Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

It feels pretty pointless to agree with just about everyone else that this is the lesser of the Brontë masterpieces, because like... nearly every author is lesser than Emily and Charlotte Brontë, so that seems like an unfair standard to judge poor Anne by. Suffice it to say, if you liked Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, you'll like this book. If you didn't like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, eh, you might still like this book.

Content Warnings

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.

Content Warnings