Charlotte Bronte

The Bront‘ sisters have been required reading on any number of school syllabi over the years, with Charlotte often a cornerstone for her revered novel JANE EYRE. This audiobook, then, will certainly become a favorite among a variety of fans, conjuring up memories of Rochester and Jane and their challenged romance. Corrie James's performance of this biography is expertly rendered, with a lovely mix of unbridled enthusiasm and reserved gravitas. She shares the various anecdotes of Bront‘ history with enough emotional investment to keep listeners engaged and yet sufficient seriousness to keep the narrative grounded in fact. All in all, this is an interesting audiobook for Bront‘ aficionados, who will be riveted by both the details and James's performance. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

January 18, 2016
The story of the Brontës may be well-trod, but in the hands of skilled biographer Harman (Jane’s Fame), their personalities come to life in a fresh, vigorous, and very readable fashion. Drawing on prodigious research, both old and new, Harman creates an expert portrait of life at Haworth Parsonage and of its eccentric inhabitants. At the center is Charlotte, whose Jane Eyre became a literary sensation, and who would outlive all of her siblings. It is impossible to speak of Charlotte without also telling the story of her complicated family members, especially her stern, self-absorbed father, Patrick; her talented but dissolute brother, Branwell; and, of course, her sisters and fellow novelists: strong-willed Emily (Wuthering Heights); and patient, introverted Anne (The Tenant of Wildfell Hall). But Charlotte and her remarkable writings remain the focus, as Harman leads her from secluded girlhood and the imaginary world she created with her siblings to her celebrity upon the thunderclap publication of Jane Eyre (“that intensely interesting novel,” as Queen Victoria called it). In telling Charlotte’s story anew, Harman has created a work that will appeal both to readers meeting the Brontë clan for the first time and to those already steeped in their lore. Illus. Agent: Zoe Waldie, Rogers, Coleridge & White.