A Review: "The Bronte Plot" by Katherine Reay

The third novel by Katherine Reay, "The Bronte Plot", follows the story of Lucy Alling. Lucy works for an antiques dealer and interior designer where she primarily manages the rare book collection. She often uses somewhat shady methods to achieve her goals, which eventually ruin a couple of important relationships in her life. She learns about her family history, and discovers that there are three generations of people in her family using similar shady methods for personal gain. After taking a trip to England with her ex-boyfriend's grandmother, she begins to find the courage to change and thus starts her redemption. She owns up to the choices she made and willingly accepts the consequences of her actions.

I found it difficult to really get into this book. The main characters really felt under-developed and a bit flat. The writing, while mostly good, jumped around and it felt like there were sections of it missing. The relationship between Lucy and her boyfriend, James, was a perfect example of this; it wasn't fully developed and was a little confusing at times. However, I did enjoy the section of the story pertaining to the trip to England. It was rich with literary references and made me want to dig into a Bronte novel. The descriptions of the sights were such that the reader could truly picture the scene.

I think "The Bronte Plot" was a decent read, and I liked the idea of the book. But the whole thing felt a bit flat and under-developed to me. Personally, I think Reay's best novel was her debut one, "Dear Mr. Knightley". I may try her future novels, but they are not must-reads for me.

(I’ve received this complimentary book through the BookLook program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)