When Leslie comes to meet her father, Caspar Brooke, for the first time, she is keen to learn why her mother left him.
While living with him, Leslie sets herself the task of reuniting her estranged parents. In Sergeantâs typically observant style, the circumstances that surround Brookeâs separation from Lady Alice have as much to do with their characters as they have to do with a chain of events.
âBrookeâs Daughterâ is an incisive exploration of human relationships and how a simple misunderstanding can change the course of someoneâs life. In Caspar, we have one of the most appealing characters in Sergeantâs canon, despite her trademark criticisms of male Victorian values.
A fascinating and rewarding read, âBrookeâs Daughterâ is sure to delight any reader familiar with her body of work.
Emily Frances Adeline Sergeant (1851 â 1904) was one of the most prolific novelists of the 19th century. Born in Derbyshire, Emily was the daughter of Richard Sergeant, a Methodist missionary, and Jane Hall, a writer of childrenâs books. Jane published her stories under the name Adeline, which Emily was later to adopt.
During her lifetime, Adeline Sergeant wrote over 90 novels, including âThe Story of a Penitent Soul,â âNo Saint,â and âThe Idol Maker.â Many of her works explored the theme of religion, as her views changed from committed faith to agnosticism, and finally, to Catholicism.