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dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship
dark
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Classism
Minor: Blood
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book really was… something. Compared to Agnes Grey, this was like going from learning how to swim to diving in the middle of the ocean. This is of course a different type of book so it isn’t really a shock. I was shocked though when finding out that the POV of this book were a Mr Lockwood and Ellen Dean, and not at the very least Catherine Linton nee Earnshaw. It was a really interesting read and I might have rated it higher if not for the excessive amount of incest and the constant racism and stereotyping of Romani people. Also to the people who consider this a romance, I hear you and I somehow get you but please don’t go looking for this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Incest, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Classism
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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
Writing reviews for classics that I like is never easy - I always feel immense pressure to say something profound and original about a work that 1) I enjoyed and 2) so did everyone else. Of course, the trouble with such a well-liked book is that everything profound and original about it has already been said, more or less.
So let me say some basic and trite (but none the less true to how I feel) things about Wuthering Heights.
First and foremost, Brontë's toxic, passionate speeches from Heathcliff and Catherine (Sr.) about each other fuck severely. Catherine's "Nelly, I am Heathcliff" confession? Healthcliff's proclamation about the depth of Catherine's affection for him compared to Linton? The "You say I killed you - haunt me, then!" argument? All bangers. Go off, you absolute maniacs.
Secondly, and speaking of the haunting by Catherine of Heathcliff, the thread of her ghost trying to get into Wuthering Heights throughout the tale is sewn into the story with just enough detail to be compelling without being overwrought - from the early scene Lockhood witnesses all the way to Heathcliff's death under the open window. I especially like the lack of concrete proof of the ghost and the skepticism of the storytellers themselves.
And now, thirdly, the storytellers and the frame story in general have been fun to turn over in my head. From the beginning, I wondered, why are Lockwood and Nelly our narrators? I think there are dozens of valid answers to this question. Two of my favorites includeto create distance from the narrative to drop details & increase unreliability and to provide perspectives closer to the intended readers. I'm especially obsessed with Nelly Dean and the constant interjections of her opinions into her retelling.
Something specific to the audiobook version that I listened to - the Spotify version read by Billie Fulford-Brown - is that it was read fantastically. Fulford-Brown clearly had a great handle on the text, reading all the dialogue with accurate emotion. She also gave the characters distinct voices without being over-the-top. Her performance made Brontë's mid-19th century prose much more accessible.
Anyway. There's a lot more I could say about Wuthering Heights - for example, Brontë's descriptions of the moors are a masterclass in thematic use of setting - but I'll cut myself off here, lest I write a whole paper. Let me end by saying it's fucked up that Kate Bush managed to successfully summarize and convey the main storyline of such a complex book in a 4.5-minute song after only watching the last ten minutes of a movie adaptation.
So let me say some basic and trite (but none the less true to how I feel) things about Wuthering Heights.
First and foremost, Brontë's toxic, passionate speeches from Heathcliff and Catherine (Sr.) about each other fuck severely. Catherine's "Nelly, I am Heathcliff" confession? Healthcliff's proclamation about the depth of Catherine's affection for him compared to Linton? The "You say I killed you - haunt me, then!" argument? All bangers. Go off, you absolute maniacs.
Secondly, and speaking of the haunting by Catherine of Heathcliff, the thread of her ghost trying to get into Wuthering Heights throughout the tale is sewn into the story with just enough detail to be compelling without being overwrought - from the early scene Lockhood witnesses all the way to Heathcliff's death under the open window. I especially like the lack of concrete proof of the ghost and the skepticism of the storytellers themselves.
And now, thirdly, the storytellers and the frame story in general have been fun to turn over in my head. From the beginning, I wondered, why are Lockwood and Nelly our narrators? I think there are dozens of valid answers to this question. Two of my favorites includeto create distance from the narrative to drop details & increase unreliability and to provide perspectives closer to the intended readers. I'm especially obsessed with Nelly Dean and the constant interjections of her opinions into her retelling.
Something specific to the audiobook version that I listened to - the Spotify version read by Billie Fulford-Brown - is that it was read fantastically. Fulford-Brown clearly had a great handle on the text, reading all the dialogue with accurate emotion. She also gave the characters distinct voices without being over-the-top. Her performance made Brontë's mid-19th century prose much more accessible.
Anyway. There's a lot more I could say about Wuthering Heights - for example, Brontë's descriptions of the moors are a masterclass in thematic use of setting - but I'll cut myself off here, lest I write a whole paper. Let me end by saying it's fucked up that Kate Bush managed to successfully summarize and convey the main storyline of such a complex book in a 4.5-minute song after only watching the last ten minutes of a movie adaptation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Cursing, Racism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Racial slurs, Kidnapping
-Various illnesses are described in detail (some fatal and some not).
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Los clásicos son clásicos por algo y esta definitivamente se lleva su puesto, no sé si es el éxtasis de recién terminar de leerla o si de verdad es de tal escala, pero actualmente, en este preciso instante, es mi clásico favorito.
Que triste que no pude leer esta novela en el ámbito académico porque el ensayo que hubiera hecho habría quedado exquisito, aunque aquí (en Good Reads) no sabría cómo empezar, quizás por mi primera intención en leer este libro que fue gracias a la maravillosa Mariana Enríquez y su libro “Nuestra Parte de Noche” que cita casi textualmente Cumbres Borrascosas y me dejó impactada con estos paralelismos que demuestran su propia pasión por la obra de Bronte: “Se lo había pedido, cuando estaba viva, una vez, casi en chiste imitando a un personaje de una novela, no me dejes solo, haunt me, no había palabras en castellano para ese verbo, haunt, no era embrujar, no era aparecer, era haunt, pero ella nunca lo había tomado en serio (…)” bastó con eso para que me obsesionara de tal forma con Cumbres Borrascosas hasta poder tenerlo en mis manos y poder leer el HAUNT ME, HAUNT ME de Heathcliff hacia Catherine.
Quiero aclarar que esa obsesión no era en absoluto por las implicaciones “románticas” que demostraban, siendo que en ambos libros (el de Bronte y Enríquez) se ve también el paralelismo de una relación más dependiente que amorosa, en Cumbres especialmente ese aspecto del amor infantil, de querer volver a ser esos niños corriendo en los prados, de reírse de las desgracias de los demás en vez de padecerlas, del egoísmo, la tenacidad y el deseo, que lleva a uno a la venganza (sádica y dirigida hacia los demás), y a la otra a la autodestrucción (masoquista y vuelta hacia sí misma).
Podría escribir para siempre pero lo dejo hasta aquí, si les gustan las novelas violentas, góticas, con fantasmas, personajes crueles, chismes, naturaleza, enfermedad y encierro, pero sobre todo con la prosa maravillosa de tremenda escritora que fue Emily Bronte, la recomiendo muchísimo, especialmente la versión de Penguin Clásicos que tiene una excelente traducción de Nicole D’Amonville Alegría.
Que triste que no pude leer esta novela en el ámbito académico porque el ensayo que hubiera hecho habría quedado exquisito, aunque aquí (en Good Reads) no sabría cómo empezar, quizás por mi primera intención en leer este libro que fue gracias a la maravillosa Mariana Enríquez y su libro “Nuestra Parte de Noche” que cita casi textualmente Cumbres Borrascosas y me dejó impactada con estos paralelismos que demuestran su propia pasión por la obra de Bronte: “Se lo había pedido, cuando estaba viva, una vez, casi en chiste imitando a un personaje de una novela, no me dejes solo, haunt me, no había palabras en castellano para ese verbo, haunt, no era embrujar, no era aparecer, era haunt, pero ella nunca lo había tomado en serio (…)” bastó con eso para que me obsesionara de tal forma con Cumbres Borrascosas hasta poder tenerlo en mis manos y poder leer el HAUNT ME, HAUNT ME de Heathcliff hacia Catherine.
Quiero aclarar que esa obsesión no era en absoluto por las implicaciones “románticas” que demostraban, siendo que en ambos libros (el de Bronte y Enríquez) se ve también el paralelismo de una relación más dependiente que amorosa, en Cumbres especialmente ese aspecto del amor infantil, de querer volver a ser esos niños corriendo en los prados, de reírse de las desgracias de los demás en vez de padecerlas, del egoísmo, la tenacidad y el deseo, que lleva a uno a la venganza (sádica y dirigida hacia los demás), y a la otra a la autodestrucción (masoquista y vuelta hacia sí misma).
Podría escribir para siempre pero lo dejo hasta aquí, si les gustan las novelas violentas, góticas, con fantasmas, personajes crueles, chismes, naturaleza, enfermedad y encierro, pero sobre todo con la prosa maravillosa de tremenda escritora que fue Emily Bronte, la recomiendo muchísimo, especialmente la versión de Penguin Clásicos que tiene una excelente traducción de Nicole D’Amonville Alegría.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Classism
Minor: Abandonment
challenging
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the iconic Gothic love story. Definitely a classic--it's passionate, wild, and will destroy you utterly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Domestic abuse
Minor: Mental illness, Physical abuse
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is a total adventure to read. It has very dark themes of abuse and is filled with hate and revenge. Even so, the book is written so well and i found it enjoyabke to read. After i fished it, i didnt know what to make of it, what was the point? I wasnt sure how much i liked it. But over time ive grown to like the book more and see how it explores trauma and clinging to the past. Idk if id reccomend it to anyone tho, cuz its very tense.
The only character i really liked is edgar, he deserved better.
The only character i really liked is edgar, he deserved better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Grief, Gaslighting, Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Cursing, Incest, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol