Reviews - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

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3.66k reviews for:

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Anne Brontë

4.07 AVERAGE

sj_green's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 24%

Writing didn’t hold my attention. The day to day actions also did not keep my attention. Made it to chapter 21 before DNFing.

nicoleacottagewitch's review against another edition

4.0

I can’t remember well what I thought of this book the first time I read it (20 years ago!), but I loved it this time. At least, I loved the writing and the character of Helen. However, I’m not sure her second choice of husband was any better than her first.

lucyspal3's review against another edition

3.0

Not sure I can count this as read since I listened to the story on an adaption by BBC radio, but I’m gonna mark “as read” anyway. I’m gonna go back and actually read it now, I am having a really hard time coming to grips with a story about a woman, strongstrong-willed and going through an abusive relationship, and then her story is being told by a man. I don’t know if I’ll get over that once I read the full piece.

sunneyone's review against another edition

5.0

This book took forever to complete, but it was so worth it! Written when TVs, radio and the internet didn't exist, it offered a view into life in the mid-1800s. I enjoyed this book immensely.

lindyloureads's review against another edition

3.5

emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

jadesara15's review against another edition

2.0

I can see why Anne Brontë is the least-read sister. This book took me about a month to get through. It was poorly paced—I really think the framing device could’ve been cut and it could’ve been told entirely from Helen’s perspective—and just a bit dull. Unlike Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights, there are no gothic undertones or hints of the supernatural here. It’s simply a somewhat repetitive tale of a bad relationship and the sort of mediocre relationship that follows it.
I do appreciate the very forward-thinking view of love and marriage, and the message that women should be free to leave abusive marriages. It was also a bit interesting to learn that savior complexes have existed as long as humans have. And some of the prose really was striking. But overall, I found it to be what everyone thinks 19th century novels are: slow, overtly moral and out of touch. And I really don’t think Helen should’ve ended up with Mr. Markham… Oh well!