erebus53'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
2.0
The setting is ostensibly spooky. It's a cold and desolate windblown house, with warped trees and harsh weather. The introduction sets the reader ill at ease with a new tenant imposing himself upon the landlord's household, only to meet with dour people and rude manners. Every attempt he makes to act toward them in a warm or overly familiar way is oh so cringeworthy, and disconcerting.
The narrative is told through word of mouth stories. The main narrator on the history of the characters is a maid servant, but yet further detail is fleshed out through recounting the content of letters and anecdotes of others... this method of telling stories inside stories I have seen before in things like Shelley's Frankenstein.
The Classism in this is predictably rampant. The use of a Yorkshire accent is disparaged and laughed at. Frustratingly for me, the narrator of the audiobook couldn't do the dialect any justice and she fumbled through all the parts that are written phonetically in rustic parlance. This took a lot more work for me to interpret than if it were read fluently. Gah! t'th divvel wet ye!
Another recurring theme is the whole cliché of dark and light. A dark haired, supposedly ill-bred orphan is taken to hearth and home, and of course fair haired, light eyed, pale skinned people are seen as morally superior. A bit of vanilla Racism to rub into the literature. Well.. the book is old.. but I don't have to like it.
Honestly confused at what a teacher would hope to gain from getting teens to vivisect a book like this.. the book is pale and dreary, a litany of ills and intergenerational abuse, of slow burning insidious revenge. I mean, I used to be a goth.. I've listened to Kate Bush.. this wasn't even romantic.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Death of parent, Confinement, Violence, Sexism, Self harm, Racism, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Death, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Classism, Mental illness, Grief, Ableism, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Bullying, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
armand'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
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, and Grief
Moderate: Death
emmonsannae's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Racism, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Death, Classism, Child abuse, and Mental illness
jem_carstairs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
At times this made it a little bit tricky to care about the plot. But overall I still loved reading Wuthering Heights, even if it was a little slow toward the middle
Graphic: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping, Violence, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Racism
stutee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, and Racism
tammykuffo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Dementia, Death, Classism, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Racism, Mental illness, Incest, Grief, Bullying, Abandonment, Xenophobia, Violence, Racial slurs, Child death, Child abuse, and Alcoholism
contrapasso'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
Graphic: Self harm, Incest, Racial slurs, Violence, Abandonment, Suicide, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Animal death, Child abuse, Classism, and Racism
accidentallyinlovefromshrek2'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
4.0
Brontë's narration choices through Lockwood and Nelly (while annoying, as they are both unreliable and biased) was enjoyable and telling of her talent in writing.
The characters were compelling, three-dimensional, complex, and extremely flawed, which was all very refreshing. Brontë didn't fear outward societal commentary on race, class, and gender; nor did she fear creating characters that were unlikable or at least heavily flawed. Her characters were REAL.
Volume II was a struggle to get through, as I finished most of it in an exhausted (and, sometimes bored) daze at two in the morning, as I hurriedly finished it by the deadline for class. There was simultaneously too much information and too much time spent dwelling on this information for me to want to put effort into reading most of the second half.
Overall, I will revisit Wuthering Heights to re-read it, as I enjoyed it heavily. As soon as I recover from the onslaught of emotional damage it has run me through.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Racism
Minor: Racial slurs, Violence, and Religious bigotry
milady_of_amethyst'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
3.5
Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Kidnapping and Chronic illness
aayjaysbookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.75
Reviewing Wuthering Heights is not easy. The complexities of this novel are numerous; from touching on societal aspects to psychological ones, it draws its characters in a non linear fashion and colors them in non-monochromatic tones, yet, at the same time, the simplicity of the anguish of an unrequited love traverses the whole expanse of the novel in an unmistakable way.
I found myself grieving over Edgar's death, I found myself feeling sorry for Hareton's despair and I found myself flowing along with the characters and their lives; a testament of Bronte's excellent writing skills.
As for Heathcliff, the lever of this story, I found myself sometimes sympathizing with him and at other times despising him, yet still rooting for him through it all, in a twisted way. This is the second proper Gothic novel I've read (after Frankenstein) and I've enjoyed in them both, the intertwining between the hero and the villain of the story, with a single lead character being both.
I was told by someone that Wuthering Heights would break my heart. I won't go so far as to say it has really done so, but it sure has wrung it down enough for me to take a while to recover from it. The story is powerful, the dialogues effective, and the narration intelligent. Wuthering Heights is a must read for everyone.
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Mental illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Racism, and Toxic relationship