A literary biography of Charlotte and Emily Brontë's crucial formative period in Brussels, where Charlotte fell deeply in love with their tutor Constantin Heger.

In this fascinating historical narrative, prominent Brontë scholar and Brussels resident Helen MacEwan recounts the transformative time Charlotte and Emily Brontë spent in Brussels that shaped them into becoming the celebrated writers they are known as today.

In 1842, 5 years before they would become bestselling authors, Charlotte Brontë and her sister Emily arrived in Brussels. They were there to improve their French and German, but the years they spent in a pensionnat being taught by the charismatic Constantin Heger would do much more than polish their languages. It was a crucial turning point for both their writing and their personal lives. Each came away from Brussels a more mature and capable artist; Charlotte, having fallen lastingly in love with Heger, left with a broken heart and the inspiration for 2 novels, The Professor and Villette.

Drawing from original primary sources including student essays, Charlotte's letters and novels, as well as research into the Brussels of the time, MacEwan weaves a dynamic tale of a formative period in the lives of these 2 monumental writers. She tracks the influence of their Brussels years through their writing, giving insight into their artistic formation and painting a vivid picture of the bustling 19th-century city that opened the sisters' eyes to life beyond Haworth Parsonage.

Eye-opening and immersive, this literary gem is a treat for Brontë ethusiasts and fans of literary biographies such as Jane Austen at Home and Dickensland.