Many Brontë fans will know of Charlotte’s unrequited love for her teacher in Brussels, M. Heger, and the impact it had on her writing. MacEwan’s book delves deeper into her and Emily’s time in Belgium and the remnants of the city they knew that are still visible today. Throughout, both the modern city and the nineteenth century one are brought to life. Accompanied by modern photographs and historic illustrations, whether or not you have been to the Belgian capital, you feel transported through the pages of this book.
In 1842 the two sisters embarked on a trip to Brussels hoping to improve their French and German and learn skills that would help them run their own school. We see them struggle to assimilate and finding socialising difficult even with generous and willing hosts. They are judgmental of many of the people they meet and largely keep to themselves. Emily is unhappy and does not return after a visit back to Haworth. Charlotte does return, ignoring a feeling that it is a bad idea. She finds it hard to be separated from Heger but he becomes increasingly distant and she falls into a depression. As difficult as the sisters come across at times you can’t help but feel for Charlotte in her first taste of romantic love and the agony of not hearing from someone who means so much to you. The focus of the book is really Charlotte, whose experience in Brussels had a much greater impact on her life than Emily.
Emily and Charlotte spent only a fairly short amount of time abroad and there is not much left of the city they knew, which can make it feel as though there’s not much to say in this book. It is padded out with summaries of Villette and The Professor. There are extracts included throughout which relate to the particular time or place MacEwan is discussing at the time. Perhaps more interesting to readers are translations of some of their devoirs, less readily available. We learn also of how the record of their time in Belgium has spread. Heger is said to have handed out some of their work to pilgrims to the pensionnat wanting a glimpse of Lucy Snowe’s school.
This is an interesting book, with a detailed walking guide if you want to go and explore the city yourself. I read it just before a visit and it really gave me a sense of the place. I didn’t go on a Brontë pilgrimage, but did stop off at the cathedral, which felt more meaningful having read the book. I’ve read all the published Brontë novels but not for a while so the excerpts and details of how each book is thought to have been inspired by their experiences and particular places were useful. The story doesn’t stop when Charlotte leaves, taking us through to her premature death. A nice addition to the bookshelves of Brontë fans who want to deep dive on this particular period in their history, or who want to explore the city through the lens of their experiences.
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