The Brontë Plot

Starred review from September 14, 2015
Lover and seller of rare books Lucy Alling likes to add a little something special to her treasured finds, in order to make the buying and selling of books and memorabilia more lucrative. When the lawyer she is beginning to date confronts Lucy with authoring the inscriptions and tampering with the provenance of the books, her unethical embellishments shame her. But even as her disillusioned boyfriend, James, retreats, his wealthy grandmother Helen unexpectedly hires Lucy as a literary consultant on a buying trip to London. The idea of visiting the home of the Brontë sisters particularly excites both of them. Once in London, Helen has a secret agenda that helps Lucy consider the morality of her actions, and both must confront their pasts in order to find peace with their decisions. Quotations and allusions flow freely in Reay’s (Lizzy & Jane) third tribute to the female giants of English literature. While some readers may miss the more obscure references, the finely drawn characters, flawed and authentic, dominate and ground the story emotionally. Lucy realizes that her beloved Brontë characters know more about God and grace than she ever suspected. Fans may find themselves unearthing their classic novels after savoring this skillfully written homage.

September 1, 2015
Great works of literature and other priceless antiques populate Reay's (Lizzy & Jane, 2014, etc.) thoughtful tribute to the Bronte sisters. Lucy Alling has found her niche selling rare books inside the gallery of Chicago's premier interior designer. She charms her client James Carmichael with a limited-edition Jane Eyre-and her latent talent for design-but when James catches Lucy in a lie, he exposes a secret that could end her career. Just when all hope is seemingly lost, Lucy peeks up at readers from the middle pages and assures us that her story is far from over: "All books have it...that time when you don't know where you'll be, but you can't stay as you are." Opportunity knocks when James' grandmother Helen proposes an unusual trip to England's literary landmarks with Lucy as her shopping consultant. James' disapproval adds tension, and the shopping transforms Lucy's soul-searching into something more tangible. Reay handles each souvenir as carefully with her prose as her interior designers do with their hands-creating the effect of walking through an expensive gallery without any pressure to buy-and with a discerning eye, she brings out the varying shades of emotion in her characters. Lucy, for example, compares Helen's eyes to paint colors-they start out as "Benjamin Moore #810 Blue Dragon" and change with her mood. Confronting her past at the Bronte sisters' home in Haworth, Lucy soon discovers how much she and Helen have in common. Although age brings wisdom, Helen suggests that even wisdom can come with a price. The moral ambiguity makes the story more modern than its premise would suggest-and proves how well its source material holds up over time.

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Starred review from November 15, 2015
In her third charming, classics-inspired, faith-driven novel, following Dear Mr. Knightley (2013), Christy Award finalist and INSPY Award winner Reay reminds us that sometimes you have to go back to go forward. Rare-book dealer Lucy Alling has made some unethical business decisions that have cost her James, her new boyfriend, and threaten her job. Helen, James' grandmother, who has months to live, regrets an action from her past. When Helen recruits Lucy for a buying trip to England, the two realize that there still may be a way to find redemption. They make a perfect team for a tour of London's sites. Lucy, a Victorian-literature expert as well as a budding interior designer, appreciates the city's rich culture and history; Helen vividly recalls her former youthful visits and adventurous past. As they ponder their lives and the lives of their favorite authors (including the Brontes and Jane Austen), they begin to see a way to move forward. Lucy's youth contrasts nicely with Helen's experience. Book lovers will savor the literary references as well as the story's lessons on choices, friendship, and redemption.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)