Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

30 reviews

singalana's review against another edition

hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

🎉 I won this audiobook from a giveaway hosted by listenwithaudrey.

This is my first foray into Anne Brontë’s novels. I found the experience quite pleasurable. Perhaps it was the audiobook which made getting on with the story quite easy.

The story is told via letters and diary entries from Gilbert Markham to his friend. A young widow, Helen Graham, moves into a dilapidated manor, and Gilbert and his peers are naturally very curious about the mysterious tenant. As the story progresses, Gilbert finds himself fascinated by Helen and eventually learns more about her.

There’s a lot of historical nuance about the characters that a modern reader has a hard time understanding. The male characters come off as unpleasant and selfish, while the women, especially Helen, come off as passive and demure. A lot is said between the lines, so Audrey’s guide helps to catch those hints better than reading the book without such aid would.

The narrative shifts when Gilbert finally learns Helen’s secrets via her diary. The audiobook had previously been narrated by a man, and these sections are narrated by a woman. And that’s not all: the relationship between Gilbert and Helen is put on hold, and now we journey into Helen’s past. I’m not sure whether I liked the way this section was told; it sort of kicked me out of the main story and into a new one. 

All in all, this book had subtlety that is hard to achieve and perhaps also hard for modern readers to understand. If I compare this classic to some others I’ve read, this experience has been quite pleasurable, even though I think you need to be in a certain kind of mood to thoroughly enjoy this novel. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

pedanther's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Medical content, and Grief

Minor: Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

snowiceblackfruit77's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

nadiajohnsonbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

hjb_128's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Misogyny, and Sexism

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“Whatever I am, you will be the same, and therefore, cannot possibly regret it; and whatever that change may be, we know it must be for the better.”
The Tennant of Wildfell Hall is an absolutely breathtaking novel, and one which I never wanted to end. A feminist text way ahead of its time, the story uncovers the dark past of Helen Graham, who lives alone in Wildfell Hall with her son Arthur.
This was one of the first novels to bluntly discus divorce, alcoholism, and other taboo topics, so much to the point that Charlotte Bronte did all in her power to stop its publication.  For any fans of the Brontes, or those looking to get into their woks, I would highly recommend. I can’t wait to read Agnes Gray.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

nicolesbookreviews's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Medical content

katewhite77's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I Think Helen Huntingdon is one of the best heroines I have ever read. 

This book was way way ahead of it's time and very controversial as it is  a cering critique on Victorian parenting and the strife it causes in later in life. With a lazer sharp focus on gender.  Therefore it is also immensely feminist and lays bare the dark side of Victorian attitude towards marriage and domestic violence.  Religion is also an important theme in this novel. Universal salvation was a new concept at the time and also controversial concept. This is the idea that a sinner is not necessarily condemned to hell as long as time is served in purgatory is served. 

This is also such a well written novel that you always feel at the centre of the action. The plot is so intricate and intriguing that I didn't know which way to look. Thankfully the Audrey app has handy character list so it is easy to keep track. 

I can't recommend tĥis book and if you do take careful note of chapter 3.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Death

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Sexual harassment

saliwali's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

mattiedancer's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Writing: 5⭐️/5 

Anne Brontë’s writing, much like her sister’s, is thoughtful, intentional, poignant, and full. Reading a Brontë novel feels filling and, even as these novels tend to start slow, they’re always worth the payout. Most of this novel is beautifully written, even stunningly so. No notes.

Characters: 4.75⭐️/5

It was refreshing to see Gilbert’s immense growth through the story. From starting as a bit of a stuck-up farming boy to a thoughtful and moral man was an entertaining read. Similarly, I love Helen with my whole heart, deeply appreciating her desire to be more than just a wife or mother, while also placing those roles and their corresponding responsibilities on a bit of a pedestal. Her feminism was refreshing and her fight against her husband’s control reminded me a lot of bits and pieces of my own life and how, looking back, you realize how blind you’ve been. I struggled a bit with Lawrence, Helen’s brother, and his slightly inconsistent character, but where he failed to deliver, every other character seemed to step up.

Plot: 4.5⭐️/5 

I’m going to start with my critique, which is that one of our main characters, in a fit of rage, horrendously injures our other character’s brother. Gilbert is quick to apologize once he realizes the connection between the characters, but it felt like a large obstacle that was shoved conveniently out of the way. Otherwise, I think this novel’s plot progressed nicely, though slowly. I enjoyed the switch of perspectives as it gave a fullness to the story and, even though the switch was the majority of the novel, it felt perfectly timed and well-structured.

Who Should Read This Book? 

• Fans of the Brontë sisters
• Fans of classic literature
• Those looking for a slow, romance-heavy read that bends toward feminism

Content Warnings? 

• Misogyny, sexism, infidelity, emotional abuse, classism, death of a parent, death, injury, terminal illness, pregnancy, bullying

Post-Reading Rating:  5⭐️/5

I love Helen and Gilbert.

Final Rating: 4.75⭐️/5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism