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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would give this 3.5 stars if that were an option, but since it's not, I decided it's worth a bump up rather than a bump down. The novel is very much in the tenor of the kind of romantic age literature that always seems a little hysterical to me, at least in parts, but I liked this better than either Jane Eyre (which I have never liked) or Wuthering Heights. The central woman character is quite interesting through most of the book, though rather ridiculously gullible early on--suffering from a widespread disease of believing that a man can be changed by the love of a good woman. Still, given the era in which it was written, she does come of as rather stronger than most women of the age. The narrator is quite interesting through most of the novel, though he is the one who gets to the hysteria-level romanticism later in the story. Made me want to scream at times.
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-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
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
# Plot
- Structure / Pacing: The pacing is on the slower side, which is not for everyone. But for me, I think the slower pacing helps flesh out the characters and create more depth for the story. As for the structure, I think the three parts layout of the book ( 2 in Gilbert's POV, 1 Helen's POV in the middle ) is very interesting. However, I would love the ending to be Helen's POV because I can't get enough of Helen 😅. And it fits more than Gilbert's POV, who was quite frustrating to follow. 4
- Originality: For the time? Very original, radical even. It has a strong feminist tone and an unrelenting portrayal of abuse, alcoholism and gaslighting. The way the story is told is also quite unique. It wouldn't particularly stand out in today's time, but I will give more points since this is a classic. 5
- Conflict / Resolution: I like the conflict as it is realistic, psychologically rich and portrayed well. However, the resolution leaves much to desire. I don't think Gilbert is good enough for Helen yet. Even though I can see why Helen chooses him, his redemption arc is still not perfect. 4
# Characters
- Development: The characters develop a lot, even the side characters like Hatterly and Lowborough. Their growth is satisfying, not very realistic for all characters but the main ones are superb! Even Gilbert, who drove me insane with his egotism and entitlement, managed to redeem himself in my eyes a little bit that I accept his happy ending. 4
- Complexity: Very much complex, much more than meets the eyes. Anne Bronte weaved in a lot of psychology in their journey and character that it had me in awe, taking place in the 19th century and all! 5
- Relatability / Empathy: I am obsessed with Helen! At first I thought she was some kind of ice queen who would warm up to the main character through the power of love. But nope, she's so much more than that! Her story was such a ride that I wanted her to be happy so much! As for the other characters, Gilbert is quite a realistic take on a love story's protagonist. Even though I still don't like him. I did feel for Huntingdon at his last moments, even though I knew it was his fault. 5
# Theme / Depth
- Emotional Impact: It didn't make me cry but it kept me emotional throughout my read. From anger, to bliss, to sadness, I felt a lot. 5
- Exploration of Topics: Apart from the apparent endorsement of Gilbert's romance with Helen, everything else is portrayed with such empathy, respect and understanding. I didn't know gaslighting was so understood at that time! 5
- Resonance: I think so, yeah. It's hard to forget how this book made me feel. 5
# Writing Style
- Prose: Thick due to the time period but is more to-the-point than some other classic. Still a bit hard to read though. 3
- Tone: It is gritty, melancholic and introspective throughout. I could feel the coldness of the rain, the gloominess of Wildfell Hall and the quiet indignation of Helen. 5
- Dialogue: Good! Every character has their own speaking style and they speak in flavorful way that shows who they are. 5
# Personal Enjoyment
- Engagement: At first, it was hard to get in the book because of the characters' prejudice toward Helen and Gilbert's hypocrisy. But the more the book revealed about Helen, the more hooked I was. To the point I couldn't leave the book even when it was midnight. 4
- Accessibility: Like I said, reading was hard initially but once I got used to the language and the characters, it became more or a breeze. 4
- Emotional Connection: I think it's obvious already but I love Helen, too much in fact.. But the story shines as well and I can hate and love so much that it surprised me!
- Structure / Pacing: The pacing is on the slower side, which is not for everyone. But for me, I think the slower pacing helps flesh out the characters and create more depth for the story. As for the structure, I think the three parts layout of the book ( 2 in Gilbert's POV, 1 Helen's POV in the middle ) is very interesting. However, I would love the ending to be Helen's POV because I can't get enough of Helen 😅. And it fits more than Gilbert's POV, who was quite frustrating to follow. 4
- Originality: For the time? Very original, radical even. It has a strong feminist tone and an unrelenting portrayal of abuse, alcoholism and gaslighting. The way the story is told is also quite unique. It wouldn't particularly stand out in today's time, but I will give more points since this is a classic. 5
- Conflict / Resolution: I like the conflict as it is realistic, psychologically rich and portrayed well. However, the resolution leaves much to desire. I don't think Gilbert is good enough for Helen yet. Even though I can see why Helen chooses him, his redemption arc is still not perfect. 4
# Characters
- Development: The characters develop a lot, even the side characters like Hatterly and Lowborough. Their growth is satisfying, not very realistic for all characters but the main ones are superb! Even Gilbert, who drove me insane with his egotism and entitlement, managed to redeem himself in my eyes a little bit that I accept his happy ending. 4
- Complexity: Very much complex, much more than meets the eyes. Anne Bronte weaved in a lot of psychology in their journey and character that it had me in awe, taking place in the 19th century and all! 5
- Relatability / Empathy: I am obsessed with Helen! At first I thought she was some kind of ice queen who would warm up to the main character through the power of love. But nope, she's so much more than that! Her story was such a ride that I wanted her to be happy so much! As for the other characters, Gilbert is quite a realistic take on a love story's protagonist. Even though I still don't like him. I did feel for Huntingdon at his last moments, even though I knew it was his fault. 5
# Theme / Depth
- Emotional Impact: It didn't make me cry but it kept me emotional throughout my read. From anger, to bliss, to sadness, I felt a lot. 5
- Exploration of Topics: Apart from the apparent endorsement of Gilbert's romance with Helen, everything else is portrayed with such empathy, respect and understanding. I didn't know gaslighting was so understood at that time! 5
- Resonance: I think so, yeah. It's hard to forget how this book made me feel. 5
# Writing Style
- Prose: Thick due to the time period but is more to-the-point than some other classic. Still a bit hard to read though. 3
- Tone: It is gritty, melancholic and introspective throughout. I could feel the coldness of the rain, the gloominess of Wildfell Hall and the quiet indignation of Helen. 5
- Dialogue: Good! Every character has their own speaking style and they speak in flavorful way that shows who they are. 5
# Personal Enjoyment
- Engagement: At first, it was hard to get in the book because of the characters' prejudice toward Helen and Gilbert's hypocrisy. But the more the book revealed about Helen, the more hooked I was. To the point I couldn't leave the book even when it was midnight. 4
- Accessibility: Like I said, reading was hard initially but once I got used to the language and the characters, it became more or a breeze. 4
- Emotional Connection: I think it's obvious already but I love Helen, too much in fact.. But the story shines as well and I can hate and love so much that it surprised me!
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
(Most) men are trash, so choose wisely, but Victorian. More seriously, this story and writing style has a maturity and realism that *ahem* other Brontës lack. I enjoy that this was thought to be a wildly inappropriate story back in the day, because now it comes off as, somewhat sadly, timeless.
4.5 stars
I can’t explain why I like this book, but I did enjoy the reading of it. This is one of those rare books where I’m not particularly fond of the characters, but I was still riveted by the story. I do like our titular tenant for the most part, but she has the wooooooorst taste in men. Arthur obviously sucks, but Gilbert is such a child. He ignores her wishes and throws tantrums. But I still found his side of the story interesting. The first half of the book feels a bit Austen-y, with the cast of characters made from a country neighborhood and everyone intrigued by a new mystery tenant in the ruined Wildfell Hall. The romance and the mystery kept me interested despite constant frustration with Gilbert’s antics.
I can’t explain why I like this book, but I did enjoy the reading of it. This is one of those rare books where I’m not particularly fond of the characters, but I was still riveted by the story. I do like our titular tenant for the most part, but she has the wooooooorst taste in men. Arthur obviously sucks, but Gilbert is such a child. He ignores her wishes and throws tantrums. But I still found his side of the story interesting. The first half of the book feels a bit Austen-y, with the cast of characters made from a country neighborhood and everyone intrigued by a new mystery tenant in the ruined Wildfell Hall. The romance and the mystery kept me interested despite constant frustration with Gilbert’s antics.