Reviews with content warning for Racism - Wuthering Heights

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

109 reviews

sarasreading's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I DNFed this in high school after one of my English teachers saw me absolutely devour Jane Eyre and told me I would love Wuthering Heights even more. Was that even possible? Turns out nope! I couldn’t stand the distance of the narration, being told secondhand and decades later. I didn’t even make it past their childhoods.

I decided to try again as an adult, to give it a fair shot. And reader, I finished it! I still didn’t enjoy how detached the narrative was from the story. The best part of the book is when Nelly practically disappears, and these toxic disasters get a large chunk of heart-wrenching dialogue. I needed more of that!

I was surprised to find I didn’t hate it, by the end. Every single character was a disaster, which feels very modern somehow. I imagine Emily scribbling this out by a stormy window, candlelight dancing in her wild eyes, as she makes them more and more unhinged. Goodforher.jpg.

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directorpurry's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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toffishay's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Wuthering Heights has a real place in my heart. I read this for the first time in high school and loved it, but hadn't read it since. I've completed my first re-read now a decade later and I still love it. I can acknowledge now that it is far from a perfect story. It really lags in the second half, as many readers would note. But as messy and terrible as Cathy and Healthcliff are, they are so compelling as characters! Healthcliff deserves his comeuppance, but he gets such a hard rap in life that you understand why he might want revenge. And Cathy is trapped by expectation, but also doesn't fight for Healthcliff, despite her headstrong personality. They are doomed by circumstance as much as they are by their own actions, which is so frustrating and so well done. From a purely atmospheric perspective, this is a perfect Gothic romance. The revenge that spans multiple generations, the doomed romance, the moors! If you want the vibes of wandering alone through the world, then this book is a great way to spend your time.

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