Wuthering Heights
Ratings934
Average rating3.6
Reading this book was inspired by two things: A desire to read challenging literature and wanting to get ahead of the discourse tsunami that will be emerald fennel's wuthering heights in January 2026
One the former front this definitely is a challenging read. Not only is the vast majority of the book narrated 👵 to the main character👨🦱, but also the narrator 👵 relates stories told to her and letters that she's read so there's a lot of nested framing. Also there is a pretty decent chunk of this in northen dialect which is less comprehensibly scribed than in Trainspotting. Finally we also have the naming conventions of the era (mister vs master) and a strong reliance on pronouns where keeping track is demanding in itself.
On the latter front, the movie looks like it will be bad. However it also is easy for this story to come across as racist, narratively, so I think it was doomed from the get go.
I thought the writing was of a high quailty, but mostly enjoyed it the less baggage there was about the framing (i.e. before the narration starts at the beginning and the monologues that the characters fall into throughout).
In terms of the story, I eventually realised that its mostly just an exercise in elaborating on the crazy family tree that develops by the end of the story. We know already the births and deaths, but how they manifest is interesting enough to keep you reading
I think overall it was a decent read, but I think there's other classics you should get to first before this one
PS every summer solstice, since 2021, I have devoted the day to reading and I finished this book as part of my tradition this year :)
--- spoilers ---
There is a non-racist reading of this story — particularly in it being a ghost story — but as it stands, the story is a morality tale about how you shouldn't let foreigners into your family as they will seize it from you. (in this case it's also anti-adoption)
Finally, this must've been huge for the enemies-to-lovers girlies
I... I don't know what to say. This was a horrible book - not in that it was badly written, but because everything and everyone in it were just horrible. It wasn't depressing though, probably because it didn't touch very deeply on the human condition or society at large. It was just like a competition of how mean can people be to each other. Heathcliff probably now dwells amongst one of my most disliked characters in all literature. Still though, I'm giving this around 2.5 to 3 stars because despite the utter awfulness of everything going on in here, it was still fairly engaging to read. I'd have enjoyed it a bit more if there was actually just a single character worth rooting for but there isn't, and maybe that's a deliberate decision on Bronte's part.The story revolves around two families: the Earnshaws at Wuthering Heights, and the Lintons at Thrushcross Grange. One fateful night, Daddy Earnshaw takes in an apparently orphaned boy of unknown origins who doesn't seem to speak a lick of English. Eventually the boy comes to be known as Heathcliff as both his Christian and his last name, and though Daddy Earnshaw himself is partial to Heathcliff, almost everyone else treats him like dirt, especially the Earnshaw son, Hindley, and their neighbour, Edgar Linton. Heathcliff soon strikes up a strong alliance with the daughter of the Earnshaw family, Catherine, who is also surprisingly nasty.The first time I read this book, I went in expecting some epic romance as pop culture has led me to believe (thanks for nothing, pop culture). No. Wrong. That is without doubt hands down the worst way to read this book ever. I would strongly advise against expecting warm fuzzies or even any kind of ships you would bother rooting for. So this time, I went in expecting a tragedy, which... is slightly better but also not really quite the right expectations to have either. I'd say go in expecting a complete shitshow, something like a crazy soap opera but without any likeable or sympathetic characters. Shit hits the fan pretty early in the book anyway, so you would know what you're in for before you're 30% through. It's a bit juicy like [b:The Count of Monte Cristo 7126 The Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1611834134l/7126.SY75.jpg 391568], but the vibe is different in that at least in COMC you have plenty of people and relationships that you wanted to root for. Here you're really just waiting for everyone to fade to black.So first up, Heathcliff was probably the worst character I've read in a while, and I'm already inclined to be generous because he had a pretty rough childhood and upbringing, being ill-treated and abused as he was by Hindley Earnshaw. His entire motivation in life was basically just Catherine, and to bring down all others who even remotely stands in his way. He cared for nothing else, neither religious redemption, nor any kind of empathy for his fellow human beings. He wasn't just an indolent, brooding misanthrope either - he was actively malevolent towards his neighbours and everyone he viewed to have done him wrong in his life. He's the sort of spider that weaves a web for years and patiently waits and waits until the people he seeks vengeance towards falls into his trap. He doesn't hesitate to use brute force and violence against anything and everyone, whether man, woman, animal, child, adult, etc. I don't know if this is remotely a redeeming factor, but his malevolence doesn't have sexual tendencies (at least as far as we know, although I'm pretty sure he would've had to rape Isabella to get her pregnant since they were estranged very early on in their marriage). It still doesn't remotely excuse him in any way though.Catherine was not really much better but then again she considers Heathcliff and herself soulmates so that ought to give us an idea of her true nature. She doesn't resort to as much physical violence as Heathcliff does, but she's incredibly bitchy, unfeeling, and ungrateful to most of the people around her. She at least shows some capacity for love and some form of sympathy, though remaining incredibly self-centered throughout it all.There were some characters who may be slightly less annoying than the two main ones, namely Mrs Dean, Mr Lockwood, Hareton, and the younger Catherine, although all of them were also at least mildly annoying at some point or other (I especially wasn't a fan of Hareton physically striking Catherine nearer the end of the book. Yes, she was being pretty snobby, but considering what she's been through and the fact that Hareton is also physically bigger and older than she is, that really raised a lot of red flags for me.).Do I recommend this book? Maybe if you were in a particularly masochistic mood and wanted something where everybody's at least a bit of an asshole and sometimes wholly without redeeming factors.
Every character is horribly selfish and cruel, and I found the whole book extremely irritating. The only reason I stuck it out was because my coworkers love it and I wanted to try to love it for their sakes.
****UPDATE**
Saw this article and it perfectly captures the essence of Wuthering Heights. Specifically, it's the first paragraph which is perfection, and I'll copy it here in case the link ever dies:
“Wuthering Heights is the story of a group of people who eat the most miserable meals imaginable, and cannot experience love as a result. Sometimes they have tea, but more often they are merely offered it, and decide they are too furious to have tea, and die instead. Here is every meal the characters of Wuthering Heights almost eat before being interrupted by sex-rage and dying.” -Mallory Ortberg, The Toast
It's confusing, depressing, weird, boring, and I really don't see the romance. I mean, Cathy haunting Heathcliff could be seen as romantic, but he was an a-hole, and she wasn't much better, besides, she died, so... i suppose it's the Gothic theme of a dark vortex of Heathcliff and his obsession with Cathy sucking in all life and light around him...
Frankly, the mere detail that Stephenie Meyer referred to this book in Twilight should say all anyone needs to know about both that book and this. :-(
This has been on my ‘to read' list forever. I slogged through it. What an array of dysfunctional characters! I recall enjoying Jane Eyre. This one not as much.
I didn't like this the first time I read it. I expected this to be the greatest romance of all time and then Katherine dies half way in and I didn't really know what to make of it. But reading it a few years later, when in theory, I was more mature, I was able to see the beauty of the story more.
From first read though, one of my all time favorite scenes has been Heathcliff “asking” now-dead Katherine to haunt him.
Contains spoilers
One-Sentence Book Review
A classic for a reason, a fantastic look into how generational trauma can have devastating consequences, along with a revenge-and-obsession-heavy plot.
Summary, Thoughts and NotesWuthering Heights is a book that mainly revolves around the lives of two families, the Lintons and Earnshaws, and the complex relationships between them after Mr. Earnshaw adopts Heathcliff and raises him as one of his children. We accompany these children throughout most of the book, starting from when they're children, all the way to adulthood and even follow the lives of their children up to a certain point. The main plot of the book revolves around Heathcliff and Catherine, who fall in love with each other, but won't have their love materialize with each other for reasons their own. This unfulfilled love turns into obsession, combined with the complex relationships between most of these characters mixed with some physical and emotional abuse makes for a very intriguing and intricate story that is both impactful and interesting.
Themes and Character NotesI've read many people describe this book as a romance novel, which I very much disagree with, this is a fantastic view into how generational trauma can be deeply ingrained into the personality of people and how difficult it can be to overcome said trauma and try to be the change you want. The characters Heathcliff and Catherine are very complex characters who are most affected by these kinds of trauma, they love each other, then torture each other for not being able to be together. Even after Catherine's death, Heathcliff constantly suffers and blames Catherine for making him suffer so, and this trauma is reflected in how poorly he treats others in turn. In addition to all of this, Heathcliff's main motivation in most of his actions is that of revenge. Revenge on Catherine's brother for making Heathcliff's life miserable when they were children, and revenge on Edgar Linton (Mr. Linton's son), who's the one that actually ended up marrying Catherine, and who Catherine chose over Heathcliff simply for his money and status, despite her admitting she actually loves Heathcliff.The main themes of obsession (not love!) and revenge are present all throughout the book, and different ways they affected even Heathcliff's and Catherine's children are made very apparent very early on. It is these children, who at first are victims of said generational trauma, and who are also seen as abusive to begin with, who break the cycle of abuse, at least from the Earnshaw and Linton side, Heathcliff's only son, unfortunately, ends up being a victim of his father's obsession, but it does make for a very powerful moment when we see that these behaviors can be broken and that each person is the owner of their own destiny and have the free will to decide how to act for themselves.
What Worked, What Didn'tI came into this book without knowing anything about it and with a very open mind, it turned out to be better than I could have anticipated. I felt the characters very real, and their torment and suffering was just as emotional for me at times as it was for them, the book is filled with some very powerful moments which only makes the book more impressive as the whole story takes place in the two houses each family lives in and the road that connects them, we see nothing outside of this small bubble, and that just helps create this feeling that these relationships are all that these characters have.On the other hand, I did find the book a bit too dreary at times, which could turn some readers off the novel, make no mistake, this is a dark and emotional journey. A lot of times, the book focuses too much on what the characters, Heathcliff and Catherine, mostly, would do to take their revenge, and seeing a lot of those plans come to fruition makes the novel take on a darker tone.On the topic of Catherine, she has a daughter, also called Catherine/Cathy, which makes an already complicated family tree more confusing. It's normal for parents to name their children after themselves, but in this case, I think it does make the plot and understanding who's who more complicated than it needed to be.The whole story is told from one of two perspectives - Mr. Lockwood and Nelly. Mr. Lockwood is a complete stranger to both families who comes to Wuthering Heights (originally the Earnshaw's house) to rent Thrushcross Grange (originally the Linton's house) from Heathcliff, who, as part of his plan for revenge, ended up owning both houses at the end of the story. Mr. Lockwood is, in reality, a minor and fairly forgettable character, throughout the story, which makes using him as one of the voices we learn about these families an interesting decision. The other voice we hear this story from, Nelly, is originally one of the housekeepers for the Earnshaws, and hers is the main voice we learn everything from. The issue that might arise with Nelly, is that given her role as a housekeeper, it's hard to imagine she had as clear an idea of everyone's intentions and what they were thinking as she believes she has. In this sense, she might be seen as an unreliable narrator for some readers. In my opinion, that just adds to the intricacies of the story and makes it that much more interesting, to allow us, as readers, to form our own judgements towards each of the characters, since we're learning everything from someone who would have their own biases as well.
Personal Recommendation
Given the impactful story, complex characters and relationships, this is definitely a story worth diving into, I wouldn't recommend this book for people who are sensitive to dark themes or if abuse and trauma are triggers. If, on the other hand, you can handle these things and are looking for an intense read that really looks at generational trauma and how it can stop with one's own choices, this is a definitive recommendation from me.
I hated this book.
The story is mostly told as a recapping of events by unreliable narrators. This removed all emotional connections with the main characters. Being told what these characters have done does not provide enough insight to be able to empathize with them. That and the fact that they all are callous people who make intentionally stupid decisions to hurt others.
This was so hard to get though. Love was not a great enough power to make anything these characters did forgivable.
Not sure what to think. It wasn't particularly enjoyable to read. It felt like a Dostoyevski, but without character that had a certain charm or I could feel sympathy for.
I made it though and then read up about it. Apparently it was very influential and stood out because it was so different from other novels, being so isolated.
I'm between 3 and 4 stars. Impressive on many levels, but ultimately not my cup of tea. I'm glad to have read it! The characterizations are such that I probably ought to give it a reread someday.
den va nice! lite krånglig i början pga alla generationer heter typ exakt samma sak. men en spännande värld, rolig, sorglig, lite kuslig.
“may you not rest as long as I am living; you said I killed you—haunt me, then! be with me always—take any form—drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! oh, god! it is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!”
2.5 ⭐️
The plot idea is intriguing (hateful ghost story) and I enjoyed how all the characters are grey, unlikeable and just shitty people. However, it was utterly boring even though it is well written. This tends to be my overall issue with the books from the 19th century. They tend to drone on and never reach the point. The ending feels unfinished.
My first read of Wuthering Heights and I wasn't hugely impressed. I'd expected a “classic romance” but I got a bit of a bag of all-sorts. There were aspirations of romance, but mostly unrequited; attempts at gothic writing but without the horror; characters were weak or evil; plot was limited and the narrative technique was sometimes confusing.
I've also had a Kate Bush earworm since I started reading which won't leave me be!
книжка не столько про любовь а сколько про то что насилие порождает насилие, но жизнь и любовь сильнее этого порочного цикла
This book is fun to read for the first part of the book, when you are just learning about the characters and how they interact with each other, however they really stay the same spoiled and obsessed as they were in the beginning. During the second part of the book really just drones on for me. It wasn't really interesting for me, so it was a struggle to get through the second half. The prose is formal, for this time period, but not too formal that it is too hard to understand what is going on. Plus, I like the occasional challenge of figuring out what a certain phrase or word means through the context of the story. Overall, I can understand why it is part of the classics, and in some areas, part of the curriculum.
[read 27/09/2024] My sister has been telling me to read this for about 7 years, and I can see why. I'm 7 years too late!
Summary: This story is told through several frames. The narrator is Mr. Lockwood, who has moved into a house called Thrushcross Grange. He is recounting a story that the housekeeper, Nelley, is telling him about the owner of Thrushcross Grange (Heathcliff) and the people he grew up with. Heathcliff was adopted by the parents of Catherine and Hindley, and Nelley tells about the relationship that developed between Heathcliff and the other members of the dysfunctional family. She traces the story all the way to Heathcliff's adulthood, and she tells Mr. Lockwood of the surprising amount of cruelty that took place in his house.
my retort to wuthering height stans:
I understand the complexities which emily bronte strives to broach and explore throughout this book but, at the end of the day (to me) all it succeeds in accomplishing is reinforcing that people suck.
the techniques employed to structure the story's narration as being told from several people - oft, at times, being recycled across a lineage of individuals - is impressive especially when considered to be in conjunction to the quality of language wielded by bronte to outline her multi-faceted world with intentional detail.
however, while these elements are praiseworthy, I personally did not find the subject matter particularly enriching; terrible people doing terrible things, squandering any hope of redemption, makes for a rather taxing read to me. With life's inherent challenges, I question the appeal of reinforcing negativity through a gothic romance when I could simply watch the news 😭
now, i understand that others may find value in the themes i struggled with &, my critique isn't to discredit their admiration either but, only to explain why, for me, the book's messages left me largely disenchanted.
simply put: good read but it was just not my style. i hope this clarifies that my mediocre reception of the novel isnt a dismissal of its literary merit, but rather a reflection of my own personal taste. excessive praise for a narrative that extensively dwells on human depravity strikes me as overdone.