Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

85 reviews

emmonsannae's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Rereading this for the second time (the first 6 years ago), I was surprised at how much more I enjoyed it. Most of the story is a dumpster fire: the characters are terrible and only get worse, the drama is excessive, and the Victorian depravity is unending; but the prose is witty and vivid and it’s a dumpster fire I couldn’t stop watching. I really appreciated the story’s ending, after 400 pages of sheer brutality—it was a relief to able to watch the only pitiable characters in the novel consciously break every cycle of evil and choose goodness. (It gets bonus points for being a perfect gothic “ghost” novel which ends up having much more to say about the ghosts we make for ourselves.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Death of parent, and Classism

tammykuffo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? N/A

4.0

Everyone is miserable 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Classism

theimposter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Classism

pau_line's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

2.25

Halleluja, ich habs endlich geschafft.
Was soll ich sagen, nh...ich hab das buch gekauft, weil ich mal wieder einen klassiker lesen wollte und es schön aussah, aber das buch hat mich schon fertig gemacht.
Ich glaube, ich habe selten ein buch gelesen, in dem ich so gut wie alle hauptchaaktere nicht ausstehen konnte, aber so wars :/
Aber erstmaaal das positive: warum ich das buch weiterlesen wollte, lag mitunter an der "Verpackung" der Geschichte. Ich mochte die Sprache und den Schreibstil, obwohls ein Klassiker aus dem 19. Jahrhubdert ist und auch den Rahmen der Erzählung, die Erzählperspektive wurde interessant gewählt, die Location ist cool, etc

Was das Buch so furchtbar macht, sind die Charaktere. 
Nelly (die Erzählerin) handelt und verhält sich oft so, dass man sie am liebsten schütteln will und ist mitunter verantwortlich für so viel dummes, was passiert, was sie sich da nicht mal eingestehen will.
Catherine und Heathcliff: was soll ich sagen...deren Beziehung ist so giftiig, die sind irgendwie voneinander bessessen (v.a. Heathcliff) und zerstören sich gegenseitig. Catherine ist so oft einfach richtig böse, ich hab sie so NULL verstanden. Und Heathcliff ist noch 100× schlimmer. Trotz der Tatsache, dass man weiß, wieso er sich so entwickelt, konnte uch angesichts seiner Handlungen absolut kein Mitleid haben. Et ist wie so ein Parasit, der alles aus dem inneren zerstört, worunter noch die Generation nach ihm leiden muss, die NICHTS DAFÜR KANN, dass Catherine sich gegen ihn entschieden hat udn Hindley so ein Trottel war. Man, es hat mich so sauer gemacht.
Isabella mochte ich eigentlich ganz gerne und auch Cathy (die Jüngere) war überwiegend okay, auch wenn beide so ihre Momente hatten,bei denen ich so dachtee...was ist mit euch...Manche Charaktere haben sich noch bisschen positiver entwickelt udn das Ende war dann doch zufriedenstellend.

Trotzdem muss ich sagen, es ist supernervig, 400 Seiten zu lesen mit dem einzigen Wunsch, dass die Charaktere doch endlich sterben mögen und man seine Ruhe vor denen hat :((  
Andererseits ist das wahrscheinlich so gewollt und ich fand die Geschichte interessant, in Hinblick auf dieses Dunkle, das zeigt, wie zerstörerisch und rachsüchtig Menschen werden können, wie viel Einfluss andere darauf nehmen können und wie sehr auch andere unter diesem einen giftigen Menschen bzw Zusammenspiel aus zwei Menschen leiden müssen.

OH UND ich weiß, das Buch ist alt, aber es ist abartig, wie viel physische und auch emotionale Gewalt vorkommt, auch zwischen den Erwachsenen, aber auch gegen die Kinder...das war schon sehr erschreckend teilweise

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

mrbean's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.5

A dreadful nightmare full of unutterable inhumanity, insufferable characters, abject misery, relentless vengeance and wanton cruelty, Wuthering Heights lays bare the diabolical aspect of human nature. With a piercing insight into the darkness within, Brontë realistically explores intergenerational trauma, dysfunctional relationships, and obsessive love with a depth of psychological resonance reverberating into the present. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Mental illness, and Grief

aayjaysbookshelf's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.75

What a compelling, heart wrenching read! The kind that leaves you thinking about it for long. On one hand, I'm glad I got to finish this novel with a weather outside that resembles the tone of this novel for me to form a stronger association, and on the other hand, I feel like I'd need at least 2 business days to recover from Wuthering Heights. 

Reviewing Wuthering Heights is not easy. The complexities of this novel are numerous; from touching on societal aspects to psychological ones, it draws its characters in a non linear fashion and colors them in non-monochromatic tones, yet, at the same time, the simplicity of the anguish of an unrequited love traverses the whole expanse of the novel in an unmistakable way. 

I found myself grieving over Edgar's death, I found myself feeling sorry for Hareton's despair and I found myself flowing along with the characters and their lives; a testament of Bronte's excellent writing skills. 
As for Heathcliff, the lever of this story, I found myself sometimes sympathizing with him and at other times despising him, yet still rooting for him through it all, in a twisted way. This is the second proper Gothic novel I've read (after Frankenstein) and I've enjoyed in them both, the intertwining between the hero and the villain of the story, with a single lead character being both. 


I was told by someone that Wuthering Heights would break my heart. I won't go so far as to say it has really done so, but it sure has wrung it down enough for me to take a while to recover from it. The story is powerful, the dialogues effective, and the narration intelligent. Wuthering Heights is a must read for everyone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, and Toxic relationship

aisabel's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Medical content, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism

jubsrabellogs's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

I don’t think I’ve ever been so angry, terrified and miserable over a book before. I’m still struggling to understand the point of it all. At first, it was like a soap opera, a huge melodrama. Then, it felt like a study on the human capacity for evil and for its endurance. And, finally, at the end, it felt like the triumph of good over evil. Even with that ending, nothing on this world would persuade me to approach the titular estate! Time and time again I wondered if the soil itself was not cursed and responsible for Hindley and Heathcliff’s degradation, for Catherine, Edgar, Isabella and Linton’s declining health, etc. It felt even worse than The Overlook Hotel at times.
I cannot say it was a pleasant read, but it was a captivating one, and I couldn’t put it down until I finished it. And it kept me engaged in the question of nature versus nurture. Although, by the end, it looked like Emily Brontë was firmly on the former’s side. And how curious it would be that the unknown “gipsy” child is the one with a despicable nature… (yikes, Emily!)
If I was made to choose between this and Jane Eyre, I would choose the latter without second thought. But this book was still a haunting and worthy piece of gothic literature, and it certainly scared me more than Dracula and Frankenstein ever did (although I do love both). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, and Death of parent

jetix's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Mental illness and Grief

anniesher23's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Great windy vibes. Toxic relationship. You know the drill

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Violence, and Death of parent