I haven’t read a Brontë biography in a while (well, three months but that’s a long time for me), so I was desperately needing my fix. Catherine Reef’s The Brontë Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne was the only unread biography sat on my shelf, so it was my only option. I picked this lovely little book up last October when I visited the Parsonage in Haworth. My family always take me here as a pick-me-up (they know me so well), and I can never resist buying a book whilst I’m there. My mum actually bought this biography for me, and I’m so thankful she did because I loved it.
As the title suggests, this book is a very brief overview of the sisters’ lives. Although it states ‘Charlotte, Emily, and Anne’, Reef expands on the lives of Branwell and Patrick as well. If you’re someone looking to read into the Brontë family, then I’d definitely recommend starting here. Reef gives you all the necessary detail and focuses on all the main events of their lives; she persistently uses quotes and wider reading to ground her writing. If you’re someone already glued up on the family, then you won’t read anything you didn’t already know. Reef just covers the basics. However, it is still a fun read. So if you’ve already read the same recycled story and are yet to get bored (like me), then you’ll love this. It’s so different from all the other biographies I’ve read.
Bookish Byron 