FIFTEEN WILD DECEMBERS

The new novel by the author of the highly-praised THE RIVER WITHIN
1842. Stubborn, free-spirited Emily Brontë would like to stay at home forever, but her sister Charlotte has other ideas.

Persuaded to travel with her to Belgium to further their education, Emily is certain that she will fail and lose her voice again, just as she did at the age of six, when their family was struck by tragedy. As poverty pulls them from their beloved Yorkshire home to earn their livings, all three sisters struggle, sensing themselves becoming invisible and unheard. But only Emily finds it impossible to walk the narrow paths allotted to her by society, returning broken and silent every time.

Far from home in Brussels, she feels herself beginning to fail once more, but by the time she returns home, Emily's voice is stronger than ever. As she and her sisters plan a way to take control of their lives, to make themselves heard in the world, Branwell, the bright, exuberant brother expected to help support the whole family, suffers a blow he cannot overcome. Before long, his pain is resounding throughout the household, threatening to drown out the voices of his sisters, and ruin their efforts to determine their own futures. Can Emily find the strength of will to guide her sisters through this new storm? And can old ghosts be laid to rest with the power of their own voices?

FIFTEEN WILD DECEMBERS is an evocative and affecting novel that explores themes including the power of the imagination, liberty — physical, sexual, spiritual, imaginative — sisterhood, the pull of home, and the power
of nature.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Karen Powell lives with her family in York and works at York Minster Fund.