The Madwoman Upstairs, Catherine Lowell
The Madwoman Upstairs, Catherine Lowell
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

The Madwoman Upstairs
A Novel

Author: Catherine Lowell

Narrator: Katie Koster

Unabridged: 11 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/01/2016

Synopsis

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 the family but endlessly speculated on 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.For readers who devoured The Weird Sisters and Special Topics in Calamity Physics, The Madwoman Upstairs is a suspenseful, exhilarating debut by an exciting new talent who offers a moving exploration of what it means when the greatest truth is, in fact, fiction.

About Catherine Lowell

Catherine Lowell received her BA degree in creative writing from Stanford University, where she was awarded the Mary Steinbeck Dekker Award for Fiction and received two Stanford University arts grants. She is the vice president of content creation at the Ivy Company.

About Katie Koster

Katie Koster grew up in the town of Eastchester, New York, and attended Boston College, where she majored in theater and math. After college, Katie returned to her New York and embarked on the full-time two-year acting program at the William Esper Studio, studying the Meisner Technique under Joel Rooks and Suzanne Esper. She continued her vocal training by studying privately with Carolyn Paulus, acting in musicals, and joining a Swedish choir. More recently, she has discovered a love for improv, puppets, and Los Angeles, where she now lives.

Reviews

Goodreads review by karen on July 07, 2018

when i first heard about this book, i was delighted and thought, "someone has written a book just for meeeee!" brontës?? check! scavenger hint? check! campus setting? check! and yet. the book is fine, but it did not delight. it's being compared to Special Topics in Calamity Physics, and that's a real......more

Goodreads review by Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede on February 09, 2017

And here comes the "real review" or technically speaking me trying to write something that isn't 100% gushing over how much I love the book and failing completely... Samantha Whipple is a bright young girl whose loss of her father a couple of years ago still pains her a lot. She is however not an orp......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer (Insert Lit Pun) on October 17, 2017

This book isn't perfect, but it's perfect for me. It's EVERYTHING I wanted, plus things I didn't even know to ask for. Smart, snarky, funny, surprising, moving. Prepare for some serious love in my next video wrap up.......more

Goodreads review by Diana on August 14, 2016

Jane Eyre ♥ and Wuthering Heights ♥ are two of my favorite novels, so I couldn't pass this one up. THE MADWOMAN UPSTAIRS is about the last living Brontë descendant, and her quest to find the family's missing literary estate - if it actually exists at all. Samantha Whipple is a new student at Oxford.......more

Quotes

“A mystery, a love story, and a very dark comedy…about the traces that literature and our ancestors leave in us, and it is about memory as a token of love.” Charles Baxter, New York Times bestselling author

“You’ll find yourself laughing out loud even as she lures you deeper and deeper into this delicious mystery.” Anne Fortier, New York Times bestselling author

“Quirky characters and unpredictable plot twists make The Madwoman Upstairs a charming and memorable read.” Deborah Harkness, New York Times bestselling author

“Part mystery, part picaresque, Catherine Lowell’s The Madwoman Upstairs is a smartly conceived first novel.” Elle

“[A] father’s legacy sets the scene for gothic intrigue…in Catherine Lowell’s irresistibly clever Oxford debut.” Vogue

“For those who like their Brontë with a side of wry, turn to the hilarious The Madwoman Upstairs.” USA Today

“[A]piquant paean to the Brontë sisters.” New York Times Book Review

“Smart, clever, and properly Gothic…Deftly, Lowell combines a rollicking treasure hunt with a wickedly dark story.” Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“A delightful reminder that how we read fiction matters.” Stanford Magazine (California)

“Narrator Katie Koster’s charming performance sweeps listeners into this well-paced story…Koster’s impressive emotional range captures Samantha’s complex personality. She flawlessly portrays the girl’s cheekiness as a cover for embarrassment and insecurity and perfectly captures her other emotions as she learns more about her famous cousins, her father’s youth, and her own heart. Using an expressive, relaxed style, Koster connects listeners to the fun of Samantha’s adventures. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.” AudioFile

Awards

  • LibraryReads Pick
  • Indie Next List
  • New York Times Pick
  • Library Journal First “Writes” of Spring Pick
  • USA Today Pick
  • AudioFile Earphones Award
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