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24.1k reviews for:

Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontë

3.72 AVERAGE

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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional sad 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
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Loveable characters: Complicated

heathcliff needed some serious therapy… i think a year or two of cbt and talk therapy could have fixed him 
dark mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Loveable characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I went into it expecting to like it more than I recall liking other similar work, of which I read too little, and so I feel ill-equipped to rate this. Maybe that's always the case with ratings though. One must feel ill-equipped or else.

I originally read this in my early 20s, and I remember getting wrapped up in it. There's much to recognize about myself in Heathcliff and maybe my advanced age and "maturity" makes him less palatable. There are a lot of shining observations and turns of speech. But I wonder how much the shine, along with the idiosyncrtic syntax and rhythm fed my younger, fawning impressions. Behind the language, is there much to treasure? Need there be?

People criticize this book for not answering enough whys. Why are they like that, why would they do that? Love and obsession is an easy answer, but there's more to it and that more is admirably guarded. Besides, why why why and throwing tantrums without answer answer answer calls for a thrashing by devil daddy, so don't do it.

Also, Havisham must've been a big-time fan.
challenging mysterious sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes