CHARLOTTE BRONT

In this entry in The British Library Writers' Lives series, Sellars brilliantly captures the talent, determination, and tragic life of the author of Jane Eyre; she covers the basics--e.g., that Charlotte, Emily, and Anne BrontE wrote as Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, respectively, because 19th-century England was not ready for women writers. The biography makes revealing use of a multitude of original sources: letters, diaries, and original manuscripts, all laid out for readers to examine. What becomes apparent is Charlotte Bront''s determination to succeed as a writer, despite the many tragic deaths of loved ones; her craving for ""literary success"" revealed itself in a ""lifetime of single-minded independence."" Some of the manuscripts and original sources reproduced are impossible to read and act more as decoration, but on the whole, this portrayal of Charlotte Bront''s life conveys how an astute and original mind coped with overwhelming grief and despair to triumph creatively.