Agnes Grey Book

It pains me to only give this three stars, mainly because of the tremendous respect I have for what the three Bronte sisters accomplished in their short lives, and because Anne was overshadowed by her older sisters, Charlotte and Emily. Agnes Grey, the first of Anne's two novels (1847), was overshadowed by Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, also published in 1847. But Agnes Grey did two things: one, it gave us insight into Anne's life, her feelings, because it was partly autobiographical, reflecting her experience as a governess for several years; and two, it helped Anne to open up her literary potential which she used to write her second novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. While it is lesser known than her older sister's classic masterpieces, it's quality puts it at the same level of excellence in my opinion. The three sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, died at the ages of 38, 31, and 29. It staggers the mind to think what they may have accomplished if they had lived another 25 or 30 years. But what they did accomplish was literary immortality, all three of them, and for that I say thank you ladies, well done.