To write a full-length novel about the Brontës is surely a new idea? So many biographies and critical studies have been published about the famous family that it would seem reasonable to suppose nothing more remained to be said about them. It could even be argued that the spate of analysis and assessment has blurred the true picture of life at Haworth. Dark Quartet redresses the balance and provides a new perspective. Through the freedom of narrative and dialogue, the Brontës are presented as recognisable human beings rather than as dramatised archetypes—a strikingly dissimilar group bound together by devotion to each other and their home. The distressing incidence of sickness and bereavement is seen more as a commonplace of the period than a succession of malevolent visitations; while Branwell's slow deterioration is understandable, given the domestic and social climate from which he never really wished...