The girth of this book intimidates, but the content proves it's a deserved size - the entire Bronte family (including father Patrick and brother Branwell) have their stories told here. And for how much of the legends surrounding them are just that - legends - the truth surrounding their personalities, their relationships and the tragedy in their lives is unnervingly compelling, and Barker dissects theories about certain events mid-chapter with skill and without hurting the book's flow either. Terrific work of biography.