Name: Vojtech's review of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Item: Wuthering Heights
Rating: 2
Author: Vojtech

Emily Brontë

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights is Emily Brontë's only novel. It was first published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell, and a posthumous second edition was edited by her sister Charlotte. The name of the novel comes from the Yorkshire manor on the moors on which the story centres (as an adjective, wuthering is a Yorkshire word referring to turbulent weather). The narrative tells the tale of the all-encompassing and passionate, yet thwarted, love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and how this unresolved passion eventually destroys them and many around them.

Liam Collins

Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same, and Linton's is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire.'

Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange on bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before: of the intense passion between the foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and her betrayal of him.

Tija

sharkie

My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind.

It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know I love him: and that, not because he's handsome Nelly, but because he is more myself than I am.

Elizabeth Park

he’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made out of, his and mine are the same.

Alexis Prowell

If I were in heaven, Nelly, I Should be extremely miserable. 

 Because you are not fit to go there I answered.'All sinner would be miserable in heaven.’

soph 

'I never told my love" vocally; still, if looks have language, the merest idiot might have guessed I was over head and ears: she understood me

Stavros Kosmas

They are afraid of nothing, together they would brave Satan and all his legions. 

I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth. 

I am going to her; and you, darling child, shall come to us! 

He wanted all to lie in an ecstasy of peace; I wanted all to sparkle and dance in a glorious jubilee. I said his heaven would be only half alive; and he said mine would be drunk: I said I should fall asleep in his; and he said he could not breathe in mine 

[…], or watching the birds, joint tenants, feed and entice their young ones to fly: or nestling with closed lids, half thinking, half dreaming, happier than words can express.

You said I killed you — haunt me then! 

Julie <3

… and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it. My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary.

… he’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same; and Linton’s is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire. 

Miranda Watson

 Be with me always-take any form-drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where cannot find you!

I Love my murderer but yours — how can I ?

Two words would comprehend my future — death and hell: existence after losing her, would be hell. Yet I was a fool to fancy for a moment that she valued Edgar Linton’s attachment more than mine. If he loved with all the powers of his puny being, he couldn’t love us much in 80 years as I could in a day. And Catherine has a heart as deep as I have: the sea could be as readily contained in that horse-trough, as her whole affection be monopolized by him

It was not the thorn bending to the honeysuckles, but the honcysuckles embracing the thorn. 

Avarni B

It was a strange way of killing: not by inches, but by fractions of hairbreadths, to beguile me with the spectre of a hope through eighteen years!'

Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living; you said I killed you –haunt me, then! The murdered do haunt their murderers

they may bury me twelve feet deep, and throw the church down over me, but I won't rest till you are with me.

I wish I were a girl again, half savage and hardy, and free; and laughing at injuries, not maddening under them!

I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being. So don't talk of our separation again

Vojtech

The fact this book seems to be intentionally centred around insufferable characters made it all the more impossible to read. 

Robyn Claridge

Create one horrible character, one cruel, one insufferable and let them coexist.

Konstantina Ag

Create one horrible character, one cruel, one insufferable and let them coexist.

This book is the result.

Hannah Yang

I have very mixed feelings about this classic. 

On one hand, I can appreciate what Emily May says in her (great) review about the appropriately wild setting and the rawness/honesty of the book. I definitely found Wuthering Heights interesting to read in that it was different from all of the books I've ever read before: in characters, in plot, and in setting. I did like how it was positioned as a love story for Catherine and Heathcliff, making (Edgar) Linton a 'villain' despite his being perhaps the most reasonable person in the story. That was interesting. I also liked the parallels between Catherine/Linton/Heathcliff and Catherine/Linton/Hareton. 

And I understand that the characters are not made to be likeable. However, I couldn't understand, relate to, sympathize or empathize with, or interact in any meaningful way with the characters Wuthering Heights. One reason for this could have been the way the story was told. I think if Mr. Lockwood and Nelly Dean were removed from the picture, this could have been a much better paced and more interesting novel. I would have liked to see more of the inner turmoil of characters such as the older Catherine and Heathcliff, which of course could not have been accessible by Nelly Dean's storytelling. I think that if I had the chance to read more of the characters' thoughts, I would have been able to relate to and understand each character more (though I doubt I would have liked them more).

The plot itself is... interesting enough? I was curious enough about the story to want to continue reading. However, I wish I felt like I got more out of this. With other classics, such as The Count of Monte Cristo, there were moments in the story where I had to sit back and think "Oh." (These moments don't have to be applicable to real life, but they still provoke thoughts about people and life and society and whatnot!) With Wuthering Heights, I'm not sure what insight I gleaned from the story. Perhaps Heathcliff shows that nurture is far more important than nature? That people are cruel to each other not necessarily out of hatred but out of desperation, circumstance, lack of self worth..? Catherine the first shows that money and stability cannot always make people happy, or maybe that conforming to societal standards when they conflict with your values and person will be miserable?

I don't know! I'm confused! I felt like this took too long to get through and I wasn't particularly interested in it but I still enjoyed it! Maybe if I read it again in ten years I'll have a clearer opinion.

I came in expecting a tragic romance, but this was darker and more vengeful than that.  I was engrossed in the story and shocked by some of the character's actions.  Interesting to compare this book with others released in the same time frame.

Jenny Engel

I don’t know how, or when, for I was struggling to finish this book the entirety of the first act—but suddenly it became 

 present in my mind; I even went as far as to reread part of the beginning while reading Act 2, and I was amazed at the comparisons, the way the pieces, the 

, fit together. The prose is beautiful, weaving words together through paragraphs and stunning dialogues to deliver emotions without directly naming them; they just 

. The characters are admittedly not the most likable, but still you grieve for and them, then hate them, then find yourself back where you started—shaking your head and thinking, 

‘You don’t deserve it, but I wish I could give you a hug.’

 draws its strength from its characters, and I like how they are flawed, perhaps a little too much so, yet unbelievably human after all. The way the story is told is through many different watchful eyes and attentive ears, which I find not only extremely interesting but also helpful because it allows the reader to choose who to trust, 

 anyone at all, what to believe, and eventually form their own image of the characters from the tales we’re told from different perspectives. Because the people telling us this story—Nelly, mostly, and Zillah and Lockwood—are clearly biased and have their opinions, and all that is meant to bleed into their voices as they tell us the things that happened at the Heights. I find that genius.

However, no book has no flaws, and I have my own bones to pick with 

I could tell you about how, despite being incredibly beautiful, the writing style sometimes missed 

 for me; after all, it’s one of the downsides of having the book be 

 to us—it lacks a certain depth in its introspection, clouded by assumptions. The book can feel unnecessarily long 

 boring at times, and if you hate the characters from the beginning, I’m afraid you most likely won’t get to like them in the future. I think 

 is a bit of a hit-or-miss for people, and all I can say is I’m glad it was a hit for me. I enjoyed it, for the most part, and I’m really glad I pushed through it when I wanted to stop.

lena

I don’t know how, or when, for I was struggling to finish this book the entirety of the first act—but suddenly it became so present in my mind; I even went as far as to reread part of the beginning while reading Act 2, and I was amazed at the comparisons, the way the pieces, the characters, fit together. The prose is beautiful, weaving words together through paragraphs and stunning dialogues to deliver emotions without directly naming them; they just reach you. The characters are admittedly not the most likable, but still you grieve for and them, then hate them, then find yourself back where you started—shaking your head and thinking, ‘You don’t deserve it, but I wish I could give you a hug.’

Clearly, Wuthering Heights draws its strength from its characters, and I like how they are flawed, perhaps a little too much so, yet unbelievably human after all. The way the story is told is through many different watchful eyes and attentive ears, which I find not only extremely interesting but also helpful because it allows the reader to choose who to trust, if anyone at all, what to believe, and eventually form their own image of the characters from the tales we’re told from different perspectives. Because the people telling us this story—Nelly, mostly, and Zillah and Lockwood—are clearly biased and have their opinions, and all that is meant to bleed into their voices as they tell us the things that happened at the Heights. I find that genius.

However, no book has no flaws, and I have my own bones to pick with Wuthering Heights. I could tell you about how, despite being incredibly beautiful, the writing style sometimes missed something for me; after all, it’s one of the downsides of having the book be told to us—it lacks a certain depth in its introspection, clouded by assumptions. The book can feel unnecessarily long and boring at times, and if you hate the characters from the beginning, I’m afraid you most likely won’t get to like them in the future. I think Wuthering Heights is a bit of a hit-or-miss for people, and all I can say is I’m glad it was a hit for me. I enjoyed it, for the most part, and I’m really glad I pushed through it when I wanted to stop.

Barbara Williford

Couldn’t put this book down! This was a dark book full of anguish, misery, hatred, violence and misunderstood love. This is a book where you cannot help but eventually have distain for the lead character. But upon further reflection you must be forced to evaluate the situation of his birth, how those around him treated him, and his lost love. Instead of overcoming and rising up all that was against him, he let it engulf him forcing him to live a bitter, hopeless, vengeful existence forcing everyone around him to be just as miserable. Finally in the end, in death, can everyone find true happiness. A must read!

Anushka Saha

Everyone in this book is fucking crazy and insanely petty, I love it

Normal Human

Discovered on the streets of Liverpool, Heathcliff is rescued by Mr Earnshaw and taken to the remote Yorkshire farmhouse of Wuthering Heights. Earnshaw's daughter Catherine rapidly forms a passionate attachment to him, but when Catherine's brother takes over the Heights, Heathcliff is lowered to the position of a barely-tolerated farmhand. When Catherine decides to marry the refined Edgar Linton instead, Heathcliff turns revenger. He determines to degrade not only those who sought to degrade him, but their children after them.

Wuthering Heights is one of the most famous love stories in the English language. It is also, as the Introduction to this edition explores, one of the most potent revenge narratives. Its ingenious narrative structure, vivid evocation of landscape, and the extraordinary power of its depiction of love and hatred have given it a unique place in English literature. This edition reproduces the authoritative Clarendon text, with revised and expanded notes and a selection from the poems of Emily Brontë.
Source: http://www.oupcanada.com/catalog/9780199541898.html

Briar's Reviews

After taking a few classic English courses for university, I'm loving diving into the classics. So, of course, seeing different versions of the classics makes me excited. Intertexts and adaptations can be so intriguing! Why not pick up a classic that is labelled "easy" and see what I get out of it?

These stories take a long classic that might not be easy to understand and condense it down to about 30 pages or so. This take was interesting and definitely made me want to jump back into the classic instead. If that was it's intention, it did it well! It peaked my interest.

I wouldn't say it's the best adaptation, but it's definitely one way to get people reading the classics again.

Two out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I think it's something like "It's always sunny" from the point of view of all the side characters

Minjae

miraj

introduce a horrible character, make them go through insane shit. introduce ANOTHER insufferable chacarter, make them burn in the pits of hell. ask for me to care about them and their relaitonships. if there was a 0 star option i would give this book -5. worst read of my 2022.

In nineteenth-century Yorkshire, the passionate attachment between a headstrong young girl and a foundling boy brought up by her father causes disaster for them and many others, even in the next generation.

Lynn

Solid 3.5 ⭐️ (rounded down for the dreary middle). This was an interesting one, I had to trudge through the middle, but quite enjoyed the beginning and ending. I definitely think this is a classic that I’ll come to enjoy more over time. This book is Drama central. A lot of it seems unnecessary in the first half of the book, but starts to make more sense in the second story. Although I did feel this book could have ended at various points throughout the story, and it might be longer than need be. I did enjoy the descriptions at times, although I am still getting used to Victorian English. My favourite character is either Isabella or Hareton due to their “I’m a side character but I have main character vibes” energy. I think this book might be better upon a re-read when tabbing & highlighting, and when I can ignore the blatant incest that is the bane of my existence in this book (why does everyone have to be cousins and fall in love??). Overall I enjoyed it more than I thought I would when at the halfway point.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Aimee Lou Wood (from Sex Education) & Kristin Atherton - they did a marvellous job. I also accompanied my reading experience with Course Hero videos. Although I didn’t always get the same feeling or stance on the book, it helped me understand and follow some of tht themes and symbols, as well as catch onto any plot events I might have missed.

Highly enjoyed. Can't wait to get stuck into some TV adaptations.

g.m.

Lacy W

Title: Wuthering Heights
Author: Emily Bronte
Genre: Classic Romance
Format: own leatherbound book
Series: N/A
Star Rating: 3 stars 

Please note that this is a review from 2016. At that time, I did not keep track of trigger warnings so apologies. Young Lacy did not know what she was doing back then. 

 this is an updated review. i am going back and editing these reviews as part of my throwback thursday posts on my blog. 

I find it so very difficult to review classics. I feel like you either really love them or you hate them. There is no in-between. At least, that is how I feel. If you hate them, you get judged right away. If you love one, you get judged because it could be a terrible classic with potential racist, sexist, classist, etc ideologies in the book. I think the moral of this story is just not to read any classics and don’t tell anyone you haven’t read any classics. But then you have to deal with people saying “YoU’Ve NeVeR rEaD tHiS?!?” It’s rather annoying. 

Anyway, I've made a promise to myself to start reading more classics and ignore my own advice. I've read Pride and Prejudice which was very difficult for me. The wording was so different than what I am used to. Frankenstein was so much easier to read. I figured Wuthering Heights should be next which was a little easier than Pride but more difficult than Frankenstein

So now on to the actual review. There was seriously so much drama in this book. I think the basic plot was just drama. It was just so ridiculous, I could barely keep up with who hated who or who loved who. Most of the characters really just irritated me. The only one I truly liked was Nelly who was the narrator for a good portion of the book. She was so honest about everything. She kept nothing back. I feel like she would make a perfect friend if she had lived during this time.

Catherine (the older one) was beyond irritating. She was a major drama queen. I'm sorry, but if she wanted Heathcliff so damn bad, she should have married him. Instead, she acted stuck up and too good for him. I don't blame him for leaving after the things she said about him. And then when she got married to Mr. Linton, she basically disregarded all feelings for him. She continually chose Heathcliff over him. I felt bad for the guy (for a little bit anyway). Don't even get me started on her temper tantrums.

Heathcliff really was no better. He was a wild hooligan that was cruel. He basically kidnapped Cathy (the younger one) and Nelly and forced Cathy to marry his son. Who does that? Was that even acceptable back then? He was just a mean man. To be honest, Catherine and Heathcliff deserved each other because of how terrible they both were.

The plot itself was okay. I just can't understand how it's considered a great love story. Catherine and Heathcliff caused nothing but problems for everybody around them. There is no love at all; there is just constant toxicity. How anybody put up with that, I will never know.

Yes, I know that this review is a little negative. I...just couldn't really get into this book. I'm glad that I read it because I need to read more classics but other than that...meh. I hope that my review doesn't deter others from reading this book. I think other people will enjoy it. It just wasn't for me.

Linnéa Löfström

The passionate love of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff mirrors the powerful moods of the Yorkshire moors.

"i cannot live without my life! i cannot live without my soul!”
 

emily brontë’s novel ‘wuthering heights’ is a classic literature masterpiece, that is a story of both love, and revenge. this is the book that made me fall in love with literature, and for that, it will always be a favourite. brontë's ability to write a novel with such unlikeable characters and toxic relationships, yet still it make it one of the most extraordinary works of fiction to ever exist, should be (and is) studied. 


  “i have not broken your heart — you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine.”


this dark, haunting, and tragic tale follows the relationship between catherine and heathcliff as it turns from an innocent childhood friendship to a soul-crushing and all-consuming romance that inevitably tears them apart. too proud and stubborn to admit they love the other more than they love themselves, their fate to spend eternity without one another was sealed from the very beginning.

Zoitsa Diakoumis

— lae

i too like me some classic horror and unlikeable characters

Been a while since I’ve read a book with a cast made entirely up of despicable people. The framing device used was interesting though, and I’m glad I read it insofar as the benefit of reading classics I don’t enjoy go. (Aka, I like the history behind the novel and the many potential conversations I’d enjoy sparked from it… but I did not, in fact, enjoy the novel as I would like to enjoy novels.)

Brianna

A work of genius. Keep in mind this is a dark book, 

A work of genius. Keep in mind this is a dark book, not a romance. 

In a house haunted by memories, the past is everywhere . . . As darkness falls, a man caught in a snowstorm is forced to shelter at the strange, grim house Wuthering Heights. It is a place he will never forget. There he will come to learn the story of Cathy: how she was forced to choose between her well-meaning husband and the dangerous man she had loved since she was young. How her choice led to betrayal and terrible revenge - and continues to torment those in the present.

Jamieson

FIRST OF ALL why were they hurting so many puppies ??

Honestly, this book just didn't work with me. I like classics but I found this unbelievably boring, and I just didn't feel anything for any aspect of this novel. I was filled with apathy reading it and I just couldn't immerse myself in the world enough to care about what was happening at all. 

I do think Emily Bronte has a genuine gift for writing, and I think I possible just read this at a bad time (I am considering I may reread it another time) but the whole story just wasn't working for me. 

I thought I would find some vicious satisfaction in Heathcliff's return and his grand plot of revenge but I just found his character whiny and annoying. I hated the way the accents were written out because I had no idea what anyone was saying. 

I liked Cathy 1 & 2 as characters, and Hareton as well but beside that I just felt pretty meeeeeh toward the whole thing

Sade A

🖤
Colour me suprised, impressed and wow because hand to the book gods, never in my wildest dreams did i think Wuthering heights would suck me in and keep me up till 1am raging about characters'.

Emily Bronte's imagination must have been wild because this story had me ready to spill blood. I basically wanted to murder Heathcliff. What an absolute despicable shit of a human being. If anyone ever says i will love you like Heathcliff please run. The absolute horror of it.

🖤🖤
Also this is me to anyone that looks favourably on whatever Heathcliff and Catherine had going on:
 
 

especially on Heathcliff's part. That dude was pure evil.

P.s: The life of women really was absolute shit (I mean it's still shit but less shitty than before) because everything that happened could have been avoided if women could inherit.

🖤
All in all, i really enjoyed this book and would totally recommend it.

Certainly the best Brontë book and my all time favourite book. A truly timeless read where the language is so sophisticated. I could not get enough of this masterpiece.

Selina 

Jasmine Stanway

So- this book is a roller coaster. It is completely amazing, but I cannot believe it’s been categorized as a romance novel for so many years. Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw are psychotic, and literally deserved everything that happened to them. As much as I enjoyed reading all of the craziness, I was equally shocked and appalled at the actions of these two characters. I was definitely the most invested in the characters in the second half of the book, after Cathy Linton is born. You could empathize with her, Linton and Hareton and like them so much more than our original cast of characters from the first half (excepting Nelly and Edgar of course). This book is intelligent, well written, thrilling and pretty much everything you’d expect from a Bronte. But it is not a romance and should not be glorified as one. If anything, it’s a psychological thriller.

Dark and gloomy read, but undeniably beautifully written and I'm glad I stuck through with it until the end.

Genevieve Hayes

Reading this must be a form of self-hatred. I did not enjoy this book. 

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Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

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