The Book Ending Of My Brilliant Career Is A Gut Punch

Your next period drama obsession has arrived — this time, by way of 1890s rural Australia. Based on Miles Franklin’s 1901 novel of the same name, My Brilliant Career follows a spirited teenager, Sybylla, who aspires to be a writer. Frustrated by family expectations and gender mores, she doesn’t ever want to marry. But much to her confusion, she does fall in a kind of love. (Yes, Little Women fans will adore it.)

As you dive into the new Netflix series (streaming now), here’s a peek at the book ending and plot summary of My Brilliant Career.

Told from Sybylla’s POV, the novel begins with the teen describing her family’s hard life of dairying in the fictional town of Possum Gully. Bewildered by her daughter’s bold behavior and desire for independence, Sybylla’s mom sends her to live with her grandmother in Caddagat. Here, she’s accepted by her relatives and discovers a zest for life.

She turns down the affections of several men, but takes a liking to a neighbor named Harold Beecham. They become close friends, and Harold ultimately proposes, but convinced that she is ugly and not good enough for him, Sybylla plans to end the engagement before ever saying “I do.” After Harold loses his fortune, Sybylla reverses course — thinking that he’ll need her as a poor man — and the pair arrange to marry in four years if no one else catches their eye, giving Harold the chance to build up his finances again.

In this time, Sybylla is sent away from her happy life in Caddagat to serve as a governess to pay off some of her father’s debts. But she soon experiences intense mental distress, which convinces her family to let her come back home to Possum Gully.

Sybylla’s younger sister Gertie, whom she regards as perfect and more beautiful, is eventually sent to Caddagat. Through letters, Sybylla learns that Harold is wealthy again and has repurchased his home. He’s also become close to Gertie. When Harold pays a visit, Sybylla believes he plans to ask for the family’s blessing to marry Gertie.

However, she’s all wrong: Harold only sees Gertie as a kid, and still wants to marry Sybylla. In fact, Sybylla admits her desire to be a writer — which she acknowledges would scare many men away — and Harold is only encouraging. But alas, out of her aversion to marriage and her belief that Harold can do better, Sybylla maintains that she cannot be with him. She resigns herself to the realities of life at home, of supporting her family and looking after her drunk father. In further letters, she learns that Harold has gone traveling to America.