Learned By Heart: From the award-winning author of Room
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By Emma Donoghue
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‘A rich and spellbinding 19th-century story of forbidden love’ – Independent
‘Donoghue evokes a relationship that is convincing and exquisitely touching.’ – The Guardian
The heartbreaking story of the love of two women – Anne Lister, the real-life inspiration behind Gentleman Jack, and her first love, Eliza Raine – from the bestselling author of Room and The Wonder.
In 1805, at a boarding school in York, two fourteen-year-old girls first meet.
Eliza Raine, the orphan daughter of an Indian mother, keeps herself apart from the other girls, tired of being picked out for being different. Anne Lister, a gifted troublemaker, is determined to conquer the world, refusing to bow to society’s expectations of what a woman can do.
As they fall in love, the connection they forge will remain with them for the rest of their lives.
Full of passion and heartbreak, evocative and wholly unique, Learned by Heart is the beautiful and moving new historical novel from acclaimed author Emma Donoghue.
Shortlisted for the Atwood Gibson Prize
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Enjoyed this. It's a fictionalised account of Anne Lister (aka Gentleman Jack)'s time as a 14/15 year old at The Manor boarding school in York and her relationship with Eliza Raine. Amazing detail gives the story authenticity as we're shown a slice of life at the school.
