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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Started out pretty good, but after the diary part starts, it goes quickly downhill. That part could have been much shorter, her husband is an ass, we get it, we don't need to read ALL the ways he's an ass.
Last part was just not for me, her going back, all the miscommunication, pussyfooting around saying what needs to be said, sigh, noooooooo.
The title is all wrong, it should have been My Husband Is an Ass, Let Me Count the Ways... or this book should have been called I'm an Angel, Let me Count the Ways... Helen became so sanctimonious yet so judgmental of others, I wanted to smack her.
And in the end, I don't think Gilbert is a much better choice of husband, but whatever.
Also, if you're going to leave eventually anyway, why not sooner, maybe after Offensive and Hurtful Thing #20 instead of waiting till #100. I know leaving was not the done thing back then, but she does it later anyway, so way wait sooooooo long?? Oh right, even after Offensive and Hurtful Thing #whatever her husband is still redeemable/lovable... give me a break, no one is that delusional, especially because she identifies the same problems in the marriages of her friends.
Last part was just not for me, her going back, all the miscommunication, pussyfooting around saying what needs to be said, sigh, noooooooo.
The title is all wrong, it should have been My Husband Is an Ass, Let Me Count the Ways... or this book should have been called I'm an Angel, Let me Count the Ways... Helen became so sanctimonious yet so judgmental of others, I wanted to smack her.
And in the end, I don't think Gilbert is a much better choice of husband, but whatever.
Also, if you're going to leave eventually anyway, why not sooner, maybe after Offensive and Hurtful Thing #20 instead of waiting till #100. I know leaving was not the done thing back then, but she does it later anyway, so way wait sooooooo long?? Oh right, even after Offensive and Hurtful Thing #whatever her husband is still redeemable/lovable... give me a break, no one is that delusional, especially because she identifies the same problems in the marriages of her friends.
I will definitely be rereading this book and hastening to read Anne's other book now. My opinion of Anne Bronte is very high after reading this, and I'm so delighted to have finally read her. I'm struggling to decide whether I like her writing style better than her sister Charlotte (!!); Anne seems much more tale-telling, less somber, yet clearly getting a point across. I delighted in hating Mr. Huntingdon (the bastard!) and I'm amazed Anne was allowed to print the content she did! This book really let me understand the Victorian culture much better in a lot of ways (gentlemen camaraderie, temptation, double standards, the private sphere, treatment of one's children), and it didn't seem like it had to hide behind formal or vague or artful discourse. I felt so much sympathy and pride in the heroine Helen and can't imagine how she maintained her fortitude. She sacrificed so much of her life, because of one foolhardy mistake (she so stubbornly repeatedly turned a blind eye on all her self-declared red-flag dislikes about Huntingdon), yet she wouldn't leave the propriety of chasteness and loyalty, and she spoke strongly about what she believed in. She had very difficult decisions to deal with! I like the organization of the novel and the discussion of alcohol and other temptations. It was all very well done.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Abandonment
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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
3.5 stars.
There are two distinct parts to the book, both in terms of narrative and in terms of impact. The book starts rather sedately with the Markham family realising a new tenant at Wildfell hall and Gilbert Markham's gradually falling in love with Helen, that tenant. As he betrays his passion for her and the jealousy it brings, she shares her past with him, the second narrative.
Helen's back story is easily the flesh of this book. It punches you deeply and the story of martial abuse is shared openly and brutally. You feel an utter repulsion for Arthur Huntington, which Anne Bronte conveys with just minimal allusion to the incidents. Helen's frustration is ours, her tears are ours. I was torn between admiring her spunk kn standing up to her wastral of a husband and his lady love and being irritated by her compliance with her husband's wishes to stay on in their house, to the extent of endangering her son's lifestyle. Somehow, the two layers jarred with me. How could such a strong willed woman be so compliant? Anyway, this part of the book was truly brilliant. Deserved a 5 star.
The part dealing with Gilbert's romance with Helen just didn't work for me. I felt it just too light. Here was a woman with such a heavy baggage and a deep suspicion of men. She has repelled the persistent advances of other men. But her barriers seem to break almost instantaneously with Gilbert. That whole romance part was just too juevenile for me. It was unnecessary and I think Helen would have ended as a much stronger character in our mind if she remained a single woman.
There are two distinct parts to the book, both in terms of narrative and in terms of impact. The book starts rather sedately with the Markham family realising a new tenant at Wildfell hall and Gilbert Markham's gradually falling in love with Helen, that tenant. As he betrays his passion for her and the jealousy it brings, she shares her past with him, the second narrative.
Helen's back story is easily the flesh of this book. It punches you deeply and the story of martial abuse is shared openly and brutally. You feel an utter repulsion for Arthur Huntington, which Anne Bronte conveys with just minimal allusion to the incidents. Helen's frustration is ours, her tears are ours. I was torn between admiring her spunk kn standing up to her wastral of a husband and his lady love and being irritated by her compliance with her husband's wishes to stay on in their house, to the extent of endangering her son's lifestyle. Somehow, the two layers jarred with me. How could such a strong willed woman be so compliant? Anyway, this part of the book was truly brilliant. Deserved a 5 star.
The part dealing with Gilbert's romance with Helen just didn't work for me. I felt it just too light. Here was a woman with such a heavy baggage and a deep suspicion of men. She has repelled the persistent advances of other men. But her barriers seem to break almost instantaneously with Gilbert. That whole romance part was just too juevenile for me. It was unnecessary and I think Helen would have ended as a much stronger character in our mind if she remained a single woman.
This is just a fabulous story. I found myself wanting to scream “run Helen run! Run away from this horrible man!” And she does. I love how the Brontë sisters created fully realized empowered female characters who have amazing resolve. In Helen Graham, Anne Brontë has made a resilient female who finds empowerment within the structures and limitations of 19th century British life. She uses her conscience and maternal obligations to seize power over her life and future. By using the feminine aspect of gender, Anne Brontë shows how women could resist the absolute tyranny of men in this patriarchal system. I loved this book so much. (Although I should confess I listened to it as an audio book.) I love Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights and have read them several times. I had my doubts about Anne, but she far exceeded my expectations, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall belongs in the canon of 19th century literature.
3.75
It was good but to be quite honest I could have done with a tl:dr abridgment of the middle part which just drug on and on.
It was good but to be quite honest I could have done with a tl:dr abridgment of the middle part which just drug on and on.