High Life in Verdopolis by Charlotte Brontë

I found this in a used book store and was so excited--I hadn't ever thought about looking into procuring a printed copy of the Brontës' early shorter stories and novels! This novella is one story among many that the four siblings created using their own high society characters (essentially the ton, although the timing is a bit early for all that), who live in the Glass Town a.k.a. Verdopolis.

Do we ever learn anything about Verdopolis? Other than that there are buildings that shine and are quite glassy, nope, not really. But we sure do get to learn a lot about the community of aristos that inhabit the area. The story follows Lord Charles Wellesley (called Warner) as he engages in several social events with the goal of procuring a wife. A perfect wife. Along the way, he argues with or ignores his enemies, converses congenially with his friends, and discovers a light scandal or two. Neglected woman? Secret bastard child? Assassination attempt? His perspective as an observer connected to the main parties in these events is intriguing and has me thinking back to when I was a third party witness to others' dramas.

This is great evidence of the early practice that Charlotte had creating, using, molding, and directing different characters. When people talk about the Brontës' early collaborations--the literary worlds they created together--they make it sound like these are the immature stories of writers who would become great. Honestly, this was a pretty good story, regardless of the experience or refinement of the author. Several parts seemed two-dimensional, but with a lot left unsaid, I feel like that both reflected real life and lent credibility to the relationships and dialogues between the characters.

I was happy with this one. And I'll be darned if I'm not starting to go over to the dark side (liking Charlotte more than Emily). Nay, I'll never betray my favorite!!!

~7/10~