This book contains transcriptions of essays Emily and Charlotte Bronte wrote at a girl's boarding school in Belgium. This was a critical time in Charlotte's development as a writer, and many scholars credit her experience there- and her teacher Monsieur Heger- with providing the foundation she needed to write her greatest works. The essays are in French, with English facing translation, and an essay accompaning.

I found the essays cumbersome, especially the one's attached to Emily's essays. It seems that the editor was compelled to wallow in the glamour of Emily's mystique too much, and insisting all the while that she was rebelling against Heger by making mistakes with her French (and yet making incredible progress?). So, I found that pretty silly, but otherwise the essays are interesting and, in the case of Emily, great pieces of writing. There's no wonder that Charlotte always said that her sister's forte was essay writing.

I think, most of all, that the editor was bothered by the Christian content and tone of some of the essays. She insists that Heger forced her to write in this way, or that she did it simply to please him- which of course goes against the idea that she was rebelling etc...

In short, the essays are great, but the editor needs to get some distance on the subject. ( )