Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Woeste Hoogten by Emily Brontë

235 reviews

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

heathcliff is a dick lmao cathy is a VICTIM whatever happened to emily in her life i just want to give her a hug bc damn she went there wow

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jenstarfury's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 26%

Just horrible things happening to horrible people 

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book got me back into reading. I love it. Every character has flaws, but they all have their reasons, (most of those reasons being Heathcliff related). Has an abrupt but satisfying ending. A little slow around the middle but generally has crazy stuff happening in every chapter.

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challenging dark medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is a tough one. I didn't expect to love this book (I have not enjoyed any books by the Brontë sisters so far) but I thought I would at least like it. I think the writing style is beautiful -- I want to buy a physical copy just so I can underline the parts I loved. I understand what this book is trying to say about generational trauma and cycles of violence. I get that the characters are meant to be detestable. The through-line between the two generations is clear and I do think Emily Brontë is an incredible writer. 

But this story did not speak to me. I did not fall in love with this book. I did not feel for any of the characters; it was just an awful person telling the story of other awful people being awful to each other, and I didn't root for any of them. I saw the story here without feeling it. 

The evocative writing is perfect, but it was such a grind. I don't know if the Brontës are for me.

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dark sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

They're all bad people... but written beautiful... It's just toxic 😂

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I see the hype, and I can appreciate that hype, but it's not my style.  The characters are just bad people save for like three of them. Nature versus nurture.

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I know it’s a classic but I just hate Heathcliff so much 

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated

I finally finished this book, and while it took me a while (by my own standards), I almost gave up three times. I really disliked the first half, but the second half was much more engaging, I didn’t want to stop reading.

The biggest issue I had with the book was its narration style. The story is told through multiple layers of perspectives, recounting events from third and fourth-hand accounts rather than immersing us in the moment. While I appreciate the creativity and the challenge this must have presented to the author, I found it difficult to connect with the story at first. It wasn’t so much that it was hard to follow, but more that it felt confusing at times. However, I do have to praise Emily’s writing. Even though the narration style was confusing, her ability to write emotional scenes and make the reader feel connected to the characters’ struggles was impressive. She can really evoke emotion and make you care about the events unfolding. 

As for the characters, I disliked most of them, and while I understand that this was Emily’s intention, I’m a character driven reader, so this made it tough for me, especially in the first half. Catherine Earnshaw/Catherine Linton and Heathcliff were so frustrating and toxic that I almost couldn’t bear it. But the second half of the book, which focused more on other characters and storylines, was much more enjoyable for me. 

Heathcliff, in particular, was incredibly cruel and angry. His actions made me so furious that I had to take a few deep breaths to calm down. I don’t understand why so many people consider him an "anti hero." I do acknowledge his trauma and the terrible decisions that shaped him, I believe that doesn’t excuse his behavior, especially his abuse and violence towards women and children. Emily didn’t create him to be a hero or a likable character, she created him to show the cycle of abuse, which she was ahead of her time for. 

I have a lot more to say, but I’ll keep this brief. While there were things I liked about the book, I still disliked a bunch too. I don’t regret reading it, but it was not an enjoyable experience for me. That said, I do believe that this was Emily's intention, this is not a romance. It’s striking that so many people label it as such, as it reflects how society often misunderstands toxic relationships. Catherine and Heathcliff’s bond is not an example of romance, no matter how many "romantic" phrases they share. Their relationship is far from ideal and not something that you should wish for. 

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