Book Review: Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue

This rather unsettling story is of rascism, class, a woman’s ‘place’, rigid rules of conduct and gender. It is of Anne Lister and Eliza Raine, two young girls in a boarding school in England between 1806 and 1815. Donoghue writes it in letters from Eliza to Anne with four chapters telling the story of school life. In the late 1700’s, Eliza and her sister Jane, were borne of mixed parentage in India, and sent ‘home’ to England when their father died. Little is known about their mother. They were put in the care their father’s colleague, a Dr. Duffin. 

Eliza enters Miss Hargrave’s Manor School, a girl’s school, before Anne Lister. When Anne Lister comes to the school, full of mischief, energy and knowledge, Eliza’s life changes dramatically. By apparent accident, the two girls share a room they called ‘the Slope’. It was just big enough for two cots and had a sloped roof. Anne immediately fell in love with Eliza but their intimate relationship developed slowly. Eliza had been raised with little knowledge of relationships, let alone with someone of the same sex. There were whispers about other older single women, but for the girls the Manor School it was unimaginable.

Emma Donoghue is graphic about the Eliza and Anne’s private relationship, but also stories the lengths they had to go to keep it a secret when with their classmates. Anne, raised with two brothers, was rough and tumble and disliked following such rules. Eliza was the one who seemed to keep a check on Anne. If they were out on the grounds on their own, it was a much more difficult task. Eliza had fun those times, but always afraid of being caught doing inappropriate things, like climbing old ruins that Anne seemed to know the history of. In their last escapade, Anne broke her leg. Because she could not be cared for at the Manor, she was sent home.
The girls continued writing to each other, however Eliza, her heart broken, realized that Anne had many more relationships and theirs was not to be.

Of interest is the Author’s Note following the end the novel.  Eliza Raine, Anne Lister and many of the characters in Learned by Heart are historical figures. Donoghue details the research she has done these characters. She has imagined the possible story between the two girls in Victorian, England and they challenges they faced at such a difficult age and time.

“the only lesson I learned, or at least the only lesson I remember, was you.”

~ Emma Donoghue, Learned by Heart

Title: Learned by Heart

Author: Emma Donoghue

Copyright: 2023

Publisher: Harper Avenue, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Type: Fiction

Format: Hard cover

ISBN - 9781443470315  (hard cover)

ISBN - 20230460410 (Canadiana - ebook)

ISBN - 9781443470322 (ebook)

LCCN - PS8557.O559 L43 2023