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Friday, May 8, 2020

Bronte Sisters

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte has been one of my favorite books for as long as I can remember. I have been doing the Back to the Classics Challenge for a couple of years now and have read many reviews on novels by the Bronte sisters from others participating in the challenge. It has made me want to read all 7 of their completed novels. I started the goal unstated last year and decided it was time to have a blog post to chronicle all of them together. As I read the books and post the reviews, I will link them to this post.
Here is a brief family history: Patrick Bronte (1777-1861) was an ordained minister who married Maria Branwell (1776-1842) in 1812. Maria (the mother) died from uterine cancer at age 38, when their youngest, Anne, was 1 year old. Maria’s sister, Elizabeth Branwell, moved in soon after and it was she who raised and educated the Bronte children. Patrick (the father) survived his entire family, and 6 years after Charlotte passed, he died at age 84. Patrick and Maria had 6 children: Maria (1812-1825) and Elizabeth (1815-1825), the two eldest, both died of tuberculosis 2 months apart at ages 11 and 10 respectively. Charlotte (1816-1855) published 3 novels in her lifetime and had another 1 published posthumously. Charlotte married Arthur Bell Nicholls in 1854 and became pregnant soon after. She died in 1855, with her unborn child, just before she turned 39 – probably of tuberculosis. Patrick Branwell (1817-1848) was a painter, writer, and casual writer who never married. He became addicted to alcohol and opium and died from tuberculosis at age 31. Emily Jane (1818-1848) published 1 novel and never married. She died of tuberculosis at age 30. Anne (1820-1849) published 2 novels and never married. She died of tuberculosis at age 29. (source)

CHARLOTTE BRONTE (English, 1816-1855)
Mini-review: This is a great novel of romance, wanting to do the "right" thing, and even supernatural elements (that are explained later on).
CAWPILE rating: 9.6/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Mini-review: This was an unexpected powerhouse feminist novel - until the ending ruined it all. It is an OK read, but much longer than it needed to be.
CAWPILE Rating: 6.9/10 - ⭐⭐⭐/5
Mini-review: This a slow-moving, bland, and, quite, depressing book with a frustratingly ambiguous ending.
CAWPILE rating: 4.6/10 - ⭐⭐⭐/5
Mini-review: This was an OK read. Some parts I liked, but other parts I didn't like so much. It has a cute and happy ending.
CAWPILE rating: 6.6/10 - ⭐⭐⭐/5

UNFINISHED NOVELS -Emma (started writing 1853, unfinished;1860 - posthumous) -Emma, by "Charlotte Brontë and Another Lady" (completed; 1980)
-The "Another Lady" is author Constance Savery.
-Emma Brown, by Clare Boylan (completed; 2003)
-Ashworth (written before 1855)
-The Moores (written before 1855)
-The Story of Willie Ellin (written before 1855)
*Charlotte Bronte Unfinished Novels (1993)
-collects 4 unfinished books listed above

*Charlotte also wrote and published several juvenilia stories.

EXTRA
-Wide Sargasso Sea (1966) - classic accepted as a prequel to Jane Eyre
by Jean Rhys (Welsh-Dominican, 1890-1979)

ANNE BRONTE (English, 1820-1849)
Mini-review: This is a cute story that's not particularly memorable.
I hadn't started doing the CAWPILE ratings until after I reviewed this book.
My estimate rating: 5/10 - ⭐⭐⭐/5
Mini-review: This is a wonderful novel about how a mother escapes with her child from an abusive and cheating husband. Despite its having some of the same themes as Wuthering Heights, it is BY FAR a superior story due to its plot and redemptive ending.
CAWPILE rating: 9/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

EMILY BRONTE (English, 1818-1848)
Mini-review: This is a HORRIBLE story solely about petty jealousy, hate, and revenge.
CAWPILE rating: 3.9/10 - ⭐⭐/5

OVERALL NOTE
If you know French, that will assist you in enjoying these books to the fullest, If you do not know French, as I do not, then you will have to be consistently flipping to the back of the book to look up the translations - which is annoying, but worth it for most of the books.


Let me know which Bronte book is your favorite and why!

2 comments:

  1. Gosh! I need to finish The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I'm almost half way through. I felt a little exhausted bc the action of the characters felt drawn out. But I intend to finish it.

    Agree with Wuthering Heights. I disliked it so much, I got rid of it. Every character aggravated me in a bad way. It wasn't like they could teach me something about myself.

    Love Jane Eyre and cannot wait to reread it someday.

    I've not read Agnes Grey.

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    1. There are definitely some slow parts to Tenant, but I think they're worth it. I look forward to reading your review on it sometime! I'm also planning on reading Villette this year and Charlotte's other 3 books by the end of next year.

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