Jean Bray

Archivist Jean Bray uses the letters and papers of Lady Emma Dent (nee Brocklehurst), the 19th century chatelaine (Through marriage) of Gloucestershire's Sudeley Castle. The author crafts a perfectly acceptable Life from said resources, but it's not particularly interesting to the average reader. Locals, people with a huge interest in the Dent-Brocklehursts and their castle, may seize on details of how the Beech Avenue was laid out, and minor points of the family's life, but this is not a biography which brings the character vividly to life, and it all falls a bit flat. Read in preparation for a planned trip to Sudeley next week,… (mer)