The Early Life of Miss Anne Lister and the Curious Tale of Miss Eliza Raine: Gentleman Jack

Two young girls pledge undying love, marry each other secretly and promise to live together when they reach the age of twenty-one - but nothing works out as planned. This tale of Georgian England is from real diaries and letters revealing two women whose circumstances changed beyond belief. If you're looking for the sedate world of Jane Austen you won't find it here. This is the wild world of nineteenth century northern England made famous by the Bronte sisters who lived nearby. Eliza Raine may well have been their model for Mrs Rochester in Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre', while Anne Lister was depicted as 'Shirley' by Anne Bronte. Anne Lister was born in 1791 and started life as the eldest daughter of a poor branch of a landed family. Her diaries from 1806 to 1840 reveal her daily life, her lesbianism and her many love affairs. In this book she uses secret code to record her first love affair with Eliza Raine, the beautiful, rich half-caste daughter of an East India Company surgeon and his native wife.