Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Wuthering Heights (Original Edition) by Emily Brontë

72 reviews

pau_line's review against another edition

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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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mrbean's review against another edition

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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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aayjaysbookshelf's review against another edition

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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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aisabel's review against another edition

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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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jubsrabellogs's review against another edition

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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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jetix's review against another edition

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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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anniesher23's review

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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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livelaughomo's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious 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

3.5


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overbooked207's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

📖 Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë Book Review 📖

1st book of January 2023 and 1st of the year:

“‘May she wake in torment!' he cried, with frightful vehemence, stamping his foot, and groaning in a sudden paroxysm of ungovernable passion. ‘Why, she's a liar to the end! Where is she? Not there-not in heaven--not perished--where? Oh! You said you cared nothing for my sufferings! And I pray one prayer--I repeat it till my tongue stiffens-may you not rest as long as I am living; you said I killed you--haunt me, then! The murdered do haunt their murderers, I believe. I know that ghosts have wandered on earth. Be with me always- take any form- drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!” - Emily Brontë.

I read this years ago, but I think I listened to it too fast and didn’t remember much of it, so I decided to give it another try because I remember loving the quotes and the atmospheric setting, and I’m glad I did! The atmosphere and writing are rich, haunting, and poetic, and so many of the quotes, like the one above, quickly became new favorites of all time, said quotes being infinitely quotable and full of drama, passion, love(even if it’s toxic), and poetry! Almost every character is the absolute worst, but sometimes that’s exactly what I want to consume because it can be so entertaining, and I love watching/analyzing the characters’ complexities and thoughts/actions even as I’m shaking my head(tho reading about what Heathcliff does was hard). And winter is one of the perfect times to read this as you get cozy with a hot beverage and blankets. The audiobook read by Joanne Froggatt was also amazing! I enjoyed the first half of the book a lot more than the second, but the quotes made it up to me.

But please be aware of the TWs that are unfortunately prevalent in classic lit for unchecked racism, ableism, sexism, classism, incest, etc., and read/enjoy it critically and with that in mind. Other TWs include abuse(child, domestic, physical, and verbal), alcoholism, death, ghosts, grief, guns, and violence🥀🍂🪦💔

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katiechu's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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

3.0

This is definitely faster and easier to read than many other classics I have read, and it is an interesting story about obsession, love, jealousy, and generational trauma. I enjoyed how atmospheric and well-written it was, definitely a great one to read for spooky season, but I struggle to say I enjoyed the book as a whole since all of the characters were driving me crazy with their melodrama and toxicity. :P 

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