Brooke's Daughter

When Leslie comes to meet her father, Caspar Brooke, for the first time, she is keen to learn why her mother left him.

While living with him, Leslie sets herself the task of reuniting her estranged parents. In Sergeant’s typically observant style, the circumstances that surround Brooke’s separation from Lady Alice have as much to do with their characters as they have to do with a chain of events.

‘Brooke’s Daughter’ is an incisive exploration of human relationships and how a simple misunderstanding can change the course of someone’s life. In Caspar, we have one of the most appealing characters in Sergeant’s canon, despite her trademark criticisms of male Victorian values.

A fascinating and rewarding read, ‘Brooke’s Daughter’ is sure to delight any reader familiar with her body of work.




Emily Frances Adeline Sergeant (1851 – 1904) was one of the most prolific novelists of the 19th century. Born in Derbyshire, Emily was the daughter of Richard Sergeant, a Methodist missionary, and Jane Hall, a writer of children’s books. Jane published her stories under the name Adeline, which Emily was later to adopt.

During her lifetime, Adeline Sergeant wrote over 90 novels, including ‘The Story of a Penitent Soul,’ ‘No Saint,’ and ‘The Idol Maker.’ Many of her works explored the theme of religion, as her views changed from committed faith to agnosticism, and finally, to Catholicism.