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A review by reclusivebookslug
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.0
I liked this way more than I expected. Possibly signifying a toxic trait of mine, I love the trope of misunderstanding leading to a character being unnecessarily mean to another, ending in guilty feelings when the misunderstanding is cleared up. There's something about the injustice followed by the satisfaction of the truth that does it for me.
I did feel like the diary section where Helen was describing the downfall of her marriage ran a little long. It did a great job of making me feel tense and dread along with her, but at a certain point, I had gotten the message and was ready to move on. In the social climate of the time, it was more necessary to draw this bit out, prove to readers that this marriage was unsalvageable and intolerable, and that the husband was cruel and incapable of meaningful change. Today we are much more understanding of abusive and toxic relationships and accepting of separation and divorce, so as soon as he started acting up I was in support of her leaving him, whereas even after reading I understand that many people at the time thought Helen was in the wrong. This makes the book probably the most subversive and radical of any of the Brontë sister's works, which I love.
I did feel like the diary section where Helen was describing the downfall of her marriage ran a little long. It did a great job of making me feel tense and dread along with her, but at a certain point, I had gotten the message and was ready to move on. In the social climate of the time, it was more necessary to draw this bit out, prove to readers that this marriage was unsalvageable and intolerable, and that the husband was cruel and incapable of meaningful change. Today we are much more understanding of abusive and toxic relationships and accepting of separation and divorce, so as soon as he started acting up I was in support of her leaving him, whereas even after reading I understand that many people at the time thought Helen was in the wrong. This makes the book probably the most subversive and radical of any of the Brontë sister's works, which I love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Drug abuse and Addiction
The female lead character was married to an abusive husband. The abuse was not physical but did include emotional/mental/verbal abuse, controlling/manipulative behavior, infidelity, and financial abuse. The situation is exacerbated by the social mores of the time that gave husbands undue amounts of control over their wives and prevented/discouraged separation/divorce except in the most severe cases of physical abuse.
The substance abuse and addiction are in relation to the aforementioned husband and his friends. The substance in question is chiefly alcohol, but smoking and laudanum (an opiate) are also mentioned. These characters are all discussed negatively, and addiction is sort of implied to be a sin as opposed to a disease, so I could see this being triggering to people who have experienced addiction.