Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

72 reviews

lotus440's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Classism

sir_ren's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

4.5

So I heard this is an audiobook and therefore have none of my margin scribbles to reference for my review which is now going to be all over the place. Well, I rather liked the approach of the novel in terms of using supernatural elements, or maybe it is apt to say - its lack of explicit use. Having read another Bronte novel recently my mind naturally compared the two and I much prefer this one to Jane Eyre's obvious use of fantastical elements. I also preferred this book as a whole to Jane Eyre, I think.
This goes without saying but Wuthering Heights has a lot of Gothic and Romantic elements to it- the gloomy old House setting, the wild moors, the Byronic hero, emphasis on Nature, individual actions/feelings, and so on.
The tale is one of revenge and obsessive love driven by two primary emotions of fear and love.
I also imagine that the violence and certain incidents must have been rather shocking at the time of publication- a lot of it still is.
The characters are deeply flawed and almost universally unlikable (maybe with the exception of Hareton, Edgar Linton, and perhaps Isabella Linton). But being unlikable does not exclude the characters from being understood or pitied by the reader. They are rather engaging and spur the story forward. 
The novel unfolds as a story within a story and the narrators are unreliable. This leaves room for the reader to reflect and discuss with others doubtlessly varying interpretations and guesses. The story switches from the past to the present day. And keeping track of the characters due to the similar names is a Task at first. Some readers may require to note down the names or make a family tree/look one up online. That may help prevent readers from giving up on the book due to being confused or annoyed by this part.
And some of the lines in this book- especially the dialogue when Catherine or Heathcliff speak of each other- insane and raw. They are popular and sound striking. I might have expected a great deal more time or words spent describing the moorland but I am satisfied with what was included even if I didn't find the descriptions particularly stunning or memorable.
 

The way Catherine haunts Heathcliff and brings him anguish from love and at times fear- that was interesting. I mean he did tell her she ought to. I do not think of their relationship as The romance. I don't think of this book as a Love Story either. It is more of a revenge narrative, with morality and class being impactful factors in the tale. The two's obsessive love for each other is almost merely a way for the story to portray the calculating, horrid revenge exacted by H and how it alters the fate of the 2 families. But the hope of breaking generational patterns and repeating mistakes is affirmed by the ending on a much-needed positive note for the book to end on.

 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Classism

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.25

This book is completely wild. Maybe I needed to read it when I was younger to cut through all of the child maltreatment and threats against other people and see the supposed love story? I am. Confused. I had to SparkNotes this because I could not remember who was relaying the story. Whew - a trip, and not necessarily one that I would go on again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Abandonment, and Alcohol

headachesince03's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Eating disorder and Religious bigotry

magpi3's review against another edition

dark 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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Confinement

bobcat_thepagemaster's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

aegagrus's review against another edition

3.75

Perhaps surprisingly, I will firstly and foremostly remember Wuthering Heights as a very funny book. Most of its content is delivered in a frame narration, as servant Nelly Dean recounts the history of two local families to Mr. Lockwood, a newcomer. Nelly's narrative voice is constructed extremely skillfully and somewhat cheekily. Her subtle editorializing and sly asides were a consistent highlight, making understated hilarity of human nature, class, and religious attitudes. 

The story itself is a tale of manipulation -- most famously Heathcliff's vengeful machinations, but not exclusively. Emily Bronte explores the tragic perversity bred by manipulative relationships, and the heartbreaking alienation in which such relationships often conclude. Throughout all of this, her treatment of child and adolescent characters is particularly notable. Her young characters are not passive objects of manipulation by their elders. They are indeed manipulated in particular ways, and Bronte is deeply sympathetic about this. They are also players with unique agency, and very often the instigating forces moving the story along, for good or for ill. 

Wuthering Heights is deservedly a classic. Bronte's highly evocative descriptions of the Yorkshire moors lend a significant gravitas to the work, as do her unflinching depictions of the emotional nadirs in her tragic saga. 

Bronte's use of illness (chronic and otherwise) as a strong narrative propellant may feel too neat to the modern reader. It is worth noting that the relationship between physical health and moral/emotional health would have been thought of differently by the Victorian reader (which is perhaps why it is never quite clear whether illness is a cause or an effect). The novel's ending may also come across as an unnecessary concession which detracts from its otherwise unflinching character. This may be so, but if Bronte's ending is a concession to anything, it is in all likelihood nothing more than a concession to the literary environment of her time. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

lazycycle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Incest, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy

katievh's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

poirot's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism and Animal cruelty