Review by carolinebl - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

carolinebl 's review for:

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This is my least favourite of the Brontë sister novels I have read thus far. I enjoyed the large middle section told in Mrs Graham’s hand, but I could not stand the narrator!

Mr Markham is violent, impatient, obsessive, self-centred and a whole manner of unpleasant characteristics that make me question Helen’s taste (though her first husband was certainly worse). Hopefully our narrator proves a better husband than a friend. I could not root for him, so the ending was not a satisfying resolution. Furthermore, it was too easy for Mr Huntingdon’s death to wrap the narrative up so neatly.

Disliking a character does not necessitate disliking a novel, but I don’t think that he was supposed to be so unlikeable, especially considering the strong religious messaging throughout. This is a bold story with some great twists, but also a few considerable flaws.

Content Warnings