The story of the Brontës is told through the things they wore, stitched, wrote on and inscribed at the parsonage in Haworth. From Charlotte’s writing desk and the manuscripts it contained to the brass collar worn by Emily’s dog, Keeper, each object opens a window onto the sisters’ world, their fiction and the Victorian era. By unfolding the histories of the things they used, the chapters form a chronological biography of the family. A walking stick evokes Emily’s solitary hikes on the moors and the stormy heath—itself a character in Wuthering Heights. Charlotte’s bracelet containing Anne and Emily’s intertwined hair gives voice to her grief over their deaths. These possessions pull us into their daily lives: the imaginary kingdoms of their childhood writing, their time as governesses and their stubborn efforts to make a mark on the world.
- ISBN10 0393352706
- ISBN13 9780393352702
- Publish Date 15 April 2016 (first published 11 May 2015)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint WW Norton & Co
- Format Paperback
- Pages 352
- Language English