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The Search After Happiness: Including Introductory Essays by G. K. Chesterton and Virginia Woolf
"The Search After Happiness" is a 1829 novel by Charlotte Bront�. Written when the author was just thirteen years old, it is a disturbing tale of mysterious men and enslaving creatures that poses many questions but answers few. An uncanny insight into the mind of a young literary genius, "The Search After Happiness" is not to be missed by those who have read and enjoyed other works by this author. Charlotte Bront� (1816 - 31 March 1855) was an English novelist and poet, and the oldest sister in the world-famous trio of literary sisters. Along with her sisters', her novels have become irrefutable classics of English literature still read and enjoyed by people of all ages the world over. Other notable works by this author include: "Jane Eyre" (1847), "Shirley" (1849), and "Villette" (1853). Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this classic volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a biography of the author by G. K. Chesterton, as well as essays by Virginia Woolf.
41 pages, Paperback
Published March 29, 2018
About the author
Charlotte Brontë
2,564 books20.1k followersCharlotte Brontë was an English novelist, the eldest out of the three famous Brontë sisters whose novels have become standards of English literature. See also Emily Brontë and Anne Brontë.
Charlotte Brontë was born in Thornton, Yorkshire, England, the third of six children, to Patrick Brontë (formerly "Patrick Brunty"), an Irish Anglican clergyman, and his wife, Maria Branwell. In April 1820 the family moved a few miles to Haworth, a remote town on the Yorkshire moors, where Patrick had been appointed Perpetual Curate. This is where the Brontë children would spend most of their lives. Maria Branwell Brontë died from what was thought to be cancer on 15 September 1821, leaving five daughters and a son to the care of her spinster sister Elizabeth Branwell, who moved to Yorkshire to help the family.
In August 1824 Charlotte, along with her sisters Emily, Maria, and Elizabeth, was sent to the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire, a new school for the daughters of poor clergyman (which she would describe as Lowood School in Jane Eyre). The school was a horrific experience for the girls and conditions were appalling. They were regularly deprived of food, beaten by teachers and humiliated for the slightest error. The school was unheated and the pupils slept two to a bed for warmth. Seven pupils died in a typhus epidemic that swept the school and all four of the Brontë girls became very ill - Maria and Elizabeth dying of tuberculosis in 1825. Her experiences at the school deeply affected Brontë - her health never recovered and she immortalised the cruel and brutal treatment in her novel, Jane Eyre. Following the tragedy, their father withdrew his daughters from the school.
At home in Haworth Parsonage, Charlotte and the other surviving children — Branwell, Emily, and Anne — continued their ad-hoc education. In 1826 her father returned home with a box of toy soldiers for Branwell. They would prove the catalyst for the sisters' extraordinary creative development as they immediately set to creating lives and characters for the soldiers, inventing a world for them which the siblings called 'Angria'. The siblings became addicted to writing, creating stories, poetry and plays. Brontë later said that the reason for this burst of creativity was that:
'We were wholly dependent on ourselves and each other, on books and study, for the enjoyments and occupations of life. The highest stimulus, as well as the liveliest pleasure we had known from childhood upwards, lay in attempts at literary composition.'
After her father began to suffer from a lung disorder, Charlotte was again sent to school to complete her education at Roe Head school in Mirfield from 1831 to 1832, where she met her lifelong friends and correspondents, Ellen Nussey and Mary Taylor. During this period (1833), she wrote her novella The Green Dwarf under the name of Wellesley. The school was extremely small with only ten pupils meaning the top floor was completely unused and believed to be supposedly haunted by the ghost of a young lady dressed in silk. This story fascinated Brontë and inspired the figure of Mrs Rochester in Jane Eyre.
Brontë left the school after a few years, however she swiftly returned in 1835 to take up a position as a teacher, and used her wages to pay for Emily and Anne to be taught at the school. Teaching did not appeal to Brontë and in 1838 she left Roe Head to become a governess to the Sidgewick family -- partly from a sense of adventure and a desire to see the world, and partly from financial necessity.
Charlotte became pregnant soon after her wedding, but her health declined rapidly and, according to biographer Elizabeth Gaskell, she was attacked by "sensations of perpetual nausea and ever-recurring faintness." She died, with her unborn child, on 31 March 1855.
Charlotte Brontë was born in Thornton, Yorkshire, England, the third of six children, to Patrick Brontë (formerly "Patrick Brunty"), an Irish Anglican clergyman, and his wife, Maria Branwell. In April 1820 the family moved a few miles to Haworth, a remote town on the Yorkshire moors, where Patrick had been appointed Perpetual Curate. This is where the Brontë children would spend most of their lives. Maria Branwell Brontë died from what was thought to be cancer on 15 September 1821, leaving five daughters and a son to the care of her spinster sister Elizabeth Branwell, who moved to Yorkshire to help the family.
In August 1824 Charlotte, along with her sisters Emily, Maria, and Elizabeth, was sent to the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire, a new school for the daughters of poor clergyman (which she would describe as Lowood School in Jane Eyre). The school was a horrific experience for the girls and conditions were appalling. They were regularly deprived of food, beaten by teachers and humiliated for the slightest error. The school was unheated and the pupils slept two to a bed for warmth. Seven pupils died in a typhus epidemic that swept the school and all four of the Brontë girls became very ill - Maria and Elizabeth dying of tuberculosis in 1825. Her experiences at the school deeply affected Brontë - her health never recovered and she immortalised the cruel and brutal treatment in her novel, Jane Eyre. Following the tragedy, their father withdrew his daughters from the school.
At home in Haworth Parsonage, Charlotte and the other surviving children — Branwell, Emily, and Anne — continued their ad-hoc education. In 1826 her father returned home with a box of toy soldiers for Branwell. They would prove the catalyst for the sisters' extraordinary creative development as they immediately set to creating lives and characters for the soldiers, inventing a world for them which the siblings called 'Angria'. The siblings became addicted to writing, creating stories, poetry and plays. Brontë later said that the reason for this burst of creativity was that:
'We were wholly dependent on ourselves and each other, on books and study, for the enjoyments and occupations of life. The highest stimulus, as well as the liveliest pleasure we had known from childhood upwards, lay in attempts at literary composition.'
After her father began to suffer from a lung disorder, Charlotte was again sent to school to complete her education at Roe Head school in Mirfield from 1831 to 1832, where she met her lifelong friends and correspondents, Ellen Nussey and Mary Taylor. During this period (1833), she wrote her novella The Green Dwarf under the name of Wellesley. The school was extremely small with only ten pupils meaning the top floor was completely unused and believed to be supposedly haunted by the ghost of a young lady dressed in silk. This story fascinated Brontë and inspired the figure of Mrs Rochester in Jane Eyre.
Brontë left the school after a few years, however she swiftly returned in 1835 to take up a position as a teacher, and used her wages to pay for Emily and Anne to be taught at the school. Teaching did not appeal to Brontë and in 1838 she left Roe Head to become a governess to the Sidgewick family -- partly from a sense of adventure and a desire to see the world, and partly from financial necessity.
Charlotte became pregnant soon after her wedding, but her health declined rapidly and, according to biographer Elizabeth Gaskell, she was attacked by "sensations of perpetual nausea and ever-recurring faintness." She died, with her unborn child, on 31 March 1855.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 23, 2022
One of Charlotte Brontë’s earliest works before she knew that commas even existed. I’m glad she learned how to use them by the time Jane Eyre was published. 10/10 for adorability.
October 21, 2023
The search after happiness 🌄~ 3 stars~
(21st of October - 21st of October)
This is a wonderful novel written by a 13 yearold Charlotte Brontë, it tells the story of O’Donnell who leaves his plush life on a mission to find true happiness, he then meets a man who is on a similar quest. A lovely and beautiful illustrated novel.
(21st of October - 21st of October)
This is a wonderful novel written by a 13 yearold Charlotte Brontë, it tells the story of O’Donnell who leaves his plush life on a mission to find true happiness, he then meets a man who is on a similar quest. A lovely and beautiful illustrated novel.
June 30, 2025
The appeal of the Bronte sisters is unquestionable. Three sisters growing up in a Yorkshire village, they each produced works of such quality, variety and individuality in their brief lives.
The Search After Hapiness (sic) was written by a 13 year- old Charlotte. I enjoyed the story and the young Charlotte's use of language and imagery, and could see the roots of her genius.
As a Bookseller I would highly recommend this book for those with an interest in the Bronte sisters.
The Search After Hapiness (sic) was written by a 13 year- old Charlotte. I enjoyed the story and the young Charlotte's use of language and imagery, and could see the roots of her genius.
As a Bookseller I would highly recommend this book for those with an interest in the Bronte sisters.
January 8, 2023
Out of my obsession with children’s literature comes my slightly tangential, newer obsession: literature by children.
Let me first say - I would not have been able to write anything this nuanced at 13. So take my rating with a grain of salt.
This was hard to review. The ideas it grapples with are heavy for a child: assuming that happiness is best and most wholly found in one’s own home is definitely a noble thematic pursuit, but knowing Charlottes upbringing to be one of isolation under the thumb of her father… it’s casts the world of this story in a new and more ominous light. And the motif of subservience to happiness was extremely eerie.
Also publishing this with all of the original misspellings and grammatical errors was an interesting choice.
tldr: I remain under the thumb of the Brontë’s genius, now and forever. Ultimately this was worth my time; it didn’t take much of it.
Let me first say - I would not have been able to write anything this nuanced at 13. So take my rating with a grain of salt.
This was hard to review. The ideas it grapples with are heavy for a child: assuming that happiness is best and most wholly found in one’s own home is definitely a noble thematic pursuit, but knowing Charlottes upbringing to be one of isolation under the thumb of her father… it’s casts the world of this story in a new and more ominous light. And the motif of subservience to happiness was extremely eerie.
Also publishing this with all of the original misspellings and grammatical errors was an interesting choice.
tldr: I remain under the thumb of the Brontë’s genius, now and forever. Ultimately this was worth my time; it didn’t take much of it.
September 18, 2016
I was excited when I found this book in a charity book shop, having not known it existed in print. In many ways it's not a well written story and it honestly makes me question if Charlotte Bronte knew what commas were. However I am glad I bought it, glad I was able to see a little more of Charlotte's writing journey
May 29, 2023
The book was very cute and well written, especially for a young writer like Charlotte. It was not the style of story I normally would read and I did find myself rereading a few passages here and there due to grammar errors left in by the editors to maintain genuineness, but I believe that adds to the story itself all the same.
June 16, 2020
This was a really interesting look at the early work of Bronte. Some of it was a little hard to follow grammatically (whether it was the version I read, or that's how it was written), but the core of the story was really good. For such a young mind, it was so wide with imagination and big ideas.
March 4, 2019
An imaginative little story written by a 13-year-old Charlotte Bronte. Not the greatest plot, but surprisingly creative for a nineteeth-century teenager sequestered in rural Yorkshire.
January 27, 2023
... he llegit l'edició sense editar sense voler.... no hi havia ni una coma en tota la història, qui coi ho publica així..... m'he tornat completament boja.
he de dir que no m'ha agradat ni l'he gaudit, més aviat m'ha avorrit bastant jsjsjsjs
és una història bastant estranya, estic patint per si no m'agradarà res de les germanes Brontë
he de dir que no m'ha agradat ni l'he gaudit, més aviat m'ha avorrit bastant jsjsjsjs
és una història bastant estranya, estic patint per si no m'agradarà res de les germanes Brontë
December 31, 2024
4.5 stars
This was beautifully written and it surprised me that it was written when Bronte was only 13. I was amazed at her prose and loved this short story.
It did lose a half a star because the storyline didn't always make sense and that was the only time I could tell her age. But it's definitely worth a read for the prose alone.
This was beautifully written and it surprised me that it was written when Bronte was only 13. I was amazed at her prose and loved this short story.
It did lose a half a star because the storyline didn't always make sense and that was the only time I could tell her age. But it's definitely worth a read for the prose alone.
August 3, 2017
This charming little book was fun to read. The fact that it was written by Charlotte Brontë at thirteen years old makes her all the more impressive. Her word choices at such a young age are delightful. I found little pearls of wisdom within these unedited, and frequently run-on, sentences.
October 24, 2023
She was THIRTEEN when she wrote this. I loved it. ❤️
April 22, 2025
4 stars
October 30, 2021
i didn't know what to expect when i started this.
and i honestly still have no idea what this very short book is about, but i kinda liked it!!
and i honestly still have no idea what this very short book is about, but i kinda liked it!!
June 6, 2019
I must say, Charlotte Bronte’s creativity at age thirteen surpassed my creativity at that age. But lest, this is still a tale written by a thirteen year old. There is very beautiful imagery, but plot wise it is not fully developed (not surprising). Unfortunately I believe that the publishers made a fault by publishing it with the original grammatical errors. I believe that the story would have been more pleasurable if it were edited prior to release. I do still think it is cool that I was able to read a book written so long ago from
the imagination of a child.
the imagination of a child.
January 11, 2015
I don't even remember anything that happens in this book. For a couple reasons:
1.) Practically nothing happens
2.) It took me eons to finish the dang thing
So I won't try to write much of a review. Sadly this wasn't the adorable little romp I was hoping it would be. Word to the wise -- never read a story written by one of your favorite authors when they were a child. The odds of feeling satisfied are very, very low.
1.) Practically nothing happens
2.) It took me eons to finish the dang thing
So I won't try to write much of a review. Sadly this wasn't the adorable little romp I was hoping it would be. Word to the wise -- never read a story written by one of your favorite authors when they were a child. The odds of feeling satisfied are very, very low.
November 1, 2013
This book is a sweet window into Charlotte Bronte's childhood. She wrote this story--a sort of fairy tale--when she was 13. The publishers have left most of her original spelling and sentence structure intact, so the reader can feel the youth of the author while enjoying her creativity. Fans of "Jane Eyre" will enjoy peeking back at an early story from the same author.
August 19, 2010
The first library I worked for, a small city library, had an incredible collection of old books and classics. I discovered this and it set off a Bronte frenzy. Which I've kind of had ever since Jane Eyre at 12.
June 24, 2008
Entertaining, but no good without previous Bronte experience.
July 7, 2013
A charming tale by Charlotte Bronte as a young girl...who couldn't spell! :)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews