A review by arytaco
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Wuthering Heights is the only novel written by Emily Brontë, a gothic melodrama that has ascended into a classic of Victorian literature. It is a harsh tale of cycles of violence within an isolated community of Yorkshire families. Told predominantly from the perspective of an older woman, and including the viewpoint of a sojourner, the novel is an exercise in the unreliable narrator, as characters come across differently in each’s words. Another key idea is that purpose is necessary for survivals. Ennui and weariness pervade many of the characters, which become the subtextual culprit for their early deaths—middle aged individuals are depicted as decrepit as the elderly. The novel concludes on an optimistic note, with two characters discovering purpose through one another, but the majority of this English tale is composed of descriptions of blood, violence, tears, as broken individuals break others in a vicious cycle of pain. Not always pleasant, but perpetually captivating. Flawed and all, these characters appear truly human in their questionable manners and selfish proclivities