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A review by aayjaysbookshelf
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.75
What a compelling, heart wrenching read! The kind that leaves you thinking about it for long. On one hand, I'm glad I got to finish this novel with a weather outside that resembles the tone of this novel for me to form a stronger association, and on the other hand, I feel like I'd need at least 2 business days to recover from Wuthering Heights.
Reviewing Wuthering Heights is not easy. The complexities of this novel are numerous; from touching on societal aspects to psychological ones, it draws its characters in a non linear fashion and colors them in non-monochromatic tones, yet, at the same time, the simplicity of the anguish of an unrequited love traverses the whole expanse of the novel in an unmistakable way.
I found myself grieving over Edgar's death, I found myself feeling sorry for Hareton's despair and I found myself flowing along with the characters and their lives; a testament of Bronte's excellent writing skills.
As for Heathcliff, the lever of this story, I found myself sometimes sympathizing with him and at other times despising him, yet still rooting for him through it all, in a twisted way. This is the second proper Gothic novel I've read (after Frankenstein) and I've enjoyed in them both, the intertwining between the hero and the villain of the story, with a single lead character being both.
I was told by someone that Wuthering Heights would break my heart. I won't go so far as to say it has really done so, but it sure has wrung it down enough for me to take a while to recover from it. The story is powerful, the dialogues effective, and the narration intelligent. Wuthering Heights is a must read for everyone.
Reviewing Wuthering Heights is not easy. The complexities of this novel are numerous; from touching on societal aspects to psychological ones, it draws its characters in a non linear fashion and colors them in non-monochromatic tones, yet, at the same time, the simplicity of the anguish of an unrequited love traverses the whole expanse of the novel in an unmistakable way.
I found myself grieving over Edgar's death, I found myself feeling sorry for Hareton's despair and I found myself flowing along with the characters and their lives; a testament of Bronte's excellent writing skills.
As for Heathcliff, the lever of this story, I found myself sometimes sympathizing with him and at other times despising him, yet still rooting for him through it all, in a twisted way. This is the second proper Gothic novel I've read (after Frankenstein) and I've enjoyed in them both, the intertwining between the hero and the villain of the story, with a single lead character being both.
I was told by someone that Wuthering Heights would break my heart. I won't go so far as to say it has really done so, but it sure has wrung it down enough for me to take a while to recover from it. The story is powerful, the dialogues effective, and the narration intelligent. Wuthering Heights is a must read for everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Mental illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Racism, and Toxic relationship