josefineisreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There were parts that I liked and nearer to the end I found it easier to read. It felt like there was a fair bit of filler but I think it’s more because of the time rather than a fault of Emily Brontë. I’m writing this having finished it a few hours ago and I can say I won’t reread it but I do think it’s a pretty decent story.
Graphic: Violence, Misogyny, Mental illness, Grief, Death, Child abuse, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Incest, and Confinement
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
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
overbooked207's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
1st book of January 2023 and 1st of the year:
“‘May she wake in torment!' he cried, with frightful vehemence, stamping his foot, and groaning in a sudden paroxysm of ungovernable passion. ‘Why, she's a liar to the end! Where is she? Not there-not in heaven--not perished--where? Oh! You said you cared nothing for my sufferings! And I pray one prayer--I repeat it till my tongue stiffens-may you not rest as long as I am living; you said I killed you--haunt me, then! The murdered do haunt their murderers, I believe. I know that ghosts have wandered on earth. Be with me always- take any form- drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!” - Emily Brontë.
I read this years ago, but I think I listened to it too fast and didn’t remember much of it, so I decided to give it another try because I remember loving the quotes and the atmospheric setting, and I’m glad I did! The atmosphere and writing are rich, haunting, and poetic, and so many of the quotes, like the one above, quickly became new favorites of all time, said quotes being infinitely quotable and full of drama, passion, love(even if it’s toxic), and poetry! Almost every character is the absolute worst, but sometimes that’s exactly what I want to consume because it can be so entertaining, and I love watching/analyzing the characters’ complexities and thoughts/actions even as I’m shaking my head(tho reading about what Heathcliff does was hard). And winter is one of the perfect times to read this as you get cozy with a hot beverage and blankets. The audiobook read by Joanne Froggatt was also amazing! I enjoyed the first half of the book a lot more than the second, but the quotes made it up to me.
But please be aware of the TWs that are unfortunately prevalent in classic lit for unchecked racism, ableism, sexism, classism, incest, etc., and read/enjoy it critically and with that in mind. Other TWs include abuse(child, domestic, physical, and verbal), alcoholism, death, ghosts, grief, guns, and violence🥀🍂🪦💔
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Ableism, Bullying, Confinement, Kidnapping, Murder, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Classism, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
greatexpectations77'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
3.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Grief, Terminal illness, Child death, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Abandonment, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Physical abuse
headachesince03'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
4.25
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Eating disorder and Religious bigotry
s1etal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Graphic: Kidnapping and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child death and Alcoholism
withloveandlights's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Bullying, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
katelynmill2'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? It's complicated
4.5
I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would.
I actually liked all the characters, even characters I didn’t like. I think the fact that not all the characters are lovable adds to the book significantly. Sometimes you don’t have to dislike characters in order to be rooting for them. They just have to be interesting.
This is one of those books that doesn’t show you those little moments of sheer love and enjoyment between characters, making their love hard to believe in. Some people would probably say that Healthcliff and Catherine didn’t have love, all the moments we see between them are moments of rudeness. My point being that it’s known they lived and grew up together. They would run around outside and play together, forming a bond that isn’t exactly portrayed through most scenes between Catherine and Healthcliff.
I also found it interesting how all the characters show such raw emotions with no filter. They seem to succumb very quickly to one emotion. In more modern day books, characters don’t seem as transparent as the characters in Wuthering Heights. Modern day characters handle emotion a lot better and the emotion itself even seems to have more depth.
I could write a lot review analyzing this book and I would love to (not even being sarcastic tbh, I really liked this book and found it really interesting), but I’m not going to 🤪
*I will note that the fact there’s so much incest is an ick… Catherine falling in love with her adoptive brother and young Cathy dating both (and eventually marrying one) of her cousins— yeah.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Incest
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Child death
poirot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Physical abuse, Racism, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Violence, Incest, Child abuse, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism and Animal cruelty