Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

98 reviews

tsundoku_'s review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I had to read this for school, and this is probably the best book I've ever had to read for school. None of the characters were likable and were honestly kinda insane. However, the story was really good, as was the writing. The ending was a bit unsettling relating to Heathcliff but it added to the story. This book made me want to read more classics. Like for being written so long ago, there were some pretty funny lines.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Grief, Incest, and Racism

herringgulls's review

adventurous challenging dark hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.0

Takes a while to get into because the narration style is so dense, but the second half of the book may be better than the first.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Racism, Incest, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, and Domestic abuse

lakeofstars's review

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

i always come back to you and i am always angry

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Racial slurs, Violence, Physical abuse, Chronic illness, Death, and Sexism

unavezmas's review against another edition

challenging dark

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Domestic abuse

kaanda's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Every character except the two main narrators are insufferable in the best way. The pettiness and drama kept me engaged throughout while the despicable treatment of certain characters made me care. A super fun, but frustrating read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Sexism

znnys's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It's been a while since I've read a book that I couldn't put down. I was very fortunate to come to Wuthering Heights knowing almost nothing about the plot, aside from what the Kate Bush song revealed. I was immediately drawn in by this book about miserable people treating each other like shit! The spiral of these two families, with Heathcliff at the center, orchestrating his vengeance. He's a simultaneous fascinating and detestable character, and viewed through the unreliable perspective of Nelly, you're almost inclined to believe he's this inherently. But Wuthering Heights is about how abuse begets abuse, and the seed is planted by something beyond the scope of the Earnshaws and the Lintons - it is the pervasive classism of semi-incestuous white English hegemony. It's no coincidence that she emphasizes Heathcliff's ambiguous ethnicity as the main source of his Otherness. It only makes sense, then, that Heathcliff's vengeance runs so deeply, when the prejudice against him was set into motion long before he was born. His transformation into a villain seems like he's fulfilling the prophecy expected of him by everyone around him.

Unpleasantly surprised to see the notion that "these characters are mean and it's not ACTUALLY a romance" so pervasive, as if it's an actual a critique. Yes, they're mean. Yes, nearly every relationship in this book is fraught, miserable, tumultuous, and toxic. I don't see how that makes the book bad? Sometimes books about people who suck are good and interesting! Literature would be incredibly boring if characters always did and said the right things. There would be no conflict. These characters felt like such well-rounded, multi-layered people to me. A good character is someone who you can like, and hate, and pity, all at once. I felt that for nearly every character in this book.

There's a lot more I could probably say about this book, but I'd be writing an essay. Ultimately I really loved it and will probably count it as an all-time favorite.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Alcoholism, and Classism

Moderate: Racism, Self harm, and Rape

actiaslunasaturniidae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Physical abuse, Grief, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Violence

kattyenn's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

all of these people are horrible, god bless 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Child abuse, Classism, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death, Racism, Sexism, and Death of parent

Minor: Rape and Domestic abuse

46jjsg's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A book about terrible people doing terrible things in a terrible environment that breeds more terrible people. You truly don't root for a single person in this novel and despite how emotional some scenes can be (/pos)- you never really know any of these characters when everything is account of an account. Unreliable narrators aside- you can't help feel bad for Catherine and Heathcliff... for like a hot minute and then you snap back to reality. Are they victims of circumstance? Sure, but the cycle of abuse continues... which is admittedly one of the themes, but by the end of the novel you're just like damn what a waste of two lives. This is a thought-provoking novel, but you won't feel good at any point of this novel. It's pretty to read, but it can get slow and sometimes just plain confusing (or redundant). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Racism, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, and Confinement

ayphyx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Everybody in this book fucking sucks and it’s great (except for you Hareton <3). This book is so much more enjoyable as a book about the cycle of abuse than a traditional romance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Violence, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Child abuse, and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Racism, Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, and Blood