Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

36 reviews

yourbookishbff's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

Wuthering Heights is a stunning, claustrophobic nightmare of a gothic novel that I appreciate more in my 30s than I did in my teens. I went into this with little memory of the plot - the entirety of my recollection of my senior-year English essay on the subject was “everyone’s awful.” But two of my childhood besties were game for an impromptu buddy (re)read, and there is nothing quite like revisiting a book you didn’t understand on your first read and realizing it’s actually more horrifying than you previously understood (as a parent, the generational cycle of abuse and the childhood trauma wrought by severe isolation, confinement and emotional manipulation color the story for me, now). 

Also on this read, I was more interested in the structure and style. The use of two unreliable narrators is so brilliantly done, where Mr. Lockwood’s diary-style narrative depends entirely on an abbreviated version of Nelly Dean’s narrative, which depends entirely on her retelling of events that happened to other people nearly three decades ago. The layers of bias between us and the events of the story create a feeling of always viewing the action through a fun-house mirror, with the melodrama rendered farcical and the broodiness of the characters and the moors deepening into supernatural terror. 

Ultimately, who but an isolated and introverted young woman confined to the English moors, writing under an alias, defying the strictures of her zealous Christian family members could have written a story even her own sister would later caution is maybe too dark? (Charlotte’s posthumous introduction to the novel is overly apologetic and explanatory to a degree that I really dislike, but her note that her sister’s writing was “moorish, and wild, and knotty as a root of heath” is perfectly said). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Physical abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death, and Incest

Moderate: Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Racism

Minor: Pregnancy

maayanaravot's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Grief, Bullying, Cursing, and Gaslighting

mcmeiss's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Grief, Child abuse, Torture, Violence, Classism, Death, Mental illness, Outing, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, and Sexism

kjboldon's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

4.5

Emily had a plan for this book but even after several readings, I'm not sure what it was. But it was precise and high minded, however debased her characters got. This one is definitely not for those who need a likes le character. Did she carry the Byronic ideal to its logical, ironic, conclusion?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Violence, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Bullying, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Child death, Mental illness, Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Death, and Kidnapping

evgeorge's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

2.0

Violent, abusive, harsh, dark. A love story? no thank you

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Grief, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Bullying, and Violence

chelly_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Death

m4rtt4's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

3.25

this differed a lot from my expectations, the gothic stuff was surprising but in a positive way... unlike all the marriages. So much death and almost everyone was an asshole in their own way and the love stories didn't feel believable enough so that I could have cared for the characters.

also you can never make me root for a marriage between CHILDREN that are COUSINS and make it happen multiple times.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Grief, Violence, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Bullying, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

acasiamae's review against another edition

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Incest, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, and Physical abuse

Minor: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

nanc_282's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Graphic: Classism, Bullying, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Violence

Moderate: Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Confinement, Gaslighting, Grief, Chronic illness, Sexism, and Eating disorder

ash_is_reading_books's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.0

The biggest problem I have with people reccomending this novel is that it's described as a romance. While love and passion is a theme, it's by no means a story about love - it's more about abuse, co-dependancy and how someone can be a victim of their own upbringing

With it's beautiful prose, excellent use of pathetic fallacy and powerful themes, it's perfect for those looking for a challenge

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Death and Child abuse