Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte 3 stars
Far too bleak for my liking. I don't generally like to read books about what happens when sociopaths become obsessed with one another and descend into paranoid schizophrenia.
The only character I liked reasonably is Nelly/Ellen, though any sane person would have travelled over land and sea to get a job anywhere but at Wuthering Heights so why she remained in their employ is beyond me.
I'll give it three stars because it kept me interested enough to keep reading, but many times I just wondered where the book was going and what its point was.
It had a mildly happy ending - if not rather unconvincing - as if the oft abused Hareton would suddenly become this well rounded person with a bit of book learning and the love of a good woman.
No, not my cup-o'-tea.
I ought to add, when reading the introduction to The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë the writer mentions the drink and drug fuelled violence of the Brontë sisters' brother Branwell as he descended towards the end of his life into Delirium Tremens . Made me think of Hindley Earnshaw's character in this book and wondered if Branwell's alcoholism influenced the story at all.
Far too bleak for my liking. I don't generally like to read books about what happens when sociopaths become obsessed with one another and descend into paranoid schizophrenia.
The only character I liked reasonably is Nelly/Ellen, though any sane person would have travelled over land and sea to get a job anywhere but at Wuthering Heights so why she remained in their employ is beyond me.
I'll give it three stars because it kept me interested enough to keep reading, but many times I just wondered where the book was going and what its point was.
It had a mildly happy ending - if not rather unconvincing - as if the oft abused Hareton would suddenly become this well rounded person with a bit of book learning and the love of a good woman.
No, not my cup-o'-tea.
I ought to add, when reading the introduction to The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë the writer mentions the drink and drug fuelled violence of the Brontë sisters' brother Branwell as he descended towards the end of his life into Delirium Tremens . Made me think of Hindley Earnshaw's character in this book and wondered if Branwell's alcoholism influenced the story at all.
8 comments:
It has been very, very long since I've read it. I really liked it though. I wrote a paper about the Bronte family - Branwell was very tragic.
I gave it three stars because it did hold my interest to some extent. But it was so not what I expected. The characters were awful. As I just said on Facebook, it wasn't the romance I thought it was going to be. Rather two emotionally disturbed characters with sociopathic tendencies obsess about each other, abuse everyone else, make their lives a misery, descend into schizophrenia and die. About Heathcliff: I so expected this passionate, romantic character in Heathcliff, but instead he's like this soulless creature with an antisocial personality disorder. About Cathy: if you like really stroppy, selfish, bipolar heroines with their own brand of psychopathy then she's the one for you.
Not what I expected. I doubt if I'll read it again.
The tid-bit of information I read peaked my interest and I might get myself a history of the Brontes. I've visited the Parsonage in Haworth and read a bit of stuff, but not much.
Like I said it has been a long time since I've read it - I think what I found interesting was how psychologically real I felt the characters were - not likeable at all but very, very real.
It was just too starkly depressing for my taste. I loved Anne Bronte's book The Tenant of Wildfell Hall...I must get around to doing a proper review...if I get time! :)
Wuthering Heights is one of those books you enjoy between the ages of 15 and 21. I read it for the second time just after I had the eldest - so when I was about 25. I wanted to step in the book and sort them all out, "pull yerself together and behave, Heathcliff, or you'll feel the back of my hand."
Here's a little something you might enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF0VaBxb27w
Someone commented on Facebook that they enjoyed the book when they were younger, but hated it as an adult. She said the same sort of thing - pull yourself together and get a grip Heathcliff! :)
Checking out the youtube vid...
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