Best Poems of the Brontë Sisters

I'm not a huge poetry person, but this was a good collection and had a decent number of poems from each sister. I prefer Charlotte's novels, so I was a bit surprised that Emily had the most poems that I liked.

There is a series of anniversaries coming up from 2016 for the Bronte sisters. 2016 is the 200th anniversary of Charlotte's birth, followed by Emily (2018) and Anne (2020).

Dover Publications have reissued an edition of 47 of their poems which was originally published in 1997. Many of these appeared in the 1846 edition of Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell which was published in London by Aylott and Jones. This new edition has arranged the poems by poet to reflect the sequence of the 1846 edition.

I like to dip into a collection of poems. I couldn't help but compare the sisters' poems as I did so. Emily's voice seems to ring out the strongest to me, full of fervour, emotion and imagination. She evokes the landscape beautifully. Although these were the only poems printed in her lifetime, she wrote nearly 200 poems. Emily and Anne created an imaginary world of the island of Gondal and although their plays and stories have not been survived, some of Emily's poems in this edition relate to Gondal. The landscape is reminiscent of that found in Sir Walter Scott's writings, full of mountains and heather. Some of the themes of imprisonment and death are found in these poems and seem to be an echo of her later masterpiece, Wuthering Heights.

Anne and Charlotte's voices are less fervent but are full of longing and loneliness. Charlotte's poems written after the deaths of Emily and Anne are affecting. It is not hard to imagine her grief. Similarly, Anne's poem, 'Last Lines' was written a few weeks after Emily's death. Their words evoke the solitary lives they led as the siblings died. Knowing that Charlotte worked as a Governess and put that experience into her novels, I found 'The Teacher's Monologue' interesting written from the perspective of someone living away from their home and longing to be there.

Highlights: Charlotte- 'Parting' stanza 6

There's no use in weeping,

Though we are condemned to part:

There's such a thing as keeping

A remembrance in one's heart.

Highlights: Emily- 'No Coward Soul is Mine' stanza 1

No coward soul is mine

No trembler in the world's storm-troubled sphere

I see Heaven's glories shine

And Faith shines equal arming me from Fear.

Highlights: Anne- 'Lines Composed in a Wood on a Windy Day' stanza 1

My soul is awakened, my spirit is soaring

And carried aloft on the wings of the breeze;

For above and around me the wild wind is roaring,

Arousing to rapture the earth and the seas.

In short:a collection of poems which stand alone and speak for themselves.

Best Poems of the Brontë Sisters represents my rediscovery of poetry and of the many feelings it can inspire in you.
I love this book deeply and highly recommend it to all poetry-lovers or fans of the sisters' works.

The Best Poems of the Bronte Sisters published by Dover Publications is a collection of poetry from the three sisters best known for their prose. Although classics Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall they do not complete the sister’s range of works.

There is a similarity in style between the sisters and it holds to the form of 19th century English poetry. There are several poems that were written on the spur of the moment. Poems are written on a windy afternoon or from a place in the woods. There is, without a doubt, plenty of the romantic movement in their collective writing.

Emily Bronte’s poems seem to take a darker tone than the other sisters, but it is Charlotte who writes the poems in eulogy for her sisters. There is a turn in Charlotte outlook as she seems drained and suffering loss in her later poems. This is a well-collected selection of poetry that demonstrates the best of 19th-century writing and, more importantly, the works of women in poetry. Ask most people, even those who took English literature in college, to name a 19th-century female poet and perhaps they may mention Mary Shelley but little mention of anyone else. The Bronte sisters, although famous for their novels, should have their fair share fame for their poetry.

This is a great collection for those interested in poetry. English 19th-century poetry is almost the ideal of poetry in most people’s minds. This collection will introduce readers to a great period of literature and great women poets.

Being very familiar with the Bronte sisters novels I was blissfully unaware of their poetry until now. What great work! Love the dark tones and slow rhythm.

Best Poems of the Brontë Sisters by Emily, Anne, and Charlotte Brontë

Dover Publications

Poetry

Pub Date Jan 15, 2016

I was given a copy of Best Poems of the Bronte Sisters by the publisher and there partnership with Netgalley in exchange for my honest review which is as follows:

In this book we get to read a short collection of some The Bronte Sisters best poetry, Poetry that beautifully shows the talent of these famous literary sisters.

Although a short collection these poems have a big impact.

I give this book five out of five Stars Happy Reading

This collection is not only for fans of the Bronte Sisters and classic rhyming poetry but also for readers that crave heartbreaking gothic angst. I had never been exposed to these poems and, I must admit, I did not read this collection straight through but spent a little time with it each day. Let yourself experience the meaning and mull the poems over.

These poems are gorgeous and full of the torment that I associate with the Brontes. I always prefer Bronte books on rainy or snowy days with a coffee close by—they just are so talented at creating an atmosphere that draws me in.

Full disclosure: Jane Eyre is one of my all time favorites novels, I read it yearly due to the swoon-worthy Mr. Rochester, but Wuthering Heights makes me cringe so I’m not fully biased.
Give the Bronte sisters a try. If you love gothic British literature, they are a must. If you love their novels, the poems are waiting for you.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

A endearing collection from all the Bronte sisters of their best poetry. The theme here is grief and angst so be prepared to savor each poem for its entirety , to feel their pain and understand each as it represents their sadness, closeness as sisters and life as authors. You will find yourself reading a parameter by itself and lending yourself to contemplate prior to starting anew., A wonderful enriching reading experience for all who appreciate good literature and poetry. My only complaint here is its format makes reading on a Kindle almost impossible . the poems are printed on photographs which does not lend itself to reading on a Kindle

I enjoyed peering into the souls of the sisters, with their thoughts and feelings on life, the world, but more so each other. A beautiful,insight into their relationships with one another.

While I adore the Brontë sisters and their novels, I had never actually given their poetry a try prior to reading this book. I was very pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the poems compiled here and I will certainly read more of the Brontë sisters' poetry later. What I loved was how each sister's poetry perfectly reflected her personal writing style, reminiscent of her novel(s) and her life at the time the poems were written. Their grief at the loss of their siblings are a great theme behind many of their poems, the latter being my favorite in this compilation. The Brontë might be remembered more for their novels than their poetry, but if you're a Brontë fan I highly recommend you also give their poetry a try.

'Best Poems of the Brontë Sisters' introduced me to poems written by the three literary sisters. It's a short collection but was enjoyable to read.

The Brontë's famous for writing were among six siblings. They originally published the poems under the names of Currer, Acton and Ellis Bell, perhaps thinking the poems would sell better if buyers thought the authors were men. Perhaps it's fortuitous that the poems didn't sell well, because the Brontës moved on to writing novels. That's not to say the poems aren't good, but I think their prose is more enduring.

The poems are very much of the century they lived in. There are odes to nature such as places in the woods or windy days. There are also some darker poems written about the loss of their siblings. There is joy here, but much sorrow and darkness too. The poems are not something I would have thought of as something the Brontës would do well, but I thoroughly enjoyed this collection.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Dover Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

BEST POEMS OF THE BRONTE SISTERS Written by Charlotte, Anne and Emily Bronte Edited by Candace Ward 1899 (reissue January, 2016); 64 Pages Genre: poetry

★★★★★

(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review.)

I have read the Bronte sisters' poetry for a few years now - in collections and online - and have enjoyed it. Now that I have read some of the Brontes' novels I can see more of the individual style they had. The one thing they all have in common is that their poetry has little stories. Another collection living in my eReader.

I love the Bronte sisters work immeasurably and so it was great to connect with their poems. I've read a lot of Emily's poetry but lacked in Charlotte and Anne's. I found Anne's deeply honest, but at times dull - or at least not of our time - whereas I fail to recollect most of Charlotte's unfortunately. Emily's remain the most impassioned, powerful and memorable of them all. A lovely little read.