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A review by shelvedbyelle
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
it's true what they say over on booktok: it's so ahead of its time and deeply feminist. while Charlotte and Emily took a more romantic approach in Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, Anne was a realist. yet of the three, i find this novel the most fitting for a romance.
i love the decisions Helen took for herself. she raised little Arthur with care, taking painstaking measures to ensure he wouldn’t emulate his father’s ways and she had the strength to escape rather than stay in a toxic marriage. (though i didn’t quite approve of her decision to return to her husband to care for him.)
Mr. Markham is a genuinely likeable character with real development unlike Mr. Rochester or Heathcliff. he didn’t care that Helen had a child, sought the truth when everyone gossiped that she had abandoned her husband and waited for her.
i also liked the other women—Helen’s aunt, Millicent and Esther—and how their relationships with Helen added depth to the story. it's a happy ending, and rightfully so.
no wonder it stirred controversy in the Victorian era. i just wish Anne had lived to see her story gain the same level of fame as her sisters’ works. this book has only made me even more excited to read Agnes Grey.
i love the decisions Helen took for herself. she raised little Arthur with care, taking painstaking measures to ensure he wouldn’t emulate his father’s ways and she had the strength to escape rather than stay in a toxic marriage. (though i didn’t quite approve of her decision to return to her husband to care for him.)
Mr. Markham is a genuinely likeable character with real development unlike Mr. Rochester or Heathcliff. he didn’t care that Helen had a child, sought the truth when everyone gossiped that she had abandoned her husband and waited for her.
i also liked the other women—Helen’s aunt, Millicent and Esther—and how their relationships with Helen added depth to the story. it's a happy ending, and rightfully so.
no wonder it stirred controversy in the Victorian era. i just wish Anne had lived to see her story gain the same level of fame as her sisters’ works. this book has only made me even more excited to read Agnes Grey.