This book is a celebration of the lives of one of the most famous families in English literature - Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte, who lived in Haworth, Yorkshire during the first half of the nineteenth century. The author has included a selection of the prose and poetry of all the sisters, which reflect their own experiences to give a vivid picture of their lives. This book is a fascinating introduction to the family and is well illustrated throughout, with paintings, drawings, memorabilia of Haworth and photographs of the surrounding landscape.
A very agreeable book, illustrated by "old" pictures - this was edited in 1986 - about... the Brontës and Haworth or the places nearby. I didn't learn anything particularly new (but I've been living with this family for decades, so it's no surprise) and it wasn't as much about the Brontës *and* Haworth as I expected, somehow I perused it with much pleasure. That said, it's not like they lived a hectic life all over the world !
This book is mostly for fans, I think 2021 readers would love something shinier and more colourful, and it comprises the following chapters :
- first a summary of the Brontës' lives,
- then each chapter is about the books they have written (poetry, novels), starting with Emily, then Charlotte and finally Anne. For each novel, you see the pictures of places that inspired the Brontës, or might have inspired them, and there are large excerpts - so if you haven't read any, don't read this book until you have completed them all !
There are pictures, photos, engravings on almost every page and the die-hard Brontë fan that I am loved reading it all. A nice change from Covid, but I think most people can do without it.
Sounds like the next best thing to visiting Haworth, which sadly is impossible for most at the moment. Even if not updated with shiny new pictures, I'm sure it has lots of great material.
ReplyDeleteIt's always good to see how opinions evolve when you read a book that was published earlier :)
DeleteYou are the go-to Bronte fan/expert. It seems fascinating to me. It might be a nice intro to me about the family ... does it talk about how they related to one another? Hope you are well there.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a Brontë expert... yet ^^ Juliet Barker is the one to go to, especially if you want to learn about their relationships. I haven't read her books yet but I'm dying to !
DeleteI've read some Bronte, but somehow this book looks fascinating and I'll pick it up when I have a chance.
ReplyDeleteFor an introduction to the Brontë world, it's a nice book :)
DeleteNot my cup of tea, but I'm happy you enjoyed it! :) It sounds like an interesting read for fans and people that like classics.
ReplyDeleteLindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
That's it, I'm not just a fan, I'm an addict ^^
DeleteI like any book that offers a different perspective on the Brontes. I think Elizabeth Gaskell's biog of Charlotte is my favourite. If only we had more information about Emily and Anne - letters or drafts maybe.
ReplyDeleteI agree, many people are mad at Charlotte for destroying whatever trace was left of them, but after all, she was their sister and wanted to protect their privacy, just like Cassandra did for Jane Austen. Still, we're widely curious, lol !
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