Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

31 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. 

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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

kfergy's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol

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

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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

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

stuperman_'s review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Gaslighting

fightmeimsmall's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad tense 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

5.0

Quite simply one of the greatest books I have ever read, I was kept on the edge of my seat waiting for the events to play out. I loved the two protagonists, in spite of and because of their flaws, they were wonderfully relatable and real. The main villain was at once pitiful and terrifying, the reality of creatures such as him all too real and commonplace. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

roache's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Alcohol

hphipps's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Classism

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.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

paulagarco's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Addiction and Violence