Originally published in 1931, "e;The Brontes Went to Woolworths"e; by Rachel Ferguson (died 1957) is a whimsical and slightly surreal novel about the Carne family, a widow and her three daughters living in 1930s London. The book is noted for its blending of reality with a vivid, shared family fantasy life. The three sisters Deirdre (a journalist), Katrine (an aspiring actress), and Sheil (the youngest) and their mother inhabit a "e;bubble"e; of elaborate games. They have ongoing sagas involving talking dolls and "e;imaginary friends"e; based on real people they have never met. A major part of their fantasy life revolves around Sir Herbert Toddington, a High Court judge they call "e;Toddy"e;. They invent detailed lives for him and his wife, Lady Mildred, as if they are close family friends. The story shifts when Deirdre actually meets Lady Mildred at a charity bazaar. The family must then navigate the awkward and often funny gap between their complex imaginings and the real people. Later in the book, the whimsy takes a darker, spookier turn when the sisters' fantasy life interacts with the supernatural, including a seance and the appearance of the "e;ghostly"e; Bronte sisters...