Parents' Guide to

Always Emily

By Darienne Stewart, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Fact, fiction entangled in lively Brontë sisters mystery.

Always Emily Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 8+

Based on 1 parent review

age 8+

A epic movie about my daughter, Emily

She likes Curious George

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Michaela MacColl roots ALWAYS EMILY in the true story of the Brontë family, and the result will either delight or irritate readers who treasure Emily and Charlotte Brontë's work. MacColl imagines the sisters as 19th-century Nancy Drews, caught up in intrigue by chance and solving the mystery with pluck and determination. For readers who have yet to encounter Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights, the novel may provide some insight into how the authors' lives shaped their novels … or it may muddy their understanding of the real Brontë sisters.

Biographical concerns aside, it's an enjoyable story with appealing heroines. The denouement is hardly revelatory, but getting there is so absorbing it almost doesn't matter.

Book Details

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