Emily story.

I've not been writing ficion for a long time, due to illness. But I hope to complete this story on Emily Bronte soon. I'll post in instalments.

Emily A story of the Brontes, by Nadine Sutton. Part I

"I don't want to go to Brussels, why should I? Take Anne." "Anne will have a turn later when we have a school. Emily, Papa won't let one of us go alone, and we need to learn more. Languages mostly." Charlotte sighed. She had come to realise that Emily was not as learned as she liked to make out. She had never been happy at school. And she was obstinate. She hated being away from Haworth. Charlotte herself loved their home but she longed to travel and learn as well. She had found the pensionnat in Brussels and wanted to go there but her father insisted that Emily should go as well. Emily sighed heavily and finally said, "Very well, I will go". However, in the next few months, she was not very cooperative. Papa had escorted them to Belgium and left them at the Pensionnat Heger. They were older than the girls at the school, being in their 20s. Emily disliked M and Madame Heger and the girls. She was not popular among the pupils either. Charlotte found the schoolgirls silly and vain but she did her best to get on with them. Emily hated Brussels almost as much as she had hated being away from Haworth in England. Charlotte tried taking her to parties and meals with the English community, but she would not go after a month or two. She sat silent and gloomy, and only talked a little with Mary and Martha Taylor. She was irritated by M Heger and Charlotte's dog like devotion to him. She quarrelled with him and defied him over her lessons. "How can you like him so much, Charlotte? He is an ugly cross little monster. And you sit with him and the dreadful wife each evening." Charlotte said nothing. Emily sighed, then put on her cloak and walked out. The girls were not supposed to go out alone, but she often walked around the city to tire herself out. She did not find it very interesting, and although she could now understand French fairly well, she did not find the inhabitants interesting either.

E Arnot Robertson

Eileen Robertson was born in 1903, in Surrey. Her father was a doctor and her family life was not very happy. She went to a good school and then went abroad to study for a couple of years in France. At the age of 19, she became a magazine journalist. She wanted to write, and in 1927, she married Henry Turner, who was secretary of the Empire Press Union. They adopted a son. She wrote several novels, including one set in Malaysia, which she had never visited. Another successful novel was Ordinary Families, which was set in the countryside, with a heroine Lalage, who comes from a family that loves boating. Her later novels did not do so well. She went on writing journalism, and enjoyed boating with her husband. However when he died in a boating accident, she committed suicide. I've just picked up a copy of Ordinary Familes, which has rather disappointed me. The book does not seem to have much of a plot, and the characters are snobbish and sailing obsessed. Not sure if I will finish it. Usually when I re read books I used to like, I still enjoy them, but this is an exception.

Last of Summer

This is one of Kate O'Brien's novels that I have not been able to get a copy of. I did read it some years ago. It is set in rural Ireland, just before World War II breaks out. The Kernahan family live a quiet life in a country village. They are dominated by Hannah, mother of the family. Angele Maury turns up to visit them. She is their cousin. Her father left Ireland years ago and married a French girl. Angele is an actress. Hannah is clearly not pleased to see her and does not like the way that her two sons are both attracted to their cousin. She like a lot of Irish people at the time, does not want to think about the possibility of war. She wants Ireland to remain neutral and to keep out of world problems. Angele being French is ready to go to war with the Germans. She wants to go back to France as soon as possible, to take her part in the conflict. Hannah is annoyed when her sons quarrel over Angele, and when they want to join up and fight the Nazis. But they go ahead anyway. Angele leaves and goes back home.

As Music and Splendour By Kate O'Brien

This is one of Kate O'Brien's last novels. It was published in 1958 and afterwards she worked on another novel called Constancy, but only managed to write a few chapters. In her later years, she had poor health and also was a heavy drinker and it affected her work. She did not produce as much writing as might have been expected. The book is set in Victorian times, and is about 2 young Irish women who both have beautiful voices. As young girls, Rose and Claire are offered a chance to train as opera singers. They are not from well off families, both are simple Irish country girls. But the chance of being successful singers is a great thing for both of them, as it means they will be able to earn a good living. As they grow up they begin to live abroad, mostly in Italy. They embark on love affairs. Rose has several male lovers and Clare discovers that she prefers women and has a passionate affair with another singer Luisa. The book does not have much plot but it is readable. Both girls are Catholics but they make their own decisions about what sexual relationships they want to have. The book is more open about lesbianism than her other works.. many of which were banned in Ireland.

Two Stories

I have 2 stories available on Amazon. Rough Music, a band story about a country rock band, set in the 1970s, and Beds and Blue Jeans, a story set in America a little before Covid, about a young couple in Nashville, trying to make their relationship work. Written by Nadine Sutton

The Kitten Lady

Its Kitten season again and Hannah is busy rescuing newborns who need care. And Ferguson her orange cat who has kidney problems, is having a birthday. Happy birthday to Ferguson who is now 5. You can find her on social media.