Between wild walks, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë spent most of their lives indoors, their imaginations firing behind firmly-closed doors. Join two expert writers on a very personal journey around Britain and Ireland, enjoying privileged access to private houses that shaped and inspired the Brontë sisters and their writing.
Echoing Cathy's ghost in Wuthering Heights, Ann and Sharon ask to be let in - and invite you on an eye-opening odyssey that combines the surprising Bronte history of key houses with their sometimes glorious, sometimes heartbreaking, always fascinating afterlives. Join Ann and Sharon as they explore historic buildings where the extraordinary Brontë story unfolded. Discover the untold secrets of the world-famous Brontë Parsonage, Bradford's literary shrine where they wrote their novels, and the nearby birthplace of their early childhoods. Learn of the ghosts and legends of the real Wuthering Heights, the legacy of Ulster and Cornwall in the sisters' DNA, the restoration of the real Lowood School in Jane Eyre - and follow a Brontë pub crawl around the inns and taverns of Victorian England frequented by wayward brother Branwell. The book includes a foreword by author and broadcaster Rebecca Fraser and an exclusive interview with award-winning writer and director Sally Wainwright, revealing how and why she built a replica of the 1840s Haworth Parsonage on the moors for her acclaimed BBC biopic To Walk Invisible. This is a beautifully-illustrated voyage of discovery through the precious, often-overlooked places of our literary past - and why they matter today.
Ann Dinsdale, Principal Curator of the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, is an expert on the world-class Brontë collection, appearing on numerous TV and radio programmes, including The One Show, Jonathan Ross' Myths and Legends and Britain's Novel Landscapes with Mariella Frostrup. Ann worked with Sally Wainwright and the production team on BBC drama To Walk Invisible. She has written several books and articles on the Brontës.
Sharon Wright is an award-winning journalist and author of the Amazon #1 bestselling biography of Maria Branwell Brontë. She has written for The Guardian, Daily Express, BBC, Disney, Glamour, Woman & Home, The Lady, Red and New York Post and appeared on BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour and women's history podcasts. Research for this book resulted in her winning a correction to the Brontë memorial in Westminster Abbey, which made headlines around the world. She was interviewed by Mishal Husain on BBC Radio 4 Today, plus The Times, The Guardian, The Observer and The New York Times.
