The Brontės at Haworth [Hardcover]

Ann Dinsdale (Author), Simon Warner (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2006

The three Brontë sisters – Anne, Charlotte and Emily – moved to Haworth Parsonage as children in 1820. It was there, on the edge of the dramatic landscape of the Yorkshire Moors, that they produced some of the most memorable, influential and best-loved novels in the English language. Ann Dinsdale paints a detailed picture of everyday life at Haworth in the 1840s, recounting the Brontë family history and describing the local village and surrounding countryside. She goes on to consider the Brontës' poetry and novels in the context of their socio-historic background. This book provides fascinating insight into the lives of the authors of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights and will be a must for both literature students and Brontë admirers. It is illustrated with numerous rarely seen images from the Haworth archives, including drawings by Charlotte and Emily, together with evocative pictures by local photographer Simon Warner.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This gorgeously illustrated book explores the life of the Brontes in the context of the place in which they spent most of their lives: Haworth, a beautiful Yorkshire town replete with rolling hills and imposing churchyards. Dinsdale eschews traditional linear biography in favor of exploring separately the life, work, and legacy of each Bronte, including Maria Branwell, who died after giving birth to six children, and the two eldest but short-lived Bronte sisters. Although the chapters are concise, Dinsdale delves deeply into the Brontes' creative endeavors, from their childhood fancies about the imaginative kingdoms of Angria and Gondal, to their poetry and the works that made them famous, including Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. In accessible and engaging prose, Dinsdale draws from Elizabeth Gaskell's biography of Charlotte to illuminate the lives of the famous family, and Simon Warner's photographs capture the magnificent beauty of the moors the Brontes wandered and the sorrow of the cluttered graveyard just outside their house. A remarkable book that will without a doubt draw literature lovers. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

A lively, informative, accurate and up-to-date introduction to the family and its extraordinary life... the task of telling what many would see as a too-familiar tale is well accomplished, though in its accuracy and style this book may well prove a hard act to follow Bronte Studies

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0711225729
• ISBN-13: 978-0711225725
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 9.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #958,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Such a legacy out of so much sorrow!, May 25, 2007

By 

Richard B. Green - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Brontės at Haworth (Hardcover)

I just happened to find this book on our library shelf. I intend to purchase it as a gift this coming Christmas for my niece. What a lovely and heartbreaking and informative look into the lives of, especially, three young ladies (Charlotte, Emily, Anne Bronte) and the legacy they created within such a short lifetime...Charlotte dead at 38, Emily at age 30, and Anne at 29. The beautifully presented book contains so many intimate looks into the lives of the family...into the lives of the girls who gave us "Jane Eyre," "Wuthering Heights," and "Agnes Grey." The family seems to have been rife with talent and Ann Dinsdale lovingly and informatively creates a picture of lives cut short but legacies which continue 150 years after each left this earth. With this book as background, reading or rereading each of the girls' novels will be all the more a rewarding experience.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just like taking Haworth home with me, September 20, 2009

By 

Kelly Griffin "postcard woman" (mississppi) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Brontės at Haworth (Hardcover)

I was lucky enough to visit Haworth in June of 2007. I wanted a book that told a little about the Brontes and had wonderful pictures so I could remember my trip. I found it in this book! Gives a brief biography of each of the Brontes and a history of the village. The wonderful pictures really capture what I saw and when I pull this book out I get transported back to Haworth.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Look at Bronte's World, January 4, 2007

By 

Bear One (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Brontės at Haworth (Hardcover)

This is a beautifully photographed and well written book. The text has chapers on each family member as well as an overall history of the family.

I found it very interesting to read and felt it gave a good comprehensive look at the family and the times in which they lived without being too weighty or long and the photographs interspersed with the text add just the right touch. Recommended for all Bronte fans.