The Madwoman Upstairs
by Catherine Lowell
About the Book
In Catherine Lowell’s smart and original debut novel, the only remaining descendant of the Brontë family embarks on a modern-day literary scavenger hunt to find the family’s long-rumored secret estate, using only the clues her eccentric father left behind, and the Brontës’ own novels.
Samantha Whipple is used to stirring up speculation wherever she goes. Since her father’s untimely death, she is the presumed heir to a long-rumored trove of diaries, paintings, letters, and early novel drafts passed down from the Brontë family—a hidden fortune never revealed to anyone outside of the family, but endlessly speculated about by Brontë scholars and fanatics. Samantha, however, has never seen this alleged estate and for all she knows, it’s just as fictional as Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights.
Yet everything changes when Samantha enrolls at Oxford University and long lost objects from the past begin rematerializing in her life. Her father’s distinctive copy of Jane Eyre, which should have perished in the fire that claimed his life, mysteriously appears on Samantha’s bed. Annotated in her father’s handwriting, the book is the first of many clues in an elaborate scavenger hunt derived from the world’s greatest literature. With the help of a handsome but inscrutable professor, Samantha must plunge into a vast literary mystery and an untold family legacy, one that can only be solved by decoding the clues hidden within the Brontës’ own writing.
To learn more about this book and see our review, go HERE.
About the Author
Catherine Lowell received her BA in Creative Writing from Stanford University, where she was awarded the Mary Steinbeck Dekker Award for Fiction and received two Stanford University Arts Grants.
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Giveaway Details
Two winners will each receive a copy of the book.
Entering is simple, just fill out the entry form below. Winners will be announced on this site and in our monthly newsletter (sign up now!) within 30 days after the giveaway ends.
During each giveaway, we ask entrants a question pertaining to the book. Here is the question they’ll be answering in the comments below for extra entries: What do you think of the cover & synopsis?
I love this cover, it’s absolutely gorgeous. The soft colors and the shadow silhouette are so beautiful and eye catching. The synopsis also sounds so exciting. I loved Jane Eyre when I first read it for a college course and the idea of there being more to that story and more to the Bronte writings sounds like an adventure.
I love this! I love books that mix fiction and non fiction. The cover is gorgeous I’d definitely pick this one up to check it out.
You had me at Bronte! Also I’m loving the color combination used for the cover.
The cover is very reminiscent of the style of covers used for “the classics” which fits nicely with the story involving the Brontes.
The summary is very interesting. It reminds me a bit of Fforde’s “Thursday Next” books. It definitely sounds like a book I’d enjoy.
This storyline is right up my proverbial alley, and I think the cover is very well designed! Thanks for the chance to win! 🙂 Kara S
I would love to win this book. Great cover!
I Love these colors, they pop against the black silhouette. Love the ink pot and feathers.The synopsis is enough to make me want to read it! I love witty characters 🙂
Beautiful cover and the synopsis sounds great!
The cover is perfect and old-fashioned in a modern way. (If that makes sense!) I will read anything about the Brontes and this sounds really interesting!
Very well designed cover. Sounds like a good read.
I adore the cover and I am really intrigued to read this.
A very unusual book. I can’t wait to read this.
The Mad Woman upstairs sounds great ♡ I would love to read this book. Thank you
I love the cover!
I love the cover: the inkwell and feather pens let me know that I’m about to go on a literary journey.
I love the cover as it ties to the old literary styles and this is perfect based on the synopsis! I love humor in my reads and I also enjoy when literary characters are brought to life in a twist.
I absolutely love the cover, and I have been dying to read it since I first heard about it. I love and devour anything and everything by and about the Bronte sisters!!!