Description
Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue is a historical novel inspired by real figures and set in an English girls’ boarding school in the early nineteenth century. The story centres on fourteen-year-old Eliza Raine, a student at the Manor School for Young Ladies in York in 1805. Born to an Indian mother and a British father, Eliza was sent from India to England as a child and now finds herself isolated, with no close family nearby and little connection to the world around her.
Her quiet and cautious existence changes when a bold and charismatic new pupil arrives at the school. The two girls quickly form a deep and intense bond that transforms Eliza’s life and challenges the strict expectations of their environment.
Drawing on historical sources and personal writings, Donoghue explores themes of identity, belonging and emotional attachment within the rigid social structures of the period. Learned by Heart offers a reflective portrayal of friendship, longing and the powerful impact that formative relationships can have during youth.
