kathrynwilliams's review
4.0
This was an accessible biography written for a young adult audience. It was a great read after I finished all the published Bronte novels.
akingston5's review
"Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! - I have as much soul as you, - and full as much heart! "
***
If you don't know much about the Brontës, this young adult biography does a beautiful job covering their lives and work, from cold boarding schools to publishing best sellers of the day under pseudonyms to be taken seriously. Truly, this was such a wonderful October treat.
***
If you don't know much about the Brontës, this young adult biography does a beautiful job covering their lives and work, from cold boarding schools to publishing best sellers of the day under pseudonyms to be taken seriously. Truly, this was such a wonderful October treat.
erin_oriordan_is_reading_again's review
4.0
Outwardly, the three Bronte sisters who lived long enough to see their poetry and novels published did not lead very exciting lives in the small northern English town of Haworth. Inwardly, these daughters of an Irish-born clergyman who lost their mother at an early age seem were gifted with incredibly fertile imaginations. In the female-repressive atmosphere of mid-19th century Victorian England, they used their novels to rebel against overly restrictive social conventions, shocking readers of their day and ensuring that their books would live on long after they were gone. Sadly, they were all gone too soon - Emily wrote only one novel, the masterful 'Wuthering Heights,' Anne produced only two novels, and Charlotte, the only Bronte sibling to have ever married, lived long enough to complete four novels. We can only imagine what they would have written if the family hadn't been ravaged by tuberculosis.
lectriza's review
4.0
My aunt gave this book to me years and years ago and I never even started it. At the time I wasn't at all interested in the Bronte sisters. I had attempted to read Jane Eyre once at age 11 and become bored out of my mind.
But! I'm so glad I picked this up (finally) and gave it a shot because it was really interesting and might be the kick I need to get me to finish Wuthering Heights (more recently attempted). I might even try rereading Jane Eyre.
It was a nice light read for a biography and got me interested in the subject matter. So success, I would say.
But! I'm so glad I picked this up (finally) and gave it a shot because it was really interesting and might be the kick I need to get me to finish Wuthering Heights (more recently attempted). I might even try rereading Jane Eyre.
It was a nice light read for a biography and got me interested in the subject matter. So success, I would say.
froydis's review
4.0
This was a very well-written book detailing the lives of the Bronte sisters. It's written for a young adult audience, so is simple and straightforward. The facts are augmented by samples of poetry and plot descriptions of the sisters' works. It left me thinking about how tragically short their lives were, and what they may have written had they lived longer.
herlifewithbooks's review
4.0
Well, now I want to read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.
In related news, I think I really dig this kind of teen literary biography. The biography bits focus on the parts of the author's life that will eventually influence their novels. When their novels are finally published, the chapters that describe the plot are almost climactic - all the little pieces of the biography coming together. It's an enjoyable structure and almost always makes me want to read the novels described.
In related news, I think I really dig this kind of teen literary biography. The biography bits focus on the parts of the author's life that will eventually influence their novels. When their novels are finally published, the chapters that describe the plot are almost climactic - all the little pieces of the biography coming together. It's an enjoyable structure and almost always makes me want to read the novels described.
cydneydaniel's review
4.0
I really really love the work of the Brontë sisters. Jane Eyre was my first introduction, then Wuthering Heights, then Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I have Shirley, Villette, and Agnes Grey on my Kindle because I know that I will eventually read them. I'm a little obsessed, but anyone who has had a conversation with me about books will tell you that I have to bring up Jane Eyre. It's that book I always come back to when I say any other book is my favorite: "Oh, but I LOVE Jane Eyre..." "It's hard to pick a favorite, but Jane Eyre..."
What little I had learned about the more famous Brontë siblings before reading this book was limited. I knew they all died young, their three other siblings died even younger, and they published under pseudonyms to keep their sex a secret, which obviously wasn't uncommon in Victorian England. This little biography gave me such a sweet, simple view of their lives and I loved it. Honestly. I learned a lot I didn't know about these talented young women, including that Charlotte helped introduce the name Shirley as a woman's name (I thought that was interesting). When I finished, I was genuinely sad about their endings. That such beautiful talent was lost so young is so devastating to me. I can't imagine what Charlotte, Emily, and Anne would have accomplished both together and separately if they had lived to be old women. We might have even had fantasy-like books based on their childhood writings games about their made up countries!
Anyway, if you're interested even a little to learn about the Brontë women, this would be a decent little place to start I think. I definitely plan to read more, especially after looking at the books listed at the end of the bibliography.
What little I had learned about the more famous Brontë siblings before reading this book was limited. I knew they all died young, their three other siblings died even younger, and they published under pseudonyms to keep their sex a secret, which obviously wasn't uncommon in Victorian England. This little biography gave me such a sweet, simple view of their lives and I loved it. Honestly. I learned a lot I didn't know about these talented young women, including that Charlotte helped introduce the name Shirley as a woman's name (I thought that was interesting). When I finished, I was genuinely sad about their endings. That such beautiful talent was lost so young is so devastating to me. I can't imagine what Charlotte, Emily, and Anne would have accomplished both together and separately if they had lived to be old women. We might have even had fantasy-like books based on their childhood writings games about their made up countries!
Anyway, if you're interested even a little to learn about the Brontë women, this would be a decent little place to start I think. I definitely plan to read more, especially after looking at the books listed at the end of the bibliography.
crizzle's review
5.0
I loved getting to learn about the brief lives of the Bronte sisters! I marked this as "to read" when it came out in 2012; I recently requested it on our South Dakota Overdrive library and they got it in for me! So much I didn't know: their mother died when Anne was a baby, they had two older sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, who died while attending their cruel boarding school, and their brother Branwell lived a sad life as an addict, losing job after job while the girls quietly worked hard as undercover authors (and stints as governesses). The sisters chose pseudonyms to go by: Anne, Emily, and Charlotte went by the manly monikers Acton, Ellis, and Currer Bell so they wouldn't have to deal with the discrimination they would as women authors in the 1800s. These girls were feminists! In the firestorm that ensued upon the release of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, Charlotte reminded readers that "conventionality is not morality". Readers struggled with these books because never before had they seen such frankness from female protagonists, nor were prim and proper Victorians accustomed to reading about the harsh realities and disfunctionalities of life. I read Jane Eyre as a thirteen year old and loved it... as an older teen I tried getting into Jane Austen and couldn't stand it. I felt redeemed when I read that Charlotte Bronte couldn't, either! "Her business is not half so much with the human heart as it is with the human eyes, mouth, hands and feet." So sad finding out that Patrick Bronte outlived not only his wife, but all six of his children. Within eight months, Charlotte lost Branwell, Anne, and Emily to tuberculosis; they were 29-31 years old. Charlotte only lived 38 years. This was a short and fascinating book, just like the lives of these quiet, smart, strong women.
ihaz's review
5.0
This was such a beautiful and touching book, to the extent that I can’t deny it made me cry like no other non-fictional book ever did. I’ve wanted to learn more on the Brontë-sisters having known only fractions of their lives, but I think this book gave me so much insights and made me admire them more, that I’m planning on (re)reading their other novels soon again.