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Parkin acquires two books from debut historical novelist Helen Moffett

Zaffre, the flagship adult fiction imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired two books from debut historical novelist, Helen Moffett.

Kate Parkin, Managing Director of Adult Publishing, acquired world rights to Charlotte and a second novel from Oli Munson at A.M. Heath.

Charlotte tells the story of Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth Bennet’s closest friend in Pride and Prejudice, and will publish in 2019.

Helen Moffett said: “When I studied Pride and Prejudice at university, I always wondered about the character of Charlotte. If you were a poor, plain and not particularly accomplished woman reaching a dangerous age, what were your options? And so the seed of Charlotte was sown. To have this story – my first novel – published by Bonnier Books UK is literally the fulfilment of a dream. I’m beyond excited.”

Compelling, rich and immersive, Moffett’s novel speaks of the intimate lives of women, about grief, about maternal love, about friendship and passion and escape, while at the same time offering a deliciously subversive narrative.

Kate Parkin – Managing Director, Adult Publishing

Parkin commented: ‘For lovers of Jane Austen, Charlotte Lucas’s marriage to the unctuous Mr Collins is one of the perennial puzzles of Pride and Prejudice. How could a sensible young woman like Charlotte voluntarily shackle herself to such a pompous bore? In Helen Moffett’s tender and thoughtful exploration of Charlotte’s choices, we come to understand exactly the bargain she has struck and its consequences.  Compelling, rich and immersive, Moffett’s novel speaks of the intimate lives of women, about grief, about maternal love, about friendship and passion and escape, while at the same time offering a deliciously subversive narrative. Just as Jo Baker’s superb Longbourn told the hidden story of the Bennet family servants, so Charlotte reveals the shocking depths of dependency of ordinary women on a pitiless patriarchy.”

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