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

What is it with the Bronte family and names that start with H? I was recently rereading my review on Wuthering Heights and I had the same complaint. Everyone's last name starts with H and it makes it really difficult at times to keep the characters straight. Despite that, I really enjoyed this fiercely feminist book for the Victorian era. I liked the framework for the story (epistolary at first from Gilbert, then diary entries from Helen) though I had some questions about the realism of it since in real life it would be very odd if Helen not only wrote about her escape plans in her diary that her husband could find at any time, but also very unlikely that she would just hand her diary over to Gilbert.

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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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marilla07's review

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dark emotional hopeful sad medium-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

4.5

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aeshred's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

5.0

***slight spoilers ahead***

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë has rapidly shot up to join the ranks of my favorite novels of all time, the ones that I would not hesitate to recommend and rave about to anyone who asks. While it is mostly well known and regarded as a feminist novel, I would venture to say that it is even more than that. Barring the difficult language, as it usually is with classics (especially to someone like me who has English as my third language), its writing and the themes it explores throughout the book transcends time and could have been written through the modern lens of someone from the 21st century. It presents an argument on how children are raised, double standards, the independence and rights of women, divorce and domestic violence in different forms. Furthermore, though not as obvious as the others, I believe that it also presents a criticism on Christian morality and belief through Helen Huntingdon’s own personal beliefs (that could be annoying at times with how sanctimonious she can be) and how it has both positively and negatively affected her decisions.

With that said, Anne really does not hold back her punches in writing her characters as all of them are extremely flawed in many ways, even Helen and Gilbert. Especially Helen and Gilbert. They can be uncomfortable at best and extremely unlikeable at worst but these flaws, I believe, give more emphasis to their character development. This applies to other characters as well, wherein sometimes, some of them become even more flawed and worse than they were at the beginning of the novel.

Helen could be, as mentioned, sanctimonious and infuriating in some of her decisions but later on she learned from some of them and she did reap the consequences of these choices but she is also a strong-willed, independent and committed woman. Gilbert can be seriously petty and dramatic and might have anger issues but he admonishes himself for it and openly admits his previous mistakes in judgment. Characters like Arthur Huntingdon may be a rage-inducing asshole but he is realistic and Arthur as the

cheating alcoholic husband who emotionally and psychologically abuses his wife

exists in real life.

Understandably, these characters can be difficult to read and I admittedly had to put down the book a couple of times due to how enraged or astounded I was at their thoughts and actions. Nevertheless, as I believed that they were written this way intentionally and character behaviors and traits have paralleled each other, or their development later on throughout my reading, I was able to enjoy the book as it is. I ended up loving how these characters and their circumstances were written, flawed and infuriating as they are.

Hence, I think this is such an important and insightful novel that is worth a read and should be revisited, whether we liked it or hated it the first time.

tldr;
- very modern ideas despite its date of writing
- includes themes on child rearing, morality and feminism
- epistolary format, unreliable narrators
- character-driven, flawed characters that either learns and grows or gets even worse
- very slow paced

Recommendation:
Though it is a fairly digestible novel as compared to some of the classics I’ve read (though they are few), I think that this book is best read with a pre-existing knowledge on the circumstances and societal norms at that time. Furthermore, Anne’s author preface is an important read before diving into the novel as it gives us a perspective on the mindset she has as she wrote this and provides a deeper understanding on the complexities of the very flawed and sometimes unlikeable traits of her characters.

It is a book that benefits more when read slowly and with intention and patience, and quite frankly, should I have read this at an earlier time of my life, I might have even disliked it knowing what my preferred reading pace used to be. Perhaps what helped me get through this book and end up liking it as much as I do now is because I came in reading this with the intention to annotate and reread passages of the book, and that might not be for everyone. But if you like to sit on a book for a while, annotate, get pissed off some characters regarding their choices, actions, beliefs and thoughts, and take your sweet sweet time reading (and googling words every now and then if you’re like me who has a hard time with classics), then this might be your cup of tea.

Some of my favorite passages/quotes from the book and its context in my own words:

“Because, my dear, beauty is that quality which, next to money, is generally the most attractive to the worst kinds of men; and, therefore, it is likely to entail a great deal of trouble on the possessor.”
- Helen’s aunt speaking facts and predicting her future

“...but if I hate the sins I love the sinner, and would do much for his salvation…”
- Helen in her "i can fix him" era with her toxic crush

"My cup of sweets is not unmingled; it is dashed with a bitterness that I cannot hide from myself, disguise it as I will. I may try to persuade myself that the sweetness overpowers it; I may call it a pleasant aromatic flavour; but say what I will, it is still there, and I cannot but taste it.”
- just Helen being in denial that her husband’s an ass

“...he knows he is my sun, but when he chooses to withhold his light, he would have my sky to be all darkness; he cannot bear that I should have a moon to mitigate the deprivation.”
- Helen about Arthur isolating her, toxic asf but the line is pretty

Note:
Might reread in the future after I’ve read all the works of the Brontë sisters.

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