A review by cydneydaniel
The Brontë Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne by Catherine Reef
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.