And at last in the happy ending, both the couples are bound in matrimony to live happily ever after.įor this short essence of story, “Shirley” is quite a long book full of narratives about Yorkshire men and their habits, many a side characters with interesting temperaments and behavior and their stories, number of events full of action and drama. Meanwhile, Robert is shot by one of the local men and Caroline and he reconciles their friendship during this period followed by avowed love as the war restriction on businesses end. She rejects men of rank and wealth one after another despite of her uncle’s wishes for such matches.Īfter much trouble and inner turmoil on side of both the characters, Shirley finally finds love in Louis Moore, Robert’s brother and a tutor of her cousin. But Shirley’s is a peculiar nature, independent and fierce she does want a master in form of a husband but would not recognize any man as master of her freedom.

This restores Caroline to life and happiness to some extent while entire neighborhood expects Shirley and Robert to marry. Pryor, Shirley’s governess is her long lost mother. Caroline, living with her uncle since the separation of her parents and death of her father, discovers that Mrs. Shirley Keelder, young, beautiful, spirited and rich, comes to the neighborhood and she and Caroline soon become good friends. Caroline is left to despair in silence when he is struggling to save his mill. He is loved by his cousin Caroline and to some extent does return her affection but is too practical to indulge into a marriage with her due to his financial situation. Robert Moore, a mill-owner in Yorkshire, trying to install new machines in his mill faces violent oppositions from the worker but does not relent in his endeavors. The story starts with the famous and accurate caricature of curates in the very first chapter followed by the state of business in the England of 1811-12 subjected to the ill effects of an ongoing war.

Wordsworth Classics (Apr 1998),Penguin Books (), and Others Still, “Shirley” does make a worthy read. The book undoubtedly lacks the integrity of structure and the effects of Charlotte’s own mental agonies over the loss of her brother and sisters while writing this book is inevitably detectable. “Shirley”, the second published novel by Charlotte Bronte, was released in 1949 amongst high anticipations by readers and critics after super success of “Jane Eyre” and like other works by Charlotte has been overshadowed by the artistic superiority and popularity of “Jane Eyre”.

Shirley by Charlotte Brontë