When I saw this book on Netgalley, I knew I had to request it. As most of you know, the Brontes are one of my biggest personal and academic passions, so when I saw a book covering a very obscure aspect of Bronte history, I was immediately intrigued. As the author states in her afterword, the actual relationship between Lydia Robinson and Branwell Bronte is entirely speculative, and besides some extremely unreliable bragging on Branwell's side, there's definitely evidence of some kind of misconduct, but not what misconduct it was. With the ability to then take whatever creative liberties, this was fertile ground for a story. And it was clear Austin knew her stuff too. Her prose was evocative of Sarah Waters', kind of a mix between Victorian emulation and modern readability. It's impeccably researched and gives one the sense of a Victorian novel. The Bronte's actual presence in the book is minimal, which was a bit disappointing, but also meant that any potential character assassination was kept to a minimum!

That being said, I found the character of Lydia Robinson to be absolutely atrocious. I strongly disliked her. This isn't to say that I didn't find her compelling—the very opposite. Instead, I found myself hate-reading her story because she came off as such a bad person. I was hoping for character growth, and although I think we got a little bit of it, it wasn't enough to make me satisfied with her. Part of my annoyance was her total self-absorption. All things considered, she was an incredibly privileged woman. This isn't to say that she wouldn't have been the historical victim of sexism, she definitely was. However, she lacks so much self-awareness and I actually felt that many of her problems derived at least partially from her. Her marriage has faded, but her husband is still seemingly a decent guy, yet she complains about him all the time and fails to notice when he is literally dying. She's recently lost a child (in a time when child death was common and most parents lost more than one child), her favorite, and essentially neglects her other children because, and I'm not making this up, they don't worship her the way her dead child did. She complains that they hate her, see her as the enemy, don't love her, but never stops to think why that might be. She points out their flaws, but does literally nothing to curb any of them. She insults and belittles her servants, says her lady's maid is her best friend when the lady's maid takes care of her like a nurse and again, is literally dying and she doesn't notice! Now I understand that she wouldn't have the same class consciousness and understanding of emotional labor as some people might today, but it takes her so long to realize her servants are people.

Furthermore, she seems to hold a grudge against the Bronte sisters, partially from some kind of strange jealousy that they occupy Branwell's thoughts more than she does, but she resents them for supposedly thinking they are superior to her because they aren't "vapid" like her. I think the author was trying to point out the girl-hate that is unfortunately kind of prevalent in the Bronte's works, but fails to realize or acknowledge that most of the resentment the Bronte heroines have is towards women of a higher social and economic status who wield that privilege wrongfully, as Mrs. Robinson does in this book, rather than a superiority derived from being clever or masculine. As such, she comes across as a very shallow feminist who really only cares for her own freedom from patriarchy. There was such potential there for her to realize this, but it was sorely lacking.

The Brontës. Their novels are some of my absolute favorites to read and re-read. Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and Agnes Grey are books that had such an impression on me as a teenage reader.


There's always been some mystery around what actually happened between the Brontë sisters' brother, Branwell and Mrs. Robinson. The consensus is that there was an affair and that she likely ruined poor Branwell. Now, whether any of that is true--I guess we'll really never know. Whether Lydia Robinson was a nefarious employer who took advantage--will remain a mystery. 

But, Austin writes a remarkable story on what, in her mind, might have happened.


I won't lie. This book, while very well written and intriguing, was a challenge for me. I adore books that are full of lively, colorful, sympathetic characters. However, I found that Brontë's Mistress was full of people that just, quite frankly, couldn't get behind.


Lydia Robinson was written as a sad, unloved woman. She recently lost her precious baby daughter, and her husband's love, all in the same year. To be in a marriage like that would be abominable. However, I found Lydia to be the kind of character that had absolutely no care for how her actions affected anyone else--including her living children, whom she barely seemed to tolerate.


Branwell, as fleeting as he was in the story, just seemed a joke. He was a drunken man, looking for love. Full of poetry and inspiration, he latched on to Mrs. Robinson and saw something in her that no one else could see.


Forgetting the fact that I didn't care for the characters--including Mr. Robinson--This story was wonderfully written and told. Austin absolutely immersed me in this story and kept me hooked, waiting to see what trouble would befall our main players.


I'm thrilled to have gotten the chance to read this. And, I'm really excited to read more by this author.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. My review will be available at the link given on 8/6/20.

Bronte's Mistress is the story of the alleged affair between the married Lydia Robinson and Branwell Bronte, her son’s tutor and brother of the more famous Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte. In this fictionalized account, Lydia Robinson has lost her beloved youngest daughter and her mother within the span of one year. She is grieving for what she has lost, and that includes the affections and physical intimacy of her husband, Edmund. She is lost and adrift in a world where women run the household, raise the children, and do their husbands' bidding. Love is rarely a part of this world, but it is what she longs for.

The attraction between Lydia and Branwell is nearly instantaneous. Lydia is portrayed as a strong, sharp-witted (and sometimes sharp-tongued) woman fighting for her life, but in the end I found it hard to sympathize with her, especially her treatment of her children in the face of Edmund's illness and ultimate death. Branwell is portrayed much as he is in history as more of a drunken party boy unable to hold a job or live up to his comparisons of himself to his more talented sisters.

The story is well researched and well written, told in Lydia's own voice and perspective. I did love learning afterward what I'd begun to suspect as I was reading - that Lydia Robinson was the inspiration and voice behind Mrs. Robinson in the iconic classic The Graduate, featuring a youthful Dustin Hoffman as the young man falling for an older woman.

I am a historical fiction fan and love fictionalized accounts of real people from years, or centuries, gone by. I especially love it when it's about literary greats such as the Bronte sisters. I do hope to like or at least find some redeeming qualities in the people I'm reading about, however. I know that not every reader is like this, so if you go in knowing this about key characters and love reading about historical characters from the world of literature, I would certainly encourage you to read it.

Special thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the digital ARC of this novel.

One of my favorite "Bronte" stories is of the painting of the three sisters and the clearly missing piece of their family, Branwell. The Morgan Library had a Charlotte Bronte exhibit a few years ago and I was lucky to see that painting in person. And, yes.....there is a ghostly image of Branwell that he painted over because he thought it was too cramped.

So, many love for the Bronte's, especially Branwell, runs deep.

Bronte's Mistress by Finola Austin explores the (alleged) affair between Branwell and Lydia Robinson. Lydia has had a year of turmoil. The death of her youngest daughter, followed by the death of her mother, bratty teenage daughters and a dis-interested husband all weigh heavily on her. When the brother of her daughter's tutor appears, he brings a new life into the house and into Lydia.

But.....all is not well. Branwell's darkness starts to appear, and the servants start whispers of the relationship between Lydia and Branwell. Lydia must rush to save face, and save her reputation. This is a sad story about two people who wanted to love and to be loved, but instead had to follow different paths.

Finola Austin clearly loves the Bronte sisters as much as I do and she has written a lovely book, with the focus on the oft forgot, dear Branwell.

Thanks to NetGalley, Finola Austin and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

2 stars

You can read all of my reviews at NerdGirlLovesBooks.

This is a well-researched historical fiction book about the supposed affair between the mistress of a home and Branwell Bronte, the brother of the daughters' governess Anne Bronte, and the other famous Bronte sisters.

Set in 1843, Lydia Robinson is the mother of 1 son and 4 girls, one of whom died earlier in the year, and wife to a neglectful husband. The book opens as she returns from the funeral of her mother, which she attended alone. Upon her return, she discovers that her husband has hired a male tutor, Branwell Bronte, for their son. Feeling alone, old and unloved, Lydia begins to flirt with Branwell and eventually they start an affair. When the affair is discovered by their servants, she puts an end to it and eventually Branwell is sent away.

I didn't care for this book and couldn't wait for it to end. I seem to be in the minority of reviewers so far, but I didn't like the writing style. There was almost no character building and therefore I didn't care for any of them. I really didn't care for Lydia, who seemed like a cold, callous, passive aggressive, petulant child. She was jealous of the relationship between her daughters and their governess Anne, but didn't do anything to try to get closer to her girls or befriend Anne. She felt the daughters should make the effort, which of course being teenagers and pre-teenagers, was unrealistic. Her son was barely mentioned other than to notice that he was always hungry or falling asleep, and she had nothing good to say about her husband.

This book and I just didn't click, but others seemed to really enjoy it, so perhaps you will too.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Atria books in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book! It was an interesting interpretation of facts written into a plausible explanation of the events surrounding the rumored scandalous affair between Lydia Robinson and her son’s young tutor, Branwell Bronte. An affair that has captivated the interest of English majors and Bronte, from a perspective that has never been heard from before: aka Mrs. Robinson.
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I was so impressed with how the author took her research into the lives of the very real people, places, and circumstances and wove together a story.

This is a historical novel you can really sink your teeth into. Austin tells the story of Branwell Bronte's much-reviled older mistress in the first person, fully inhabiting a complex, contradictory forty-something Victorian woman trapped in the role society assigned her from birth. A combination of impeccable research, witty references, and evocative writing make this one enjoyable read. Readers will love, hate, pity, and cheer Lydia Robinson as she navigates life in a gilded cage, yearning for connection and love.

This isn't the usual sort of book that I read. But I'm trying to branch out and the premise sounded so interesting. I'm glad I decided to try something a little different. I thoroughly enjoyed this story!

Lydia Robinson has faced the recent death of her daughter and her mother. She's grieving and a very unhappy wife. Her mother in law is horrid....and her teenage daughters misbehave. Lydia wants something more in her life...and she finds just the thing with her son's tutor -- Bramwell Brontë. Bramwell's sister Anne is governess to Lydia's daughters.

But.....the problem is....Lydia is married. The servants see and whisper about all goings on in the house. She is 43 and Bramwell is 25. Not only that but Bramwell's sisters know what is going on...and Lydia is afraid they will reveal what they know about the affair.

Can this strong, outspoken woman weather the storms created by her passion for life, boredom with propriety and whispered gossip??

I couldn't help but feel sympathy for Lydia as I read this story. Women had very few choices in life at that time. She's stuck in her marriage....she's stuck in her societal role....and when she does try to find some passion in her life, she chooses the wrong person. Bramwell is creative and engaging, but unstable. Lydia has to make some rough decisions in order to have her entire life not implode.

Very interesting, darkly passionate and emotional book. It makes me wonder what the real Bramwell was actually like. He always seems to be portrayed as a drunk and a mentally unstable person. He definitely gets left in the shadows of his famous literary sisters.

I enjoyed this book! I look forward to more by this author!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Atria Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Lydia Robinson entered history as the seducer of the much younger Branwell Bronte. More than a hundred years later, Finola Austin gives her the chance to tell her side of the tale.

Bronte’s Mistress is an outstanding book that takes historical facts and expands them into compelling fiction. The Bronte siblings and the Robinson family come to life in an entrancing and realistic way.

Our thanks to the author, Atria Books, and Austenprose for the advanced reader’s copy.

Branwell Bronte was the less-known brother of the famous Bronte sisters. He was a dreamer, a poet that drunk in excess and had difficulties staying employed.

Trying to keep him away from trouble, his family sent him to work at the same house as his younger sister Anne. Anne was The Robinson’s governess, and Branwell became tutor to their only son Ned.

While in this post, Branwell got acquainted with the lady of the house, Mrs. Lydia Robinson.

Lydia was facing a middle-age crisis. Her marriage was lukewarm at best, and she was possibly depressed. Branwell’s youth and energy made her feel restored and loved. She saw in his troubled temperament a reflex of her own internal turmoil.

The author did an excellent job describing Lydia’s personality and its numerous facets. She took the time to show the many tons of gray that lay in between the black and white facts.

Both Lydia and Branwell were very flawed, and the author did not make excuses for them. I like how she balanced the story showing their vulnerabilities, their reasoning, and the villainy that surrounded them.

Lydia was a force to be reckoned with. Finola Austin brings her to the spotlight and exorcizes the many prejudices she faced as a woman of her time. The result is fascinating and inspiring.

Bronte’s Mistress is a must-read debut. Highly recommended!

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*This review will be posted on https://lureviewsbooks.com on 08/04/2020 as part of the book's blog tour*

Set in Yorkshire in the 1840’s, this is a haunting and beautiful novel. Thanks to the author’s thorough research, we get a glimpse at what might have happened if (or when) Lydia Robinson and Branwell Brontë had an affair.

This book is all about the characters and they are so well written, flaws and all. I sympathized with Lydia while simultaneously wondering what the hell she could be thinking! Branwell Brontë, brother to the famous Bronte sisters is handsome, willing, and fighting his own demons. He truly is a tragic figure.

The plot takes us through all of the stages of the affair: before, during, and after. Lydia uses her tenacity to scrape out a prosperous life for herself even amid the scandal and social constraints of Victorian England. Branwell doesn’t fare so well...

I liked this brush with the famous Brontë family, especially the Brontë sisters. I love the idea that they wrote about Lydia Robinson in Jane Eyre and Agnes Grey. The moral of the story is: don’t piss off the Brontë sisters!

I recommend this book to historical fiction fans and people who enjoy reading the works of the Brontë sisters. 4.5/5

So I had to take some time a reread the epilogue to fully know what I wanted to rate this book. I really did love the character development. I felt that Austin did a great job introducing characters and having you become emerged in their stories. You felt for Lydia and the neglect of her husband, the pain of losing a child, and being drawn in by a younger man that was poetic and ravaged her. It was so relatable and reminded me of a Brontë or Austen novel. Strong female protagonists are so needed! The authors note was fantastic and should not be skipped. She explains so much and gives the ending to many stories!

I’m not sure what to say about this book. I just didn’t care too much for the main character. She seemed more sex starved than anything else and that’s really all she cared about.
It was an interesting side story to the Brontes. I think historical fiction fans will enjoy this book. Especially Bronte fans
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

This book wasn't exactly a great fit for me. I haven't read any Bronte before, and even though this is a reimagining, I still felt lost at some parts. However, I did find the writing to be very well done. I just couldn't connect with the plot.

"This dazzling debut novel for fans of Mrs. Poe and Longbourn explores the scandalous historical love affair between Branwell Brontë and Lydia Robinson, giving voice to the woman who allegedly corrupted her son’s innocent tutor and brought down the entire Brontë family.

Yorkshire, 1843: Lydia Robinson - mistress of Thorp Green Hall - has lost her precious young daughter and her mother within the same year. She returns to her bleak home, grief-stricken and unmoored. With her teenage daughters rebelling, her testy mother-in-law scrutinizing her every move, and her marriage grown cold, Lydia is restless and yearning for something more.

All of that changes with the arrival of her son’s tutor, Branwell Brontë, brother of her daughters’ governess, Miss Anne Brontë and those other writerly sisters, Charlotte and Emily. Branwell has his own demons to contend with - including living up to the ideals of his intelligent family - but his presence is a breath of fresh air for Lydia. Handsome, passionate, and uninhibited by social conventions, he’s also twenty-five to her forty-three. A love of poetry, music, and theatre bring mistress and tutor together, and Branwell’s colorful tales of his sisters’ elaborate play-acting and made-up worlds form the backdrop for seduction.

But Lydia’s new taste of passion comes with consequences. As Branwell’s inner turmoil rises to the surface, his behavior grows erratic and dangerous, and whispers of their passionate relationship spout from her servants’ lips, reaching all three protective Brontë sisters. Soon, it falls on Lydia to save not just her reputation, but her way of life, before those clever girls reveal all her secrets in their novels. Unfortunately, she might be too late.

Meticulously researched and deliciously told, Brontë’s Mistress is a captivating reimagining of the scandalous affair that has divided Brontë enthusiasts for generations and an illuminating portrait of a courageous, sharp-witted woman who fights to emerge with her dignity intact."

I love a good Branwell deep dive!

Thanks to Netgalley, for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book purports to portray the love affair between Branwell Bronte and Lydia Robinson, which may or may not have happened. I suppose we're meant to come away seeing this as a passionate, tragic love affair - unfortunately, it just came off as a sleazy affair between two unpleasant and rather stupid people. Not as some heroic, passionate stand for love and sex, despite the stodgy customs and mores of the day.

Sadly, I cannot say that this book was any better than okay. I think the biggest problem here was that everyone in the book was incredibly unpleasant. Lydia Robinson, the main character, was just a terribly unpleasant woman - I suppose we're supposed to have sympathy for her because she was portrayed as hot blooded and deprived of sex by her cold husband. But she was also mean to her children and to anyone else who didn't immediately jump to her bidding. And are we supposed to sympathize with Bronte, who as portrayed here was basically a drunken lout?

I did read it all, somewhat hoping that Lydia would get her comeuppance. But, despite the fact that she never seemed satisfied, even after snatching up a second husband, she still came out of things pretty well, even if it appears that none of her relatives (including her younger daughters and her sister) wanted anything to do with her.

Bronte’s Mistress
By Finola Austin

Long before Mrs. Robinson seduced an innocent college boy in the 1967 iconic film The Graduate there was another infamous Mrs. Robinson this one a real historic figure who was accused of not only the seduction but the destruction of a tortured man, the brother of Charlotte and Emily Bronte, Branwell. Debut author Finola Austin brings readers her exceptional retelling of this story, a twisted tale about love, loss, addiction betrayal and survival. She weaves this steady paced story using a fascinating mix of facts and fiction, historically accurate amazingly realistic characters and some creative license. Historic fiction and history buffs alike will relish the exemplary research and colorful imagination that Finola put into this novel plus with her vivid backdrops and period perfect dialogue she brings Eighteenth Century England to life. While history paints Lydia Robinson as a villain Austin brings a misunderstood, neglected perhaps more sympathetic yet in no way virtuous Lydia to her 21st century reading audience which is a real standout in the novel. Fans of Lauren Willig or Beatrice Williams will burn through this book.

In 1843 Edmund Robinson decides his son needs a private tutor so he employs 25 year-old Branwell Bronte the brother of his daughters’ governess Anne. Little did he know that this man would be the ruination of his family.
At 43 Lydia Robinson is still mourning the death of her youngest daughter knowing she’s an unsympathetic mother to her three remaining children. She’s also a frustrated wife often rebuffed by her husband when she seeks succor. Then a young, handsome male tutor is brought in for her son and Lydia soon finds herself oddly enticed by him. She tries to stay away but passion finally wins unfortunately opening a Pandora’s box of her own.

Bronte’s Mistress is an engrossing and sympathetic portrayal of a woman wishing for more in a time period that denies her almost any choice to do so.

The novel is written in an engaging, modernized (but not anachronistic) first-person, leaving out all the extraneous details often included in novels written in the time period (such as copious descriptions of landscapes). As such, it doesn’t have the languid pace of novels of the 1800s, which makes the pacing a little too fast at times. Still, it’s clearly a well-researched “what-if” about Branwell Bronte and the woman he may have had an affair with.

While I don’t share Lydia Robinson’s libido, I was sympathetic to her desire for passion. Even if the loveless marriage wasn’t an issue, it’s easy to see how she was stifled in many ways such as in music, social interactions, and other pursuits, making her bored, unfulfilled, and in need of attention. The novel, as it’s in her perspective, positions her actions as permissible, of which I tend to agree. The affair anyway; there’s a lot to dislike about Lydia, especially as it pertains to her children, but that’s what makes her interesting and the story so compelling. You both feel for her and dislike her.

Passages dot the novel which provides a feminist critique of the time period which are far more overt than you would find in novels of the era (likely because male publishers would remove the sentiments, rather than because they weren’t felt). For example: “Give up your body for years to birth them, stand quiet when they reject, deceive, abuse you, and, if you are a mother, you will still be called selfish, probably by the very man who gave your children nothing but his name.”

What’s interesting about this novel is how the plot is not just the story of “the affair”. In fact, this takes up a rather small part of the story itself, focusing more on Lydia’s life with Branwell as a small part of it. As such, it feels far more realistic than an overblown or tragic love story, which is what the novel could have done. I was far more interested in Lydia without Branwell anyway.

I didn’t love the novel, but as a fan of the Bronte sisters’ writing, and the time period, it was an interesting extrapolation on a common speculation in the genre, as well as an engaging and quick-paced story that shows the constraints and expectations placed on women of a certain class in the 1800s.

Austin is a word artist and this book kept me reading compulsively. The style is descriptive and atmospheric.
Many thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Like other's who live Brit Lit, I had heard that Lydia was the monster of the tale, and responsible for so much tragedy. This book gives a totally different look at the story, and reminds us that there are always 2 sides to a story, and that what goes on between a couple may not be what they TELL other people. Especially when they want to keep their own reputation intact. Add in the knowledge of how sharp the Bronte pen could be, and you've a pageturner that makes rethink the history you've been told! If you're looking for some smart Summer reading, this is the book for you!

What a lovely surprise! This fictionalized account of the alleged affair between Lydia Robinson and her son’s tutor, Branwell Brontë, gives life to the whisperings of an illicit May-December romance between the two. Thoroughly researched, it’s written with a Brontë-esque voice but modern twist. Finola Austin has created sympathetic characters when history has been less kind.

I read this one quickly, surprised by how fast I was consumed by the story. While the characters are not very likable upon first glance, I soon found myself empathizing with Lydia’s circumstances. A woman who has lost her youngest child, whose husband will no longer show her any affection, and who imagines her happiest years are behind her. It’s a compelling argument for why a woman such as Lydia might seek comfort in the arms of Branwell.

Reading Brontë’s Mistress was also a great reminder that while we like to quickly pass judgement on people and their decisions, we rarely truly know what is going on in their minds, their hearts, and behind closed doors. It’s easy to say Lydia was a bad mother, a bad wife, a bitter person, but Austin provides the reader with possible conclusions to how Lydia may have arrived at those labels.

The same can be said of Branwell, who history has labeled as a rogue, a drunkard, and a drug addict. Austin brings his tragic story to life, helping the reader to see a different side of the young, tortured artist.

Finola Austin’s debut novel is an impressive one, and I’ll be anxious to see what she does next!