3.5 stars 
 There were several things I liked about this book. I enjoyed the first section, narrated by Gilbert, that was a bit of a comedy of manners with some humorous touches. I enjoyed the feminist slant, with Helen being a strong character whose actions and words and views on a woman's place were way ahead of her time. I admired the fact that Anne Bronte tackled some strong taboos of her era including alcohol abuse, adultery and the general debauchery of some of the nobility. I am fascinated by the links to the story of Anne's own brother, Branwell, and his struggles with alcoholism and addiction. 
 However, for me (and perhaps this is just my modern sensibilities), the temperance message was just a little too heavy handed, and I found Helen to be overly pious at times. The bad guys and gals all got their comeuppance (unless they reformed their ways) and the good, Christian folk all did well and lived happily and richly ever after. There was very little nuance in that regard. 
 If you are going to read this book, I strongly recommend this Penguin Classics edition as I found the notes by Stevie Davis very useful especially in regard to explaining the numerous Biblical references, of which I was woefully ignorant, having been brought up in an atheist household!