Walking The Invisible: A literary guide through the walks and nature of the Brontë sisters, authors of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, and their beloved Yorkshire

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I became totally immersed in this wonderful book for several days. I enjoyed the richly descriptive and humorous writing style, which draws you into the book. It was a delight accompanying the author on his walks through some beautiful, wild and rugged countryside and all the places that had connections with the Brontë family. The descriptions of the countryside are vivid with attention to the minutest of detail. The author entertains us with snippets of information, amusing stories and the characters he meets along the way. I was fascinated with the lives of the Brontës and learning about the areas of their lives I knew nothing about.

But one must approach this with a keen understanding that this saga is not as much about the titular Bronte Sisters as it is heavily devoted to the story of their troubled brother Bramwell, and the devastation he often imposed upon the family, the sacrifices they had to make on his behalf and the struggles they endured dealing with his addictions. Lucy Mangan, writing in The Guardian, described the drama as "bleak, beautiful and brilliant; like everything that Wainwright and her repertory company does". She also praised Nagaitis' performance as "a blazing performance [which] conveys the inner torment as well as the selfishness and keeps our sympathy even as he drives us up the wall". [12] Michael really knows his Bronte's, and better still he covers them all in this book. Bronte fans will get a chance to revisit passages of the some of the work, learn so much more about them as people and challenge perceptions too (the Jane Eyre queer theory section to mention but 1).The focus on Stewart’s experience yields some interesting stories about people encountered on the way, pubs, local gossip and incidents. His own points of reference also infiltrate the book – from the Shirley joke in ‘Airplane’, ‘Coronation Street’, Brexit and the wrestler, Big Daddy. All this is woven into the book alongside details about the Brontes and their world, plus historical frames of reference – the (separate) sections on slavery and the Luddites were particularly engaging. Michael Stewart has been captivated by the Brontes since he was a child, and has travelled all over the north of England in search of their lives and landscapes. Now, he'd like to invite you into the world as they would have seen it. Branwell hears from his mistress and discovers her husband has died. However, his will provides that she will lose both her money and her house if she remarries or is seen with Branwell. Branwell sinks further into alcoholism and becomes increasingly violent.

I loved the feel of bruised and brooding clouds over moors, almost permanent rain and mizzle, pubs, pints, camping and characters. It’s a really wonderful journey. The programme also attracted numerous comments on social media, with many viewers expressing their displeasure about a fine performance ruined by what they felt to be the poor quality of the film's sound recording. [14] However, as well as being about the Brontes, this is also very much about Stewart’s experiences and thoughts too. He proves to be an interesting guide as he walks the routes with various Bronte experts and his dog, Wolfie. There’s a heavy-duty commitment to the project evident in the fact he braves some terrible weather and shows a willingness to camp out en route (something I’d see as way beyond the call of duty!)Stewart borrowed the book from the local library and read it on the bus journey to work in a factory in Manchester. In adulthood he moved to live in Thornfield, the Brontë birthplace, and wrote a novel, Ill Will: The Untold Story of Heathcliff, during his research spending hours walking the moors. He also devised the Brontë Stones project for which Bush wrote a poem dedicated to Emily, left in the landscape.

As well as being full of interesting facts and figures about the South Pennine Hills (West of Bradford), this is a travelogue with heart and soul. It’s easy to see how passionate Stewart is of this windswept land of purple heather, wuthering weather and moors as far as the eye can see. It’s a love letter to the Brontë’s and the area they called home.But moving past the language, Lots of discussion about Bramwell and the characters from the sisters books, but the sisters themselves are largely absent. Indeed, He seems only interested in the male characters of the books. I want you to walk with me but to see through their eyes as I compare the times they lived in with the times we live in now.