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laurenjpegler's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this collection of the Brontës’ juvenilia. I had only ever read this kind of writing in biographies on the family, so I was excited to read more of a variety (one that wasn’t necessarily bias - you know, the ones that support a biographer’s point). For the most part, the collection was brilliant. I liked having this window into the lives and imaginations of the young Brontës.
I much prefer the writing and world of Gondal in comparison to Angria and Glass Town. The latter two focus heavily on political intrigue, war, and mythological elements. However, Gondal feels a lot more natural and personal. Emily and Anne incorporate their own lives, specifically their surroundings, into their verse. I really wish their prose survived - I bet it would have been beautiful to read.
The only reason I rated it down by half a star was for the monotony of some of Charlotte’s and Branwell’s longer short stories. Although they were interesting, they occasionally got a little tedious. The stories discussed stuff I wasn’t particularly interested in. However, they did demonstrate the brilliancy of the Brontës’ minds. I had to keep reminding myself that these were written whilst they were young, especially Anne. Their word choice (their writing in general) was just beautiful.
I would definitely recommend!
I really enjoyed this collection of the Brontës’ juvenilia. I had only ever read this kind of writing in biographies on the family, so I was excited to read more of a variety (one that wasn’t necessarily bias - you know, the ones that support a biographer’s point). For the most part, the collection was brilliant. I liked having this window into the lives and imaginations of the young Brontës.
I much prefer the writing and world of Gondal in comparison to Angria and Glass Town. The latter two focus heavily on political intrigue, war, and mythological elements. However, Gondal feels a lot more natural and personal. Emily and Anne incorporate their own lives, specifically their surroundings, into their verse. I really wish their prose survived - I bet it would have been beautiful to read.
The only reason I rated it down by half a star was for the monotony of some of Charlotte’s and Branwell’s longer short stories. Although they were interesting, they occasionally got a little tedious. The stories discussed stuff I wasn’t particularly interested in. However, they did demonstrate the brilliancy of the Brontës’ minds. I had to keep reminding myself that these were written whilst they were young, especially Anne. Their word choice (their writing in general) was just beautiful.
I would definitely recommend!
themodvictorian's review against another edition
I skipped Branwell’s section because his writing is insufferably boring
rebeccajane's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed this selection of the Bronte's works. I'd already read some of Charlotte's Angrian stories, so I skipped those ones, but I liked the other ones for the most part. It got confusing with all the characters, especially not being sure of the timeline. I liked having an insight into Branwell's writing, despite his section being my least favourite. I found it quite boring at times, and even more confusing than Charlotte's section.
Emily's was my favourite, closely followed by Anne, despite being disappointed that I didn't get to see more of their fantasy world.
I really enjoyed this selection of the Bronte's works. I'd already read some of Charlotte's Angrian stories, so I skipped those ones, but I liked the other ones for the most part. It got confusing with all the characters, especially not being sure of the timeline. I liked having an insight into Branwell's writing, despite his section being my least favourite. I found it quite boring at times, and even more confusing than Charlotte's section.
Emily's was my favourite, closely followed by Anne, despite being disappointed that I didn't get to see more of their fantasy world.
1siobhan's review against another edition
3.0
I did not read the entire thing, just bits and pieces on Anne's Juvenilia + the introductions.
I'm not sure if I'd make it through the entire thing because some of the stories (Charlotte's especially) are really weird, full of weird spelling mistakes, and overall not very good. It's Juvenilia, yes, I know, and it's interesting how these fantasy stories (early Speculative Fiction I'd say) have shaped the siblings' later novels, but this is too much for me to read it in one go.
Kudos to those of you who made it through the entire thing. Other thing that annoyed me was that it was really small and hard to read, especially the endnotes. Might be my bad eyesight, but it was hard to stay concentrated.
3 Stars for the 15-20% that I read...
I'm not sure if I'd make it through the entire thing because some of the stories (Charlotte's especially) are really weird, full of weird spelling mistakes, and overall not very good. It's Juvenilia, yes, I know, and it's interesting how these fantasy stories (early Speculative Fiction I'd say) have shaped the siblings' later novels, but this is too much for me to read it in one go.
Kudos to those of you who made it through the entire thing. Other thing that annoyed me was that it was really small and hard to read, especially the endnotes. Might be my bad eyesight, but it was hard to stay concentrated.
3 Stars for the 15-20% that I read...
indomitableem's review
challenging
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
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