roseparis 's review for:

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

4.5

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Turns out I've been reading the wrong Brontës. Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights have never been my favourites, Jane Eyre being simultaneously overly prosaic and overly romantic, and Wuthering Heights overblown with unsympathetic and uninteresting characters. But the Tenant of Wildfell Hall is realistic, radical and passionate in its advocacy for women. Its treatment of addiction and misogyny is light years ahead of its time and all tbe characterisations nuanced and sensitive. This stands up well woth the best of 19th century novels, for me, as readable and relevant as Middlemarch or Emma. So glad to finally read this.