I read "The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall" by Anne Bronte for my review of personal reading in English last year and I thought it was really gripping. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it.

It tells the story of a young woman's struggle for independence, against law and a society which defined a married woman as her husband's property. The novel, which uses extracts from her diary and narration from her neighbour, is very interesting and quite realistic.

It seems to me that the most interesting thing about the novel, is the build up of tension Bronte uses to sustain the reader's attention. It is stimulating and creates a little excitement in the book.

Helen Graham moves into Wildfell Hall with her son. She is a single mother and earns her living as a painter. Her neighbour, Gilbert Markham, takes a sudden interest in her and wants to find out everything about her. Although she is quite content being friends with him, she wants nothing more. As soon as he becomes too personal, she reminds him that friendship is the principal of their relationship. As they spend more time together, though, she learns to trust him and reveals the truth about her past. She is living at Wildfell Hall under a false surname, hiding from her husband who is an adulterer. The only other person who knows of this is her landlord, who Gilbert learns late in the novel, is in fact, her brother.

One thing which I found gripping about this story, was the build up of tension Bronte used. She took her time, revealing one thing, building up the tension again, then revealing another. She continued to do this throughout the story, and this is what kept me interested. It is a story, in which two people who love one another, are prevented from being together by society and their own natural reticence. We know romance often has this, but Bronte creates a strong desire in the reader for them to be together. She puts real obstacles in the way of their love for each other, such as the fact that Helen is already married and has a child to her husband. This therefore, causes the reader to understand the story more.

Anne Bronte, the most underappreciated of the Bronte sisters, is a brilliantly talented author and storyteller. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a masterpiece of romance, suspense and simply a darned good read! Helen Huntingdon and Gilbert Markham are multi-dimensional characters. Bronte descriptions of the setting are moving as well. I can't say enough about this book, yet mere words don't do it justice. If you loved Jane Eyre (which I did), than the Tenant will be a novel you hold in high esteem. Read it, and then read it again. Enjoy!!

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a riveting novel by the "least famous" Bronte sister Anne. The main character is Helen Huntingdon, who also uses the assumed name Helen Graham for part of the book.

Narrated in part by Mr. Markham, the gentleman farmer who falls in love with her, and partly by herself in diary form, the Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a sad portrayal of the miseries Helen Huntingdon endures at the hands of an immature self-centered husband.

The story starts out with Helen, an intriguing beautiful "widow" who comes to live in a deserted moorland mansion called Wildfell Hall with no one but her maid and young son as companions. She excites the gossip of the local townspeople by her refusal to mingle in the town's social life, her strong opinions on the upbringing of her 5 year old son, and by working to support herself as a landscape painter. Mr. Markham, the gentleman farmer, rather than being repelled by her fiercely guarded independence is intrigued by her and determines to learn more about her, falling in love with her in the process. Helen becomes the butt of sinister gossip when it is discovered that she and Mr. Lawrence, her landlord, are not the strangers to each other that they pretend to be in public, and it is rumored that something is going on between them romantically.

It is in response to this falsehood that she turns over her diary to Mr. Markham, who at last learns within its contents her true identity, why she is at Wildfell, and why she can not marry him. He also learns the astonishing identity of Mr. Lawrence. Helen's diary traces her life from a naive girl of 18 to a courageous woman of 26, and the sorrow and trials she endures in her marriage to a wretch of a husband, the womanizing, alcoholic Arthur Huntingdon.

Dear Mr. Chitham,
I do not know whether you are among the living, or not. I am writing my praise in a public forum because it must be said. Somehow, despite a dearth of letters and surviving diary papers, you have written a masterful biography of the "baby" of the Brontes. The one who struggled to balance a philosophy of Realism and an Evangelical's emotional introspection, sister to two high-strung tempramental Romantics.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to extract Anne's story from the accounts of other people (especially Charlotte's best friend and her biographer). Even in her introspective potery, she is surprisingly complex and circumspect. Yet this is what you have managed to do: to trim away the legends and mistaken impressions to reveal an active imagination, a deep faith, and a life lived to the tempo of a different music.

Thank You.

Sincerely yours,

"Monmoth"

I remember once Edward Chitham saying to a conference of Bronte enthusiasts 'I am an Anne person' and his resultant biography, A Life Of Anne Bronte', shows both great sensitivity and a just awareness of Anne's considerable literary skills as a writer. He also shows us that Anne was interesting in her own right both as a writer distinct from Emily and Charlotte and as a person with a life of unfulfilled dreams. Far from being the weak sibling with the nun-like veil as Charlotte preferred to view her youngest sister, Chitham views Anne as the sister who stuck it out longest at being a governess in the outside world and as the sister with the strongest courage and sense of duty.

Chitham doesn't sensationalize his material but sifts it for truth and light. He is very aware that original source material on Anne's younger days, her time at, and reason for leaving, school, her two governess positions, her possibly strong feelings for her father's curate, William Weightma! n, and her fluctuating relationship with her sister, Emily, are scant and too reliant on Charlotte's screening. Nevertheless, Chitham tries to piece together what he can from Anne's five surviving letters, her poetry, her two great novels and other circumstantial material surrounding the Robinson family with whom she stayed with as a governess. However, as with most other Bronte scholars, he cannot finally prove that Anne loved Weightman or that Branwell left the above same Robinson family as a result of indiscretions towards the Lady of the House (Lydia Robinson) or towards the 12-year-old pupil in his charge, Edmund Robinson.

Edward Chitham is also cautionary about the use of Anne's novels as biographical material. Far from quoting parts of Agnes Grey verbatim, he shows us more where such sources are unreliable. However, in areas and tone where Agnes Grey and the life of its heroine, squares with Anne's poetry and life, Chitham is happy to show the ways in which the lik! ely facts of Anne's life unfold to the diligent researcher ! of the truth.

All in all, this is a great biography, and until more letters become dusted down from hidden, and as yet unknown, lofts or boxes, it is likely to be fairly definitive in its balance and appreciation of Anne Bronte. Chitham knows where the sources are weak and he also knows what future researchers will want to look at if any more sources unearth themselves. Should we be lucky enough to find more of Anne's letters to or from Emily, Charlotte or the Robinson girls she once taught and kept in touch with, then would be the time to write another and fuller biography of Anne's life. Sadly for both writer and reader, Chitham can only but leave us with an incomplete picture, many broken jigsaw pieces and an overwhelming desire for more.

This work of the lesser known Bronte sister is a short and easy to read classic. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick introduction to the Bronte's work (the reading level would probably be appropriate for middle school and up). However, the book contains definite overtones of Jane Eyre, so much so that I would say if you have read Jane, you need not bother with Agnes. Like Jane, Agnes is also a plain governess longing for love. Unlike Jane, Agnes Grey has far less mystery in her life. I would say that the story's biggest flaw was its overly sentimental plot, which crosses the line into corny at the end. The poetry section is short, but I enjoyed many of the poems. I am not a poetry expert, but the poems seemed to me to be a little like a mix of the styles of Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allen Poe, but the subject matter was always purely sentimental. If you want to try out this style of literature before committing to reading something longer or if you've read Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Villette, and you still crave more of the Bronte's work, then you will probably enjoy Agnes Grey. This particular edition is also a good value.

I LOVE Charlotte's dramatic and gothic Jane Eyre; I am captivated by the intrigue of Wuthering Heights, but I am charmed and warmed by the gentleness and simply beauty of Agnes Grey. It's plot leaves you wishing that Anne had not died before giving us a sequel! I happened across this jewel of English fiction while searching for Bronte and Austen style books on Amazon.com. Each of the Bronte sisters had a gift for writing and this is one of my favorite novels that I read at least once a year. I like the Everyman's version best because it gives a timeline of the Bronte sisters lives, biographical information about Anne Bronte and includes insights into her life and spiritual growth as a young woman. The poems included at the end of the book are a treasure as well. It is as if, the heroine, Agnes, is actually a reflection of the author herself just as Charlotte reveals her own nature and convictions through Jane Eyre. It is a lovely journey into the social and spiritual struggles and life of a young womean. A finely written piece of literature that should be in every single Christian woman's library.

If you love the Bronte's novels, you'll love their poetry. You learn so much about their lives and relationships with each other by reading it. After reading a biograhpy of the famous family, I can more fully appreciate the poetry that got them started.

I enjoyed the selected poems. I saw a lot of the same passion in the poems that I have seen also in many of their novels. If you enjoyed the poems you should be sure to get a hold of the Tenant of Wildfell Hall written by Anne Bronte and my utmost favorite Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is definitely a book I would recommend.

I also had to read this book for school, during summer. I can respect the fact that it was a classic but it just was not a book that I enjoyed. It had many unneeded parts and tended to repeat itself. It was especially boring when Jane landed at Moor House. If you are a hopeless romantic then go for it, but I prefer exciting books. The other book I had to read was Lord of the Flies and I liked it much better. So....there^^;

I became a reader in college. I fell in love with this book during my senior year of High School. My report got a standing ovation and I've yet to recommend it to anyone that did not enjoy it.

Charolette has a refreshing style. She includes just enough scenic and psychological detail. I love it when the author writes to me during parts of the story. The characters are interesting. The plot twists. Good read!

I received this book for a gift when I was twelve and found it incredibly boring. I am now eighteen and for lack of any other books to read picked it up again. To my suprise I could not put it down! The character of Jane Eyre was both inspiring and identifiable. Charlotte Bronte's best novel no doubt, the plot was excellently well crafted. Although a few parts are obvious, this classic romantic novel kept me turning pages furiously!

After reading "Wuthering Heights" (by Emily), "Jane Eyre" (by Charlotte), and "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" (by Anne), I found myself slightly disappointed by the lack of passion and romanticism in Anne Bronte's "Agnes Grey". This novel truly is simple, unpretentious, and down-to-earth--and, therefore, far too easy to underestimate and undervalue.

The title character is the younger daughter of a poor family, who seeks employment as a governess in order to help her parents make ends meet. This noble act of maturity on her part earns her nothing but disillusion, humiliation and hardship in the hands of the tyrannical children and over-indulgent parents of Wellwood House (Note the intriguing initials W.H., which stand for Wuthering Heights and Wildfell Hall in other Bronte books) and, later, Horton Lodge. For several chapters, Anne Bronte does not do much but--dare I say it?--complain about the lot of the Victorian governess. Though her portraits of the children and their parents were obviously drawn from reality, which certainly won sympathy from me, I wanted to tell her to "Get on with the story" many times.

The plot does pick up after the artful and exasperating Rosalie Murray has her "coming out" ball. Thoughtless rather than tyrannical, Rosalie has the most well-drawn character of all of Agnes' charges, which makes her such a great foil for Agnes. Rosalie delights in thinking that she could have any man she wishes and enjoys nothing more than toying with men's hearts. When she finds out that Agnes might be in love with the curate, Edward Weston, she makes every attempt to make Mr. Weston fall in love with _her_, thinking that it would be a grand joke to make Agnes miserable. Yet it is impossible to hate her, somehow. She steals every scene she is in; half the story is truly hers.

I am happy to say that both Rosalie and Agnes get what they deserve, which is, fittingly, what each explicitly asked and worked for. (Read that any way you wish--or better yet, read the book.) "Agnes Grey" has left me believing that we truly do sow what we reap and receive what we ask for.

I've read both the books of Anne Bronte- Agnes Grey & The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I must say, she did a better job while writing 'The tenant of wildfell hall.' 'Agnes Grey' is a story of a young girl, who driven by poverty seeks a job as a governess. Being the youngest of a children of two, she has always been protected & sheltered. But when her family loses all their money, she decides to take a post as agoverness. Though ridiculed by her family, she is determined to get a job & at last her family is forced to give in. Unfortunately for her, her employers aren't what she expected them to be. They're rude & unfriendly & the children treat her worse than a servant. But she, being of a strong character, doesn't want to give up & stays on, doing her best, until she is dismissed. After a few happy months with her family, she takes on a post with another family. Though they're no better. It is here that she finds true love,(Mr Weston) but the hero isn't anything like what we read about in books these days. Though her charges try their utmost to prevent Mr Weston from falling in love with her, he does. To cut a long story short, he somehow finds where she lives & proposes to her & they live happily ever after. Somehow, I think this review hasn't come out as planned. The problem is it's too long. Oh, well.

Agnes Grey is probably the simplest Bronte novel, but in my opinion the best, because it is a sincere story. It is always looked upon as inferior to "Jane Eyre" and "Wuthering Heights", but if reviewed as a story of a governess in the Victorian Era, it is suddenly far more interesting. "Wuthering Heights" and "Jane Eyre do not give a realistic view of the times the Brontes lived in, but "Agnes Grey" does and she does not spare us the details.

I myself believe that Anne was in love with William Weightman, her fathers curate and seeing that she lets het own heroine Agnes win Mr. Weston, makes me feel that she tries to show us her dream, if she could have had it. It is simple, but happy. And that is exactly what this book is about. It is not to say that love is a never ending passion and all hardships end when one finds THE ONE, but simply to state that joy and wisdom can be found in a happy union.

And now, after I have read it many times, I still cry when Agnes tells Mr. Weston that she loves him. That one word "Yes" says it all.

As Green points out in his introduction, Queen Anne remains a remarkably obscure British monarch, considering the relatively recent date of her reign (1702-1714). To some, such as Churchil, she was shining queen of the Augustan age; to others, she was an inconsequential ninny. The central relationship of her life was a "friendship" with Sarah Jennings, wife of John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, and many now accept that the relationship was sexual.

Sadly, Green's biography doesn't approach the same level of excellence that his earlier biography of the Duchess of Marlborough. Even though Anne suffered through seventeen pregnancies (none bearing her a surviving heir), even though she witnessed revolution (and usurped her own father), even though she presided over the Union of England and Scotland (thus becoming the first person to reign a unified Great Britain) and even though she reigned through a tumultuous world war, we are lost in a morass of private letters and a catalogue of courtiers' comings and goings. And, for what it is worth, Green is prepared to suggest that Anne's feelings for Sarah were purely platonic. This would get three stars if not for the fact that the sources are so good. But the great popular biography of Anne perhaps remains to be written.

Many adults seem to enjoy the book. Well, why not?? it resembles a soap opera. Being a high school student, i'm not very interested in that type of literature. However i must agree, it does contain ideas that will last centuries. Basic human flaws and sins (like pride and revenge) are represented in the novel. Overall, its a decent book, but specially for a mature audience.

To say Wuthering Heights is dull and boring, is to deplete your own humanity. Bronte's novel is an incredible depiction of life and the relationships in it. Love is a contradiction; Love is difficult and Love is kind. Each of these characteristics jump out of the text with the turn of each page. Heathcliff and Catherine are either in denial of their love or overtly showing it. I would highly reccomend the book to anyone who wants to further their education with a worthwhile experience.

Readers: I feel Wuthering Heights related to my life and easily to many others. Thr characterization between Catherine and Heathcliff was most interesting to me. I loved the finesse between the two of them. Their love was eternal because "whatever their souls were made of, his and hers were the same..."(73). When I read the each chapter it seemed a mystery because you never knew if the two would show their love or hide it. Another element of the book that made it interesting was Heathcliff's revenge against Edgar Linton and or actually the entire Linton family. The hatred he felt was produced by Hindley his father. In return, Heathcliff treated his own family meaness of a bear for his sufferings from the past. Heathcliff displays a tendency of resentment sympathising "with all his feelings, having felt them myself"(201). Emily Bronte showcases relationship Hareton and Heathcliff to Hindley and Heathcliff to show the viscous circle through generations. Emily Bronte perceives the minds of her readers and reveals how life can go in circles unless someone breaks the chains. To anyone who receives Wuthering Heights, I really do think the novl is worth reading. I, myself am not big reader but this book can catch your attention and keep you on your toes because there is a mystery in every chapter. Nicole