From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9-In this well-written and solidly researched title, Kenyon enthusiastically portrays each personality in this distinguished literary family. With a sporadic education and few friends, the motherless Bront' children drew on their own experiences and relied on one another to critique their writings. The women realized that in order to protect their privacy and not be thought a "silly lady scribbler," they needed to assume the male pen names of Currer (Charlotte), Ellis (Emily), and Acton (Anne) Bell. Charlotte and Anne eventually traveled to London to set the record straight after an unscrupulous publisher claimed that Currer Bell had written Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Agnes Grey, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Kenyon knows her subject well and draws readers into the Bront's' world, taking the siblings from childhood through their literary careers. Black-and-white reproductions of the family, Emily's drawings, and photos appear frequently throughout, as do well-documented quotes from family members' letters. The bibliography includes books, journal and magazine articles, and Internet sources. A boon for report writers and fascinating pleasure reading as well.Kathleen A. Nester, Downingtown High Ninth Grade Center, PACopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Card catalog description
A joint biography of Charlotte, Emily, Branwell, and Anne Bronte, exploring how the siblings sparked creativity in each other and how their lives were woven into their novels.

ANNOTATION

A joint biography of Charlotte, Emily, Branwell, and Anne Bronte, exploring how the siblings sparked creativity in each other and how their lives were woven into their novels.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The authors of such literary classics as Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Agnes Grey, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte were extraordinary not only because they were successful female writers in Victorian England, but also because they were sisters. Growing up, all three sisters' writings were significantly influenced by each other, but perhaps most importantly by their troubled brother, Branwell. This fascinating account of each sister's unconventional life, astounding talent, and tragic death draws readers into the minds of the gifted authors whose passionate tales have enthralled readers for more than a century and whose voices still resonate with modern readers.

FROM THE CRITICS

VOYA - Mary Arnold

The books of the Bront￯﾿ﾽ sisters are well known to readers-Jane, Catherine, Heathcliff, and the bleakly beautiful Yorkshire setting have a powerful literary life of their own. The wild moors were the setting where art was born of the tides of emotion and imagination that seethed beneath the surface of the Bront￯﾿ﾽs' seemingly conventional lives. Charlotte, Anne, and Emily Bront￯﾿ﾽ, and their brother Branwell grew up in a parsonage and depended on one another for the stories and games that enriched their days. Tragedy struck their family early with the loss of their mother and two sisters to illness. Readers will be fascinated by the tiny books that they wrote from an early age and will appreciate the struggle faced by artistic young women of the time to balance family obligations with creativity. Details such as brother Branwell's descent into alcoholism, Emily's love of all things wild and natural, and Charlotte's struggle to gain and use an education are reflected in their literary output. The books of Currer, Acton, and Ellis Bell-women often used male pseudonyms in order to be published-gained such popularity that the truth about the three sisters astounded their publisher and their eager readers. Although the sisters died tragically young, their lives are a tribute to the power of the imagination to enrich one's own life and those of generations to come. With several recent media adaptations of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, teen interest should be heightened. The black-and-white original drawings and photographs add richness and depth to the story and remind readers how large a role home their setting played in their poetry and stories. The warm, accessible tone and format show howthese women and their lives created "classics" whose characters resonate with universal human emotions that are truly timeless. Index. Illus. Photos. Biblio. Source Notes. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2002, Lerner, 128p,

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