Charlotte Brontë’s Shirley - Collins Leatherbound

Reader's note

A wonderful copy of Charlotte Brontë’s Shirley. Set in industrial England during the Napoleonic Wars and the Luddite uprisings, Charlotte Brontë’s second novel takes her skill at describing the private worries and thoughts of her characters, used to great effect in her previous novel Jane Eyre, and sets them against the social and moral situations of the day. Robert Moore is a mill owner, struggling with debt, who lays off a large number of his employees and has replaced them with machinery. The resentment from the ex-workers leads to unrest and potential danger. Robert considers marrying the wealthy Shirley Keeldar, vivacious and headstrong, to solve his financial problems. However, his heart lies with the shy and uncertain Caroline Helstone, who is dependant on her uncle and has no future prospects.