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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
I quite enjoyed this, although I agree it was a bit long. I had no idea of the story, so it was all a big revelation at the end! I found some of the characters quite annoying at times - Helen in particular - and I can see that the description of her husband's behaviour would have been quite controversial at the time of writing.
One of the most underrated classics I have ever read. Bronte boldly told the world "this is why women should be allowed to leave their husbands" without holding back. I like this book a whole lot more than Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. If you have a taste for classics written by women I don't see why this would be a bad read.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-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
I picked up this book at the Bronte parsonage in Yorkshire. I'd read Charlotte and Emily Bronte already, so I thought I'd give the lesser known sister a try. This is no Wuthering Heights, obviously, but I was totally consumed in this novel. I devoured it.
What I couldn't get over for the first half of the novel was how modern so much of it was. Helen, the main female character, is a proto-feminist, supporting herself with her artwork, unbending toward her husband's immorality, and definitely her own woman. Sometimes she backtalked the men for their ungentlemanly conduct in a way that I never would have suspected for a mid-19th century novel. Of course, the very moralistic and didactic tone of the novel is very 19th century. Helen's tale is a caution against rash marriages. And she's constantly sermonizing about heaven. But even this felt feminist, in that she had an unshakeable conviction that gave her strength and purpose, that she didn't let any man undercut.
The men in this novel are absolutely ridiculous caricatures. The evil husband is so outrageously immoral and selfish that it's rather comical. I was shocked by how overtly sexual and suggestive he spoke. The male protagonist whose letters frame the entire novel is also so melodramatic that I found it hard to take him seriously. Everything was about him. And he could be so shockingly physically violent, like Heathcliff! I think Anne pointedly made the men into unlikeable slobs. This story is about how women had to fight and gamble to have any security in this patriarchal society.
I feel bad for Anne Bronte, because even the footnote commentary in this Penguin Classic edition constantly compared her work to that of her sisters'. This sentence was an inferior version of one in Wuthering Heights. This character acted in a similar way to Jane Eyre. I appreciated the connections drawn among the family's views, but it felt a little reductive. Or, at least, Wuthering Heights's commentary doesn't rely on comparison among other Bronte novels for its focus. It stands on its own. But I suppose this is to be expected of the least successful Bronte sister. At least she isn't the least successful Bronte child. That, rightly so, is their brother Branwell.
What I couldn't get over for the first half of the novel was how modern so much of it was. Helen, the main female character, is a proto-feminist, supporting herself with her artwork, unbending toward her husband's immorality, and definitely her own woman. Sometimes she backtalked the men for their ungentlemanly conduct in a way that I never would have suspected for a mid-19th century novel. Of course, the very moralistic and didactic tone of the novel is very 19th century. Helen's tale is a caution against rash marriages. And she's constantly sermonizing about heaven. But even this felt feminist, in that she had an unshakeable conviction that gave her strength and purpose, that she didn't let any man undercut.
The men in this novel are absolutely ridiculous caricatures. The evil husband is so outrageously immoral and selfish that it's rather comical. I was shocked by how overtly sexual and suggestive he spoke. The male protagonist whose letters frame the entire novel is also so melodramatic that I found it hard to take him seriously. Everything was about him. And he could be so shockingly physically violent, like Heathcliff! I think Anne pointedly made the men into unlikeable slobs. This story is about how women had to fight and gamble to have any security in this patriarchal society.
I feel bad for Anne Bronte, because even the footnote commentary in this Penguin Classic edition constantly compared her work to that of her sisters'. This sentence was an inferior version of one in Wuthering Heights. This character acted in a similar way to Jane Eyre. I appreciated the connections drawn among the family's views, but it felt a little reductive. Or, at least, Wuthering Heights's commentary doesn't rely on comparison among other Bronte novels for its focus. It stands on its own. But I suppose this is to be expected of the least successful Bronte sister. At least she isn't the least successful Bronte child. That, rightly so, is their brother Branwell.
dark
inspiring
reflective
tense
I can’t decide on 3 or 4 stars for this book. The problem is, I went into it expecting it to have lots of gothic elements. In reality it’s a morality tale. It’s definitely an important book and surprisingly progressive for it’s time. I’m glad I read it, but might not return to it like I do the other Brontë sisters books.
Excelente historia que critica el rol de la mujer, esposa, madre y abnegada.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
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:
No
Very very good, read like village gossip, so so so interesting to see what life would have been like for a woman who had the misfortune to marry the wrong guy and how doing so in that era traps you. Maybe my favourite Brontë so far?