Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

42 reviews

emtees's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

The writing in this book is gorgeous.  The descriptions, the setting, the tone, the delineation of character traits and emotional arcs, all incredible.  I’m saying this up front because I didn’t really like the book, but I can’t rate it down when it is so beautifully written.

The story is… honestly kind of ridiculous, until you remember that this is the gothic genre, and compared to most gothics, the story here is pretty straight-forward.  What made me dislike it was that I didn’t care for any of the characters or worry about what would happen to them.  I don’t mean that the characters were flawed or even bad people - they were, but that’s to be expected in gothics - but that they were just frequently very annoying.  They all had occasional moments where you could feel sympathy with them for the ways they seemed trapped by the circumstances of their lives, but then they would do something cruel or malicious for no good reason and that sympathy faded fast.  Usually in a story like this I would expect to have at least one character I latched on to, but that didn’t happen here.  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Racism

itsartemis's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Classism

Minor: Death, Incest, and Gaslighting

sparodi's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Grief, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Kidnapping, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty, Incest, and Death of parent

cinthiaurora's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Great book. Emily Brontë’s writing is so gorgeous at some points that it takes my breath away. Trying to read Joseph’s dialogue gives me a headache though. 

Wouldn’t necessarily say she ending is unsatisfactory but it is frustrating how Mr. Lockwood’s character was truly obsolete all along. Nelly is also kind of a frustrating character because she’s such a passive narrator. Her will never influences the outcome of the story. I know it’s because she’s a servant, but you’d think she’d have at least some influence over her own actions. Her primary purpose really IS to just be there and observe, and occasionally be used as a tool to move the plot along. Kind of depressing for a character who’s dialogue narrates literally the entire book.
Also, most of the characters are extremely unlikable but you’ll love it if you know that already going in. 

Final note; I disagree with the general  consensus that this book is slow-paced. Someone dies or gets married nearly every chapter, and there’s several years long time jumps… I don’t know how much faster it can really get. 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Incest, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

tonihdd3's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Physical abuse, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship

christinewonder's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Grief

l_gs's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement and Emotional abuse

Minor: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Grief, and Gaslighting

captureeverychapter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A dark, gloomy, destructive, tragic,manipulative love story of Heathcliff & Catherine Earnshaw. 

This is the first classic book that I picked up. I was quite hesitant because let's be real classic books are intimidating. I had to put down the book for two - four days? 'cause I'm having a hard time understanding some of the words, it's prose but i strived and read back and repeatedly read all of the writings I didn't understand and then eventually with my trusty dictionary I got the hang of it. It wasn't easy going through it but no ounce of regret because this is a great story and I fell in love with it.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

lectricefeministe's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Classism

cinderrunner's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism