Customer Reviews

The Brontes: A Life in Letters

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What have us slobbering Bronte fans done to deserve the work of Juliet Barker? Her biography of the Brontes is just terrific, and with this collection of letters, Barker has topped herself.

It's always difficult to review a book like this: so much of what makes the book wonderful is the quality of the letter writers themselves--and the Brontes were exceptional letter writers.

But Barker's editing and her selection shine in this volume. She tells us enough background information so that we understand the correspondence, but she doesn't bog us down with a lot of details (those she put in her biography, which I also recommend).

Unfortunately, the book focuses mainly on Charlotte, but only b/c she wrote the most letters. This is a fantastic edition of the Brontes letters. The letters themselves are so intriguing, it makes one wonder about the letters which have not survived. What would Charlotte, such a brilliant correspondant, have written to Arthur Bell Nicholls, the man who eventually b/c her husband? What would Emily, such a terse correspondant, have written to Charlotte while she was in Brussels. Barker attempts to balance the book by including Emily and Anne's diary papers. Patrick's letters humanize him, and Maria Branwell Bronte's letters are particularly touching.

The Brontes' lives were double distilled into fiction: once in their own writings and again in Mrs Gaskell's life of Charlotte. Juliet Barker did a wonderful job of resurrecting Patrick's reputation from Mrs Gaskell's character assasination in "The Brontes" and I do not see how this collection of letters for the general reader could be bettered. The editorial commentary is everything it should be and I think this book is a model of its kind. Incredible immediacy. I have never felt closer to Haworth Parsonage and its amazing inhabitants.

Having purchased this book on a whim, I was delighted to find it so captivating. Barker lets the letters speak for themselves, only occasionally jumping in to clue the reader in on the context of the letters.

The book is broken into chapters by groups of years or phases of happenings with the Brontes. The first part of the book is filled with the letters about the happenings and dreams of the Brontes. In the latter half of the book you get a strong sense of Charlotte's growing isolation as her family vanishes around her in a very brief period of time.

The tragedy of this volume is that there aren't more letters from Emily, Anne, and Branwell. However, through Charlotte's letters you get a strong sense of what her siblings were like (or at least Charlotte's perception of them).

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is researching the Brontes, or anyone who is just curious, as I was. It has made me want to go back and read Barker's first book on the Brontes, as well as others.

It is one thing to read a biographical account of the terribly short lives of the Brontes, it is quite another to read Charlotte's first-hand account of losing the people dearest to her. As I read her letters, I could sense the solitude at Haworth, feel the miserable weather, and hear the hollow ticking of the clock following each passing. The book is not all somber though. I am a new fan, and this book has left an indellible impression on me.

You hear people say, "This book changed my life"...well, this book definitely changed the way I LOOK at life. If you, even for a moment, feel life is tough nowadays, this book is a stark reminder of how GOOD we've got it. The Bronte kids mainly entertained themselves and each other, their mother having died at the age of 39 leaving six kids under the age of ten. Their Pastor father was quite liberal in that he brought lots of contemporary reading material home and let them read what they wanted to. He recognized that he had a houseful of intelligent, inquisitive children and was wise enough to provide stimulating fodder for their hungry minds. The book highlights Charlotte, and her private letters are a joy...we see a wickedly funny girl, loyal to her friends and family, desperate to avoid fame (she knew that models for some of her characters would be appalled...and she was right). The book is beautifully written and edited and thoroughly enjoyable. I have read it twice and will read it again (I've bought copies for three other family members as well).

I recommend this book to anyone who is a Bronte fan. Because the letters were written mostly by Charlotte, they are very eloquent and narrative in their descriptions. In her letters, the reader can relate to her feelings of loss and loneliness when Branwell, Emily, and finally Anne passed away. It is truly sad that these 3 sisters were not able to live long lives, and that Emily and Anne did not receive the accolade they deserved while they were alive.

Those of us who admire the Brontes and their works owe a considerable debt to Juliet Barker. The letters provide a window into the lives of this talented family - in their own voices.

Ms Barker has provided just enough information around the letters to enable the reader to understand the context. For those readers who want more information, I recommend Ms Barkers biography 'The Brontes'.

Highly recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

This is the one that, no matter how many other books you've read about the Brontes, is the best ever. The writer of this book doesn't hoard her knowledge, but shares it in such a way that the reader will be amazed that so much information has never before been made available to us common-folk. This book allows the reader to interpret, rather than tangle through spider webs.