Charlotte Brontë, a leading literary figure of the 19th century, is best known for her gothic romance, Jane Eyre. Her novels often explore passionate love and complex morals through strong female characters.
If you enjoy reading books by Charlotte Brontë then you might also like the following authors:
Emily Brontë was an English novelist and poet, known best for her powerful novel Wuthering Heights. If you enjoyed Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, Emily offers another deep journey into complex family relationships, passionate emotions, and moody Yorkshire landscapes.
Wuthering Heights follows the intense bond between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, an orphan taken in by the Earnshaw family. Their relationship sets in motion a tragic story of desire, revenge, and heartbreak, spanning generations.
The wild, windswept moors create a vivid backdrop that matches the strong and turbulent feelings of the characters.
Emily Brontë's rich writing style and unforgettable characters make this novel a timeless classic, perfect for those who loved Charlotte’s individualistic heroines and intense storytelling.
If you enjoy Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, Anne Brontë might be an author you’d appreciate as well. Anne, the youngest of the Brontë sisters, wrote about strong, complex women facing tough real-life issues with courage and honesty.
Her novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall tells the story of Helen Graham, a mysterious young widow who moves into a crumbling old mansion with her young son. She’s independent and guarded, which makes her neighbours intensely curious about her past.
The novel explores themes of marriage, freedom, and betrayal, wrapped up in suspense and genuine emotion. Anne Brontë isn’t as widely known as her sisters, but her stories have a direct, realistic style and memorable characters that stay with you after you’ve finished reading.
Jane Austen was an English novelist known for her keen observations, rich character development, and penetrating wit.
If you enjoy Charlotte Brontë's exploration of complex characters and themes of love and society, you might appreciate Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice.
The story follows Elizabeth Bennet, a spirited young woman whose sharp wit and strong opinions challenge the manners and expectations of early 19th-century English society.
When Elizabeth encounters the proud and reserved Mr. Darcy, misunderstandings and judgments initially fuel conflict between them.
Austen skillfully portrays a journey toward self-awareness, romance, and social insight as Elizabeth navigates the subtle dynamics of family pressures and personal pride.
The novel vividly captures the delicate balance between societal expectations and individual desire, themes sure to resonate with readers who admire Brontë's work.
George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans, was an English novelist from the Victorian era known for her emotional depth and complex, realistic characters.
If you enjoy Charlotte Brontë’s exploration of strong-willed characters and emotional conflict, you might appreciate Eliot’s novel Middlemarch.
Set in a fictional English town, the book follows the interconnected lives of various individuals struggling with ambition, love, and societal expectations. At its heart is the idealistic Dorothea Brooke, whose choices lead her down unexpected paths of fulfillment and despair.
Eliot carefully examines the quiet drama of ordinary lives, illustrating that even small towns hold the seeds of profound human stories.
Books by Elizabeth Gaskell are perfect for readers who appreciate the intense emotional depth and realistic characters found in Charlotte Brontë's novels.
You might particularly enjoy North and South, which explores themes of class tension, industrialization, and personal growth in Victorian England. Margaret Hale, the main character, moves from a peaceful village in the south to a harsh manufacturing town in the north.
Her views and loyalties are challenged after she meets John Thornton, a strong-minded and proud mill-owner whose actions and beliefs she initially resents. As conflicts grow more heated and relationships complex, Margaret must navigate social divisions and her own prejudices.
Gaskell skillfully portrays both the hardships of working-class life and the struggles of personal conscience, drawing readers into Margaret’s journey toward understanding and reconciliation.
If you enjoy Charlotte Brontë's novels for their suspense, complex characters, and Victorian settings, Wilkie Collins may quickly become a new favorite. Collins was a master storyteller who wrote absorbing mysteries filled with hidden identities and family secrets.
His novel The Woman in White begins with Walter Hartright, a drawing master, encountering a desperate woman dressed entirely in white on a lonely road at night.
Intrigued by her mystery, he soon discovers she holds a terrible secret connected to the wealthy household where he is employed. Collins weaves together narratives from various characters, creating a story full of twists, tension, and unexpected revelations at every turn.
Charles Dickens was a British author whose novels vividly portray Victorian society and complex personal struggles, much in the way that Charlotte Brontë explored character depth and societal themes. One of Dickens’ notable works is Great Expectations.
It follows the life of Pip, an orphan raised by his strict sister and gentle brother-in-law, who unexpectedly finds himself the beneficiary of a mysterious fortune. Pip is thrust into London’s wealthy society, where he navigates friendships, betrayal, love, and social class.
Dickens’ sharp commentary on class discrimination and his focus on the individual’s personal journey through hardship and growth will resonate strongly with readers who appreciate Brontë's Jane Eyre.
Readers who enjoy Charlotte Brontë's exploration of complex characters and emotional depth will likely appreciate Thomas Hardy’s novels. Hardy’s works often highlight the challenges and tragedies faced by individuals in rigid social structures.
In his classic novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Hardy tells the story of Tess Durbeyfield, a young woman whose life changes dramatically after discovering she has noble ancestors.
However, her hopes for a better future soon come into conflict with society’s harsh moral judgments, leading Tess through heartbreaking struggles and difficult choices.
Hardy paints Tess’s journey with beautiful, haunting prose and careful attention to character detail, making the story unforgettable for its emotional honesty and powerful portrayal of social injustice.
Mary Shelley was an English novelist best known for her Gothic classic, Frankenstein. If you’re fond of Charlotte Brontë's complex characters and dark themes, then Mary Shelley’s work could be a good match.
Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist whose bold experiments produce an unexpected and terrifying outcome. As the story unfolds, readers follow Victor’s struggles with ambition, loss and regret.
His creation also faces its own heartbreaking journey—it’s lonely, filled with questions, anger and confusion. Shelley’s storytelling combines deep emotional insight with a spooky atmospheric mood, something fans of Brontë's Jane Eyre might particularly enjoy.
Louisa May Alcott is a novelist whose thoughtful and heartfelt stories explore family bonds, ambitions, and the challenges women faced in the 19th century.
Her famous work, Little Women, tells the story of four sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—who grow up in modest circumstances during the American Civil War. Each sister has a unique personality and dreams.
Jo, spirited and unconventional, struggles against the constraints placed upon women of her time, which will resonate with readers who appreciate the character depth and emotional complexity Charlotte Brontë portrays in Jane Eyre.
Alcott captures both the warmth and tensions within family life, portraying realistic struggles of self-discovery, sacrifice, and love.
Readers who enjoy Charlotte Brontë's atmospheric stories and rich character development may find Daphne du Maurier’s novels to be a strong match. Du Maurier often brings psychological depth and suspense into her tales, especially noticeable in her classic novel Rebecca.
The story follows a young woman who marries Maxim de Winter, a wealthy widower, and moves into his grand estate, Manderley. When she arrives, memories of Maxim’s mysterious first wife, Rebecca, haunt her new life at every turn.
The mansion itself becomes almost a character, filled with secrets, shadows, and hidden truths that slowly come to the surface.
Readers drawn to the emotional intensity and gothic tension of Brontë's work might appreciate how Du Maurier crafts suspenseful plots and complex characters.
Sarah Waters is a British novelist known for immersive stories set in Victorian-era England. If you enjoyed Charlotte Brontë's atmospheric novels, you might appreciate Waters’ Fingersmith.
The book follows Sue Trinder, an orphan raised among thieves, who gets involved in a scheme to defraud a wealthy heiress. As the two women’s lives become unexpectedly intertwined, secrets come to light, and loyalties shift.
Waters crafts rich, emotional scenes, full of tension and twists, within the vivid backdrop of 19th-century society. Readers who loved Brontë's layered characters and absorbing plots might find Fingersmith equally satisfying.
Readers who appreciate Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre may find Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea fascinating.
Jean Rhys, a Caribbean-born author with a graceful yet haunting style, tells the story of Antoinette Cosway, known later as Bertha Mason—the mysterious woman in Rochester’s attic in Brontë's classic.
Rhys adds depth and history to Bertha’s character as Antoinette grows up in the lush but turbulent atmosphere of colonial Jamaica. There, her complicated family past and the racism of her surroundings shape her experiences and identity.
Rhys weaves a story of isolation, betrayal, and the harsh truths beneath the surface of a paradise. Her narrative provides readers with an unforgettable new perspective on a character who often intrigued yet puzzled Brontë fans.
George Meredith was an English novelist from the Victorian era known for sharp wit and insightful observations about society and relationships. If you enjoy Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, you may appreciate Meredith’s novel The Egoist.
The story centers around Sir Willoughby Patterne, a wealthy young man admired by society but deeply self-absorbed and vain. His attempts at romance reveal comedic yet insightful critiques of ego and pretension in upper-class life.
Clara Middleton, an intelligent and spirited young woman, finds herself entangled in an engagement with Willoughby.
The novel explores her struggle to maintain independence against social expectations and emotional pressure, offering engaging, humorous commentary on Victorian courtship and society.
Anthony Trollope was a Victorian novelist who created richly detailed characters and explored intricate social relationships, qualities readers of Charlotte Brontë may appreciate.
His novel The Warden revolves around Mr. Septimus Harding, a kind-hearted clergyman who oversees an almshouse for elderly men. When a reformer attacks Harding’s comfortable income as unjust, a conflict emerges between moral responsibility and personal comfort.
Trollope’s portrayal of Harding is sensitive and complex, mirroring the character-driven depth found in Brontë's novels. Readers who enjoy Brontë’s realistic settings and thoughtful dilemmas will find similar appeal in Trollope’s engaging storytelling and nuanced characters.