The Brontë Sisters

Gr 8-11–A solid, well-researched biography of the three sisters who wove astonishing fiction out of circumscribed lives while their feckless brother destroyed himself with opium and alcohol. Reef's research is evident in the extensive bibliography; quotations abound, nicely woven into the text and used as chapter headings. But she presumes readers' familiarity and interest. She opens the chronological narrative with the family's arrival at Haworth, an isolated parsonage in a small village on the desolate moors in the north of England. The deaths begin almost immediately, first their mother, and then two sisters, malnourished and ill-treated at school and wasting away from tuberculosis. This may be enough to draw some teens into the girls' lives; others, not already acquainted with Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights, might need a clearer reason for reading on as the Brontës immerse themselves in imaginary worlds and fail, time and time again, in the real one in their short adulthoods. Eventually, the author provides extensive plot summaries of their works, pointing out where their art made use of their unhappy experiences. Black-and-white illustrations include stills from movies, portraits of family members (done by the subjects), and other images from the time. Libraries already owning Karen Smith Kenyon’s shorter The Brontë Family (Lerner, 2002) might not need this title, but fans will appreciate the additional detail. Kathleen Issacs