headachesince03'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
4.25
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Eating disorder and Religious bigotry
aegagrus's review against another edition
3.75
The story itself is a tale of manipulation -- most famously Heathcliff's vengeful machinations, but not exclusively. Emily Bronte explores the tragic perversity bred by manipulative relationships, and the heartbreaking alienation in which such relationships often conclude. Throughout all of this, her treatment of child and adolescent characters is particularly notable. Her young characters are not passive objects of manipulation by their elders. They are indeed manipulated in particular ways, and Bronte is deeply sympathetic about this. They are also players with unique agency, and very often the instigating forces moving the story along, for good or for ill.
Wuthering Heights is deservedly a classic. Bronte's highly evocative descriptions of the Yorkshire moors lend a significant gravitas to the work, as do her unflinching depictions of the emotional nadirs in her tragic saga.
Bronte's use of illness (chronic and otherwise) as a strong narrative propellant may feel too neat to the modern reader. It is worth noting that the relationship between physical health and moral/emotional health would have been thought of differently by the Victorian reader (which is perhaps why it is never quite clear whether illness is a cause or an effect). The novel's ending may also come across as an unnecessary concession which detracts from its otherwise unflinching character. This may be so, but if Bronte's ending is a concession to anything, it is in all likelihood nothing more than a concession to the literary environment of her time.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Injury/injury detail, 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
columbidae'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
4.5
Graphic: Injury/injury detail, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Racism and Incest
melissa3'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
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence
ambdocksey22'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
2.5
Graphic: Death, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Suicide, and Violence
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