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lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
3.0
Yet another book for my MA class : Air as a Literary Elelment
oatcappuccino's review against another edition
5.0
In high school, a friend of mine read Jane Eyre and, assuming that I would not get around to reading, I said I was fine with spoilers. When I read the book two years later, I felt that I had missed out on a vital part of the book -- I knew the truth about Rochester's past and the happenings inside Thornfield Hall. So since then, I have tended to avoid details of books I have the slightest interest in. All this is just to say that the only thing I knew about Wuthering Heights was that it was about two teenagers who were bratty and unbearable and couldn't make their relationship work. And I knew about the Kate Bush song (although I didn't even let myself listen to it, even after I started getting into her work).
But that didn't even scratch the surface of this book. Emily Brontë totally delivered on the batshit dynamic between Heathcliff and Cathy and I was in love with them & their awful unhealthy dynamic (not to mention the incest?), but there was so much else going on. This is also a sophisticated narrative about domestic abuse and intergenerational trauma spanning nearly forty years, and through multiple perspectives. It's a lot, but it's really good.
Not to mention that this went so much further than I thought a Victorian author was willing to go. The levels of blasphemy and violence were so much more than I was expecting. This is more Gothic than I could have imagined.
This is all just my impressions from my first readthrough I can't wait to revisit this in the future, I'm going to get so much more out of it. (And yeah... we're in a 48 hour Kate Bush lockdown.)
But that didn't even scratch the surface of this book. Emily Brontë totally delivered on the batshit dynamic between Heathcliff and Cathy and I was in love with them & their awful unhealthy dynamic (not to mention the incest?), but there was so much else going on. This is also a sophisticated narrative about domestic abuse and intergenerational trauma spanning nearly forty years, and through multiple perspectives. It's a lot, but it's really good.
Not to mention that this went so much further than I thought a Victorian author was willing to go. The levels of blasphemy and violence were so much more than I was expecting. This is more Gothic than I could have imagined.
This is all just my impressions from my first readthrough I can't wait to revisit this in the future, I'm going to get so much more out of it. (And yeah... we're in a 48 hour Kate Bush lockdown.)
evergleaming's review against another edition
1.0
Possibly my least favorite book of all time. I don't know if I hated Bleak House more.
mrogows's review against another edition
4.0
Well now I know where Genesis got their inspiration from for their 'Wind and Wuthering' album.
kellyk's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book knowing very little about the story ahead of time. I had some impression that there was a grand romance between Heathcliff and a woman, but I wasn't sure who that was. After reading it, I'm very surprised by what a dark story it was. Heathcliff was such an unlikable character. I understood that he was acting out of vengeance, and that the ill treatment he received as a child was the cause, but I had absolutely no sympathy for him. He was so cruel to everyone around him, even those in the next generation who had no part in the horrible treatment he received as a child.
I did find this to be a very compelling story, holding my interest with all of its twists and turns, and interconnections.
I did find this to be a very compelling story, holding my interest with all of its twists and turns, and interconnections.
kristin's review against another edition
4.0
I read this as part if the the Bronte book club (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srzqLIdA7wI) celebrating the 20th anniversary of Emily's death.
All I can say, is that they are all terrible people.
All I can say, is that they are all terrible people.
marneechua's review against another edition
2.0
Gothic? Yes. Historical and gloomy? Yes. You want a tale of two people who are introverted, nasty, and selfish? You can find it here. I was looking forward to finally reading Wuthering Heights, but now I can't tell you why. I have a reader group that adamantly defended it when I questioned why this is even considered classical literature. You want gothic with a statement about sweeping period injustice, retribution, redemption, and love? I recommend Dickens. I am definitely biased in that I have to be able to find something redeeming in at least one character, and I didn't find it here. Not even the narrator, to me, has any redeeming qualities. Although I guess some of this has more to do with the sheer stubborn selfish nature of every other character in the book. Not on my favorite list.
wavysagey's review against another edition
5.0
HEATHCLIFFFFFFFF IT’S ME YOUR CATHYYYYY I’VE COME HOOOOME IM SO COOOOLD LET MEEE IN-A YOUR WINDOOOOOWWWWWWWWW
xandira's review against another edition
1.0
Oh boy was I ever sorry I read this book. It was highly recommended by several people, so I was looking forward to reading it for an English class. Now, I can see its literary merits in writing style and social commentary and blah blah blah. But I absolutely HATE all the characters. What a bunch of self hating, destructive, emotionally abusive people! I found absolutely nothing romantic about them whatsoever. And since the "plot" is character driven, I was not fond of that either. It was a depressing and frustrating read.
girlasmyth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0