Reviews with content warning for Bullying - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

I Think Helen Huntingdon is one of the best heroines I have ever read.

This book was way way ahead of it's time and very controversial as it is a cering critique on Victorian parenting and the strife it causes in later in life. With a lazer sharp focus on gender. Therefore it is also immensely feminist and lays bare the dark side of Victorian attitude towards marriage and domestic violence. Religion is also an important theme in this novel. Universal salvation was a new concept at the time and also controversial concept. This is the idea that a sinner is not necessarily condemned to hell as long as time is served in purgatory is served.

This is also such a well written novel that you always feel at the centre of the action. The plot is so intricate and intriguing that I didn't know which way to look. Thankfully the Audrey app has handy character list so it is easy to keep track.

I can't recommend tĥis book and if you do take careful note of chapter 3.

Content Warnings

saliwali's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective relaxing sad slow-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

4.5

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mattiedancer's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-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

4.75

Writing: 5⭐️/5

Anne Brontë’s writing, much like her sister’s, is thoughtful, intentional, poignant, and full. Reading a Brontë novel feels filling and, even as these novels tend to start slow, they’re always worth the payout. Most of this novel is beautifully written, even stunningly so. No notes.

Characters: 4.75⭐️/5

It was refreshing to see Gilbert’s immense growth through the story. From starting as a bit of a stuck-up farming boy to a thoughtful and moral man was an entertaining read. Similarly, I love Helen with my whole heart, deeply appreciating her desire to be more than just a wife or mother, while also placing those roles and their corresponding responsibilities on a bit of a pedestal. Her feminism was refreshing and her fight against her husband’s control reminded me a lot of bits and pieces of my own life and how, looking back, you realize how blind you’ve been. I struggled a bit with Lawrence, Helen’s brother, and his slightly inconsistent character, but where he failed to deliver, every other character seemed to step up.

Plot: 4.5⭐️/5

I’m going to start with my critique, which is that one of our main characters, in a fit of rage, horrendously injures our other character’s brother. Gilbert is quick to apologize once he realizes the connection between the characters, but it felt like a large obstacle that was shoved conveniently out of the way. Otherwise, I think this novel’s plot progressed nicely, though slowly. I enjoyed the switch of perspectives as it gave a fullness to the story and, even though the switch was the majority of the novel, it felt perfectly timed and well-structured.

Who Should Read This Book?

Fans of the Brontë sisters
Fans of classic literature
Those looking for a slow, romance-heavy read that bends toward feminism

Content Warnings?

Misogyny, sexism, infidelity, emotional abuse, classism, death of a parent, death, injury, terminal illness, pregnancy, bullying

Post-Reading Rating: 5⭐️/5

I love Helen and Gilbert.

Final Rating: 4.75⭐️/5

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nanc_282's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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bluejay21's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense 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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lynnannwalsh's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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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caribbeangirlreading's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

TTofWH is an early feminist novel that tackles marital breakdown, domestic violence, divorce, and child custody. It was an instant success. It was also considered so shocking that after Anne’s death, her sister Charlotte prevented its re-publication. Here are some of my thoughts:

Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights read more like literature, but TTofWH reads like the modern equivalent of contemporary fiction. I can see why it was once considered scandalous. Anne did not beat around the bush, or used coded language, to describe the domestic abuse suffered by Helen, our main character.

Although written in Victorian times, the story takes place in Regency-era England. I could not stop thinking about the ubiquitous Regency-era romance trope, “reformed rakes make the best husbands.” Well, Anne Brontë is here to tell us the cautionary tale of a woman who marries a rake and tries to love the bad behavior out of him.

Helen is a complicated character. She is both the victim of domestic abuse, and a very unlikeable person. Her martyrdom and preachiness got really old, really fast. Then I would remember that Helen had zero legal rights, even for a woman of her socio-economic status. Her legal options were few to none, and they all involved abandoning her child to the care of her abusive and alcoholic husband.

Anne was most probably traumatized by her brother Branwell’s affair with the lady of the house where they were both employed, his addiction to opium, and his eventual death from alcohol abuse. I empathized with her, but as a reader I also resented the self-righteousness that came through in her writing. Preachiness is one of my reading pet peeves, even when I agree with the author’s ideology.

The novel, due to its depiction of domestic abuse was hard to read at times. I ended up putting it down half-way through and reading a rom-com just so I could clear my mind. I’m glad I read it for book club discussion because there was a lot to unpack.

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jowmy4's review

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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