The Brontes
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Trade in The Brontes for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Plus, get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Book Description
* Abacus reissue of Juliet Barker's unrivalled biography of the Bronte sisters, revised for this edition
Product Description
The story of the tragic Bronte family is familiar to everyone: we all know about the half-mad, repressive father, the drunken, drug-addicted wastrel of a brother, wild romantic Emily, unrequited Anne and 'poor Charlotte'. Or do we? These stereotypes of the popular imagination are precisely that - imaginary - created by amateur biographers from Mrs Gaskell onwards who were primarily novelists, and were attracted by the tale of an apparently doomed family of genius.
Juliet Barker's landmark book was the first definitive history of the Brontes. It demolishes myths, yet provides startling new information that is just as compelling - but true. Based on first-hand research among all the Bronte manuscripts, many so tiny they can only be read by magnifying glass, and among contemporary historical documents never before used by Bronte biographers, this book is both scholarly and compulsively readable. THE BRONTES is a revolutionary picture of the world's favourite literary family.
'As a work of scholarship it is briliant . . . For those with a passion for the Brontes, or for Victoriana, or for sheer wealth of historical minutiae, it is a stupendous read' INDPENDENT ON SUNDAY
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The common view of the Bronte family is virtually demolished by this magnificent piece of biographical genius. Brilliantly researched, it produces instead a more convincing, and far more interesting picture of this gifted family. The scope of the book is huge, hence its length, but always the scale is that of a small, introverted family. The events of the outside world are viewed from this perspective and the results are detailed enough to satisfy the scholar and well written enough to make it an excellent read in its own right. For fans of the Bronte sisters this is pretty much an essential purchase, but I also recommend it to anybody interested in biographies, Victorian literature or nineteenth century history. It has been highly praised in the press, and well deserves all of the plaudits it has received.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Refreshingly, this chunky biography is written like a story not a log book. Logical and thorough it is, but not obsessed by data; chronology is used intelligently where it adds value to the point being made: for socio historical context etc. There's a perfect balance between facts, inference and insight, all convincingly proven and argued. The schism in Charlotte, illustrated through her very different relationships with Mary and Ellen is particularly fascinating. Anne and Emily remain heart-breakingly shadowy figures but this book gets you closer to them than you'll have been before. You soon feel really close to all the subjects - there's a truly human touch to the writing which brings history alive. The best thing about this book though is the affinity between the author and her subjects; a family drawn with the understanding and warmth of a female observer. Be warned though, this book will make you long to set off to Haworth right away.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I absolutely love this book from cover to cover and would recommend it to all Bronte enthusiasts and am not ashamed to say that I welled up as Barker wrote of each of the siblings untimely deaths. Unlike other books, Barker does not veer towards pure speculation, particulary where Anne and Emily are concerned as sadly there is so little known of them compared to their older sister. I particularly enjoyed the chapters concerning Branwell Bronte, the childrens imaginary kingdoms they so lovingly wrote and also Patrick Brontes early life.
I understand that Juliet Barker used to work at the Bronte museum and obviously she has spent years painstakingly researching not only the principle Brontes but also, their parents, aunt and even family history.
I intend to read other biographies/histories (not to mention this one again) written by this author as you are guaranteed a superb read.
Many Bronte fans will choose to read the more well known but occasionally flawed biography as written by Elizabeth Gaskell who was a contemporary and friend of the family, but Juliet Barker provides a much more realistic representation of the family. A must-read.
I understand that Juliet Barker used to work at the Bronte museum and obviously she has spent years painstakingly researching not only the principle Brontes but also, their parents, aunt and even family history.
I intend to read other biographies/histories (not to mention this one again) written by this author as you are guaranteed a superb read.
Many Bronte fans will choose to read the more well known but occasionally flawed biography as written by Elizabeth Gaskell who was a contemporary and friend of the family, but Juliet Barker provides a much more realistic representation of the family. A must-read.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Getting Lost in the Detail
Up until now, I have found the book rating and review system on Amazon a very reliable guide to the quality of the work. Read more
Published 7 months ago by flora burns
Superb!
I finished this book yesterday.
How strange it seems to me not to read about the Brontes (and Charlotte above all) any more! Read more
How strange it seems to me not to read about the Brontes (and Charlotte above all) any more! Read more
Published 10 months ago by Ennio Piantato
A Bronte biography to end all Bronte biographies
In addition to agreeing with all the other reviews and to avoid reiterating, I would just like to say if you are at all interested in the Brontes and toying with buying a... Read more
Published 11 months ago by G. Eddleston
The Real Brontes
I have read many accounts of the Bronte family, from Mrs Gaskill, Phyliss Bentley, Winifred Gerin to the feminists' interpretations, but this is by far the best book I have read. Read more
Published 13 months ago by R. Sykes
A "must read" book!
This is probably the best biography I've ever read - and I've read quite a few. It's hard to imagine there will be another Bronte biography in the next generation or so because not... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Martyn Beardsley
A must for any Bronte reader
I bought this as I studied the Brontes at University and expected it to be dry and tedious. It was anything but! Read more
Published 16 months ago by E. Hinman
Read this NOW!
Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights are two of my most favourite books, but I have to admit I knew little about their authors apart from the fact that they died tragically early and... Read more
Published on 9 Dec 2009 by mooingzelda
The biography of a family
Barker sets out very clearly her thesis that the Brontes have to be taken as a family rather than as individuals, and that's what this book gives us. Read more
Published on 2 Aug 2009 by Roman Clodia
The acceptable face of revisionism
The Bronte story has been plagued by biographers (some of them cranks) who transferred their own prejudices and fantasies onto the family and, frankly, made up a lot of nonsense. Read more
Published on 3 Mar 2007 by Mykool
How to Write a Biography
If you want an example of how to write a biography, this is it. It is a sweeping look at the Bronte family and their literature, and it also contributes to the social and... Read more
Published on 4 July 2006 by Nestor
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
