Reviews

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

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hjswinford's review against another edition

3.0

All I can think is "over rated". Like....i enjoyed myself just fine. But the characters in this book were unbearable. There was no point at which I was impressed by the romance (which I think is not supposed to be idolized like it is since the narrative itself doesn't seem to condone Heathcliff or Katherine's behavior). The writing itself was lovely and I liked the point of view well enough. I just feel generally unimpressed and ready to move on.

kaceychapman04's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

maddyjmll's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.75

annamaryd365's review against another edition

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4.0

Going into this book, I didn't expect it to be as fun as it ended up being. I was immediately so drawn in by this heightened and frankly a little absurd world that these characters live in. The drama in this book is peak and I was obsessed with it. Additionally, as I have come to expect from the classics that I read, the characters are wonderfully well-realized and I loved all of them despite their many many flaws (and I mean many these are not good people). My favorites were both Catherines and Isabella but literally every character (even Heathcliff) has their moments.

I also loved the themes of this book, especially how it explored cycles of abuse, revenge, and what love can do to you. I feel like I could write multiple essays on each of these things and I would have a good time doing it.

My only issue with the book is that through most of it, I felt very removed from these characters (likely due to the framing device which I have mixed feelings on). Although I did love all of the characters I didn't feel like as I was involved in their story, only an observer. I think this was intentional but personally I don't enjoy that as much as feeling engrossed in the characters lives. Another small issue I had was that while the dialogue was gorgeous and there are wonderful quotes from this book, the prose itself wasn't anything remarkable. I believe this is again a symptom of the nature of the framing device which I know it sounds like I hated but I honestly mostly enjoyed. I really resonated with Nelly for being completely willing to tell you the longest story of your entire life and also with Mr. Lockwood for being so nosy about his landlord that he makes her tell him literally all of the details.

Overall this was a very fun book and I had an excellent time reading it! I would not recommend it as your first classic but if you already have like a little experience with the genre I think it's well worth your time.

ellie_cripps's review against another edition

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4.0

Absolutely nobody in this story drinks respect women juice, though I guess I can't blame them. Hell of a tale of life in the wilds and what that meant in Brontë's era, though it would be wrong to say I enjoyed it exactly.

buzzinfly's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wuthering Heights seems to have both a cult following and an ~~equally~~ large group of people who despise it and cannot for the life of themselves see why it is held in such high regard. The general reasons seem to be dislikable characters, slow-paced plot, difficult writing style, et cetera, et cetera - but these are all the reasons I adore the novel.

Dislikable and petty characters and a plot devoid of soppy love and/or politics and religions was incredibly shocking in the nineteenth century when this book was first published. The plot-twisting melodrama kept me from putting the book down. The complex character development is insanely original and creative. This might well be one of the most important pieces of English literature we have ever been graced with since Pride and Prejudice.

The clever literary devices, and the confusing relationship of Heathcliff and Cathy, combined with

her coming back to "haunt" Heathcliff and mourn over her poor decision making builds up with a most satisfying end.

This novel is easily a 10/10.

Content Warnings