This tome contains 6 works by The Bronte Sisters, of which I've read only one that I recall. A couple of the novels are on my B-day RABCK buddy's wishlist, so hopefully he has a sturdy surface on which to place the book and read. This is definitely not a book easy to take with you and read just anywhere. And while I try to send my UK friends American authors, this is the book that I found for this year's exchange. (BC's website is barely mobile-usable.)

I hope you have a very happy birthday, Stu! Hopefully this collection keeps you for until next year.

Wow, what a great birthday present, thanks adrienne! I doubt I'll be reading any of these on the way to work but it's a fantastic gift, thank you so much. I'm also wearing the pirate eye patch so if I've spelt anything wrong it's because of that :-)

I'm finally reading a Bronte novel!!! Shock horror. Yes! Our book club has chosen The Professor by Charlotte Brontë as our reading material for December.

Ok so before our bookclub meeting on 5th January I'd got to about 50% through The Professor and had all but decided to give up on it.

My reasons where:

1. William Crimsworth keep landing on his feet, he'd made so many bad decisions but everything always turned out fine. I'd gotten to the point in the story where he was working as an English teacher at the Girls school. He luckily landed three different jobs with very little effort on his point and I found this outrageous and very unrealistic.

2. Too much of it was written in the French language!!! Did everyone who could read and who had access to books back in the 1800's speak both English and French???? I've got access to the internet and I couldn't even be bothered putting it through google translator I just skipped those parts completely. It was after one particular long passage in French that I decided not to continue.

So there you have it I went to our bookclub meeting told everyone what I thought and told them I'd given up on it. BUT after hearing everyone else's comments and opinions I decided to start again from where I'd left off. I ignored the fact that William was indeed the luckiest person, I mean, he even found Frances after a chance walk through a graveyard, I mean come on!!!! However I ignored the story pretty much and just concentrated on the writing, now the writing is so beautiful and poetic it amazed me. Charlotte Brontë really does have a way with words.

I've never read a book in this manner before, I've never really just looked for the beauty in the written word; it's always been about the story for me so this was quite a breakthrough and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the second half of the novel.

I will read more Brontë novels without a doubt.

I'm going to watch a theatre production of Wuthering Heights next week so I've decided to read it first before seeing the adaptation.

EDIT:
Finished Wuthering Heights on 17th February 2020. I really enjoyed it, it's a very dark and complex but enjoyable read.

Added the remaining collections to my reading list for 2021.

Charlotte - Jane Eyre (p. 13 - 344) - read 25th Jan, 2021
Charlotte - Villette (p. 345 - 694) - read 1st Feb, 2021
Charlotte - The Professor (p. 695 - 853) - read 21st Feb, 2015
Emily - Wuthering Heights (p. 855 - 1060) - read 17th Feb, 2020
Anne - Agnes Grey (p. 1061 - 1182) - read 3rd Feb, 2021
Anne - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (p. 1183 - 1488) - read 8th Feb, 2021

I started reading Jane Eyre today.

EDIT: Finished Jane Eyre on 25th Jan. What a brilliant novel, so well written, and the narrative is superb.

What can be said about poor Jane what rollercoaster life she lead, from a horrible early life living with the Reeds and a difficult start at Lowood to her somewhat pleasant time at Thornfield Hall with Mr. Rochester until the "incident" followed by her destitution and saviour at Moor House. What a journey? All that with a somewhat gothic and supernatural undertone. Brilliant just brilliant.

I finished the Tenant of Wildfell Hall yesterday to conclude this collection.

So glad I decided to complete these this year, all the novels are well written and I'd consider then ranging between good and brilliant. I rank them here from my favourite to least favourite :

Wuthering Heights
Jane Eyre
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Agnes Grey
Villette
The Professor