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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
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:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
slow-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:
Complicated
emotional
sad
slow-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
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is described on Wikipedia as one of the "first sustained feminist novels". If by "feminist", they mean that the protagonist, Helen Graham, is a strong-willed woman with an unshakable faith, with high self-esteem, who is self-reliant, and who doesn't take crap, then I'm all for that. Being a dad to 2 daughters, I hope that they both grow up to exhibit these characteristics that Helen portrays in this story.
This is a story of romance, survival, and learning to stand on one's own feet. It also had a wonderful message about marriage in that couples should of course marry for love and adoration of each other, but you should also marry someone who has similar goals and morals yourself. Arthur Huntingdon's alcoholism is also very effectively drawn out by Bronte. It probably was not talked about very much back then but it was well done and really added to the plot. I even liked Gilbert's rush to stop the wedding near the end! It all just worked for me, and I enjoyed this story immensely.
I've found that some of my favorite novels are ones that have female characters like Helen (Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind also comes to mind as a similar character to Helen). Helen is a female protagonist that is not to be missed.
Anne Bronte probably gets overlooked a little bit by her sisters but Tenant of Wildfell Hall might now be my favorite Bronte novel...
This is a story of romance, survival, and learning to stand on one's own feet. It also had a wonderful message about marriage in that couples should of course marry for love and adoration of each other, but you should also marry someone who has similar goals and morals yourself. Arthur Huntingdon's alcoholism is also very effectively drawn out by Bronte. It probably was not talked about very much back then but it was well done and really added to the plot. I even liked Gilbert's rush to stop the wedding near the end! It all just worked for me, and I enjoyed this story immensely.
I've found that some of my favorite novels are ones that have female characters like Helen (Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind also comes to mind as a similar character to Helen). Helen is a female protagonist that is not to be missed.
Anne Bronte probably gets overlooked a little bit by her sisters but Tenant of Wildfell Hall might now be my favorite Bronte novel...
Two stars for good pacing. Honestly though, these characters are horrible and I have a hard time enjoying horrible people. She's a Bible thumping, self-righteous martyr being chased by an emotionally stunted, potentially violent man-child while she takes care of her slutty, dissapated and cruel husband. Meh.
I found this work fascinating in the way it is written as a letter, manuscript or diary to a friend by the narrator or protagonist of the story Gilbert Markham. The history spans about 20 years, that's not to say when the start was written but the content of the work includes this time frame. The version I have read also includes an introduction and an author's preface which lends some light into the inspiration for some of the characters in the body of the work, that it's highly likely they were based on the brother of Anne Bronte who was a drunkard and user of opiates. Written during the 19th century, as with other literary writings, religion plays a key role in British society. However in this work it is most prominent. Helen, the Tenant of the story, goes into lengthy discourses with the other characters and they are very“preachy” in context. As the drama plays out, a reader is left with the impression that not only is this a passionately written novel but also an examination of the individual conscience.
I'm having a hard time rating this. On one hand, I absolutely hated it. It hinted at a mystery in Helen's background that was kind of almost given a gothic air. Then it went on unrelentingly about the two main characters lives. It started with a male perspective, that I felt was not particularly well done, and then he was given Helen's journals (more on that later), and then it switches back to the male perspective. The male, Gilbert Markham, was high-strung, over-emotional, and almost prissy at times. I liked Helen at first but the longer the story went on, the more she seemed sanctimonious and she tended to nag. She may have been right, but she was always right. It was too much for me.
The thing that actually gave this book some worth to me was that the journals, written from Helen's perspective, actually raised some important issues and would have caused an uproar in 1830. Alcoholism, gambling addiction, adultery, and what was going on behind closed doors in the families.
So historically it has value, but I absolutely tortured myself through the last third of the book. It wasn't what I expected at all and it was about 40% too long. I'm going with one star in case I ever even think about this in the future, but it really did have value.
The thing that actually gave this book some worth to me was that the journals, written from Helen's perspective, actually raised some important issues and would have caused an uproar in 1830. Alcoholism, gambling addiction, adultery, and what was going on behind closed doors in the families.
So historically it has value, but I absolutely tortured myself through the last third of the book. It wasn't what I expected at all and it was about 40% too long. I'm going with one star in case I ever even think about this in the future, but it really did have value.