate achieve her ambitions to write, while locked into the daily struggle to survive in Haworth?
I have also written since childhood and have been fascinated by the Brontës’ ever since I first visited their home, The Parsonage in Haworth, Yorkshire and saw one of the tiny books displayed under a magnifying glass. Patrick Brontë, their father, was the Reverend in the church which they could see from their bedroom windows. Sadly the children lost their mother and two older sisters in early childhood. The four remaining children became very close and their writing was the centre of their lives together.
I have read the Brontë novels and have always loved nineteenth century fiction. But in 2016 a new biography of Charlotte Brontë was published by Claire Harman. In this book she writes how a new servant comes to work at the Parsonage, Martha Brown. Martha is strong and very willing – but she is only eleven years old!
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The Bronte Parsonage (Photo: Miriam Halahmy)
“I am just going to write because I cannot help it.”
Charlotte Brontë wrote these passionate words as a teenage girl. By that time, together with her sisters and brother, Emily, Anne and Branwell, she had been writing since childhood. These were the famous little books written in very tiny script, so that adults couldn’t spy on their imaginary worlds. It is estimated that Charlotte wrote about 100,000 words before she started Jane Eyre, her most famous novel.
Charlotte's little book - 1830 - aged 14 years (Photo: Miriam Halahmy)
Now here comes the mystery of fiction. This sentence triggered a What If in my mind. What if a girl – Kate, fifteen years, very poor, – comes to work at the Parsonage. Kate has a secret ambition to write, and she is gifted. And what if Kate comes to the attention of Charlotte Brontë?
That was enough to send me into a spin. I immediately began reading everything about the Brontës I could lay my hands on and started writing scenes and characters. This was a very exciting idea and I was determined to write the book. But I needed some help.
I was awarded an Art Council Grant to research and write the book. Ann Dinsdale, Principal Curator at the Brontë Parsonage Museum opened the archives for me.
Researching in the Bronte Parsonage Museum archives (Photos: Miriam Halahmy)
Haworth is such a gift to a novelist. The old village is untouched in many places. It is really possible to walk down the steep cobbled Main Street and imagine walking in the footsteps of the famous novelist family. In the Parsonage you can enter their rooms, the kitchen, Patrick’s study and even see the dining table where the sisters wrote their novels. I would stand for ages, imagining scenes for my book and taking photos.
Main Street, Haworth (Photo: Miriam Halahmy)
The sisters' dining table (Photo: Miriam Halahmy)
We also know that the sisters and Branwell walked all over the moors above the village. I walked in their footsteps in snow, sunshine and rain, with the wind wuthering and the larks rising above me on fine days. I’ve seen heather in bloom, the dew ponds left behind from the old quarries and the remains of the three Withins farms. Top Withins might have been the setting for Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.
At the ruins of Top Withins (Photo: Miriam Halahmy)
I spent a year researching my book and then a year writing it. It's been a wonderful journey and now I have all the pleasure of taking my book out into the world. It is proudly on display in the Parsonage Museum bookshop and I have been invited to speak in schools and universities. I hope that my story of a poor girl who comes under the influence of Charlotte Brontë, will encourage a whole new generation of readers to explore the writing and the radical ideas of the Brontë sisters, as much as they have inspired me.
On the shelves at The Bronte Parsonage bookstore (Photo: Miriam Halahmy)
Miriam Halahmy has published eleven novels, three collections of poetry, short stories, articles and book reviews. She has been writing 'since she could hold a pencil' and the most important thing she did as a child was reading. Miriam was a teacher for twenty five years and continues to enjoy meeting young people to talk about her lifelong love of literature and her personal commitment to writing. Her books have been published in America, translated into several languages, adapted for the stage and she has been twice nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Miriam has been fascinated by the Brontë family since childhood and her latest novel, The Bronte Girl, has allowed her to immerse herself in the work and lives of the most famous literary family in the world.
Website : www.miriamhalahmy.com
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