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A review by theundecidedcat
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
3.0
2.5 stars*
Honestly I really, really, REALLY tried with this book. I started it in 2021, I picked it up twice as a physical book, twice as a kindle book and then once as an audiobook. Finally actually got through it on audiobook. I so badly wanted to love this book, it’s a classic, it’s a gothic romance, it’s meant to be an easy classic/beginner classic, it’s beloved, it’s Emily Brontë, I like Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and I wanted to read each of the Brontë’s work… but I just didn’t love it, I didn’t even like it, for the most part I hated it and struggled with it. I was very confused by the names and story and could never tell who was who and found myself mashing characters together that are actually separate characters, I struggled to figure out what was going on and when I did know what was going on I just didn’t really care. There was a few moments in the book I liked, there’s a few quotes I liked, the ending got a tad better for me but I just really struggled with it. I’m sorry, I know everyone loves it, I really wanted to but I just didn’t. I am going to watch some film adaptations though and see if watching the story will help me better understand and also care and maybe even like the story. I will add though that I feel that the story being told through the tenant through the housekeeper through the characters was incredibly hard to keep track of who was talking and I feel it would have been both easier to understand and more powerful had it been in first person of either Catherine or Heathcliff or multiple characters in first person (I know it’s meant to be like how stories change through different people or something but still). Also I really disagree with all the people that say this is an easy read and a beginner classic, I know it’s not big but like The Portrait of Dorian Gray I feel despite both being small and viewed as easy classics, they actually are not. I dunno, maybe I’m just stupid, or maybe Brontë could have written things to be more easily understood (hot take I know). Also, this story kind of reminded me of both Gone With The Wind and Pride and Prejudice and I enjoyed both of those books and could understand them on first read so I’m not sure if it’s the fact that it’s not first person or what but this was way harder to get into than those books. I also really struggled to like the characters in this because I felt so removed from them, I felt like I didn’t have a chance to love them, so I never did. I know, I know, I’m in the minority, I’m sorry guys. I’ll give some movie adaptions a go.
Edit: I will however say, that I really do appreciate and admire what it took for all the Brontës to write and publish their work. I forever will find them both inspiring and incredibly empowering to know what it took for these stories to be written and published in their time. Emily’s being the hardest to get published due to the nature of her book and then content of Wuthering Heights, and for that I have a deep respect for her and her sisters. Do not think that me not getting into her book means I do not appreciate the work and fight that was put in for this book to exist.
Honestly I really, really, REALLY tried with this book. I started it in 2021, I picked it up twice as a physical book, twice as a kindle book and then once as an audiobook. Finally actually got through it on audiobook. I so badly wanted to love this book, it’s a classic, it’s a gothic romance, it’s meant to be an easy classic/beginner classic, it’s beloved, it’s Emily Brontë, I like Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and I wanted to read each of the Brontë’s work… but I just didn’t love it, I didn’t even like it, for the most part I hated it and struggled with it. I was very confused by the names and story and could never tell who was who and found myself mashing characters together that are actually separate characters, I struggled to figure out what was going on and when I did know what was going on I just didn’t really care. There was a few moments in the book I liked, there’s a few quotes I liked, the ending got a tad better for me but I just really struggled with it. I’m sorry, I know everyone loves it, I really wanted to but I just didn’t. I am going to watch some film adaptations though and see if watching the story will help me better understand and also care and maybe even like the story. I will add though that I feel that the story being told through the tenant through the housekeeper through the characters was incredibly hard to keep track of who was talking and I feel it would have been both easier to understand and more powerful had it been in first person of either Catherine or Heathcliff or multiple characters in first person (I know it’s meant to be like how stories change through different people or something but still). Also I really disagree with all the people that say this is an easy read and a beginner classic, I know it’s not big but like The Portrait of Dorian Gray I feel despite both being small and viewed as easy classics, they actually are not. I dunno, maybe I’m just stupid, or maybe Brontë could have written things to be more easily understood (hot take I know). Also, this story kind of reminded me of both Gone With The Wind and Pride and Prejudice and I enjoyed both of those books and could understand them on first read so I’m not sure if it’s the fact that it’s not first person or what but this was way harder to get into than those books. I also really struggled to like the characters in this because I felt so removed from them, I felt like I didn’t have a chance to love them, so I never did. I know, I know, I’m in the minority, I’m sorry guys. I’ll give some movie adaptions a go.
Edit: I will however say, that I really do appreciate and admire what it took for all the Brontës to write and publish their work. I forever will find them both inspiring and incredibly empowering to know what it took for these stories to be written and published in their time. Emily’s being the hardest to get published due to the nature of her book and then content of Wuthering Heights, and for that I have a deep respect for her and her sisters. Do not think that me not getting into her book means I do not appreciate the work and fight that was put in for this book to exist.