Books & FIlm halloween The Brilliant Bronte Sisters

Happy Halloween! The Blood-Curdling Bronte Sisters & Horrifying Haworth!

Halloween – when the veil between this world and that of the departed is said to be thin and contact with the after-life easier. Haworth and the Bronte Sisters are no strangers to ghosts and other spooky goings on, so here are my top Seven spooky Bronte bits and pieces. Enjoy – if you dare!

bronte book by Juliet Barker — A fantastic book about the Bronte Sisters

Chilling Charlotte…. In her novel Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte writes of ghostly goings on, when young Jane is locked in the Crimson Room and sees the ghost of her uncle.
Teriffying Taby. According to the The Bronte Parsonage Blog, the ghost of Taby Ackroyd, the Brontes faithful housekeeper, is said to haunt the cottage in which she spent the last years of her life. A little, old grey haired lady has been sighted several times and the door latch, is often heard moving, only to find nobody there when the door is opened.
Vile Villette, the novel written by Charlotte Bronte features a teriffying ghostly nun. ‘A sudden bell rang in the house—the prayer-bell. Instantly into our alley there came, out of the berceau, an apparition, all black and white. With a sort of angry rush—close, close past our faces—swept swiftly the very NUN herself! Never had I seen her so clearly. She looked tall of stature, and fierce of gesture.’
Ghastly graveyards… The Bronte Parsonage overlooks the Haworth graveyard and this grim aspect influenced the Bronte’s writing – you can read more in Juliet Barker’s incredible book. Sat at their table, looking out over the graveyard, and surrounded by death (the sisters had lost their mother and Three siblings) they would also have witnessed daily funerals of friends and aquiantences, the ideas of ghosts and spirits must have come to mind with great ease and may have even brought a little comfort.
Morose Moors… The moors around Haworth are home to many ghost and spirits. The ‘willow-the-wisp’ has been seen on the moors for centuaries and the legend of the Black Dog; the ‘Barguest’ that haunted, nearby Trollers Gill, has been passed down for many genreations.
Haunted Haworth …. Haworth is a very old village, with a LOT of ghosts. Try local guide, Steve Wood’s book all about the ghosts of Haworth, home of the Bronte Sisters and the Parsonage.
Putrid Pubs…. The Black Bull in Haworth is always worth a visit (and it’s not at all putrid – it’s actually very cosy and welcoming!) The Black Bull was the favourite pub of Branwell Bronte and where he spent much of his time. It is supposed to be haunted by a number of different ghosts, including the old landlord from Branwell’s time, a maid, muttering voices, moving objects, fliting spirits and even Branwell himself!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my little horrible Halloween Bronte tour…..

Happy Halloween and may all your ghosts be kindly!

Sarah x

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Books & FIlm The Brilliant Bronte Sisters

My Top 5 Bronte Sites, Books & Links ….

I really love reading the Bronte Sisters works and about their lives, interests, and inspirations and sharing my thoughts about that with you. So I wanted to share my favourite Bronte resources, so you can check them out too. They’re in no particular order and are all really great – perfect if you’re looking for in-depth detail or a quick puruse for a Bronte-based factoid!

1. Anne Bronte.org – A truely amazing website, that’s a must visit resource for any Bronte fan. The writer is both thoughtful and interesting and the site contains a vast wealth of information about all of the Brontes, their works and their lives. This is a go-to for all things Bronte!

2. Bronte Parsonage – An obivious one, but don’t miss it, as it has many lovely bits and pieces that will interest any fans of the Bronte sisters. Always up to date with the latest happenings at the Parsonage Museum.

4. The Brontes Book by Juliet Barker- The best Bronte SIsters book I’ve read. It is really thorough and well written, and contains a massive amount of detail. A must read if you’re a Bronte fan.

3. Hawoth Village.org – This is a lovely little local website that give a huge amaount of local information about Haworth Village, the home of the Bronte sisters.

5. To Walk Invisible – A fantastic BBC film depicting the lives of the Bronte sisters. At the time of writing it’s not on iplayer, so you’ll need to get yourself a DVD copy. It’s definately worth it, as I feel it gives a very good view of life in a Yorkshire town at that time and an excellent insight into their lives.

Finally, if you’re looking for a cool and unique Bronte Inspired gift, please come and check out our range of Bronte inspired gifts.

Thanks & have a great week!

Sarah x

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The Brilliant Bronte Sisters

Charlotte Bronte’s Little Books ….

Another of Charlotte’s miniature books has been returned to it’s home at the Bronte Parsonage and to celebrate, this wonderful event, I decided to focus on ‘Charlotte’s tiny books’.

The work of the Bronte sisters has had a massive impact on the world and is beloved by many. Looking back at them today, we understand what a winding path they all took towards being the famous authors that they were to become. They all travelled and taught, even tried to start a school and when finally Charlotte plucked up the courage to publish some of their work, Emily refused. Indeed the book of poetry, once published, was not an instant success – with only a few copies being sold. It’s clear, that very often and for a long time it was not at all obvious, that the huge and enduring literary success they acheived was to be their destination! However, a look at their early works shows us that they had a passion for literature well beyond the norm!

It was thanks to their ‘papa’ – Patrick Bronte that all the Bronte children were taught to read and write. He encouraged them to read many things (including some that would have been considered inappropriate for young girls, at the time). He felt it was vital for them to be well read and well informed young people, especially the girls who would need to go out into the world and make their own way and earn their own livings.

It’s but a small step from reading to writing and before long Branwell, Charlotte, Emily and Anne had all taken it. As children and young people they wrote stories, plays, poems and more, some of which survives today. The most beguiling of the ‘Bronte Juvenilia ‘ as their childhood efforts are collectively known, are the ‘tiny books’ or ‘miniature manuscripts’. The earliest is a joint effort by Branwell and Charlotte and dates to 1829 and is their version of the popular periodical Blackwoods Magazine. We don’t know how many they produced.There are several by Charlotte that are held by the British Library and the Bronte Parsonage and to my reckoning the are now 11 that we know of. Earlier this year one popped up at auction in New York and thanks to the help of the Friends of the National Libraries (FNL), a UK charity devoted to saving the nation’s written and printed heritage, it was aquired by the Bronte Parsonage and I cann’t wait to go and visit it!

These incredible tiny books are handmade, written and illustrated, mostly by Charlotte. They measure around 4 inches / 10 cm tall and the writing is so tiny, that most adults struggle to read it! They’re clearly a labour of love and contain articles, adverts, poems and stories that the Bronte children created, around a set of toy soldiers that Patrick had given Branwell for his birthday when he was 9 years old. Over the next few years the Bronte children created characters and a whole intricate world for the toy soldiers and these feature in the tiny books. It’s believed that some of the tiny books were gifts between the siblings and also for the soldiers and they are indeed the gift that keeps giving!

Thank you for reading & have a great week!

Sarah X

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The Brilliant Bronte Sisters Wellbeing

Emily On The Moor….

Gone to the heather – As we gear back up to our ‘new normal’ things are really busy right now, so as the jobs stack up and the ‘to-do list’ lengthens I’m trying to remember to incorporate Emily Bronte’s fantastic habit into my own daily routine and you should too!

When all the duties and chores got a bit much, she’d take herself off to the place she loved best – the moors to re-charge herself and seek inspiration. She’d ‘gone to the heather’. Here’s Charlotte’s quote about Emily’s habit, it explains, beautifully, just why it was so important to Emily and shows us how important it is to us today.

So get out there and go to the heather – wherever yours is….

“My sister Emily loved the moors. Flowers brighter than the rose bloomed in the blackest of the heath for her; out of a sullen hollow in a livid hillside her mind could make an Eden. She found in the bleak solitude many and dear delights; and not the least and best-loved was – liberty.”
― Charlotte Brontë

Check out my range of Bronte sisters inspired gifts.

Thanks for reading & have a great day

Sarah x

Books & FIlm The Brilliant Bronte Sisters

The Vanished Bride – A Book Review.

My lovely mum bought The Vanished Bride for me, ‘it was a bit of a risk’ she said, this is because I have opinions on most things and I tend to express them quite clearly to my nearest and dearest. Mum knows how much I adore the Brontes and their work so she was a little concerned that the book would pass muster. As mum explained all this (this is the first Bronte related item she has bought for me that I have not chosen myself – EVER!), I shared her concern. Over the years, I’ve read LOTS of Bronte, Holmes and Austen related fiction and some of it can feel a bit weak. I think it’s because the original authors themselves have such clear voices and a true ability to draw you into their stories. However, Mum and I need not have worried – The Vanished Bride is a fantastic read!

The story of The Vanished Bride is written by Rowan Coleman under the pen name of Bella Ellis – A very neat Nom De Plume for a writer of Bronte fiction! The story is the first part of a collection called The Bronte Mysteries. The story is based around the Bronte Sisters and follows them as they investigate the mysterious dissapperance of a recently married bride, living across the moor from their Parsonage. The story is well paced, with a splendidly intreguing plot and it presents engaging characters, of course it does, this is Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte we’re talking about here and they are well observed and feel right, so well done Bella Ellis for that! The story takes much of what we know about the Brontes and their world and delicately weaves a gripping story into it.

I am not going into the details of the plot or story, as I don’t want to spoil it for you, but, it definately passed my litmus test, it’s a very scientific test and consists of two questions:

Did I binge read it? YES!
Would I read it again? and YES again!

I enjoyed The Vanished Bride so much that I was disappointed when I finished it, I really loved it and will definately read it again, once my daughter has read it – I think she’ll enjoy it too!

I recently noticed on facebook that Bella Ellis has written a second Bronte Sisters mystery called The Diabolic Bones, this time we find the Bronte Sisters investigating the horrifying and macarbre discovery of childrens bones found within the walls of Top Withens Hall, home to the ‘scandelous and brutish’ Bradshaw family. The book is due to be released in September 2020, I have it on my wish list already and I think you should too!

Finally, it must be said that I firmly recommend reading The Vanished Bride, if you haven’t read it already. Bella Ellis tells her stories with a voice as clear and true as as the Brontes themselves!

Thanks & take care

Sarah x

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