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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
1st reading, 2015, 4 stars:
An excellent novel, with themes of heartbreak, disappointment, struggle, and then romance, redemption and triumph. Very similar to Jane Eyre with its proto-feminist undercurrent, although Jane is probably superior, given the wider girth of that story. Still, it held its own and I liked it far greater than Wuthering Heights. Anne wrote some very long sentences but had a wonderful vocabulary (again, surpassed by her sister).
2nd reading, 2023, 3 stars:
I found it to be predictable and contrived; the plot elements didn't seem organic, but rather calculated to achieve the result of the happy ending. Helen's religious sanctimoniousness was irritating and she was such a goody-two-shoes that I disliked her. I see it as a social justice novel that points out the social problems of women not being able to own property in a marriage or leave that marriage.
An excellent novel, with themes of heartbreak, disappointment, struggle, and then romance, redemption and triumph. Very similar to Jane Eyre with its proto-feminist undercurrent, although Jane is probably superior, given the wider girth of that story. Still, it held its own and I liked it far greater than Wuthering Heights. Anne wrote some very long sentences but had a wonderful vocabulary (again, surpassed by her sister).
2nd reading, 2023, 3 stars:
I found it to be predictable and contrived; the plot elements didn't seem organic, but rather calculated to achieve the result of the happy ending. Helen's religious sanctimoniousness was irritating and she was such a goody-two-shoes that I disliked her. I see it as a social justice novel that points out the social problems of women not being able to own property in a marriage or leave that marriage.
A powerful, often gripping story of a woman's struggle in a dysfunctional marriage. It exposes the injustices experienced by Victorian women, and to some extent women today, in a male-controlled society where they have to fight to maintain their identity in the face of thoughtless, predatory and violent men. Despite the novel's exploration of ideas around the role of women and Christian virtue, it brings the characters and their world to life with immediacy and passion.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
You have to fall in love with this gutsy, principled, heroine who defies convention to maintain her self respect. Even with the emotional religiously-fuelled melodrama it was still bold stuff for its time. Perhaps that’s why sister Charlotte didn't quite appreciate it as much as it deserved.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can say this because she’s been dead for nearly 200 years but: the least good Brontë.
Coming from someone who is typically not a fan of the Bronte sisters, or of Gothic and Victorian literature in general, I did appreciate this book. I found it more impressive than some of the more widely read Bronte texts.
emotional
inspiring
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:
Complicated
I always thought yesterday's troubles seemed so quaint. This book busted than myth for me: the troubles of these people are displayed so realistically that I feel them rather than simply see them. And since my favorite books teach me something new, this book passes that wicket.
My favorite books also include characters that are really interesting. They can be really good, like Mr. Knightley from Jane Austen's Emma, or really bad... just so that they are real, deep, and unique. Helen, the tenant of Wildfell Hall, is such a person. Her goodness under extremely trying circumstances (ones that I would have found hard to imagine as happening to that class of people at that time, as noted in my first paragraph) -- her strength of character -- is definitely an ideal I wish I could live. Yes, I would rank her with Mr. Knightley.
I do like how the tale is told, too... as a series of letters. Writing itself is an important theme all through. If I were constructing an essay about this novel, that's where I'd be rereading and researching.
I will say that sections of this were not "fun" to read... but I found myself looking for excuses to read outside of the times I normally spend reading. I carried this book from place to place rather than picking up the nearest of all the books I'm in the midst of. "Compelling" is more accurate than "enjoyable."
I'd really like to give this book a 5th star, but one episode toward the end of the novel felt a little contrived. I'll not spoil it, but that's why the book gets four and a half stars from me, rather than five.
My favorite books also include characters that are really interesting. They can be really good, like Mr. Knightley from Jane Austen's Emma, or really bad... just so that they are real, deep, and unique. Helen, the tenant of Wildfell Hall, is such a person. Her goodness under extremely trying circumstances (ones that I would have found hard to imagine as happening to that class of people at that time, as noted in my first paragraph) -- her strength of character -- is definitely an ideal I wish I could live. Yes, I would rank her with Mr. Knightley.
I do like how the tale is told, too... as a series of letters. Writing itself is an important theme all through. If I were constructing an essay about this novel, that's where I'd be rereading and researching.
I will say that sections of this were not "fun" to read... but I found myself looking for excuses to read outside of the times I normally spend reading. I carried this book from place to place rather than picking up the nearest of all the books I'm in the midst of. "Compelling" is more accurate than "enjoyable."
I'd really like to give this book a 5th star, but one episode toward the end of the novel felt a little contrived. I'll not spoil it, but that's why the book gets four and a half stars from me, rather than five.