Agnes Grey

If you have at all dabbled in classic English literature, you may have had a hard time telling Charlotte from Emily, so now when a third sister, Anne, enters the fray, we understand if you're experiencing complete Brontë déjà-vu.

With its official subtitle "A Novel" and "Agnes Grey" itself sounding like the nickname of a retirement home patron who's at least 50% dust, Anne's somewhat drab title game might come down to this being her debut novel.

A semi-autobiographical piece, "Agnes Grey" tells the story of the titular character after her family falls on hard times and everybody has to chip in. Taking the position of governess in multiple houses with questionable success, Anne eventually meets Mr. Weston and suddenly everything becomes much more bearable.

A proper Christian...ish Victorian novel peppered with poignant social commentary, "Agnes Grey" is about puritan minister's daughters with immoral girlfriends, dashing yet prudent bachelors, spoiled, punchable children and elbow-centered scenes of passion. Thus you probably already know if this book is down your alley, but if you need the final push, Irish author George Moore described the debut as "the most perfect prose narrative in English letters".



Anne Brontë (1820-1849) was the youngest of the Brontë sisters, who wrote only two novels during her short, but influential lifetime. The difference with Anne is that she chose to write with a lot of irony and sarcasm, unlike the romantic aspirations of her older sisters. She also published her novels and poems under a male name. Best remembered for "Agnes Grey" and "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall".