Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - Learned by Heart

This wonderfully researched historical fiction based on a true story explores the budding relationship of two young girls at boarding school in 19th century England--Eliza Raine & Anne Lister. It's a beautiful & heart breaking love story but I do think it's quite a slow read. If you aren't interested in character studies, especially if they're delivered with historical minutiae & strict attention to detail, then this might not be the book for you.

As someone who really enjoys reading about this time period and about historical queer people, I loved this book. It was carefully researched and I can tell that Donoghue took a lot of care in her characterization of both Lister & Raine. Be warned that this is not a story that ends happily so I don't recommend going into this if you're looking for a soft, happy romance.

Content Warnings

breanneporter's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I struggled through the first half, which I found very tedious and dull, but I’m really glad I persevered, as I really liked the second half. This is the fictionalized account of Eliza Raine and Anne Lister, who met and fell in love in English boarding school when they were only 14. It made me want to try to watch gentleman jack again (I watched one season but there was so much about her coal business and not enough lesbian fuckboy shenanigans, which is obvs why I was there). It’s tragic but beautiful, as are most tales of lesbian love before modern times, and If you can suffer through the tedium of the schoolgirls’ daily schedules and family lineages that make up the bulk of the first half, you’re in for a beautiful and emotional story of the intensity of first love.

I’m still thinking about

how Raine didn’t want to think there were other sapphic couplings (like I thought she would have) and instead described their love as their own invention - I just love that positive reframing of the fact that lesbian love was so unseen and undiscussed (and criminalized), to believe they had discovered, for the first time maybe, something so beautiful and life altering.

I think I’ll be thinking of that, and Anne and Eliza in general, for a while longer.

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kezharri's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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meliemelo's review

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

For a while, I thought this would earn five-stars. Unfortunately, it wasn't the sweeping romance I hoped for, even though from the first few pages it seemed written like one - although the author can hardly be faulted since, and I hadn't realized it until the last few pages (shame on me!), the whole novel is based on a true story. I'd love to get an exquisitely written, positive historical queer romance, someday.

Because it is beautifully written. I love Emma Donoghue's prose and found it very hard to put the book down most of the time. The ending felt a bit rushed, although it's easy to understand that the story was so contained by design. Reading the note afterwards, it seemed to me like the reader was meant to "fill the gaps" with their own knowledge of Ann Lister's story (or by reading said note), which I'm not sure is great practice in general.

I did love the "slice of life" aspect of a lot of the book, even aside of the romance, and the author's research seems to have been extensive, which I appreciate.

All in all, it's difficult to articulate what I felt about this book. Some parts of it made me slightly uncomfortable (on purpose), while others were magnificent. It's a rare case of loving the parts (so many beautiful lines!) more than the whole.

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Title: Learned By Heart
Author: Emma Donoghue
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: August 29, 2023

T H R E E • W O R D S

Fearless • Tender • Passionate

📖 S Y N O P S I S

In 1805 fourteen-year-old Eliza Raine is a school girl at the Manor School for Young Ladies in York. The daughter of an Indian mother and a British father, Eliza was banished to this unfamiliar country as a little girl. When she first stepped off the King George in Kent, Eliza was accompanied by her older sister, Jane, but now she boards alone at the Manor, with no one left to claim her. She spends her days avoiding the attention of her fellow pupils until, one day, a fearless and charismatic new student arrives at the school. The two girls are immediately thrown together and soon Eliza’s life is turned inside out by this strange and curious young woman.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Learned by Heart was one of my most anticipated 2023 releases (Donoghue is an auto-buy for me), so of course I had to make it my September selection for the personal book of the month project I've been completing this year. I went in completely blind having pre-ordered the book shortly after it was announced.

Anyone familiar with Emma Donoghue's writing will know she delivers deeply researched and distinctive historical fiction - this one was no exception. Impeccably researched and based on the true story of Anne Lister and Eliza Raine, it delivers on a topic I knew absolutely nothing about. The author's interest and knowledge of Anne Lister's story was evident, and the author's note offered even more insight into the matter.

Written in elegant prose and capturing the essence of the time period flawlessly, this novel explores what is at first an all-consuming friendship, eventually leading to first love. The pacing is quite slow, yet the character growth shines brightly. I really didn't have that much interest in the story itself, so there was a lack of investment on my part. I suspect having prior knowledge of the characters would have improved the overall reading experience. Additionally, for me, the letters really broke up the pacing detracting from my attention, even though they played an important role in the narrative.

On the whole, Emma Donoghue's writing shines in what is one of the more forgettable novels I have read from her. Similar to Haven the character depth is what truly stands out, especially as the plot takes a back seat, so this one will definitely not be for everyone. Unrelated to the novel itself, Learned by Heart delivers another stunning cover, something I've come to expect from her novels.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Emma Donoghue devotees
• historians with an interest in Anne Lister
• fans of historical fiction based on fact

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Love comes not when it's contracted for but when it will."

Content Warnings

abigailbat's review

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emotional informative sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

They were roommates.
This book started really slow and I was just starting to wonder when it was going to get gay and then it did. And then it got REALLY GAY. This is a fictionalized account of “the first modern lesbian” Anne Lister’s first love affair with her boarding school roommate Eliza Raine. Based on real people and events, Emma Donoghue has done an incredible amount of research (described in her truly fantastic author’s note) to piece as much of Eliza Raine’s early life together as possible. It’s a compelling story of first, ill-fated love. Recommended for fans of Gentleman Jack and Anne Lister stans.

Content Warnings

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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