overbooked207's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Classism, Racism, Sexism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Grief, Emotional abuse, Incest, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Ableism, Toxic relationship, Murder, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Death, Confinement, Child death, Child abuse, Bullying, and Alcoholism
cultbyproxy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this novel is a dark illustration of the thin line between love and hate and how rage can become one’s undoing. we follow heathcliff and catherine in their life story as each inflicts unspeakable heartbreak on the other and miscommunication leads to a chess game of vengeance unleashed on their descendants.
“… they may bury me twelve feet deep, and throw the church down over me, but i won’t rest till you are with me.”
the perfect illustration of this novel for me would be invisible string by taylor swift, the notion that heathcliff and catherine are tethered to one another by their childhood infatuation turned obsession and a “love” that is destined to be their undoing. with the world against them, and eventually them against each other, we see how misery creates company. how heathcliff’s revenge plot becomes a complex chess game that catalyses everyone’s downfall, even his own.
i have not broken your heart — you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine.
is the entire premise of their story, as each character’s actions directly lead to their own unhappiness. vengeance runs thick and cold, like a raving river, fuelled by uncontained rage and unaddressed emotion; each victim by circumstance lives long enough to become a villain by choice.
the only character that i was rooting for from the moment of their introduction to their very end was hareton, and his story i find joy in. the perfect way of changing course and allowing history to not repeat itself, to put an end to a generational tale of manipulation and i find it to be brontë’s slim offering of an apology for an entire tale of hate and agony.
“it was a strange way of killing: not by inches, but by fractions and hairbreadths,”
p.s. thank you for the birthday gift marcíano 🤍 i pray our story does not suffer the same fate as heathcliff and catherine.
Graphic: Grief, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Incest
Moderate: Physical abuse, Bullying, Confinement, and Misogyny
Minor: Abandonment, Ableism, and Alcoholism
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Grief, Terminal illness, Child death, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Abandonment, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Physical abuse
pysselfia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Injury/injury detail, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Bullying, Classism, Grief, Incest, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Child abuse, Death, Racial slurs, and Violence
ajparmentier's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
And yet every time I put the book down, I found it hard not to think about. The layers of narration, the parallels and contrasts between the characters, the vivid portraits of such flawed individuals, the complicated social dynamics in such a small and isolated community. All of these things are a fertile ground for discussion and dissection. I've found that I much more enjoy analyzing the story than reading a single word from the page, and as long as I am doing that and not subjecting myself to people who find the "romance" of the characters particularly *romantic*, that I can find something of value in the book.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Alcoholism, and Ableism
Moderate: Racism
akira_outofthegravity's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
scruffie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Spoiler
Say what you will about the villain but I was impressed by his perseverance and how he uses the very same systemic techniques that oppressed him to oppress others, effectively perpetuating the misery."Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself."
Sidenote: I'd generously say that I understood about 30% of what Joseph says in the book. Didn't make a difference, really.
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Alcoholism, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Eating disorder, and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy and Animal cruelty
m_r3ads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, and Racism
tokenkobold's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Alcoholism, Grief, Incest, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Racism and Terminal illness
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
sarah984's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
However, it's kind of blunted a bit by the distance the literary device used to tell gives it (some parts are like Lockwood relating a letter written by Cathy as narrated to him by Ellen) and the ending sort of runs out of steam.
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Terminal illness
Minor: Incest