Dark Quartet

Even though this book was a fictional account of the lives of the Bronte sisters, I found that the author did a great job of researching their lives.  There was the perfect blend of fact and fiction that kept me intrigued.

Lynne Reid Banks gives us here a great read, taking in the Brontë family from 1821-1849, thus by the time this story begins, the mother is dead, but there are more children alive than the four that most people just think of.

Well researched and with a flowing narrative this retelling of the Brontë story is a good read not only for those who are deeply into the sisters, but those also looking for a good read.  As we see here this was a family that had a number of set-backs but who still produced especially three sisters whose books are still read and loved to this day.

Thus this novel perhaps gives us a better understanding of the lives of the four main characters here, Branwell, and his three sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne, all of which were highly talented and artistic.  Of course with a novelist trying to bring a real biography to life so at times a few liberties are taken as the imagination has to fill in a few things, but this has been done here quite thoughtfully and sympathetically, giving us of course something that has a certain authenticity, something that not all authors can pull off.  Engaging to read and entertaining this gives people the sort of feeling for where the literary works from the girls came from with regards to inspiration, and also shows us how they lived their lives, and what their environment was like.

Things are obviously different these days and it is worth thinking of contrasts here, with regard to such things as the schooling and the expectations placed upon the characters here.  You can argue that things were harsh, but then on the flip side is the point that if they hadn’t been, would we have left to us some great literature? Certainly worth reading, there is also a sequel to this taking in following years.

I was kindly provided with a review copy of this by the publisher via NetGalley for reviewing purposes.

I was attracted to this book for two reasons: Jane Eyre is one of my favourite books and Lynne Reid Banks is an author I admire. But I am not at all keen on fictionalised biography and, really, what more is there to say about the Brontes? And when I began reading I was at first put off by what seemed a pastiche of "Bronte style" in the writing. 

But within a very short time I was totally gripped. The writing style, in places febrile and overblown, is in fact perfectly suited to the story and indeed tells it in a way that makes it quite new, with insights into each character that transcend the familiar biographies. I was particularly struck by the portrayals of Patrick Bronte and his sister, Aunt Branwell, and their steadfast affection for the troubled children. A fine piece of fictionalised biography.

(Thanks to Sapere Books and Netgalley for an ARC)

This is a fascinating novelization/biography of the four Bronte siblings, three of whom are responsible for literary masterpieces that still resonate to this day. 

While it was a bit on the long side, the writing was never dull. I believe Lynne Reid Banks to have relied somewhat on speculation for some of the events, but she also roots her action in the real letters and documentation that exist for the Bronte family. I thus feel that I've been given a fair view of their personalities and lives.

Each person in the family comes across with a distinct tone--ambitious, passionate Charlotte; hermitlike, brilliant Emily; sweet, persevering Anne; and...Branwell...promising but weak. I was so pulled into the story of the three sisters and how their rich inner lives clashed with their narrow circumstances.
Though this book ends with the sad deaths of three of the siblings, I am looking forward to the sequel, which details how Charlotte pushes forward with her writing.

I really enjoyed this biographical novel about the Brontes. The author had clearly done her homework and didn’t allow her imagination to take too many liberties with the facts. If I allowed myself to be too analytical I think I could probably find one or two incidents in the book that seemed to blur the line between fact and fiction just a tad too much – particularly with regards to Branwell – but overall I found the book a thoroughly entertaining and engaging read.