The Brontë siblings struggle to support themselves and their family. While Anne and Bramwell work as teachers for a wealthy family, Emily and Charlotte look after their father and their home. Emily has been taking walks on the moor since childhood. During one of her walks, she meets a man who lives alone in a stone cottage on the moor. After Emily's death, Charlotte tries to find out who he was and what role he played in her sister's life.

I really like the book's mix of fact and fiction. What I appreciate most is that the facts were given the most space and then spiced up with Emily's story. Of course, it's hard to know exactly what the sisters were thinking and feeling at the time, but the story feels as if it could have happened.

I'm a little dissatisfied with the ending. Maybe because my personal interpretation of what happened didn't feel right. The "right" answer isn't entirely clear. As a whole, I like the book a lot. It was a nice evening read before bed.

Award-winning author Stephanie Cowell has done it again: taking a classical and beloved subject and reinvigorating it with innovative mystery. Lovers of the Brontës’ passionate writings have long-wondered how a reclusive and virginal woman like Emily Brontë could create such a complex man as Heathcliff and a tortured love affair as she did in “Wuthering Heights”. Was there something more to Emily than the public and/or literary sleuths discovered? Stephanie Cowell bravely tackles this question by presenting an intriguing explanation: Emily had a secret love interest in the form of a Scottish stranger who lives in an isolated stone cottage a long hike from the Brontë parsonage in the English countryside. Cowell infuses this intriguing love story amid the comings and goings of the fascinating Brontës, by alternating the point of view between Emily and her older sister, Charlotte. The characters come achingly alive in seemingly effortless prose, and their tragedies remind us of the utter waste of such promising and creative young people. The bonus to this profound story is the depiction of the women’s making of a novel: the compulsive drive, the imagined conversations, the constant rejections, the grief at the loss of the world once finished, plus the dazed aftermath of disbelief that your compulsive work is finally published. Brontë aficionados and those who are new to this amazing family will love this wondrous book. I highly recommend it.

"The Man in the Stone Cottage," by Stephanie Cowell is a historical fiction novel based on the lives of the Bronte sisters. Told from both Emily and Charlotte's perspective, the novel begins shortly after Charlotte returns home from Brussels to Haworth, England in December 1843. The Bronte sisters, Anne, Emily and Charlotte, along with their brother, Branwell, are all talented writers who have been dreaming up stories since their childhood. Their father, Patrick Bronte is the town pastor and patriarch of the family. Though the family has a modest income, Charlotte is especially worried about how to support the family if and when their father is replaced by a new pastor.

The novel delves into the lives of each Bronte sibling - Branwell’s struggle to find a fulfilling career, Anne’s role as the peacekeeper, Emily’s guarded personality and Charlotte’s fears of the family losing everything they have. Emily has a penchant for wandering on the moors and in so doing meets a mysterious and intriguing man she’s instantly drawn to. He is the man in the stone cottage, Emily’s secret, one she only ever shares with one sibling. Charlotte decides that their writings from over the years will be the ticket to their security. Their two works of art, “Jane Eyre” and “Wuthering Heights,” become the products of this decision.

This novel is extremely well researched and a very enjoyable read. The beginning was a little slow for me to get into, but as the plot got going, it was difficult for me to put down. I chose to read this because “Jane Eyre” is one of my favorite novels. Though this novel is historical fiction, it was fascinating to learn so much more about Charlotte and Emily. I had no idea the extent of their family and the circumstances surrounding the creation of two novels that would become so well-loved and popular that they are still widely read almost 200 years later.

I would highly recommend this novel to anyone that loves classic literature and loves Charlotte or Emily Bronte.

I received this eARC from Netgalley, because I liked the synopsis!
This book was actually very interesting and entertaining to read, exploring the devotion between sisters, and the secrets that can be kept between them or from each of them.
I couldn’t resist picking it up and I do not regret that, the story is almost accurate to history, but it’s very colorful And elegant.
This book was heartwarming, heartbreaking and extremely enjoyable all at the same time, I very much recommend it to anyone interested in historical fiction, female authors throughout history, and the Brontë sisters.

This historical fiction novel takes us into the world of the Brontë sisters. The sisters faces love and loss on their path to becoming famous writers.

I really enjoyed this. The writing was beautiful and it felt like a very realistic imagining of the Brontë sisters lives. I thought that Charlotte and Emily had beautiful well fleshed out storylines. I did wish we got to know a bit more about Anne though. I also had a bit of a hard time getting into the story at the beginning but once it picked up I had a hard time putting it down. A must read if you are a fan of the Brontë sisters writing!

Thank you to NetGalley and Regal House Publishing for the advanced copy.

The Man in the Stone Cottage is a brilliant imagining of the lives of the Bronte sisters. Concerning Emily, shy and wild wanderer of the moors, the book asks: did she have a secret lover who she met in her wanderings? I enjoyed the speculative portion of the story. Surely Emily met someone on the moors, if only in her dreaming mind. Charlotte's well of creativity was firmly grounded in the earth of poverty and romantic heartbreak and the struggles to keep her family fed. Anne's success as a writer wasn't as great as that of her sisters; I wish she was more developed in the book although it's true we know little about her. This book was a thoroughly enjoyable read! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!