"Watson, a specialist in the Brontës, has produced a gripping testimony into the enduring problems that all biographers face in pursuit of their art. The Invention of Charlotte Brontë is a useful book for anyone who wants to understand the twists and turns, revelations and silences, and endless revisions by which a literary legend endures.”

– Kathryn Hughes, The Wall Street Journal

"Nearly 200 years later, literary historian Watson delves into Brontë’s letters to deliver a clear-eyed portrait of the beloved 19th-century novelist."

– The Washington Post

"In this riveting biography, Graham Watson interrogates how Charlotte Brontë’s story came to be written, shedding new light on not only the Victorian writer but the construction and nature of biography itself."

– Bio Plutarch Award Commitee

 "An intelligent and impassioned account."

– The New York Review of Books

"This choral approach reveals how Charlotte, so crushingly shy, dutiful, observant, and fierce, presented herself differently to different people, persevered in spite of constant adversity, and dealt with fame. Here, too, is an engrossing chronicle of Gaskell’s heroic battles to research, write, publish, defend, and, under ferocious pressure, revise her biography. With the gravitas of scholarship and the magnetism of fiction, Watson shines new light on two extraordinary writers."

–  Booklist, starred review

"Literary scholar Watson explores in his vivid debut biography the mystery and sensation that surrounded Charlotte Brontë. Piecing together letters collected from Brontë’s friends, family, and publishers, Watson deftly shows how the painfully introverted Brontë manipulated anecdotes from her 'comfortless childhood' into 'a story of self-justification and self-glorification honed over years.' This fast-moving account of literary fame satisfies."

– Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Deeply researched account of the novelist’s final years and the furor that greeted Elizabeth Gaskell’s biography of her friend. An essential addition to the vast shelf of Brontëana." 

– Kirkus Review, starred

"This absorbing and original study of Charlotte Brontë explores her later life, her legacy, and the troubled writing of her biography by acclaimed Victorian novelist Elizabeth Gaskell. The Invention of Charlotte Brontë peels away more than a century of Brontë myth to reveal the complex woman at the heart of it, and the supreme act of friendship and fortitude it took to tell her story to the world."

– BookBrowse

"Brontë specialist Watson’s first book is written with a narrative designed to feel fictional, almost Gothic and atmospheric, yet accurate and responsible, with facts anchoring the figurative language and flow. Well-researched and beautifully paced."

–  Library Journal

"One great strength is Watson’s attentiveness throughout to the psychological complexities of Charlotte’s burgeoning intimacy with Gaskell. Gaskell problematically resolves to champion her but instantly betrays her confidence. It would be tempting to cast Charlotte Brontë as a victim, but Watson is also careful to point out that Charlotte herself seems to have indulged in self-mythologizing. Watson offers up a measured, highly elastic, and refreshing interpretation of their dynamic, one which absolves neither of creative fabrication but also allows both agency in the gradual construction of Charlotte Brontë’s legacy. Watson’s narrative succeeds in conveying a sense of the great, unalleviated grief as well as burning female anger.”

– Dr. Lydia Craig, Bronte Studies