Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

102 reviews

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

“In every cloud, in every tree-filling the air at night, and caught by glimpses in very object, by day I am surrounded by her image! The most ordinary faces of men and women-my own features-mock me with a resemblance. The entire would is a dreadful collection if memoranda that she did exist, and I have lost her.”
I cannot put into words how much this novel meant to me. It was beautiful, it was heart wrenching, it was horrifying, it was a book I hope to read 1000 times over.  I would highly, highly recommend for any fans of gothic literature, or those interested in themes of love, obsession, and vengance. I will say that this is not a romance, but love is a driving factor for almost everything. Once again, I cannot stress how much I loved Wuthering Heights.

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chelseaisreading's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

5.0

I wasn’t able to appreciate this book in high school, but upon a second read (and listening to the amazingly narrated audiobook) I found myself totally entranced in this story!

Listen, it is purposefully confusing initially on who is who (two Cathy’s?! Of course.) but if you can muddle through it, it pays off. This book is deeply atmospheric, and it felt like Jane Austen’s dark cousin. Heathcliff stirs all the “I can fix him” vibes and the story tells you why…that’s not a good idea.

The characters are complex, all have plainly disturbing faults in character, and yet you still find yourself rooting for Heathcliff or Cathy at times. Reading through a bystander’s POV gives the reader such a removed perspective that you can find the characters strangely sympathetic even at their most horrific.

This is a gothic romance to be sure, the dark passion between Cathy and Heathcliff and how things ultimately play out in the following generation felt dramatic and poignant to me. Great book for October. I’d love to chill with Emily Brontë. 

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melancholymegs's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense slow-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

2.5

Switching to the audiobook improved my experience with the book overall, but in the end all I feel is a relief to have finished.  Despite having a certain understanding of the characters, that did not make me feel for them.
Spoiler I honestly pumped my fist when Heathcliff finally died.
  However I did like Nelly (I enjoy gossipy characters), and towards the end of their character arcs Isabella and Catherine Linton also grew on me.  But not enough to redeem the time I spent reading this novel.

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lorendushku's review against another edition

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

5.0

 Wuthering Heights is a story of two people who are deeply in love, but who are also deeply flawed.
Heathcliff is a wild and untamed man, while Catherine is a proud, spoiled and headstrong woman. Their love is passionate and intense, but it is also destructive. They both make mistakes, and they both suffer as a result.

I loved the locations, the moors are a place of beauty and danger, and they reflect the tumultuous relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine.

The characters in Wuthering Heights are not saints or heroes, but real people who make mistakes and suffer the consequences.
I found myself rooting for Heathcliff and Catherine, even though I knew that they were both capable of great cruelty. However, I think that this is part of what makes the story so compelling. It is a reminder that even the most flawed people are capable of love, and that even the most destructive love can be beautiful.

I was surprised when Heathcliff, instead of protecting what Catherine left, bested her. I thought that he would be more kind and forgiving, but he was instead consumed by his own rage and bitterness. This shows that even the most passionate love can be turned to hate.

My favourite scene in Wuthering Heights is when Heathcliff runs away and Catherine says that their souls are the same. This scene shows the depth of their love, even though they are unable to be together. It is a reminder that even when love is impossible, it can still be a powerful force in our lives.

I learned a lot from Wuthering Heights:
I learned that love is a powerful force, but it can also be destructive, and that even the most destructive love can be beautiful.

Wuthering Heights is a challenging and heart-breaking book, but it is also a beautiful and unforgettable one. It is a story that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it.

He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.

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moonlitstardust's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-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

5.0


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nanc_282's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • 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


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marageorge's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

5.0


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readingduckling's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.75

It's the mother of books about toxic relationships. And I think it's horrible it's marked as one of the romance novels. In my opinion it's at most a dark romance and more thriller because no one seems to have any kind of romantic feelings for one another. 
And on top of that there is a lot of incest in this book, in the third generation of "lovers". I think this is one of the books that you should not publish uncomented anymore. 
But I'm very impressed, that Emily Brontë was able to publish books at that time. 

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erebus53's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad slow-paced
  • 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

This is a book I was assigned to read in highschool.. and that, like every other read I was set, I quit at page 37. I resolved to one day pick it up and digest it in it's entirety. Verdict? Not very filling, a bit dry, not that satisfying. If I hadn't deliberately exerted myself, I wouldn't have bothered to finish it.

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.

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seapotatohowisitalrtaken's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • 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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