The heartbreaking story of the love of two women – Anne Lister, the real-life inspiration behind Gentleman Jack, and her first love, Eliza Raine.

Full of passion and heartbreak, Learned By Heart is the beautiful and evocative historical novel from Emma Donoghue, the bestselling author of Room and The Wonder. Shortlisted for the Atwood Gibson Prize.

In 1805, at a boarding school in York, two 14-year-old girls first meet. Eliza Raine, the orphan daughter of an Indian mother, keeps herself apart from the other girls, tired of being picked out for being different. Anne Lister, a gifted troublemaker, is determined to conquer the world, refusing to bow to society’s expectations of what a woman can do. As they fall in love, the connection they forge will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

Born in Dublin in 1969, and now living in Canada, Emma Donoghue writes fiction (novels and short stories, contemporary and historical including The Pull of the Stars), as well as drama for screen and stage. Room was a New York Times Best Book of 2010 and a finalist for the Man Booker, Commonwealth, and Orange Prizes, selling between two and three million copies in 40 languages. Donoghue was nominated for an Academy Award for her 2015 adaptation starring Brie Larson. She also co-wrote the screenplay for the Netflix film of her novel The Wonder, starring Florence Pugh.

Note: this event will take place online as a Zoom webinar. A link to access the event will be sent to you the day before the webinar takes place.

Date: Tuesday 23 April

Time: 7pm-8pm

Online

Tickets: Free, donations welcomed

Age guidance: 16+