In this compelling, meticulously researched, latest historical fiction, Emma Donahue turns her sharp focus to the plight of women in the early 1800’s Britain. The scene opens in 1805 at a “finishing” boarding school in York for girls – mainly focused on getting them out of their dismissive parents’ homes and teaching them the manners, arts and skills that will make them attractive future wives.

There’s Eliza Raine, a 14-year old orphan of a British doctor and unofficial “country wife” in India, who gets sent from Madras India to live with her father’s stuffy colleague after her father’s ship goes down at sea. She’s acutely conscious of and embarrassed by her brown skin, which makes her both exotic and lesser in the eyes of both her classmates, headmistresses, and larger Yorkshire society. She’s put in a cramped, sloped attic room given her lesser status, though she does stand to inherit sizeable money from her father’s estate upon turning 18 or getting married, whichever comes first. Eliza’s older sister Jane blithely ignores her, she finds her guardian endlessly standoffish, and hope for connection finally arrives in the form of a new boarding house girl, Anne Lister.

Anne, who goes by Lister, proves herself at age 15 delightfully rebellious, tom-boyish, brilliant, confident, and charming. Lister’s been raised in the countryside, where she’s spent much of her life gallivanting about with her older brothers. What Lister lacks in family money, she makes up in worldliness, bravado, and ambition to both travel the world and maintain her independence. Lister and Eliza form a close friendship in their attic alcove, having long conversations in the dark after the headmistress takes away their lantern early each night. Eliza finds herself mesmerized and swept up into Lister’s whirlwind, while Lister finds Eliza beautiful and exotic. A passionate romance between them eventually unfolds as a first love for both.

Interspersed with the chapters focused on the boardinghouse story unfurling, alternate chapters are letters written 10 years later, from Eliza who finds herself in what passes as an insane asylum for women and Lister who’s not responding to her passionate entreaties – which may, or may not, be reaching Lister. Eliza’s in an asylum right next to their boardinghouse, where as girls she and Lister saw how the “garden’s been built up, like a hillock, so they can look out without getting close enough to escape” and the women inside save to the passing boarding house girls, “A hand goes up like a tiny white flag” of surrender. Eliza’s letters become increasingly intense, threaded with both gloom and longing. It’s only until the end of the novel that Donahue reveals what’s really going on with Eliza.

For me, the most fascinating outtakes from the book concern the narrow options available to women in the early 1800’s. Besides the boarding schools leading to invisible lives as women subservient to their husbands, there’s the insane asylum run by male doctors, a Spinning Charity school for poor girls who spend most of their days spinning wool, a daring woman horseback rider who competition a race only to have to give up as her only being allowed to ride side-saddle loosens the saddle, and to Jane’s abandonment by her husband and social estrangement. With bleak prospects for women, Lister’s forged independence becomes even more admirable, and her desire to live a life not in the service of men more relatable.

Donahue ends her novel with a long’s authors note tying in the known history of Anne Lister, based on her 5-million-word diary kept by Lister. Parts of this journal had been written by Lister in code, given the prevailing complete societal disapproval of gay relationships. Lister also shows up as the heroine of the BBC and HBO series, “Gentleman Jack.”

Thanks to Little Brown and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

This is going to be a strange review, I think. I received an EARC from Netgalley a few days ago, so I read the book quickly as it will be published tomorrow.
As I was reading it, a review came out today in The LA Times, and I learned it is based on a true story,which I did not know. Not only that, but one of the characters, Ann Lister was the basis for the show Gentleman Jack.
After finishing the book, I read the author's note and learned how Donoghue came to write the book, which is almost as interesting as the book itself.
The book begins with a letter written from Raine to Lister in 1815,then goes back to 1805 when the girls meet in boarding school.
Most of the action takes place in a boarding school, a typically English school where girls of wealth are treated basically as if they are poor, with no heat and little food, to give them "character" and prepare them to be good wives.
Raine is a half-Indian heiress, of which there were a few in this era, when Englishmen living in India had Indian "wives" and sent their children back to England to be educated.
Into Raine's life comes Ann Lister, a very unique individual.
The book, based on diaries and letters
Was a little slow starting for me, as it begins with Raine writing to Lister in 1815 from an insane asylum,so it is not really clear if this is Raine fantasizing or just being lucid.
Then we are back in school and the action and dialogues are seen through the eyes of 14 year old girls
Donoghue has a very distinct writing style, and she is clearly invested in this story. If you enjoyed Room, and The Wonder, you will certainly enjoy this book.
Ann Lister is one of the most famous historical lesbians, and this story of adolescent love is at times heartbreaking and heartwarming. I predict it will be a best seller and also have people looking to watch Gentleman Jack, which I did watch a few episodes of, and will now try to watch again.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my copy for my honest review.
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Emma Donogue tackles important subjects. In Learned by Heart we are transported back to a Great Britain in the early nineteenth century. The story centers around the growing relationship between two female students at an English boarding school, one of mixed race , with one parent from India and the other British. Very slowly, painfully slow for me, the two girls forge a friendship which ultimately becomes a romantic one.

Lots of research went into this literary work as it features Anne Lister, and her first love, Eliza Raine.
I admit I am an outlier here. I just found the dialog very stilted and the letter writing not to my my liking. Despite the two key social issues of same sex relationships and racial prejudice and discrimination, I was mired by the pace and a story line that left me wishing I could feel more involved with the characters. I tried but was unable to read past mid book. It is ver unusual for me not to finish reading once I start.

My thanks to NetGalley and little,Brown and Company for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

How did I not know that this story was the one focused on a person from Gentleman Jack before I picked it up? Once I learned this, oh my goodness, I squealed in delight.

First of all, love an unreliable narrator. Love fiction based in historical reality (because what is history, really, besides retold fiction?). Loved following the story, the writing style, the way that I just needed to know more and more.

Really, Donoghue is a hit for me. I jump at the chance to read any of her books as they are coming out. Don't miss this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: racism, misogyny, homophobia, death.

Eliza Raine is different than the other girls who attend the Manor School for Young Ladies in York. She's the daughter of an Englishman and an Indian mother, a woman who was not formally wed, and when she returned to her father's home country as a little girl, it was a fact she was made distinctly aware of. Only fourteen, she keeps to herself at school, isolated in a room by herself, away from the other bedrooms. But when Anne Lister arrives -- charismatic, fearless, bold Anne -- Eliza's world is turned upside down and, as the two girls grow up, their relationship will leave indelible marks on them both.

Anne Lister is considered one of the world's "first modern lesbians." She was, as I described her in this book's summary, bold and charming -- a true go-getter in every sense of the word. While there have been quite a few adaptations and books revolving around her life (including the wonderful and critically acclaimed Gentleman Jack, which has managed to bring her into cultural consciousness), few have made little more than a passing mention to her education at a school York, where, at only fourteen, she fell in love for the first time with another girl. This girl has, for the most part, faded from history: Anglo-Indian, the daughter of a doctor, and someone who paid the price for daring to be fearless, something that whiteness and wealth seemed to protect Lister from.

Eliza is our narrator, and we alternate between passages of her memories of them as schoolgirls, and her letters written to Anne some ten years later. At first, as a fourteen year old child, Eliza is hesitant, doing her best not to get any marks at the Manor, keenly aware of the fact that while her compatriots may get away with some things because of their whiteness and privilege, she will not. She stays in a room by herself, sequestered away on the other end of the building, never quite sure if it was intentional or merely because of convenience. Her life suddenly becomes interesting, however, with the entrance of Anne -- and if, like me, you've read about Eliza and Anne before, you might have an idea where all of this is going.

Donoghue is truly a master at her craft. She so effortlessly and seamlessly weaves together true emotion, humor, and something quite heavier, all while spinning together such beautiful sentences that I sometimes had to pause just to appreciate them. Perhaps it comes from years spent perfecting her writing, but there surely has to be something else, something innate, that makes her so damn talented. She is an expert at capturing whatever time period she's writing about, and it's obvious that she does very intensive research. As you might expect from the novel's plot, there are many heavy topics addressed here -- sexism, racism, homophobia, and more -- and Donoghue does it with both a sense of how important they are, and sometimes with a little tongue-in-cheek.

In particular, though, the racism that Eliza experiences is very thoughtfully dealt with, and I think Donoghue does an excellent job of showing us just how much white privilege allows Anne to get away with what she does. Anne, of course, faced many challenges throughout her lifetime, and as a butch lesbian in the nineteenth century, her obstacles are nothing to be sneered at, but the juxtaposition of Eliza's life with Anne's makes a clearcut display of how wealthy white people are allowed to be eccentric, or different, without losing their liberty.

Another element I must compliment is that Donoghue does not romanticize Anne. If you've read her journals or studied her life to some degree, it becomes obvious that Anne was many things, but she was not often kind, nor was she very self-aware. She could be avaricious and cruel, and more often than not, she discarded her many lovers with seemingly little care to their feelings or the impact on their futures. Not to say that there weren't many good things about her, but it's nice to see this realistic, flawed portrayal of her, something like the real person. Eliza, too, has her flaws, and the characterization and development is yet another reason why Learned by Heart was a five star read for me.

Ultimately, the storyline here is tragic, and I was moved nearly to tears by the end. This book is beautiful, and wrung real emotions out of me. Because of Donoghue's decision to uplift the voice of a woman who was silenced in real life, I will always remember Eliza Raine.

Highly, highly recommended -- get yourself a copy as soon as you're able.

Learned by Heart is only the third Emma Donoghue book I’ve read, and despite how different the three are, I love how singularly striking each is. This novel is divided between 1805 and 1815, focusing on Eliza Raine. She and her sister, both orphans, are the only half-Indian students in a boarding school in York. Eliza works hard to overcome others’ racist views of her, always on her best behavior, but feeling rather lonely. Her world changes when Anne Lister arrives at the school and becomes her roommate. Over the course of one school year, Eliza and Lister form a deep bond, but how does that change by 1815? While most of the book illustrates their time at the boarding school, brief interludes show Eliza ten years later, writing letters to Lister but receiving none in return.

Lister is a sparkling character. She comes off the page with such energy and personality. Only 14, she already has so much confidence in herself and isn’t afraid to speak her mind or be her full unique self. She’s vivid, freewheeling, and fun—a bit chaotic and troublesome, but affable to all around her. By contrast, Eliza is timid and soft-spoken. She’s cautious and keeps her head down. Personally, I relate much more to Eliza’s personality, but I also love how Lister injects her with more levity. Their friendship is one of opposites, and yet they understand each other so well, too. Soon, Eliza and Lister’s friendship unfolds into their first romance. Some of my favorite passages in Learned by Heart discuss Lister’s views on her sexuality and androgynous nature.

I love the whole setting of the boarding school, from their fellow classmates and teachers to the subjects they learn about. It took me back to my own high school days, albeit in the version of 200 years earlier. Despite the main characters being 14, this does not read as a YA book at all. Instead, it captures that youthful naiveté and energy, but with a more mature perspective grounding it. This is partially achieved by the interspersion of letters Eliza writes in 1815. The tone in those, in which she’s in a mental asylum, is so different from the tone during the longer sections focused on their school days.

Throughout my reading of Learned by Heart, I loved the characters and overall narrative. It wasn’t until I’d finished the book and read the Author’s Note that I learned how much of this is based on real historical figures and events! Anne Lister is famous in her own right, known as the “first modern lesbian” and for her five-million-word diary. Eliza Raine was indeed her first lover from their school days, and Eliza did truly spend time in an asylum. The whole Author’s Note is absolutely worth reading, and I’m curious to learn more about both women.

Learned by Heart is an absorbing novel, a quick read but also a story that will linger. Emma Donoghue is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. She has an engrossing voice that carries through regardless of a story’s setting or themes. I already look forward to reading more from her soon, both from her back catalogue and whatever comes our way next.

Emma Donoghue’s "Learned by Heart" is the fictional account of Eliza Raine’s romance with the infamous Anne Lister.

Having met in boarding school in early 19th century England, this is long before Lister became known as ‘the first modern lesbian’ and Gentleman Jack. The girls are young when they meet, age 14, and thrown together as roommates in the attic space of the school. They’re only friends at first, but as they grow close their relationship takes a romantic turn.

Not much is known about Raine other than she was Lister’s first love. But on the flipside, quite a bit is known about Lister, as she was a prolific diarist and much of what she wrote has been recovered. And it’s through her diaries, along with a small number of letters written by Raine, that Donoghue has pieced their story together. Her research is impeccable.

The novel is beautifully written and atmospheric in that it captures the essence of the time period and its maddening societal constraints placed upon women. It’s slow, though, and not much of anything important happens while the girls are together in school. The real goldmine is the letters written by Raine to Lister, ten years after they first meet, that are interspersed within the narrative. They’re compelling and insightful, and I wanted more of them.

My only wish for the story is a better outcome for Raine. But we can’t change history, can we? What a sad ending to such a passionate love.


My sincerest appreciation to Emma Donoghue, Little, Brown and Company, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown & Company for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest historical fiction novel by a favorite, Emma Donoghue - 4.5 stars rounded up!

In 1805 fourteen-year-old Eliza Raine is a school girl at the Manor School for Young Ladies in York. The daughter of an Indian mother and a British father, Eliza has always been judged by the color of her skin. She has her own attic room away from the other girls. When a new student arrives, Miss Lister, a tomboy who likes to be known only by her surname, like a boy, they become roommates. But soon their relationship goes further.

I love Emma Donoghue's writing and this book is no exception. Meticulously researched, this is a fictionalized true story of the relationship between these two young women The rigid atmosphere of the Manor School with all its rules and punishments feels like a character in itself. Interspersed between chapters are letters written from Eliza to Lister ten years on, when Eliza is in another institution. You can feel the angst and power of a first love. There is also much prejudice and classism present, as well as women's roles. While it felt a tad slow at points, this is another winner from Donoghue!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

I did not get to this title, so I don't feel comfortable rating it fully, hoping to get to it at some point soon!

Anne Lister of “Gentleman Jack” fame made a name for herself by defying stereotypes for women in 19th Century England, as well as her many love affairs with women as documented in her diaries and letters. In this novel, Emma Donoghue brings to life her first known romance, which took place in a boarding school near York. The story is not told by Lister, but by Eliza Raine, who was born to an Indian mother and English captain, thus forcing her to try and fit in both worlds, forever a losing game. When Eliza meets Lister, she finds who she believes to be her missing piece, and the love that grows between them leaves her forever changed.
This novel is partially told through actual letters written by Eliza to Lister as a young woman more than 10 years after their initial meeting. The rest of the book is written to fill in the gaps of their relationship through extensive research by Donoghue and in a writing style reflective of early 1800s England. Lovers of well-researched historical fiction will be interested in this novel, as well as those who enjoy Sapphic love stories and women fighting against patriarchal constraints in an effort to define their own destiny.

Entertaining, with some beautiful writing and richly drawn characters. But its themes of gender, sexuality, and race feel a little tame. If this had been written in the last century, it would feel very provocative and progressive. But in 2023, it comes across at times a bit staid or ho-hum.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Emma Donoghue, and Little, Brown and Company for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I had never heard of Anne Lister before reading Learned by Heart, and I fear I've discovered a new rabbit hole to fall into. Without this story even being based in real events, I would have been drawn to a story of young lesbians in the 1800s anyways, but the reality of the situation made the book even more enthralling. I appreciate Donoghue's notes in the back that establish more of a timeline of events; it is clear that she put so much care and research behind writing this book, which I commend heartily. This was a lovely and heartbreaking story that, while a bit slow at times, was beautifully written. I could feel the magnetism between Raine and Lister and loved seeing the sweetness of a young first love develop. Queer love can be difficult in many ways even now, so reading about it during this time was even more impactful. After reading the end notes, I was even happier this book was told from Eliza Raine's perspective, given that there is not much known about her today. It gave the book a unique edge that made this a compelling historical fiction. I appreciate Donoghue bringing a light to these women and their relationship in the modern world.

The beauty of Emma Donoghue prose breathes life’s into the the boarding school love between Ann Lister and Eliza Raine. There have been books and films about Ms. Lister but none have fine tuned into her life as a fourteen year old girl. The discovery of who they are and how they learn about themselves through one another is enlightening and tenderly shared. The desires and ultimately the sadness of one’s first love touches the soul. The world within them and the one that surrounds them shines on every page.
To this reader, the authors depth of time, research and emotion combine for a compelling and heartfelt read. Highly recommended and greatly enjoyed.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Little, Brown and Company for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Emma Donoghue brings us an absorbing historical fiction. Learned by Heart is a sapphic love story set during the early 1800’s in an English boarding school. At first, Eliza Raine barely tolerates the countrified Anne Lister. Eliza is a young lady of colour and means. After the death of their parents, Eliza and her sister Jane travel from India to York with their guardian, Mr. Duffin, a friend and colleague of her deceased father. This is Lister’s first experience with boarding school. Lister is brilliant and prideful. Upon entering King’s Manor she remarks that she self studied geometry, astronomy, various modern languages and Latin with a bit of help from the Vicar. Despite her pretentions and intellectual superiority, she is shabbily dressed and is soon relegated to a lower standing by the other girls. Neither ever quite fitting in, Raine and Lister find common ground. In time, the girls surrender to a secret and forbidden love.

Told in alternating chapters between Raine’s letters from Clifton House Asylum to her beloved Lister and reflections on the past. Learned By Heart is inspired by Anne Lister’s very real and extensive diaries. Three decades in the making, Donoghue’s meticulous research is evident in her creation of time and place. And typical of her writing, she gets to the hearts of her characters - the all-consuming nature of first love and what it is like to only wish to be loved and accepted for who you are. Readers who are drawn to historical fiction, stories of first love or the early history of the sapphic life.


Many thanks to the author @E_Donoghue, @LittleBrown, and @NetGalley for the advanced copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Look for it! Pub Date: 29 Aug 2023

On paper this should have been a 5 star read for me, but I found it to just be okay. I think in general, the structure of this book just didn't work for me. The way it was paced it felt like it took half the book for things to finally get started, and I often felt like I was learning more about the rules at this boarding school than I was learning things about these characters or their relationship. Since this is a story based on real people pieced together from Lister's journals, I suppose there's something to be said for an intentional vagueness of character to prevent over-speculating into the desires of real people, but as a fictional story, I just felt myself always wishing we got more insight into the girls' personalities. This book was also very dialogue-heavy, which sometimes works for me, but in this case it so rarely served to expand upon the characters that I found myself growing bored of it.

Having read the author's note I can tell how well-researched this book was, but it also made it feel like there was a lot of unexplored potential with Lister and Eliza's story. It seems like their meeting in boarding school is one of the least interesting parts of their life, and I wish that the book had covered more years and given us more of their story after they left school. All of their post-school years were summed up with great brevity in Eliza's final letter to Lister, and it just made me want more of that story rather than the many hours of boarding school prison that we got.

Anne Lister met Eliza Raine when both girls were students at boarding school outside of York during the Regency period. Eliza is half-Indian, the orphaned daughter of a doctor with the East India Company, sent to England with her sister to be educated. When Eliza and Lister (as she prefers to be called) are forced to share a room, Eliza finds herself unexpectedly enchanted by the unusual girl. They are also physically attracted to each other and the two become lovers and inseparable. Ten years later, Eliza is confined to a psychiatric asylum and writes to Lister, imploring her to write back and come and rescue her.

Fascinating historical fiction based on the lives of Anne Lister and Eliza Raine who become entangled in a forbidden relationship. Lister lived and dressed as a man and had several women lovers - Eliza appears to have been the first one. I learned about Lister when I read Gentleman Jack by Sally Wainwright, a biography of Lister's unusual life. Well-researched, fluid writing. Highly recommend to readers of historical fiction or interested in the history of LGBTQ.

This historical fiction, based on the romance between Anne Lister and Eliza Raine, set in 1805, is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. The awakening of passion and romance between the roommates at a manor house for girls, is palpable. The ending of the relationship and Eliza's heartbreak, obsession, jealousy and possessiveness (expressed in letters to Anne) is disturbing. The story pulled me in from the beginning and didn't let go. Highly recommend.

Caring about these characters proved impossible for me. For whatever reason, they remained just names on the page and never became real people which, it turns out, they actually were. I did find the tidbits of life in the early 1800s England interesting, especially the schooling of young ladies and society’s expectations of them. The novel is obviously well researched but just missed the mark for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC to read and review.

This is a captivating and beautifully written historical fiction novel, which I found to be as equally engrossing as Donoghue’s The Wonder and Pull of the Stars.

The novel centers on the more well-known Anne Lister and her romantic relationship with Eliza Raine during their time as teenagers in boarding school. Raine’s story is fascinating and the novel benefits from being told through her point of view. Raine offers the unique perspective of being a member of genteel English society in the early 1800’s, but as an Indian born, biracial and orphaned young woman, still struggling to feel fully accepted.

The novel was well-developed and paced and really just a pleasure to read. The information in the afterwards conveyed the level of meticulous research and fact that went into the novel as well. Highly recommended!! Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Learned by Heart is one of those books that takes you by the heart, pulling you along on a story of passionate, but frustrated love. The lovers in this instance are two young women at a boarding school in York in the early 1800s. The novel is based on the extensive, coded diaries of Anne Lister, one of those two young women. Anne is a tomboy determined to live life on her own terms, continually looking for challenges, continually asking questions, continually being "inappropriate." Anne is simultaneously viewed enthusiastically and dubiously by other girls at the school. The second of the two lovers is Eliza Raine, the daughter of a a British medic stationed in India and an Indian woman. She's shipped off to boarding school after the death of her father. Someday, she'll be an heiress, but right now she's just a young woman living on the margins, marked by skin color.

Some people will know Anne already as she's the inspiration for Gentleman Jack, the central figure of a British television series that ran from 2019 to 2022. The adult Anne(Jack) cross-dresses and takes a series of female partners. Anne and Eliza were lovers when they were in school together. Anne was a committed diarist, who kept a coded record of her life that Emma Donoghue has used as the basis for this novel.

While Donoghue used Lister's journals as the starting place for this novel, she tells the story through the eyes of Eliza Raine, which adds richness and leaves room for Donoghue the writer to construct the novel in her own way. Raine's story is less well-known and less-successful than Lister's. Eliza spent large parts of her adult life in and out of asylums—and Learned by Heart is presented as a work penned by Raine during one of the times when she was kept away from the world. Her feelings for/about Lister swing widely. Sometimes Lister is her "one true love" and Raine is spending her life waiting for Lister's return. At other times, Raine views Lister as both disappointing and infuriating, focused on her own pleasures and unconcerned with the pain she causes others.

As always, Donoghue does an excellent job getting inside her characters, bringing readers into their minds and hearts, as well as the world they inhabit. If you are interested in lesbian history, women's history, the impact of colonialism, historical fiction, or complicated romance this is a book to keep an eye out for.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.