The Secret

by Charlotte Brontë

A rollicking adventure from the Brontës’ imagined kingdom of Verdopolis, The Secret is a novel of intrigue, duplicity, and all-conquering love. Arthur, the Marquis of Douro, his beautiful wife, Marion, and their infant son lead a happy and carefree existence in the city of Verdopolis—until a chance encounter brings the youthful Marchioness’ childhood governess back into their lives. The meeting proves to be the catalyst for an increasingly tortuous series of events involving blackmail, imposture, and shocking revelations regarding the birth of the young Marchioness. Will the Marquis ever forgive his wife her secret? English novelist Charlotte Brontë is best remembered for her perennially popular novel, Jane Eyre.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Short Stories, British Literature, English Literature

123 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2006

About the author

Charlotte 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.

Reviews

[Andreia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neste livro reúne-se uma compilação de contos da autora, escritos na sua juventude.

Quase todos os contos decorrem no país criado pelos irmãos Brontë, o Reino de Angria, em África. As mesmas personagens aparecem em vários contos, em circunstâncias diferentes, o que também é curioso. As descrições dos espaços e das personagens estão impregnadas de luxo, de sumptuosidade.

Uma grande diferença destes contos para os romances da autora que já li ('Jane Eyre', 'Vilette', 'Professor'), que estará, parece-me, relacionada com a sua imaturidade, é a presença de descrições das personagens femininas como belezas incomparáveis, algo que desaparece nos seus romances, onde as personagens femininas são, sobretudo, mulheres nobres, corajosas, emancipadas, para a época em que vivem.

A sobrevalorização da beleza exterior de homens e mulheres em alguns destes contos, torna-os pouco interessantes, uma vez que os enredos também não são excecionais. Os finais demasiado abruptos também são uma caraterística destes contos.

Gostei sobretudo de "O segredo" e de "Lily Hart".

Uma leitura que entretém pela qualidade da escrita, que já lá está, independentemente das temáticas mais juvenis.

[Giulia · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 stelline. Poco appassionante e del tutto dimenticabile; i personaggi sono piuttosto piatti e stereotipati, ma ci sono tutte le attenuanti del caso, trattandosi di un racconto scritto in età adolescenziale. Si legge comunque velocemente e non occupa spazio nella vostra memoria.

[Gwynplaine26th · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nata nel 1816, Charlotte scrisse "Il segreto" all’inizio degli anni Trenta dell’Ottocento, quindi giovanissima. È un'opera acerba naturalmente, e quasi troppo breve anche solo per affezionarti ai personaggi (appena 79 pagine), ma che sorpresa ogni volta leggerne le opere giovanili, che sia la casa editrice Elliot che Flower-ed sovente rispolverano tra le nuove pubblicazioni!

[denudatio_pulpae]

Tak to jest, jak człowiek ma za dużo książek. Prawie pominęłam "Sekret", dopiero wczoraj wpadł mi w oko na półce. Chociaż szczerze mówiąc, nie byłaby to aż tak wielka strata.

"Sekret" to coś w stylu "Niedokończonych opowieści", tyle że zbiór ten zawiera młodzieńcze utwory Charlotte, a nie te nieskończone. Całość jest niewielka objętościowo, strony zapisane wielkim drukiem, a historie proste i przyjemne. Oznacza to, że można się z książką uporać w jeden wieczór. Całość traktuję bardziej jako ciekawostkę, która raczej powinna być skierowana do pasjonatów i wielbicieli twórczości sióstr, chociaż i przypadkowemu czytelnikowi żadnej krzywdy nie wyrządzi. Można czytać, nie... ugryzie.

[Marlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the first few stories in this collection. They grabbed my attention instantly and held it until the end. However, towards the end of the book, I found many of the stories less interesting. Definitely worth reading if you like classics and specifically if you like Charlotte Bronte.

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

More of Charlotte Bronte's juvenalia. It is a jam packed Verdopolis-o-rama.

[Miriam Coraci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breve ma intenso! Un piccolo romanzo di poche pagine in cui Charlotte Bronte descrive un segreto che cela la protagonista. Le pagine sono intrise di ansia per questo peso che deve portare e che deve nascondere al marito e alla di lui famiglia. È stata una piacevole e curiosa lettura, tipica delle sorelle Bronte. Non dò il massimo perché il finale è stato superficiale: visto che non è scontato, l'autrice poteva scrivere molto di più e, a mio parere, sarebbe stato apprezzato.

[Vrona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pierwsze dwa opowiadania 4*, reszta 2-3*

[Tess Liebregts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I could write like Charlotte Bronte. This juvenilia shows her great potential as a writer. She has such a beautiful way with words and her stories are so exciting. So intriguing. I love her interest in the supernatural. Give me more.

Oh, how I wish her to be alive, so I could speak with her. I love this book, because it gives me a piece of her mind. I just wish I could have insight in all of it.

[Smiley III · Rating 5 out of 5]

It DOES something to ya! (Changes your "PRIORITIES," and all!)

[J.A.C Workplace · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secret by Sarah Henley is a thrilling novel that follows a multimillionaire, Paul Grayson, and Lynda Hill's whirlwind romance and the challenges they face.

Paul saw Lynda as she passed his shop. He ran out to meet her, and they collided with each other. It was love at first sight, and he proposed to her shortly after. Lynda was an author, and she just came out of a troubling and abusive relationship that left her with physical and emotional scars. During her book signing, her abusive ex, Ian, disrupted the event, killing people. Paul gallantly entered the scene to protect Lynda, killing Ian in the process and gravely injuring himself. Little did they know there were more challenges up ahead. Along with these challenges, Paul carried a huge secret. What could it be?

I love the vivid and descriptive writing style. Henley effortlessly describes the setting and characters, fully immersing the reader into the story. I could easily see Paul's love and selflessness and Lynda's vulnerability and trauma as she struggled to open herself up to love again. Henley easily conveys complex emotions and themes. She brilliantly uses words to show the intensity of the characters' experiences and situations. During the action scenes, I felt like I was right there, experiencing everything first-hand.

Henley uses this book to tackle topics like trauma, abuse, and identity. She explored the trauma that Lynda endured. She shed light on the long-lasting impact that abuse has on victims. I saw the fear, anxiety, and struggles Lynda went through. Henley's depiction is raw and honest, and you can't help but feel empathy for not only Lynda but all the women out there going through the same ordeal. Through this book, Henley shows us that love can be used as a healing tool. We could see how Paul's love for Lynda transformed her and helped her heal from the scars of trauma. The love between them was beautiful to read about. It was a real and beautiful portrayal of two people working through their struggles together.

This book has a lot of positive aspects, but what I will consider as drawback were the grammatical errors. These mistakes disrupted the flow of my reading. This book would benefit from another round of editing.

Regardless of this reason, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. This is a beautiful novel that explores different forms of love. I highly recommend this book to avid readers of romance novels.

[Federica Stramieri · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Il Segreto di Charlotte Brontë" ci offre un'affascinante immersione nel primo universo creativo delle sorelle Brontë, rivelando in particolare il talento precoce di Charlotte. Ambientato nel mondo immaginario di Verdopolis, questo racconto si distingue per la sua trama intricata, ricca di intrighi e colpi di scena che preannunciano la maestria narrativa che Charlotte svilupperà nelle sue opere più tarde, come il celebre "Jane Eyre".
Il libro ci porta nell'esistenza apparentemente idilliaca del marchese Arthur, della sua bellissima moglie Marian e del loro primogenito, una famiglia che viene scossa dal ritorno della figura oscura dell'istitutrice Foxley. La sua comparsa innesca una serie di eventi che trasformano la vita dei protagonisti in un vortice di menzogne e doppiezza. Questo elemento narrativo non solo crea un intenso dramma, ma serve anche come veicolo per esplorare temi di potere, manipolazione e resilienza, specialmente attraverso le figure femminili che emergono con indipendenza e forza.
Charlotte Brontë, già in quest'opera giovanile, dimostra una sorprendente capacità di costruire personaggi complessi e una trama avvincente. Il suo stile, con chiari tratti gotici, arricchisce la narrazione, rendendola visivamente potente e emotivamente coinvolgente. La rievocazione di un mondo tanto riccamente dettagliato quanto completamente frutto della sua immaginazione è un chiaro segno del suo genio letterario in formazione.
"Il Segreto di Charlotte Brontë" è quindi un tesoro per gli amanti della letteratura classica e per i fan delle sorelle Brontë. Offre non solo un intrigo gotico appassionante ma anche un illuminante sguardo alle radici creative di una delle più grandi scrittrici dell'era vittoriana. La novella è un esempio precoce di come temi complessi e personaggi intensamente realistici possano essere tessuti insieme in una trama che ancora oggi, a distanza di secoli, riesce a catturare l'immaginazione del lettore.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to review as it was never intended for public consumption and is akin to trying to review the stories that any of us might write for fun or escapism as youngsters. And as Charlotte was also young when writing this, her writing is obviously not as accomplished as her later works, which were intended for public enjoyment.

That said, I really enjoyed the first two stories and while they were resolved quicker than I might have hoped for, they were intriguing and contained the hallmarks of later themes such as secrecy, differences in social standing, and the power that people hold over each other.

Like others, I didn’t enjoy the last few stories as much, especially the script. I also found it somewhat confusing that the same characters were used in different stories but without continuity and with slightly differing names. It only made sense to me to imagine that these were the same characters but in alternate universes or timelines, which is perhaps what Charlotte intended, but I would have preferred the stories to be continuous and tie together more smoothly. Clearly I’m not the only one who was confused by this as even Salley Vickers gets the names confused.

[Odette · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting little collection. Highlights for me were moments of witty humour, and an interesting insight into Charlotte Bronte's changing adolescent literary views on her romantic masculine ideals. The works are mostly very adolescent in tone, but Charlotte's flowery writing contains some really clever lines here and there.

It's interesting to peek into Bronte's young view of class politics, where she to entirely subscribe to a paternalistic worldview.

Not worth reading if you're not interested in the early writing development of the great author before she wrote anything good.

[Alison (Marie) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This was a good read. It wasn’t groundbreaking in any way, but it was thoroughly interesting. To see where Charlotte Brontë’s writing began was fascinating. The stories foreshadow her later, famous works and you can see her working on the ideas that will become those works’ backbone in them. I really liked how the stories followed the same characters but in what felt like alternate universes. It made it easy to stay connected to the characters even though each story was more or less it’s own separate plot.

[Isa (Pages Full of Stars) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have very mixed feeling about this collection of stories. On one hand, I appreciate that the Bronte siblings wrote these when they were still young and it showed their potential in storytelling. But on the other hand, I only truly like two of the short stories. I think that I prefer their adult works to this.

[Emily Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very small story but the rich and old fashion soap opera is very present. The foreword by Salley Vickers puts it best, you can see the characters of Jane and Lucy coming to life slowly and it is very cool to see. I also found it interesting to see how gothic and dark Charlotte’s writing was originally (closer to withering heights).

[Lucia A. Tramontana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Racconto breve ma coinvolgente, adoro i classici, ma quelli della Brontë hanno sempre una vena tragica, che discende per poi risolversi nel migliore dei modi. Si sa che in fondo lei punisce i colpevoli elevando gli innocenti. Eppure ogni racconto porta con sé quel tanto di soddisfazione perché giustizia è stata fatta.

[Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seppur breve, un piccolo gioiello.

[Riccardo Mainetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un breve e appassionante racconto appartenente al #ciclodiangria che mette in luce le straordinarie abilità narrative di Charlotte Brontë.
Altamente consigliato!

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting if you're familiar with Brontë, as a sort of further insight into her later works. Not as well worked as e.g. Austen's juvenilia, but a quick, readable little volume.

[Paulina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5☆

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this short story by Charlotte Bronte at the library entirely by chance and, even if it's clear it was an earlier work and not particularly memorable, it was a good read nonetheless.

It is set in Verdopolis, an imaginary kingdom created by the Bronte siblings, where they set many of their earlier works. I didn't know about it and so I was very interested and afterwards I was delighted to learn more about it, so I'm grateful to this little novella for introducing me to it.

As for the story itself, I found the plot and the gothic themes quite entertaining, with some outrageous ideas (the idea that two women, close friends, wanted to exchange their babies after the birth!).

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esta obra é uma compilação de alguns dos contos que Charlotte Bronte criou em conjunto com o seu irmão Branwell, durante a sua infância/juventude. Os contos centram-se na imaginária Verdópolis, cidade situada em áfrica e contam os amores e desamores do Marquês do Douro, da sua amada Marian, da irascível Lady Ellrington, entre outros.

Claro que são contos muito simplistas, onde se notam ainda lacunas na escrita. No entanto, estão preenchidos por muito romance, aventura e por algo que é de se admirar: Charlotte e os irmãos conseguiram criar um mundo fantástico e complexo, povoado por personagens fixas que vão saltando entre os diversos contos. Não posso deixar de imaginar uma jovem Charlotte, enfiada com os irmãos naquele seu minúsculo quarto de brincar, e a ler estes contos para deleite e crítica dos outros.

Segue-se 'O feitiço'... mais contos da juventude de Charlotte.

[Alessandro Argenti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Racconto piacevole seppur davvero troppo breve.

[Phil Syphe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of all Charlotte Brontë's childhood writing I think the title story and a couple of others presented in "The Secret" are amongst her best. Of the six featured tales, only the last two failed to impress me.

But of course it's important to remember that these stories were never intended for publication, thus it would be unfair to criticise Charlotte.

I read early works such as this volume because I really like the three Brontë sisters' famous novels and am fascinated by their own history. Therefore, if you're a Brontë fan this is worth checking out, but if you're only half interested in one or two of their famous books and are not too bothered about the authors' lives then this most likely won't be appealing.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

IL SEGRETO DEL SUCCESSO

In poco più di 50 pagine, Charlotte Brontë crea un racconto estremamente godibile che mi ha tenuto sulle spine per tutta la sua durata. Alla fine, non ho potuto fare a meno di esclamare: "Che carino, però!", dove l'interiezione finale esprimeva il mio rammarico non soltanto per la brevità, ma anche per l'abbondanza dei clichés tipici del romanzo vittoriano. Fortunatamente, l'autrice è riuscita a disporre questi ultimi in una maniera estremamente innovativa, che sarebbe poi diventata la sua cifra distintiva e la chiave del suo successo. Infatti, servendosi di espedienti quali la narrazione in medias res e l'effetto ritardante, la Brontë massimizza in un sol colpo l'aura di mistero, la curiosità del lettore e la sorpresa finale.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Def. not my favorite Charlotte Bronte books. I have read numerous of her books and never had a problem with the language. Although this book was 1/2 the amount of pages of all of her other books, it was a much slower read for me due to the language. I also the storyline didn't quite pack quite the punch or have quite the "gothicness" of the other books of hers, with the exception of Shirley.

[Tita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um pequeno livro de contos interligados entre si e que contam a história de amor entre o Marquês do Douro e Marian. Estes contos foram escritos em conjunto com o seu irmão, durante a sua juventude, sendo por isso histórias simples, mas no entanto os irmãos Brontë conseguiram criar um mundo - Verdópolis - como também personagens que são fixas ao longo destes contos.
Não foi um livro que me agradasse totalmente mas foi um bom entretimento durante um par de horas.

[Sofia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nesta colecção de contos juvenis não se encontra nenhum traço daquilo que se conhecerá mais tarde dos irmãos Brontë (apesar do nome de Charlotte na capa, os contos foram escritos em colectivo pelas três e pelo irmão). É muito, muito juvenil e ligeirinho, um pouco silly. Não me agradou particularmente, mas também não detestei. É neutro.