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candyapplerotten's review against another edition
1.0
Wuthering Heights in a nutshell: A$$holes and exclamation points.
austensuperfan_2005's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-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
maggiebooky's review against another edition
2.0
Only tolerated second half. Hated first half. Older generation is just awful.
samanthagillan's review against another edition
4.0
Oh my dear god, the dramatics in this damn book!!! The majority of these characters were just a bunch of entitled, rich assholes, which had me feeling unsure as a whole throughout the first 50% or so. It was when the next generation came along and took on the karma of their parents where I finally got sucked in.
readwithsummer's review against another edition
4.0
This is a dark book.
I did not anticipate how dark the themes within this book would be. This is about a desperately unhappy family (families? they are inextricably linked so I think ‘family’ will suffice). A family suffering perpetual abuse and violence.
To think, before this the darkest and most violent book I’d read was Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. But now, instead of My Hyde – Mr Heathcliff takes the cake as the cruellest and most evil character I’ve encountered in a book. Oh, Mr Heathcliff – this man went from intriguing me; to feeling very sorry for him; to rooting for him and understanding his love for Cathy; siding with him and feeling very indignant on his behalf; to losing my sympathy; to angering me; to detesting him; to SLIGHTLY redeeming himself; to again feeling sorry for him.
Dude.
My remaining feelings for Mr Heathcliff are also quite complicated; because for the vast majority of the book I really despised him. I thought he was the actual devil, and he eradicated any sympathy I had for him by perpetuating the circle of abuse. He openly acknowledged that the people he was enacting his revenge on were ‘substitutes’ and ‘tokens’ of the real people – which just doesn’t make sense. It shows that he’s doing these terrible actions purely to satisfy himself; he wants to be the one who has the power and dishes out the pain, rather than trying to get retribution. We also know this because Nelly says how he didn’t show any care or empathy as a child. I do think ‘revenge’ is a key theme to the book, but in actuality, it’s Heathcliff satisfying his ego and pride.
But, he did stop himself. Whilst throughout the book he perpetuates the abuse, he puts the brakes on in the end and defeats the main villain – himself. He defeated himself.
And why did he do this? Was it love? Was it Cathy’s ghost (real or imagined- we don’t know)? Was it he wanted to give their doubles a chance at the real thing? And in doing so, does he get his reward and also get to experience the real thing with Cathy?
So many questions; and there is an underwritten mythical element to this book too. Were the ghosts real? The last few paragraphs, and the last paragraph – contradict each other. But also, the way each generation follows in each other’s footsteps like some kind of contained universe.
As we see in Cathy’s introduction; Catherine Earnshaw – Catherine Heathcliff – Catherine Linton.
Both Cathy and Miss Cathy each go through the exact same transformations.
The key theme of a circle of abuse is naturally reflected here, but we also see the theme of women’s rights. Whether it was intentional by Emily or not; the mistreatment of women and what little power they have is demonstrated very harshly here. Isabella and Miss Cathy are both kept captive in Wuthering Heights, marriage becomes a literal chain around their legs in which they are chained, gagged, robbed and abused by their husbands – Heathcliff, and Linton Heathcliff. Both talk about their wives (one taught the other of course) as property, and are mocked for the fact that the women’s properties are now their own. The way it is explicitly highlighted is hard to believe it wasn’t to demonstrate to readers how terrible it is. I think that adds a bit of feminism into this, trying to make people understand the dark sides.
This is a hard book to read because the entire thing is portraying the dark side of humans. Possessive love and sheer spite (Heathcliff); putting money over love (Cathy); overzealous religion which turns into abusing and chastising children (Joseph); sacrificing others to benefit oneself (Linton Heathcliff); a weakness and reluctance by others to do anything to help (Mr Linton); alcoholism and jealousy (Hindley); naivety and negligence (Mrs Dean); stubbornness and defiance (Miss Cathy).
Oof. That is heavy.
I mean, everyone has their flaws. We all do. No one is immune from the vices listed above – but the characters are almost caricatures of such vices. It is done to the extreme. And we get to see all of these characters and their flaws mingling together and impacting each other, which effectively brings them all down, down, down – until a shining light appears within the next generation.
Well. I did NOT foresee Cathy and Hareton getting together. I was making all these parallels between Cathy & Catherine & Heathcliff & Linton & Mr Linton love relationships, but didn’t consider Hareton. Even though I obviously spotted his similarity with Heathcliff.
Hareton is such an important character. He’s so important infact, that after Heathcliff he’s one of the first characters we get an indication of, not an introduction, but a moment,
Before passing the threshold, I paused to admire a quantity of grotesque carving lavished over the front, and especially about the principal door; above which, among a wilderness of crumbling griffins and shameless little boys, I detected the date “1500,” and the name “Hareton Earnshaw.”
Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte, Ch1)
I feel like Miss Cathy’s two love options – Linton Heathcliff and Hareton Earnshaw are the two possibilities of what Heathcliff could have been.
Linton Heathcliff – starts off abandoned by his parents – is taken in by an abuser – he becomes hard from the abuse and emulates it – he willingly sacrifices Miss Cathy and once they are married he happily partakes in neglecting her.
Hareton Earnshaw – starts off with losing his parents – is taken in by an abuser – becomes hard from the abuse but doesn’t emulate it – he offers to help others while he can and makes strides and efforts to improve himself.
And which one won out?
Arguably, the same wins out in both Heathcliff’s doppelgangers and the real Heathcliff. The good. The good one wins out. And the only person who could bring them out of it, was themselves.
Hareton and Heathcliff both ultimately have to change themselves – with a little help from Miss Cathy (who also learns to show kindness instead of hatred) and Cathy as a memory/ghost – to better themselves.
And with that, the circle of abuse ended. And our main characters get happily ever afters, Hareton and Cathy in real life, and Heathcliff and Catherine in the afterlife.
“I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.”
I did not anticipate how dark the themes within this book would be. This is about a desperately unhappy family (families? they are inextricably linked so I think ‘family’ will suffice). A family suffering perpetual abuse and violence.
To think, before this the darkest and most violent book I’d read was Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. But now, instead of My Hyde – Mr Heathcliff takes the cake as the cruellest and most evil character I’ve encountered in a book. Oh, Mr Heathcliff – this man went from intriguing me; to feeling very sorry for him; to rooting for him and understanding his love for Cathy; siding with him and feeling very indignant on his behalf; to losing my sympathy; to angering me; to detesting him; to SLIGHTLY redeeming himself; to again feeling sorry for him.
Dude.
My remaining feelings for Mr Heathcliff are also quite complicated; because for the vast majority of the book I really despised him. I thought he was the actual devil, and he eradicated any sympathy I had for him by perpetuating the circle of abuse. He openly acknowledged that the people he was enacting his revenge on were ‘substitutes’ and ‘tokens’ of the real people – which just doesn’t make sense. It shows that he’s doing these terrible actions purely to satisfy himself; he wants to be the one who has the power and dishes out the pain, rather than trying to get retribution. We also know this because Nelly says how he didn’t show any care or empathy as a child. I do think ‘revenge’ is a key theme to the book, but in actuality, it’s Heathcliff satisfying his ego and pride.
But, he did stop himself. Whilst throughout the book he perpetuates the abuse, he puts the brakes on in the end and defeats the main villain – himself. He defeated himself.
And why did he do this? Was it love? Was it Cathy’s ghost (real or imagined- we don’t know)? Was it he wanted to give their doubles a chance at the real thing? And in doing so, does he get his reward and also get to experience the real thing with Cathy?
So many questions; and there is an underwritten mythical element to this book too. Were the ghosts real? The last few paragraphs, and the last paragraph – contradict each other. But also, the way each generation follows in each other’s footsteps like some kind of contained universe.
As we see in Cathy’s introduction; Catherine Earnshaw – Catherine Heathcliff – Catherine Linton.
Both Cathy and Miss Cathy each go through the exact same transformations.
The key theme of a circle of abuse is naturally reflected here, but we also see the theme of women’s rights. Whether it was intentional by Emily or not; the mistreatment of women and what little power they have is demonstrated very harshly here. Isabella and Miss Cathy are both kept captive in Wuthering Heights, marriage becomes a literal chain around their legs in which they are chained, gagged, robbed and abused by their husbands – Heathcliff, and Linton Heathcliff. Both talk about their wives (one taught the other of course) as property, and are mocked for the fact that the women’s properties are now their own. The way it is explicitly highlighted is hard to believe it wasn’t to demonstrate to readers how terrible it is. I think that adds a bit of feminism into this, trying to make people understand the dark sides.
This is a hard book to read because the entire thing is portraying the dark side of humans. Possessive love and sheer spite (Heathcliff); putting money over love (Cathy); overzealous religion which turns into abusing and chastising children (Joseph); sacrificing others to benefit oneself (Linton Heathcliff); a weakness and reluctance by others to do anything to help (Mr Linton); alcoholism and jealousy (Hindley); naivety and negligence (Mrs Dean); stubbornness and defiance (Miss Cathy).
Oof. That is heavy.
I mean, everyone has their flaws. We all do. No one is immune from the vices listed above – but the characters are almost caricatures of such vices. It is done to the extreme. And we get to see all of these characters and their flaws mingling together and impacting each other, which effectively brings them all down, down, down – until a shining light appears within the next generation.
Well. I did NOT foresee Cathy and Hareton getting together. I was making all these parallels between Cathy & Catherine & Heathcliff & Linton & Mr Linton love relationships, but didn’t consider Hareton. Even though I obviously spotted his similarity with Heathcliff.
Hareton is such an important character. He’s so important infact, that after Heathcliff he’s one of the first characters we get an indication of, not an introduction, but a moment,
Before passing the threshold, I paused to admire a quantity of grotesque carving lavished over the front, and especially about the principal door; above which, among a wilderness of crumbling griffins and shameless little boys, I detected the date “1500,” and the name “Hareton Earnshaw.”
Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte, Ch1)
I feel like Miss Cathy’s two love options – Linton Heathcliff and Hareton Earnshaw are the two possibilities of what Heathcliff could have been.
Linton Heathcliff – starts off abandoned by his parents – is taken in by an abuser – he becomes hard from the abuse and emulates it – he willingly sacrifices Miss Cathy and once they are married he happily partakes in neglecting her.
Hareton Earnshaw – starts off with losing his parents – is taken in by an abuser – becomes hard from the abuse but doesn’t emulate it – he offers to help others while he can and makes strides and efforts to improve himself.
And which one won out?
Arguably, the same wins out in both Heathcliff’s doppelgangers and the real Heathcliff. The good. The good one wins out. And the only person who could bring them out of it, was themselves.
Hareton and Heathcliff both ultimately have to change themselves – with a little help from Miss Cathy (who also learns to show kindness instead of hatred) and Cathy as a memory/ghost – to better themselves.
And with that, the circle of abuse ended. And our main characters get happily ever afters, Hareton and Cathy in real life, and Heathcliff and Catherine in the afterlife.
“I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.”
waves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
alvar0's review against another edition
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
anyahp's review against another edition
5.0
Talk about a dark and gloomy book! After a long time i spend mulling over it,thinking about the characters and this wicked story, i'm still dumbfounded.
It was intense as hell and I was frustrated and angry and sad from page one 'til the end. One thing is for sure i ached for Heathcliff, this poor tormented soul. He was no saint and he caused a lot of pain to the others around him but still, you can do nothing else but pity and feel sorry for him.
If I begin naming all the characters that i hated in this book it will take forever, so the ones i really liked, were Nelly Dean and Hareton Earnshaw.
Nelly was a saint, honestly a saint and nothing more, i don't dare think of how badly (if it is possible) this story would develop without her.
Hareton was such a sweetheart, a really misfortuned kid that paid for the sins of others and shocked me with his affection for Heathcliff,for he could justifiably harbor bad feelings for him after all he's been through.
This book is about actions, and the consequences of those actions and how one's character and attitude can alter so many things, so many lives.
Dear Emily Bronte has written some painfully romantic lines that will stay with me forever... It was worth my time, anger and tears and all but this book is only read once because you simply want to get rid of the bitter aftertaste it leaves you.
It was intense as hell and I was frustrated and angry and sad from page one 'til the end. One thing is for sure i ached for Heathcliff, this poor tormented soul. He was no saint and he caused a lot of pain to the others around him but still, you can do nothing else but pity and feel sorry for him.
If I begin naming all the characters that i hated in this book it will take forever, so the ones i really liked, were Nelly Dean and Hareton Earnshaw.
Nelly was a saint, honestly a saint and nothing more, i don't dare think of how badly (if it is possible) this story would develop without her.
Hareton was such a sweetheart, a really misfortuned kid that paid for the sins of others and shocked me with his affection for Heathcliff,for he could justifiably harbor bad feelings for him after all he's been through.
This book is about actions, and the consequences of those actions and how one's character and attitude can alter so many things, so many lives.
Dear Emily Bronte has written some painfully romantic lines that will stay with me forever... It was worth my time, anger and tears and all but this book is only read once because you simply want to get rid of the bitter aftertaste it leaves you.
pretty_obligment's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0