Wuthering Heights

I've wanted to read this one for a long time and finally dusted it off the shelf. This is a friend's most highly recommended book so I was excited to dive in.

I get it now...why some say this is one of their favorite books of all time. It's dark. Romantic to a mildly psychotic degree (as only dramatic flair for those times could be captured) and beautifully written.

Some parts were a tad hard to decipher as the hired hand's dialogue was written in accent form. It certainly was interesting to read in this manner and imagine how it was back in that time frame.

Aside from the speech hardship, the story itself is engaging once you catch the flow of the writing. This is definitely a book I needed absolute quiet to read but once I was uninterrupted the story flew and I was lost in Heathcliff's plight.

I don't know why people recommend this as a angsty romance, it's not, it's a revenge story.
a psychological horror revenge story and if you go into it knowing that then it's pretty good. (although I wish this would've been told in a chronological third person narrative)

Just because the main characters are/were in love, and the revenge is mainly plotted around Heathcliff's anger at his lost of Catherine, his motives are also driven by his anger at being treated shitty by almost everyone since he was brought to the Wuthering Heights as a child, although that doesn't excuse his horrid behavior towards everyone (including animals) as an adult. Heathcliff has mental health issues, and to say that his 'love' is unhealthy is an understatement. Dude straight up dug up Catherine's grave cause he wanted to see her, spent his whole life trying to get Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange just becase he wanted to demolish them, wanted to be haunted by Catherine and then thought he was, and not to mention that he starved himself to death because he wanted to see her again. my guy needs some therapy Also, I can't say that I liked any of the characters, I honestly didn't care what happened to any of them, they were all dicks, it wasn't just that they were 'villains' or 'anti-heroes' the were just assholes. They were the type of unlikeable that I think Jane Austen thought the character Emma would be, but upped by a hundred percent. For me, they didn't have redeeming qualities. (Nelly was okay, but let's be real she was just a narrative device)

If you want a ‘classic' romance then pick up Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, or Northanger Abbey (any Jane Austen for the matter). Honestly, I'd put this in the same category as Frankenstein, it gives off similar feelings/tones. This is more for if you want a story about miserable people being miserable.

Hay dos cosas que me gustan mucho:

Las historias clásicas ubicadas en épocas pasadas a la mía, y el drama.

Esta novela es un conjunto de ambas con el bonus del humor satírico y el gore.

Cumbres Borrascosas fue sin lugar a dudas un viaje en montaña rusa donde nunca paraba de ocurrir algo, todos los personajes te atrapaban con sus personalidades y desatinos, pero nunca te terminaban de enamorar, al contrario, lo que hacía que me quedara pegada todo el rato leyendo este libro, era precisamente que me caían tan mal todos, que deseaba ver como de horrible los trataba la vida en castigo bien fuera por sus malos comportamientos y actitudes, o por la ignorancia e idiotez que demostraban a la hora de actuar.

Y es que mientras unos se presentaban como la peor calaña de la vida, otros te desesperaban por lo idiotas y ciegos que estaban, era increíble ver a Isabelle, Hareton y Edgar sufrir por personas que NO LOS QUERÍAN, pero ahí estaban ellos de borregos detrás de sus ídolos que solo sabían tratarlos mal.

Heathcliff es un odioso de primera, y desde la página inicial lo detesté, Hindley es horrible, Catherine y su hija Cathy eran insufribles en muchos comportamientos (Aunque Cathy por momentos llegaba a agradarme) y Linton era el colmo de la victimización.

Por otro lado teníamos a Joseph, el católico creyente que a pesar de ser un simple sirviente, se creía por encima de todo el mundo y no era capaz de respetar ni siquiera a quienes le daban techo, comida y trabajo, al contrario, trataba mal a todos y se creía el dueño, amo y señor incluso de sus propios jefes, la insolencia hecha ser humano; y por el otro tenemos a Nelly, la única de toda la historia con un poco de sentido común que logró agradarme a pesar de su amor por el chisme (Su único pecado), a la que compadecía por todo lo que tuvo que aguantar durante tantas generaciones de mocosos malcriados, y a quien admiraba por esa paciencia infinita que manejaba.

Este libro fue en cierto modo, y a pesar de su grosor, un respiro entre mis demás lecturas, pues a pesar de ser intenso y contener mucho drama, se me hizo demasiado fácil de leer, entretenido y me sentía tan a gusto entre sus páginas que lograba distraerme por completo de cualquier otra cosa que tuviera en medio.

Hasta me hizo cuestionarme si tengo algún gusto culposo por lo tóxico, porque para amores tóxicos, Emily Brontë nos dio hasta para repetir y no pedir más.

Sin embargo tengo que darle 3.5 estrellas porque siento que hubo partes que se pudieron desarrollar mejor, sucesos que quedaron inconclusos o inconexos, y personajes que se agregaron sin necesidad alguna y su aporte era casi innecesario a la trama. Por todo lo demás, fue una lectura muy disfrutable.

Consigliato giorno 5 traininig - Intesseante alcuni spunti sulla società moderna 7

The only thing I knew going into reading Wuthering Heights was that it was some sort of love story with a guy named Heathcliff. Unfortunately Heathcliff is a pretty terrible person and there is a love story but it's very tragic. Overall though it is impressive that Emily Brontë managed to write something like this in 19th century England.

I sincerely tried to enjoy this book, and am giving it 2 stars only because there were a few moments of detailed scenery or pleasant quotes. That being said, I had a few thoughts:

1) Nothing about this is romantic. Both Heathcliff and Cathy are toxic, cruel, and manipulative people. I will never be able to find romance in the narrative of a man who abuses women, children, and animals. He's not “misunderstood” - he's an asshole.

2) There are too many people with the same name, which results in a feeling of confusion and fogginess while reading. I felt the same feverishness that the characters were experiencing while trying to decipher the plot.

3) There are no likable characters. The narrator is weak, nosy, and bland. Everyone else is cruel, spiteful, manipulative, and violent.

I may re-read this in the future as a second attempt. Hopefully knowing that this is in no way romantic will improve the experience.

Keeping Up With The Karcrashians


I want to love this book a great deal more than I do. It's concept is something that arrests me completely; a look into the personal hell that a dysfunctional community of people can cause for one another. The writing is elegant and what one could expect from the time period and a skilled writer.
Yet, there is something in the execution that did not hold me. I don't know exactly what it is, but it after about sixty pages it became less of a joy and more of a routine to read. I still read it to the end because it is a good book, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Jane Austen but was perhaps putting this one off. The relatively low rating really only reflects the fact that I will not feel a desire to read it again for a long time, if ever. I'm glad I did read it though. It's beautiful and diabolical and intense.

I think I liked this book?? The last few chapters definitely redeemed the book for me, for the most part, but god damn did I hate every character in this story.

It was very hard to get through. I felt every second of reading it. The characters were unlikable, the plot was very predictable. I just hope that it would be a lot more interesting to discuss than to read.

Upd: I was right, this book was interesting to discuss, but I still don't like it.

A second read, and I detest Heathcliff anew even as I wonder at his eternal love for Catherine. Tragic and even brutal. Abusive. But the dialogues are beautifully written, and the desolate setting a plausible reason for the small cast of characters and inter-family marriages.

I had rather high expectations of this book going into it due to hearing wonderful things about it from other people.

When it comes down to it, this book is just okay. The plot is decent but takes so long to actually get into it. The first 50-100 pages are simply boring and, to be frank, a tad bit confusing. Once the plot picks up, the book does become more entertaining– but to a point. Unfortunately, the characters in this book are so unlikable that it made me dread picking it up a bit. They were all bratty and mean and even the “best” character would have made me hurl had they been a person I met in my life.

I do believe my expectations really hurt me for this one- it just didn't live it up what I had hoped it would be.

Pensaba que seria un libro romantico, al estilo “sentido y sensibilidad”. Y ciertamente es un libro romantico, mucho mas quiza que el anteriormente mencionado pero a la vez es totalmente distinto. Principalmente por sus personajes totalmente odiosos.

Mientras que en el tipico libro romantico el amor lo puede todo y es la mayor fuerza positiva, aqui el amor desde luego es la mayor fuerza pero mayoritariamente negativa, destructiva, obsesiva.

Este libro es casi su propio genero, la formula seria: horror + pasion = tension.
Para lo limitado de los eventos y los caracteres, el libro mantiene la tension perfectamente.

A dramatic and classic tale of Victorian literature, quite a whirlwind from start to finish despite its plodding onward in drama. The psychological aspects of it were what made it so interesting, as well as Brontë's illicit and descriptive prose, although if I had been Lockwood, I would have departed from the Grange long before I ever learnt the history of the house. At times, the dramatics are so much, I think it more of a satire of the ideals of the time period, of romance and ghostliness and hauntings and madness, and that thought endears it to me. I found myself frustrated in parts of it, although the characters do not stray very far from their “I am irredeemable” pathways. And I liked the ending the best, how it's very circular. Read for the experience, not necessarily for the plot, as it's told in abstract and detached narratives - listening to another's account alongside Lockwood, for an example. It's made of a lot of telling as opposed to doing.

LOVE THE BOOK

Most of the pain of this book, for me, was when I got to the final word and the prevailing thought in my mind was, “There's no more of this.”

This was Emily's only novel. I find that to be a way more heartwrenching detail than anything that happened in Wuthering Heights itself.

I'm amazed at the sheer cruelty of the characters and I can't say that I even enjoyed any part of this book, but it was nothing if not well written. I wanted to punch so many people in the face. So that's something.

Just another boring story. The prose felt too old for me. The typical stereotypes revolving a unjustly mistreated child that grows up to be a mean old man holds no sway for my appreciation. This kind of unreasonable treatment of people without any consequence, just as a character building tool, is too annoying, specially when it is so long.

Read 1:58/12:19 16%

It's taken a couple of attempts and some years but I finally appreciate Wuthering Heights. Yes, many of the characters are loathsome & this is no love to emulate, but I don't think any other book I can think of is quite like it in it's depiction of a savage, all consuming completely destructive love.

O livro é uma história do amor entre duas pessoas doentias, vingativas e mimadas. Não apenas uma história de amor, mas como ambos levaram ruina a todos as suas voltas.
Os personagens são odiosos.
O único ponto positivo do livro é que o final é bom.

It's really funny how I can't seem to be able to explain why I love this book so much, and still...

Disappointed. The story, the characters, the plot. A miserably dull and pathetic read. It may be a classic but I didn't find it amusing at all.

Reread in 2015 - didn't enjoy nearly as much as I did in high school :(

This was bad...
I don't know why I hated this book so much, but the fact that it took me THREE years should mean something...
Heathcliff is horrible, Catherine and Cathy s the weirdest characters ever, and the story within a story thing...
So glad I'm done with this!

Soooo the thing is, I can't even say Heathcliff is a psychopath because he does show love to Catherine. Ok, more like obsession most of the time, which would still be part of the psychopathy in the sense it was extremely egocentric, always going back to how he would feel (not making it up, just check):

a mental disorder in which an individual manifests amoral and antisocial behavior, lack of ability to love or establish meaningful personal relationships, extreme egocentricity, failure to learn from experience, etc.

But he does almost cry at some point after she's gone, so there, maybe it was love. Crazy, violent, absurd love. Love that would make headlines if not for Miss Brontë's literary talent - or don't you think “gypsy undigs loved one's body” isn't headline material?, but love. Just not my kind of love, I'm afraid, which made reading it a bit more difficult.
I can appreciate it, as well as all the symbolism, which is interesting and deep. I can also see where he was coming, having been a child who was shown little love. But I have a hard time understanding everyone else's cruelty and egocentrism (from Nelly to Joseph, from Linton to Edgar, jeez, selfish much? rude much?) and saw myself making faces at the kindle when I wanted to slap someone's into politeness, as crazy as it sounds (see, it is contagious).

So, read at your own will. It will make you sad, it has some of the deeper and purest and most beautiful love quotations ever, - only, when you put them in context, it's like ‘whine whine whine, slap people around, leave and not talk to anyone for three years, sulk and growl at people, beautiful line that makes you swoon; whine whine whine, throw fits, manipulate everyone and everything to make it your way, be unreasonably cruel to everyone except Cathy/Heathcliff, beautiful line that makes your heart swell' rinse and repeat.

But you know, whatever floats your boat.

Last but not least: there's a feeble attempt at a redeeming ending with a silver lining in the personification of Hareton, the boy nobody wanted (sounds similar to Heathcliff?) and, surprise, Cathy, playing The guy from Eliza Doolittle to him and teaching him until they fall for each other - when he ends up educated, with the girl and the inheritance after a life full of misery. Yay.

Sólo una cosa respecto al libro. Si yo fuera Lockwood, lo único que le diría a la señora Dean es: Ya cállese y déjeme dormir.