The Madwoman Upstairs

A Novel

By: Catherine Lowell

Narrated by: Katie Koster

Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

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 be solved only by decoding the clues hidden within the Brontës' own writing.

For listeners 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.

©2016 Catherine Lowell (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"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... Using an expressive, relaxed style, Koster connects listeners to the fun of Samantha's adventures." (AudioFile)

Inspirational

This book has made me want to read more and read everything. I wish I had the time.

Good story

I enjoyed the overall story and the reading was good as well but I found it to be unnecessarily wordy throughout. Overall I did enjoy it and would recommend to others.

great story with great narration.

I loved the story and the narrator was great too. I don't like to say more because I hate when reviews give away the story.

Enjoyable!

First time in a long time I’ve really related to a randomly selected title on audible! If you’ve ever been in the midst of the Brontë mystique or even in the environment of academia, you’re in for a treat!

Excellent in every way!

This is a very special book…unique and interesting as well as fun and sassy. The narration is absolute perfection. Characters and story are beautifully developed. Did I mention the “perfect” narration!
Guaranteed enjoyable!

My Favorite Book.

What made the experience of listening to The Madwoman Upstairs the most enjoyable?

The story is PERFECT. I identified so much with the protagonist. It's hysterical, heart-warming, a mystery, and you straight-up LEARN so much about literature/the Bronte sisters/reading. Also, Katie Koster is SO GOOD at narrating this, I literally have listened to this audiobook 5 times in the past year (got it on CDs from the library, but used my credit to listen to it a fifth time....)

Extremely Captivating!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I loved this book, the youthful and whit of the main character Samantha and the storyline captivated me from beginning to end, loved it!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Samantha Whittle with her unexpected dialogue.

What does Katie Koster bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Youthful, funny, dry

Who was the most memorable character of The Madwoman Upstairs and why?

Samantha Whittle

Marvelous

Intelligent, witty, charming, thought provoking. Ms. Lowell's courage in taking on the Brontes was worth it. Wonderful character development. Samantha's outlook on life, literature, family and herself made me laugh out loud.

Yyyyyyyeeeeeesssss!

I got this book because I thought the story sounded interesting and I was willing to take a chance in it, fully prepared to be utterly disappointed. I. Was. Not. This is a charming story full of memorable characters and a somewhat lighthearted mystery. It was well-written (despite some odd Anglo-Ameri phrase discrepancies (although told from the perspective of an American, some of the phrases she uses are very English so I was a little confused by the author's choices there), and well-performed. There were one or two atrociously mispronounced words but nothing that really rendered the book unlistenable. I would recommend this book to almost anyone.

unexpectedly delightful

This was a free title and one that I had no particular interest in or any familiarity with but decided to give it a try. It is well written historical fiction and nicely performed. Definitely give it a try.