Reviews

What drama! What a strange, melancholy adventure I’ve just endured! Wuthering Heights has been on my radar for years, and I’m so ecstatic I finally got around to reading it.

However strange this book might’ve felt, I admire it dearly in some capacity. It felt vivid and packed with emotion and imagery. Brontë’s attention to story perspective made this read very intriguing. I was fascinated by the different points of views the story was taking, and how easily every voice flowed. The story is confusing and different and unlike anything I’ve ever read, though it remained consistent and equally resonant. Brontë was a spider and this was her legendary web.

The story itself was truly weird. I found myself having to latch onto extra reading sources to understand the timeline, family ties, and even the then-contemporary British lingo. Each character has its own particularity and, in all honesty, everyone was unlikable, but that made the entire book that more fascinating. I can admit that this brought on a lot of information, mood, tone, and root of inspiration for me as a writer, and I can recognize the immense inspiration that many authors have drawn from Wuthering Heights.

So, why only three stars? Well, upon reflection, though this book was incredibly fascinating and, quite literally, the most singularly unique book I’ve read, I do feel as though nothing actually happened. There was a lot of death, a lot of drama, and a lot of falling on the floor and running up and down hills in this book, but nothing more. That sounds harsh which I don’t mean as such— I did truly find this read moving. It’s just the ideas discussed didn’t feel poignant or resonating, and by the end, I wasn’t sure what this book was even trying to say.

Yes, it’s speaking to the push and pull of those evil beings that claim to be your family, and the restriction that one must feel by living in one place only their whole life, but as the book tried different conversations, the actual plot/story was simply soap drama.
On that note, this is where I draw my most ambitious comparison: I believe this to be a very similar vibe to a Shakespeare play. For most of this book (up until the last 30 pages), I felt as though I were reading a Shakespeare play, just instead as a novel. The utter drama, which felt rich and almost delicious at times, was apparent. Though fun, it did unfortunately draw away from the themes I wanted explore, and I found myself dwelling with the characters on these elongating feelings of dread.

Lastly, though imperfect, this book is what it is and we all know what that is: a true, English literature classic, unique of its kind and taken from one of the geniuses of the 19th century. I must say I do love Emily. Her life story truly moves me to tears. I remember her with her legacy at place and feel more than satisfied that I have read her book. Read this book, why not?

ccastilloa's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

keetumol's review against another edition

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slow-paced

5.0

un poco loco in georgian times when everyone was dropping dead from the sniffles.

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