The Brontes: Wild Genius on the Moors: The Story of a Literary Family

Regardless of one's opinions about Juliet Barker's impression of Charlotte, and the rest of the Brontes, one can argue neither with the credibility of the author nor with her incredible research. The author has lived within a few miles of Haworth her entire life; was librarian and curator at the Bronte Parsonage Museum for six years; and researched this book for 11 years before publishing. The biography is 830 pages long, with an additional 150 pages of notes, and 30 pages of index. I would recommend this to those who are already well acquainted with the Brontes. It won't change your own personal myth of the Brontes, but it will shed light on trivia that might help explain background, names, and places in the various Bronte novels. For example, Charlotte's pseudonym, Currer Bell, now makes sense, though I disagree with Juliet's suggestion. This is much more than a biography; Juliet Barker includes the politics of the time, origins of modern Christian religious offshoots, the labor movement (the Luddites), and even the architecture (for example, the Late Perpendicular movement). Barker's description of the English landscape is wonderful, if a bit stilted. (When one is as emotionally linked with Yorkshire as I am, it's hard not be judgmental on descriptions of that wonderful place.) This book was meant to be read by the fire, on a cold and dark winter night, preferably in Haworth, with a soul mate who appreciates Yorkshire and all it has to offer.

I first read this book in 1995. I only recently bought my own copy. In this book, Juliet Barker provides a feast of information about the lives, times and writings of the Brontes. She is not the first to traverse this territory, but I believe that she does it more comprehensively than anyone else. The book itself is both a delight to read as well as a wonderful reference. My only (slight) quibble is the greater focus on Charlotte. Perhaps this is inevitable: Charlotte did outlive her siblings, and published more novels. I am biased. I have been a fan of the Brontes (especially Emily and Anne) for over 40 years. Highly recommended to all Bronte fans. Jennifer Cameron-Smith Please note: this review was first published on July 28 2006

I finished this last week and really enjoyed it. It is a very absorbing biography of the Bronte family through their letters. Charlotte Bronte's life was just as dramatic as her novels, and in fact formed the basis for them. The epistolary format works very well, and allows a more personal view into their lives than a regular biography can. The focus is mostly on Charlotte as Anne and Emily didn't correspond with many people.

A book that presents the Brontes, warts and all. I think a lot of the people who disagree with the vision of Charlotte presented in this book have bought into the legend that she and Mrs. Gaskell tried to create. I think Barker's book presents a wonderfully balanced view of Charlotte. I only with the information was available for her to write more vividly about Emily and Anne

If you only read one Bronte biography, let it be this one. Juliet Barker has written a magisterial and authoritative work which, barring new information, will remain the definitive Bronte biography. Justice is done at last for Patrick Bronte, who emerges from this book as an affectionate father, a faithful servant to his parishioners, and something of a liberal on the social issues of the day. Indeed, if this book has a 'hero', it is Patrick. In contrast, whilst the author pays due compliment to her undoubted qualities, Charlotte Bronte's less sympathetic attributes are here for all to see, including her bossiness, manipulativeness, and her mostly unflattering opinion of her sibling's literary efforts. Her husband, Arthur Bell Nicholls, also emerges as a decent and good man, who truly loved Charlotte for herself, not her literary fame. Although a long (1,000 pages) book, this is one of those rare unputdownable works which will have you reading right through to the end.