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woweewhoa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Incest, and Death
77mimi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
—
this is my third time reading emily brontë’s only novel – the first being when i was 12 (i was highly confused and didn’t know what i was getting into), second when i was 15 (which left me thinking lord i hate these characters) – now eight years since my last read, this time around the book completely and permanently altered my brain chemistry i fear
emily brontë is a poet first and foremost, the prose is gorgeous, the storytelling absolutely brilliant; the atmosphere, the mood are all perfect — her characters? god fucking awful, worst people you could ever encounter, and it doesn’t need to be said but her characterisation is amazing; even with these horrible people this novel is genius and moving and everything a novel should be
it’s miserable — it’s miserable and it’s hauntingly beautiful with such well explored themes of social class, nature-nurture, the cycle of trauma and violence, grief, revenge – and ultimately, love and passion
the story is dark, heavy and wild – truly it did feel at times like brontë was losing her grip on it – and surrounded by this cloud of profound descriptions of the moors and the environment, just a semblance of brightness in a gloomy and uneasy climate
but there are brief moments of comedy cleverly spliced in by brontë which genuinely had me laughing aloud
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Racism and Death
Minor: Incest
jessamcelwain's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Mental illness and Physical abuse
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Also on this read, I was more interested in the structure and style. The use of two unreliable narrators is so brilliantly done, where Mr. Lockwood’s diary-style narrative depends entirely on an abbreviated version of Nelly Dean’s narrative, which depends entirely on her retelling of events that happened to other people nearly three decades ago. The layers of bias between us and the events of the story create a feeling of always viewing the action through a fun-house mirror, with the melodrama rendered farcical and the broodiness of the characters and the moors deepening into supernatural terror.
Ultimately, who but an isolated and introverted young woman confined to the English moors, writing under an alias, defying the strictures of her zealous Christian family members could have written a story even her own sister would later caution is maybe too dark? (Charlotte’s posthumous introduction to the novel is overly apologetic and explanatory to a degree that I really dislike, but her note that her sister’s writing was “moorish, and wild, and knotty as a root of heath” is perfectly said).
Graphic: Mental illness, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Physical abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death, and Incest
Moderate: Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Racism
Minor: Pregnancy
cosmopsis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Ableism, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Classism, and Racism
chitti's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Blood, Murder, and Incest
eva_vva's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Mental illness, Racial slurs, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide attempt, Stalking, and Self harm
renorsomethin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Physical abuse, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Pregnancy, Death of parent, Medical content, Confinement, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, and Mental illness
acwhit17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Ableism, Death of parent, Bullying, and Terminal illness
Minor: Sexism, Classism, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, and Abandonment
tokagelizard's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
3.75
I've never read a classic with such fucked up characters who hate each other so much with such petty drama. Characters who are also dying off every other page over their drama and nerves. It was quite awesome. Heathcliff is the most unredeemable asshole you could imagine. These people are pulling each other's hair and snipping at each other and crying on stairways. It's more entertaining than romance, but be warned they do this for the entire book.
Still, props to Emily for letting these creatures loose on the world. I hope the last two standing find some happiness together.
Graphic: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse