The Bronte Sisters By: Catherine Reef

My first third quarter book is a non-fiction, biography called The Bronte Sisters By: Catherine Reef. The book is about the lives of three sisters called Charlotte, Emily and Anne. I haven't fully finished the book so I'll write about what I have already read. Basically what I have read is a bunch of ridiculous social rules that the Bronte siblings were forced to follow. The book takes place in the 18th century during the Victorian Period so as many people may know during that time women were not allowed to do certain things because of their social status. It seemed to me as if the Bronte sisters were born in the wrong century because they were so full of adventure and intelligence something that was not "lady like" during their time. In one part of the book an English writer named Sarah Stickney explains, " Gentlemen may employ their hours of business in almost any degrading occupation and may be gentlemen still; while, if a lady but touched any article, no matter how delicate, in the way of trade, she loses caste and ceases to be a lady." The Bronte sisters wanted to be writers and people of importance but they couldn't simply because they were women. The only real choice in life for them was either get married to a rich man or work as a teacher. The sisters vowed never to marry unless they truly loved the man and sucked at teaching so their future didn't look so good at the time.

In the book their are three main characters, which are Charlotte, Emily and Anne. The three sisters are different in almost every way but do share a few characteristics. All three are very intelligent and are gifted in poetry, writing, and quick learning.  They are also alike in the fact that they are women who at their time don't have many rights yet try their best to defy their social rules in order to try and follow their dreams. Emily who is never afraid to show here intelligence was once talked about by a teacher named Constantine Heger who said "She should have been a man."Emily is also very shy and didn't make a lot of friends while Charlotte although a little shy had many." Charlotte also loved to learn and went back to school in her twenties to learn more. She studied in Brussels, Belgium until she was kicked out because she was suspected of loving a married man. Anne is the youngest but always seems to be the one who can keep a job and still be happy. Anne at 21, started working as a governess and later helped employ her brother for the same family. Anne was also described as beautiful by a friend of Charlotte who said, " had lovely violet-blue eyes, fine pencilled eyebrows, a clear, almost transparent complexion and curls who's unlike her aunt's were real."