Book Review: Let Me In: The Brontës in Bricks and Mortar, by Anne Dinsdale and Sharon Wright

Available from Amazon UK

Anne Dinsdale and Sharon Wright are well qualified to write about 'The Brontës in Bricks and Mortar', as Anne is the Principal Curator of the Parsonage Museum in Haworth and Sharon is the author of the best-selling biography of Maria Branwell Brontë and editor of the Brontë Society Gazette. 

On their journey around Britain and Ireland, the authors explore the physical spaces which shaped the Brontë's lives and imaginations. 

Brontë Parsonage (Photo by Tony Riches)

They delve into the specific rooms, the furniture, the objects, and even the fabric of the building, connecting these elements to the family's routines, their creative processes, and the characters and settings that populate their novels

Brontë Parsonage Interior (Photo by Tony Riches)

Beyond the parsonage, the authors explore the wider Haworth landscape – the bleak but beautiful moors, the village itself, and the church where Patrick Brontë served. They illustrate how these external "bricks and mortar" provided both inspiration and confinement, influencing the atmospheric descriptions in Wuthering Heights or the social commentary in Jane Eyre. 

The book is richly illustrated with photographs, historical images, and even architectural plans, which further immerse the reader in the Brontës' world, making the abstract concept of 'place' feel concrete and immediate.

The Brontës in Bricks and Mortar offers fresh perspectives and deeper insights into familiar territory, and moves beyond biographical narrative to consider the profound impact of environment on creativity. For those new to the Brontës, it serves as an excellent introduction to their world, grounding their extraordinary literary achievements in the very ordinary, yet profoundly significant, spaces they inhabited. 

Tony Riches