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Lynne Reid Banks
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Dark Quartet: The story of the Brontë family (The Brontë Sisters Saga Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Lynne Reid Banks (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 639 ratings
The compelling story of the Brontë family is brought to life! Perfect for fans of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, literary biographies and literary fiction.

Three mysterious sisters; one troubled brother – four lives blighted by tragedy.

*** Winner of the Yorkshire Art Association Award***


Haworth Parsonage, Yorkshire

Isolated in a ramshackle parsonage on the Yorkshire moors, the Brontë children created their own fantasy worlds.

Charlotte, Emily, Anne and their brother Branwell spent their childhoods absorbed in creating miniature manuscripts that preserved the stories of their imaginative dreamworlds.

But though Branwell craved recognition for his literary attempts, he would be pushed aside while the careers of his sisters flourished.

This family’s extraordinary literary talents were overshadowed by extreme personal suffering.

How did three provincial sisters become household names? What personal sacrifices led to professional success?

And what led to the ultimately tragic fate for this Dark Quartet…?

Dark Quartet is a fictionalised biography of the Brontë sisters: beautifully written literary fiction set in nineteenth century Yorkshire revealing the real tragedies of the authors of the best-loved novels Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

‘Lynne Reid Banks communicates her story with clarity and conviction that establish her among the noblest of factual fiction writers’ – Guardian

‘Thoroughly gripping’ – Cosmopolitan

‘Lynne Reid Banks has written an exciting and absorbing book and has offered us her answers to some of the mysteries of the lives of the Brontës’ – Irish Times

‘A novel which will open many eyes afresh to the lives of the remarkable and gifted Brontës’ – Yorkshire Post

‘The book brought me back to the times of the Brontës, and it was as exciting and passionate, as to read one of their books. It really took some time to come back to the 21st century once I finished it. If you love the Brontës, and if you love biographical fiction, this is a book for you.’ – The Content Reader

‘she has marshalled the data of four far-from-sheltered lives, and made from the tear-jerking facts--isolation, poverty, consumption, early death - a surprisingly lively novel.’ – Kirkus Review

The Brontë Sisters Saga Series
Book One: Dark Quartet
Book Two: Path to the Silent Country

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  1. Book 1 of 2
    The Brontë Sisters Saga
  2. Print length
    408 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    June 26, 2018
  5. File size
    3.2 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07F2NKZW2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books (June 26, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 26, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.2 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 408 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 639 ratings

About the author

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Lynne Reid Banks

Lynne Reid Banks

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Lynne Reid Banks is a best-selling author for children and adults. Her classic children's novel 'The Indian in the Cupboard' has sold nearly six million copies worldwide. She was born in London in 1929 and worked as an actress, writer and TV news reporter. Lynne has written thirty books: her first, 'The L-Shaped Room', was published in 1960. She now lives in Dorset, where she continues to write. Lynne says that writing for children comes much more easily than writing for adults. Tony Ross was born in London in 1938. He has worked as an art director at an advertising agency, a graphic designer, a cartoonist, a teacher, a film maker and as a Senior Lecturer in Art at Manchester Polytechnic.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
639 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides valuable insight into the lives of the Brontë sisters and their family background. Moreover, the narrative style is engaging, with one customer noting how the author delves deeply into the human drama. Additionally, the writing quality receives positive feedback, with one customer highlighting how the author makes every minute of the story feel real.

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22 customers mention "Insight"22 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides valuable insights into the lives of the Brontë sisters and their family background, based on thorough research.

"...read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, the story was so intimate and enlightening...." Read more

""Dark Quartet" is a well written, insightful, fictional biography of Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne Bronte...." Read more

"...It is very interesting to know some of the background that influenced those novels...." Read more

"There are interesting sections in the book, but much of it drags. I'm struggling to finish it." Read more

20 customers mention "Enjoyment"17 positive3 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable and memorable, with one mentioning it makes them want to reread it.

"This was truly a wonderful book...." Read more

"...It's a good book even for someone who is not a huge Bronte fan." Read more

"...This is a good read...keep in mind it is a work of fiction...but this author must have researched the family extensively." Read more

"I enjoyed this book so much. The story of the Brontes always interested me...." Read more

20 customers mention "Narrative style"16 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the narrative style of the book, finding the story engaging, with one customer noting how the author wrote it like a story and another mentioning its extremely detailed account of the Bronte sisters' lives.

"...loves literature has read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, the story was so intimate and enlightening...." Read more

"...these three very young women, homebodies all, were able to probe the human drama so deeply, and with such sympathy. JANA" Read more

"...with just a list of facts but I loved this book because the author wrote it like a story instead of just giving the facts...." Read more

"...I'm struggling to finish it." Read more

9 customers mention "Writing quality"9 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with one customer noting how the author made every minute so real, while another appreciates the great love of the English language.

""Dark Quartet" is a well written, insightful, fictional biography of Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne Bronte...." Read more

"...The author made every minute so real that I felt Charlotte's loneliness after losing her last two siblings." Read more

"...Lynn Reid Banks is a superb author who has great love of the English language and the agility to make it work for her...." Read more

"As well as being very well written and researched it was a fascinating look at some very bright women who were so restricted in their time." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Claudia Remington
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable
    Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This was truly a wonderful book. The author's style seemed in acute harmony with the subject, or subjects, this incredible family of creative and intense children. Although something is known to us of their lives, and everyone who loves literature has read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, the story was so intimate and enlightening. Their deep involvement with their fantasy world had something of the addictive quality of more modern gamers, such games as Dungeons and Dragons. I will never forget the four of them, their intense love for each other, their love of their home and their father, and their challenges in using their superior minds and talents in productive ways. Each evening I looked forward to joining their world, dark and painful as it often was. An unforgettable book.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Jana L.Perskie
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Haunting Novel Of The Gifted Bronte Siblings
    Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2005
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    "Dark Quartet" is a well written, insightful, fictional biography of Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne Bronte. The lives of these gifted and creative siblings can easily compete in drama, and intensity, with those of the characters in their gothic novels. Raised on the bleak Pennine moors of West Yorkshire, their home at Haworth Parsonage could be the setting for "Jane Eyre," "Wuthering Heights" or "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall." Indeed, their beloved moors had much to do with the formation of their very characters. In beautiful weather, the dun and purple heathered countryside, with its vast spaces, is beautiful and dramatic. However, this is a place where the sun rarely shines, and there is a dark, brooding, almost sinister quality about the landscape. The almost total silence is occasionally broken by the song of the skylark or the call of the curlew. This solitary, raw, harsher beauty is spectacular in it own way, and has inspired many artists and writers. It is a setting that Emily never wanted to leave. In fact it grieved her so much to be elsewhere, that she was not able to complete her studies away from home. She would walk the countryside in all weather, with her dogs, and seemed to find sustenance there.

    Their's is a tragic story, so many lives and so much talent snuffed out so soon. Branwell, aged 31, Emily, 30, and Anne, 29. died within a year of each other. One can only imagine Charlotte's grief at being the last living child of Patrick and Maria Branwell Bronte. They were all frail, fey children, who tended to be extremely introverted, although vivacious and exuberant amongst themselves. The four spent much of their childhood and adolescence creating plays, writing epic poems and stories about fantasy worlds which seemed more real to them, at times, than everyday life.

    Their mother died when Anne was just a baby and her sister, a harsh disciplinarian, came North to live and raise the six children. I can see something of this woman's character in Aunt Reed of "Jane Eyre." Maria, and Elizabeth, the oldest daughters, were sent away to school at the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge. A poor parson, Mr. Bronte thought the inexpensive school for girls was a Godsend. In fact, it was a miserable institute where the girls endured unbelievable privations. Maria died of tuberculosis as a result of her stay there, as did Elizabeth, a short time later.

    Author Lynne Reid Banks, ("The L-Shaped Room"), paints an intimate and fascinating portrait of the remaining siblings, "The Dark Quartet." Much of their dialogue is taken from letters, which adds to the novel's richness and realism. The three young women were all published writers, and supported their family as such, using the noms de plume Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. They wrote prolifically throughout their lifetimes. Their heroines were uniquely strong-willed and independent, unusual in an age when the law and society defined a married woman as a husband's property. Women were totally dependant upon their mates, or fathers, during this period, and could actually be locked away in asylums at a man's whim and convenience. Their heroes were inclined to be intense, brooding, often cruel - perhaps modeled after Branwell. The Bronte sisters were not afraid to write about violence, nor coarse, unacceptable behavior. Again, this candid, direct approach to literature was unusual, especially from female authors. Unfortunately, Branwell did not fare as well as his sisters. Indulged as a boy because of seizures and/or tantrums, he did show great promise as a writer and painter. However, his unfortunate life was cut short by dissipation due to drinking, drugs and severe depression.

    I became interested in the biography of the Bronte's after reading Anne's "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall." Although I have long been a fan of Charlotte's and Emily's, I had no idea that there was a third such talent in the family. It amazes me that these three very young women, homebodies all, were able to probe the human drama so deeply, and with such sympathy.
    JANA
    45 people found this helpful
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  • J. Harshbarger
    5.0 out of 5 stars so I'm glad he wasn't always at the center of the story
    Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    It's been a very long time since I read "Wuthering Heights" or "Jane Eyre," but this book brought back some of the same feelings I had as a young girl when I read those books. It is very interesting to know some of the background that influenced those novels. I cannot imagine what Mr. Bronte went through in his lifetime, so I'm glad he wasn't always at the center of the story. the book really centers around how the Bronte sisters used their circumstances and yet rose above them. It's a good book even for someone who is not a huge Bronte fan.
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  • arisaig
    3.0 out of 5 stars reach for another book.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2015
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    There are interesting sections in the book, but much of it drags. I'm struggling to finish it.
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  • Penny
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really Fascinating Biography/Story About the Bronte Family!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2015
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    This book held me captive and I didn't want to stop reading every time I had to put it down. I had wanted to read a bio on the Bronte sisters because I knew they had a strange upbringing and family life but I never knew how strange it was. I usually find biographies boring with just a list of facts but I loved this book because the author wrote it like a story instead of just giving the facts. She used dialog and made up incidents that could have been what really happened to them and she did this by using the true facts about their lives, personalities and interaction with each other. I have already told several friends and family about how much I enjoyed this book and I recommend it to anyone who likes to read biographies and especially anyone fascinated with the Bronte's lives and their books.
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars This family was strong...even in their weakness
    Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Lots of details about life in that era and quite a bit of description as to how the Brontes lived and interacted... But seeing as how it is a novel, one can only speculate regarding the accuracy of their reactions to life's seemingly cruel "tricks!"
    Branwell was his own worst enemy, but the sisters (more Charlotte & Emily, than Anne) and his pathetic clergyman father, fed the sole male sibling's inflated self-image to the point that he became intolerable...and then Charlotte [turned her back on him!
    The literary license was apparent, but the artistic gifts of the Brontes was well documented. They had real talent that survived their poor health & questionable psychological stability!
    It is quite obvious that familial dysfunction is not a product of modern times, as it was rampant in the Bronte clan...and it appears...many others of that day.
    This is a good read...keep in mind it is a work of fiction...but this author must have researched the family extensively.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • liz mccarthy
    5.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed this book so much
    Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed this book so much. The story of the Brontes always interested me. I am glad I had the opportunity to finally read the incredible story of their lives. I knew that they lived sad lives but I had no idea that their lives were so tragic. The author made every minute so real that I felt Charlotte's loneliness after losing her last two siblings.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • John Hall
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Brontë family through the looking glass.
    Reviewed in France on June 16, 2016
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    Excellent information about the lives and times of the Brontë family.We learn so much about the background to their great novels and especially about the interaction between all the members of this family. Perfect reading matter.
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  • Susan Storm
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating family
    Reviewed in Germany on August 25, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This book really took me into the inner life of this family...I loved it, well-written, well-researched and very sensitive without sentimentality. The era, and how the family was formed by those times, also very clearly protrayed. Now I wish to read all of the Bronte books...so glad this book has helped me discover these wonderful authors.
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  • Tracesprite
    5.0 out of 5 stars A family of brave, talented, determined, hard-working people.
    Reviewed in Australia on December 16, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This book rates alongside Margot Peters' book, "Unquiet Soul," as being a fascinating insight into life in the parsonage where the Bronte children grew up. My heart ached for Branwell and for his father, Patrick. Like Charlotte, I stubbornly cling to my faith in God, yet I so hate the fact that there was so much suffering in this family of brave, talented, determined, hard-working people. It is worth re- reading Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. It speaks to this story also.
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  • Cathryn Lajeunesse
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed this story immensely
    Reviewed in Canada on August 27, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Enjoyed this story immensely. It gave a personal, multifaceted and unromantic view of the family and the times and places they inhabited.
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  • shoestopper
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bringing the Brontes Alive
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This version of the life of the Brontes mirrors the available information on them. Without cameras or voice recordings or videos at that time, it is a documentary as well as a short novel, a tragic tale, the good part/s being the legacy of classic novels by the three sisters. I liked the northern characters and accents of the house maids and such, placing us in the Howarth area. The personalities and paid occupations of the quartet are interesting. From today's perspective, this is a very different time from ours. They are quiet country gentry who, although poor, have hired household staff. Diseases which today would be curable killed them all at an early age. Only their father, Patrick, lived to an old age.
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