Published in the U.S. under the title Charlotte and Emily (which begs the question-what about Anne?) this beautiful novel takes you inside the cold, damp but deeply imaginative life of the Bronte sisters. It’s a compelling read for Bronte fans, best undertaken just before a visit to the parsonage in Haworth, Yorkshire where you can marvel at the doll like size of one of their dresses, which an eight year old girl would struggle to fit into these days. Goodness me, did these people not eat their vegetables?? Fortunately it doesn’t seem to have affected their ability to sustain a rich interior life and commit that to paper. But I digress. Read the book and you’ll understand what their lives were like, in all their windswept, ordinary glory.
