Name: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Rating: 4.078260869565217 (115 reviews)
ISBN: 9780460156851

Anne Brontë

Margaret Lane

Anne Bronte's portrait of a country community is contrasted with an almost gothic mystery. Helen Huntingdon, having endured too many revolting scenes, leaves her dissolute husband to earn her own living and rescue her son from his influence.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Helen 

ella

I have retired to the library, for I am very unhappy, and I want to be alone. Books cannot divert me; so, having opened my desk, I will try what may be done by detailing the cause of my uneasiness. This paper will serve instead of a confidential friend into whose ear I might pour forth the overflowings of my heart. It will not sympathize with my distresses, but then, it will not laugh at them, and, if I keep it close, it cannot tell again; so it is, perhaps, the best friend I could have for the purpose.

It was a splendid morning; and I went out to enjoy it, in a quiet ramble in company with my own blissful thoughts. The dew was on the grass, and ten thousand gossamers were waving in the breeze; the happy redbreast was pouring out its little soul in song, and my heart overflowed with silent hymns of gratitude and praise to Heaven.

ayoni

And if you think you have wronged me by giving me your friendship, and occasionally admitting me to the enjoyment of your company and conversation, when all hopes of closer intimacy were vain - as indeed you always gave me to understand - if you think you have wronged me by this, you are mistaken; for such favours, in themselves alone, you are not only delightful to my heart, but purifying, exalting, ennobling to my soul; and I would rather have your friendship than the love of any other woman in the world!

The tenant of Wildfell Hall

how is this criminally underrated... it's so good it automatically became one of my most cherished classics books wow. i love how unapologetically feminist this story is, very outstanding considering the era that this book was published! 

i also didn't expect this to have some funny moments which made it more enjoyable for me. helen is such a strong, well-written character for sure.

how is this criminally underrated... it's so good it automatically became one of my most cherished classics books wow. i love how unapologetically feminist this story is, very outstanding considering the era that this book was published! 

i also didn't expect this to have some funny moments which made it more enjoyable for me. helen is such a strong, well-written character for sure.

A beautiful edition of Anne Brontë's most enduring novel, to accompany her sisters' greatest books in Penguin Clothbound Classics. Gilbert Markham is deeply intrigued by Helen Graham, a beautiful and secretive young woman who has moved into nearby Wildfell Hall with her young son. He is quick to offer Helen his friendship, but when her reclusive behaviour becomes the subject of local gossip and speculation, Gilbert begins to wonder whether his trust in her has been misplaced. It is only when she allows Gilbert to read her diary that the truth is revealed and the shocking details of the disastrous marriage she has left behind emerge. Told with great immediacy, combined with wit and irony, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a powerful depiction of a woman's fight for domestic independence and creative freedom. The Penguin Classics edition of Anne Brontë's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall has been designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith and is edited with an introduction and notes by the novelist Stevie Davies.

Vivian

I must say that this book far exceeded my expectation with its wildly daring and realistic style, and feminism undertone - Helen Graham is without a doubt the most outspoken and defiant feminist character in Brontë novels, and it’s a pity that Anne Brontë isn’t as well known as her sisters (she was the most racial Brontë of all). I prefer The Tenant of Wildfell Hall over Jane Eyre and certainly over Wuthering Heights.

Arianna M

I’m exhausted, but very happy to have read this.

finn

3 stars mainly due to my own personal opinions on some plot choices, but i think this novel very obviously shows what an intelligent writer Anne Brontë is, which still makes The Tenant of Wildfell Hall a very impressive read.

Elise Eanes

Kate

The ultimate salvation stuff was not great for my existential anxiety and the "when will she leave him?!" was not great for my regular anxiety. Other than that this was super well-crafted and -structured, with two wonderful first-person points of view and a very complex and modern portrayal of emotional abuse. Also, "marble heart" is an insult that I want to reclaim, because it is amazing. Helen "marble heart" Graham 4ever.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Oxford World's Classics)

Monica

I have to say that I find this novel very good. I loved Jane Eyre and Wuthering Hights, but I didn't like Agnes Grey when I read it, so I had a predisposition against this book. I loved to see three very different styles and topics dealt with in these novels by the three Brontë sisters.

But let's talk about the present novel. There are a couple of things that I didn't like. First of all, I think that writing an extremely long letter to a friend telling him all the deepest secrets of your wife, your own, and both your feelings is a bit stiff. I liked Helen's diary, but the letter was just not fitting. Also, because it deals with topics such as marriage, alcoholism, infidelity... it is certainly sad. Helen suffered a lot. But Anne Brontë puts a lot of importance on marriage vows and the ultimate reward of Heaven as a motif for Helen's struggle in this life, as well as the effort she puts into saving her husband's soul. Also, although it is sad, it is not dark: there is light, there is joy, there are good people.

For anyone interested in reading this novel, bear in mind that it is a Victorian novel, so expect many (maybe more than usual) references to the Bible, as well as other religious aspects. Also, it was revolutionary and very severely criticized by a society in which the woman, her possessions and the kids were the husband's property, something which is unthinkable in the present time.

Anne Bronte

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848) by Anne Bronte (1820-1849) is a romance classic novel based on the mysterious widow Mrs Helen Graham who arrives at Wildfell Hall and takes up residence in the mansion with her young son. She endures local gossip within the community which was initiated by the jealous Eliza who had briefly courted the local farmer Gilbert Markham until he developed an interest for the Helen. Gilbert finds the local gossip quite disturbing until he discovers through Helens diary of her mysterious past and how she lived in an unhappy marriage. Mermaids Classics, an imprint of Mermaids Publishing brings the very best of old classic literature to a modern era of digital reading by producing high quality books in ebook format. All of the Mermaids Classics epublications are reproductions of classic antique books that were originally published in print format, mostly over a century ago and are now republished in digital format as ebooks. Begin to build your collection of digital books by looking for more literary gems from Mermaids Classics.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Mermaids Classics)

Tali ⋆.˚🦋༘⋆

Part of the Vintage Classics Bronte Series: three sisters, three major novels, beautifully designed. When the mysterious and beautiful young widow Helen Graham becomes the new tenant at Wildfell Hall rumours immediately begin to swirl around her. As her neighbour Gilbert Markham comes to discover, Helen has painful secrets buried in her past that even his love for her cannot easily overcome.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

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