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Catherine
Catherine is tired of struggling musicians befriending her just so they can get a gig at her Dad’s famous Manhattan club, The Underground. Then she meets mysterious Hence, an unbelievably passionate and talented musician on the brink of success. As their relationship grows, both are swept away in a fiery romance. But when their love is tested by a cruel whim of fate, will pride keep them apart?
Chelsea has always believed that her mom died of a sudden illness, until she finds a letter her dad has kept from her for years—a letter from her mom, Catherine, who didn’t die: She disappeared. Driven by unanswered questions, Chelsea sets out to look for her—starting with the return address on the letter: The Underground.
Told in two voices, twenty years apart, Catherine interweaves a timeless forbidden romance with a compelling modern mystery.
Chelsea has always believed that her mom died of a sudden illness, until she finds a letter her dad has kept from her for years—a letter from her mom, Catherine, who didn’t die: She disappeared. Driven by unanswered questions, Chelsea sets out to look for her—starting with the return address on the letter: The Underground.
Told in two voices, twenty years apart, Catherine interweaves a timeless forbidden romance with a compelling modern mystery.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
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4054 people want to read
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October 27, 2019
sadly, i did not hate this book as much as i wanted to. this is the same thing that happened to me with Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight (but not New Moon or Eclipse, those were pretty bad); i thought those books were all going to be worse than they actually were, and i was hoping they would inspire gleefully sinister reviews where i would get to vent some of this spleen i got rattling around inside of me. but they weren't as bad as i had expected, and i found myself grudgingly appreciating certain qualities that others may have dismissed out of hand. so, it is all a matter of perspective. you may read this book and think "this is terrible," but because my expectations were rock-bottom low, i was able, with my incredibly good-natured ability to appreciate all of life's rosy pleasures, to enjoy parts of it, against all intentions.
but that is not me saying this is a great book.
let's get the bad out of the way first, because it is so much more fun to mock than to applaud.
and let me interrupt myself to say that if you don't already know this, i am a huge fan of Wuthering Heights. but i am by no means a wh purist, otherwise i would never have read Windward Heights, which changes the setting from the wild moors to the wild caribbean. nor would i have read Wuthering Bites which is, of course, a vampire adaptation. i appreciate creativity, playfulness, the manipulation of source material i already love in order to produce something a little off-kilter. having said that, i am usually disappointed, as the star-ratings on my "smotherings" shelf will attest. but i keep reading them. even if i will never love a tweaked text as much as the original, it pleases the completist in me to see what else can be done with my beloved wuthers.
okay. so, here we have a Wuthering Heights spin-off that is set in the underground music scene of new york city.
and heathcliff is named hence.
and therein lies the reason i thought this book would be the worst thing ever. hence?????
"I'm Catherine." And when he didn't reply, I said, "You have a name, right?"
"Hence."
It took me a while to wrap my mind around that one. "Hans?"
His answer came through gritted teeth, like he'd been asked that question a thousand times. "Hence. Like therefore."
oh, dear.
i may not be a purist, but that's just sillypants. i also was cross when The Heights re-named him "henry", but kept everyone else's name the same. but at least "henry" is a name, for goodness' sake. here, the only name that stays the same is catherine. for whatever reason.
and unlike w.h., instead of heathcliff and cathy growing up like little savages together on the moors and forming an unshakeable bond that carries over into their adult lives and afterlives, here we have hence and catherine spending a couple of months together while he crashes at her dad's nightclub and works for him. their passion lacks the depth and intensity of the original; they are just a couple of average horny teens from different socioeconomic backgrounds and one's got a racist brother. i don't see kate bush writing a song about these two kids.
my only other big gripe is probably way nitpicky, but to me it is a big deal because it is such a clumsy attempt to preserve something from the original, and the blocking is just so off, it ends up coming across as silly(pants).
and it's the way catherine's big scene plays out. you know, the one where she says that thing that heathcliff overhears but doesn't stick around for the postscript and so misinterprets catherine's intentions and goes off god knows where for three years.
in this book that scene is played out, not with dear befuddled nelly the housekeeper, but with catherine's best friend jackie. i have no objection to that. catherine's dilemma in this book is not a choice between two guys, but between staying in new york with hence and his band, and going to harvard. (the school, this is not another stupid human-name). i have no problem with that, although changing the central conflict in this adaptation changes not only the plot, but also how the reader responds to catherine herself. which is, of course, a huge part of wuthering heights - how both catherine and heathcliff are completely awful and selfish people, but here they are just young likeable lovers overcoming typical teen problems. but so, fine, different confidante, different obstacle, different feelings towards our protag. but here's the thing, instead of having this confession take place inside, with "heathcliff" lying down on a bench or whatever, out of sight but still able to hear, their conversation is outdoors, on jackie's front stoop.
"...you're afraid to tell him a simple thing like where you're going to college. It shouldn't be like that. He should be as supportive of your dreams as you are of his. Is he?"
"No," I admitted, my voice sullen.
"Then maybe you should break up with him."
"You're right." The sunlight was suddenly too bright for my eyes. I bent to rest my forehead on my knees, thinking about all the Jackie had said. As silence fell between us again, I heard sounds of a scuffle, sneakers slapping against concrete, car brakes screeching, a driver cursing out his window.
I straightened up and saw the surprise in Jackie's eyes. "I am?" she asked, sounding so amazed that I couldn't help laughing.
"You're right that I shouldn't be afraid of Hence. I should be able to talk to him."
"Oh." Jackie sounded disappointed, as if she'd actually thought I might be considering breaking up with Hence.
so, guess what happened there? oh no, hence overheard what catherine said, but left before he heard what she actually meant! oh noes! but, wait... where was he when he overheard this? on the sidewalk? close enough to hear, but not close enough for them to see him?? and how fast is he that he ran away so that all those noises were distant enough for them to not realize what was going on?
oh, but here's the best part. because eventually, they do realize:
"Right after you were talking about how I should break up with Hence and I said you were right, did you notice something out in the street? Some kind of commotion?"
The look on Jackie's face told me she knew exactly what I was asking. "Oh no. Oh, Cath. You don't think...?"
"He skipped out on a recording session without calling in sick or anything, and he wasn't at the apartment."
"Where else could he be?"
"First answer me." I grabbed her by the shoulders and pressed my forehead to hers. "Think hard. What was it we heard?"
"I didn't look up. We were so busy talking. But I did hear something... maybe someone running down the street. A car slamming on its brakes, and some yelling."
"What if it was Hence running away from us. Could it have been?"
Jackie winced, and I released her shoulders, realizing how hard I'd been squeezing them. "It could have been," she said. "Oh, Cathy, I hope it wasn't."
this takes place in new york, where tires squealing and shouting and all of that are such regular occurrences that it becomes total white noise. so for them to remember those noises at all, and to then jump to such a bizarre (but accurate) conclusion is bananas.
okay, that's my thumbs-down.
the thumbs-up? well, i did like that this took some of the spirit of wh without staying too faithful to the plot. it was able to become its own story, not so much with the catherine/hence bits, but with the story of chelsea, catherine's daughter, coming to new york years later after finding a letter from her mother that seems to suggest she did not die, as she had been told, but had instead mysteriously vanished. so she ends up going on this journey to get to the bottom of the mystery and meeting now grown-up hence and learning all the seeeecrets of her mother's great love.
and there are some interesting twists.
best retelling ever? nah, but a pretty good story that kept me entertained last week when i was dying of the flu-plague.
final word?
not a trainwreck after all!
is a glowing final word.
come to my blog!
but that is not me saying this is a great book.
let's get the bad out of the way first, because it is so much more fun to mock than to applaud.
and let me interrupt myself to say that if you don't already know this, i am a huge fan of Wuthering Heights. but i am by no means a wh purist, otherwise i would never have read Windward Heights, which changes the setting from the wild moors to the wild caribbean. nor would i have read Wuthering Bites which is, of course, a vampire adaptation. i appreciate creativity, playfulness, the manipulation of source material i already love in order to produce something a little off-kilter. having said that, i am usually disappointed, as the star-ratings on my "smotherings" shelf will attest. but i keep reading them. even if i will never love a tweaked text as much as the original, it pleases the completist in me to see what else can be done with my beloved wuthers.
okay. so, here we have a Wuthering Heights spin-off that is set in the underground music scene of new york city.
and heathcliff is named hence.
and therein lies the reason i thought this book would be the worst thing ever. hence?????
"I'm Catherine." And when he didn't reply, I said, "You have a name, right?"
"Hence."
It took me a while to wrap my mind around that one. "Hans?"
His answer came through gritted teeth, like he'd been asked that question a thousand times. "Hence. Like therefore."
oh, dear.
i may not be a purist, but that's just sillypants. i also was cross when The Heights re-named him "henry", but kept everyone else's name the same. but at least "henry" is a name, for goodness' sake. here, the only name that stays the same is catherine. for whatever reason.
and unlike w.h., instead of heathcliff and cathy growing up like little savages together on the moors and forming an unshakeable bond that carries over into their adult lives and afterlives, here we have hence and catherine spending a couple of months together while he crashes at her dad's nightclub and works for him. their passion lacks the depth and intensity of the original; they are just a couple of average horny teens from different socioeconomic backgrounds and one's got a racist brother. i don't see kate bush writing a song about these two kids.
my only other big gripe is probably way nitpicky, but to me it is a big deal because it is such a clumsy attempt to preserve something from the original, and the blocking is just so off, it ends up coming across as silly(pants).
and it's the way catherine's big scene plays out. you know, the one where she says that thing that heathcliff overhears but doesn't stick around for the postscript and so misinterprets catherine's intentions and goes off god knows where for three years.
in this book that scene is played out, not with dear befuddled nelly the housekeeper, but with catherine's best friend jackie. i have no objection to that. catherine's dilemma in this book is not a choice between two guys, but between staying in new york with hence and his band, and going to harvard. (the school, this is not another stupid human-name). i have no problem with that, although changing the central conflict in this adaptation changes not only the plot, but also how the reader responds to catherine herself. which is, of course, a huge part of wuthering heights - how both catherine and heathcliff are completely awful and selfish people, but here they are just young likeable lovers overcoming typical teen problems. but so, fine, different confidante, different obstacle, different feelings towards our protag. but here's the thing, instead of having this confession take place inside, with "heathcliff" lying down on a bench or whatever, out of sight but still able to hear, their conversation is outdoors, on jackie's front stoop.
"...you're afraid to tell him a simple thing like where you're going to college. It shouldn't be like that. He should be as supportive of your dreams as you are of his. Is he?"
"No," I admitted, my voice sullen.
"Then maybe you should break up with him."
"You're right." The sunlight was suddenly too bright for my eyes. I bent to rest my forehead on my knees, thinking about all the Jackie had said. As silence fell between us again, I heard sounds of a scuffle, sneakers slapping against concrete, car brakes screeching, a driver cursing out his window.
I straightened up and saw the surprise in Jackie's eyes. "I am?" she asked, sounding so amazed that I couldn't help laughing.
"You're right that I shouldn't be afraid of Hence. I should be able to talk to him."
"Oh." Jackie sounded disappointed, as if she'd actually thought I might be considering breaking up with Hence.
so, guess what happened there? oh no, hence overheard what catherine said, but left before he heard what she actually meant! oh noes! but, wait... where was he when he overheard this? on the sidewalk? close enough to hear, but not close enough for them to see him?? and how fast is he that he ran away so that all those noises were distant enough for them to not realize what was going on?
oh, but here's the best part. because eventually, they do realize:
"Right after you were talking about how I should break up with Hence and I said you were right, did you notice something out in the street? Some kind of commotion?"
The look on Jackie's face told me she knew exactly what I was asking. "Oh no. Oh, Cath. You don't think...?"
"He skipped out on a recording session without calling in sick or anything, and he wasn't at the apartment."
"Where else could he be?"
"First answer me." I grabbed her by the shoulders and pressed my forehead to hers. "Think hard. What was it we heard?"
"I didn't look up. We were so busy talking. But I did hear something... maybe someone running down the street. A car slamming on its brakes, and some yelling."
"What if it was Hence running away from us. Could it have been?"
Jackie winced, and I released her shoulders, realizing how hard I'd been squeezing them. "It could have been," she said. "Oh, Cathy, I hope it wasn't."
this takes place in new york, where tires squealing and shouting and all of that are such regular occurrences that it becomes total white noise. so for them to remember those noises at all, and to then jump to such a bizarre (but accurate) conclusion is bananas.
okay, that's my thumbs-down.
the thumbs-up? well, i did like that this took some of the spirit of wh without staying too faithful to the plot. it was able to become its own story, not so much with the catherine/hence bits, but with the story of chelsea, catherine's daughter, coming to new york years later after finding a letter from her mother that seems to suggest she did not die, as she had been told, but had instead mysteriously vanished. so she ends up going on this journey to get to the bottom of the mystery and meeting now grown-up hence and learning all the seeeecrets of her mother's great love.
and there are some interesting twists.
best retelling ever? nah, but a pretty good story that kept me entertained last week when i was dying of the flu-plague.
final word?
not a trainwreck after all!
is a glowing final word.
come to my blog!
Want to read
October 7, 2012Hmm, maaaaybe? Here's my worry with this: to me, Wuthering Heights IS NOT a romance story. It is part of the Romantics (capital R), but it is not romantic. It's a story of control and obsession and it's depressing as fuck. It's about characters, and I hate most of them, and weirdly that's part of what makes it good.
My fear is that this is going to present WH as romantic (lower-case R) and torrid and swoon-worthy, and I do not understand, nor can I condone, those who swoon to the ODB*, Heathcliff.
Think I'll wait for the reviews to start rolling in...
*Original Douche Bag.
My fear is that this is going to present WH as romantic (lower-case R) and torrid and swoon-worthy, and I do not understand, nor can I condone, those who swoon to the ODB*, Heathcliff.
Think I'll wait for the reviews to start rolling in...
*Original Douche Bag.
February 3, 2015
Catherine is the second Bronte retelling by April Lindner for teens. This book is a contemporary reimagining of Emily Bronte's masterpiece Wuthering Heights. After reading Jane this week I was excited to see what she would do with Wuthering Heights, which is my preferred book of the two. I was not disappointed one bit.
Chelsea is the 17 year old daughter of Catherine, the heroine of Lindner and Bronte. Chelsea always thought her mother died when she was three years old. When she unearths a letter from Catherine that implies she is still alive she follows a trail to New York City and the infamous music club the Underground. The Underground was opened by Chelsea's grandfather but is now owned by Hence, an intense and moody ex-guitarist. Hence was also Catherine's first love, which Chelsea has a hard time believing. How could anyone have fallen in love with a man so callous and hard, especially her mother?
Why would Catherine have left her life, and her only daughter, for Hence?
Lindner reinvents a mystery surrounding the characters in this book, and she does it beautifully. Many of the odd unanswered questions from the original are tackled here, and overcome. As with Jane Lindner cuts to the heart of the original books, pulling out the themes and character dynamics that make up the foundation... and then twisting them. Catherine is just as high spirited and privileged as her predecessor and Hence... sigh... Hence personifies the moody, creative bad boy. Flawlessly. And he's the perfect parallel to Heathcliff, his character's origin.
Everything about this book if pitch perfect. I love that Lindner focuses on the first part of Wuthering Heights, while interspersing bits from the second half. The best part of the romance is out in full force and I found myself smiling for most of it. As with Jane I almost forgot I was reading a retelling. And I love Lindner for being able to transport me in such a way. Her writing, the redevelopment, the care with which she handles this treatment is impeccable. At this point I am hooked. Lindner could rewrite every book in the Bronte canon and I would read them. Every single one.
What I want from her - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Please, Lindner... write this book... just for me.
5 out of 5 stars. I absolutely loved it.
- review courtesy of www.bibliopunkkreads.com
March 23, 2013
WUTHERING HEIGHTS is a hard book to adapt. It's a rich, sprawling, dramatic read that's both romantic and horrible at the same time. Heathcliff and Cathy are terrible people, selfish and mean, and yet their yearning for each other arouses your sympathy. Lindner's adaptation of JANE EYRE (entitled JANE) is one of my favorite YA books. I love JANE EYRE more than WUTHERING HEIGHTS, and I think she did a simply amazing job of working it into a modern setting.
But with CATHERINE . . . well, the characters aren't unlikable, which they easily could have been, so that was a relief. And the setting, a famous New York night club where Hence (her Heathcliff) was once a promising young punk musician, is a really fabulous idea. But I didn't buy the romance between Catherine and Hence. He came off as temperamental to the point of being, well, a douche, and she just sort of . . . took it. A lot of the other characters talked about how strong-willed and amazing she was, but we didn't get to really see it on the page. I felt like Lindner held back so that the book wasn't as torrid and Gothic as the original, and that made is just a little too shallow. If you're going to write a book based on WUTHERING HEIGHTS, you really do need to have someone bang their head on a tree and scream, Caaaaathyyyyy! all night!
But with CATHERINE . . . well, the characters aren't unlikable, which they easily could have been, so that was a relief. And the setting, a famous New York night club where Hence (her Heathcliff) was once a promising young punk musician, is a really fabulous idea. But I didn't buy the romance between Catherine and Hence. He came off as temperamental to the point of being, well, a douche, and she just sort of . . . took it. A lot of the other characters talked about how strong-willed and amazing she was, but we didn't get to really see it on the page. I felt like Lindner held back so that the book wasn't as torrid and Gothic as the original, and that made is just a little too shallow. If you're going to write a book based on WUTHERING HEIGHTS, you really do need to have someone bang their head on a tree and scream, Caaaaathyyyyy! all night!
June 16, 2012
This was my first go with an April Lindner re-telling (though many friends enjoyed "Jane" her retelling of Jane Eyre).
I was a pretty big fan of Wuthering Heights in High School and very eager to see what she did with the story.
Here's what I liked:
- the characters were bang-on, Hence as Heathcliff really captured the vibe, very important, Chelsea's father was an excellent capture of Edgar Linton, and both Catherine & her daughter Chelsea rang true
- the updated setting was very cool (The Underground, a hip club for up & coming bands)
- making Catherine's daughter the investigator <-- I particularly enjoyed this! In the original an outside guest (Lockwood) hear's the tale, I like it being Catherine's daughter much better (even Hareton makes an appearance!)
- the mystery was excellent - I loved the writing style and interwoven clues and they each illustrated the characters very well
Here's what I didn't like:
- the misunderstanding. This is a big one because it is the pivotal point of the novel and includes, in my opinion, the thing that made Wuthering Heights so great, Catherine's beautiful speech about what she feels for Heathcliff (Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same! If all the world should perish and he remain, still I would exist, but if he should perish, all the world would turn a mighty stranger and I should have no place in it!). This beautiful speech was replaced with a description about how Catherine just feels like "silly putty" when Heathcliff is around. Silly putty??! I have no words.
So, overall, I recommend this read as it's quite well done. I'm only sad that it missed the mark on the one thing I most prized about the original.
May 6, 2012
It pulled me around by my heart strings just like the original. Must put JANE and CATHERINE on the library's "Books that Rock" teen booklist!
January 8, 2013
For the most part, Catherine is an effective reimagining of Wuthering Heights. I say reimagining instead of retelling because the central premise here - Chelsea Price (Cathy Linton) looking into the decade old disappearance of her mother Catherine Eversole Price (Catherine Earnshaw Linton) - is a pretty innovative departure from the plot of the original and really explores in some depth these two very interesting characters from Emily Bronte's book in a modern setting. That said, I'm not quite sure April Lindner handled some of the most crucial parts of the source material all that well, hence my conflicted review.
For starters, in order to get the setup to match Bronte's original, Chelsea's led to believe her mom died when she was three - until she stumbles upon the truth between digging up an old letter from her mom in her dad's closet and then doing an online search. So I'm a little confused why Chelsea never once wondered about her mom or popped Catherine Price into Google - where she'd instantly stumble upon the truth - in the fourteen years Catherine's been missing, but what do I know, guess that never occurred to her. Then, I see the book's divided into chapters between Chelsea's point of view, presumably in the present, and Catherine's point of view some time in the past, most of the time alternating between the two, and I'm confused even more, because I have no idea when Catherine's point of view takes place. I assume in the late eighties or early nineties based on the timeline? - except Catherine's voice sounds really modern, so I had a hard time getting into the mindset that I'm reading these two voices decades apart.
Beyond those initial complaints, I actually enjoyed the book at first. Not just the obvious imports from Wuthering Heights, like Catherine's star crossed relationship with Hence (Heathcliff), who's actually toned down in this version if still a bitter guy - the really twisted Bronte original would've probably been a bit too much in a modern version, or the little allusions now and then that are nice touches for anyone familiar with Bronte's work, like that dream of Catherine's ghost haunting The Underground (Wuthering Heights), but also what the new plot brings to the table, Chelsea slowly discovering her mother Catherine over the course of her investigation. Actually, I think adding the Chelsea trying to figure her mother out plot is a stroke of genius, because the stuff that already worked in Wuthering Heights, Hence's descent into bitterness as a result of Catherine breaking his heart, her brother Quentin's (Hindley's) jealousy of Hence coming into their lives, those are things the original did better.
Unfortunately, it's around here that my enthusiasm for this reimagining really dimmed. I liked the changes Lindner made to Hence, but Quentin somehow still manages to be a racist gun toting redneck, which in Bronte's book is a product of the times, but in a more modern setting really could've used a lot more finesse, because here Q seems way out of character with the rest of the writing, and although I kind of expected it his transformation still took me by surprise with how strange it fits with the rest of the story. Needless to say, I didn't see anything in the book to justify crazy Quentin. Then after that, there's the whole class issue that's a big part of the original book that becomes she's going to Harvard while he's going on tour in Europe here, leading to the big misunderstanding, but I just didn’t feel Lindner's version was as effective, as believable, or as satisfying as the original. And while the ending suited Catherine, there's just something missing about how it affects Chelsea.
I was actually pleasantly surprised by Catherine at first, particularly with the girl trying to find and understand her missing mother angle that really worked given how faithfully this book adhered to the basic plot of Wuthering Heights. But then, I think Lindner missed the boat on crucial points and couldn't stick the ending, so I ended up shaking my head a lot towards the end when Catherine really didn’t live up to Bronte’s original.
For starters, in order to get the setup to match Bronte's original, Chelsea's led to believe her mom died when she was three - until she stumbles upon the truth between digging up an old letter from her mom in her dad's closet and then doing an online search. So I'm a little confused why Chelsea never once wondered about her mom or popped Catherine Price into Google - where she'd instantly stumble upon the truth - in the fourteen years Catherine's been missing, but what do I know, guess that never occurred to her. Then, I see the book's divided into chapters between Chelsea's point of view, presumably in the present, and Catherine's point of view some time in the past, most of the time alternating between the two, and I'm confused even more, because I have no idea when Catherine's point of view takes place. I assume in the late eighties or early nineties based on the timeline? - except Catherine's voice sounds really modern, so I had a hard time getting into the mindset that I'm reading these two voices decades apart.
Beyond those initial complaints, I actually enjoyed the book at first. Not just the obvious imports from Wuthering Heights, like Catherine's star crossed relationship with Hence (Heathcliff), who's actually toned down in this version if still a bitter guy - the really twisted Bronte original would've probably been a bit too much in a modern version, or the little allusions now and then that are nice touches for anyone familiar with Bronte's work, like that dream of Catherine's ghost haunting The Underground (Wuthering Heights), but also what the new plot brings to the table, Chelsea slowly discovering her mother Catherine over the course of her investigation. Actually, I think adding the Chelsea trying to figure her mother out plot is a stroke of genius, because the stuff that already worked in Wuthering Heights, Hence's descent into bitterness as a result of Catherine breaking his heart, her brother Quentin's (Hindley's) jealousy of Hence coming into their lives, those are things the original did better.
Unfortunately, it's around here that my enthusiasm for this reimagining really dimmed. I liked the changes Lindner made to Hence, but Quentin somehow still manages to be a racist gun toting redneck, which in Bronte's book is a product of the times, but in a more modern setting really could've used a lot more finesse, because here Q seems way out of character with the rest of the writing, and although I kind of expected it his transformation still took me by surprise with how strange it fits with the rest of the story. Needless to say, I didn't see anything in the book to justify crazy Quentin. Then after that, there's the whole class issue that's a big part of the original book that becomes she's going to Harvard while he's going on tour in Europe here, leading to the big misunderstanding, but I just didn’t feel Lindner's version was as effective, as believable, or as satisfying as the original. And while the ending suited Catherine, there's just something missing about how it affects Chelsea.
I was actually pleasantly surprised by Catherine at first, particularly with the girl trying to find and understand her missing mother angle that really worked given how faithfully this book adhered to the basic plot of Wuthering Heights. But then, I think Lindner missed the boat on crucial points and couldn't stick the ending, so I ended up shaking my head a lot towards the end when Catherine really didn’t live up to Bronte’s original.
September 10, 2016
1.5 stars.
Well, let's start with I know absolutely nothing about Wuthering Heights. Nothing. Never read it. Never seen an adaptation. Never read the Clifnotes. Nothing. So whether or not that would change how I liked/disliked this book, I'll never know. But I do know this:
I was fine with the book. Pretty good writing. Nothing special but not horrible, you know the ones. I was mildly annoyed with Chelsea for deciding that running away from her father to go find her mother, who abandoned her family when Chelsea was three, was a good idea. I was down with the alternating narrative. I was trying to figure out the mystery. I was okay with Catherine's and Hence's relationship.
Cooper was fine as a love interest. *shrugs* At least him and Chelsea didn't go down the same road Catherine and Hence did.
The ending.
I could sit here and give disapproving looks:
like that all night long.
But I won't. I'm going to tell you not to waste your time and that you should watch this and this instead. I know that's what I'm doing.
Well, let's start with I know absolutely nothing about Wuthering Heights. Nothing. Never read it. Never seen an adaptation. Never read the Clifnotes. Nothing. So whether or not that would change how I liked/disliked this book, I'll never know. But I do know this:
I was fine with the book. Pretty good writing. Nothing special but not horrible, you know the ones. I was mildly annoyed with Chelsea for deciding that running away from her father to go find her mother, who abandoned her family when Chelsea was three, was a good idea. I was down with the alternating narrative. I was trying to figure out the mystery. I was okay with Catherine's and Hence's relationship.
Cooper was fine as a love interest. *shrugs* At least him and Chelsea didn't go down the same road Catherine and Hence did.
The ending.
I could sit here and give disapproving looks:
like that all night long.
But I won't. I'm going to tell you not to waste your time and that you should watch this and this instead. I know that's what I'm doing.
March 11, 2013
MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT
Chelsea's mother disappears when she is three and all of these years, she has believed that her mother is dead so when she discovers a letter in her father's closet, it drives her to discover exactly what happened all those years ago. She soon learns that her mother, Catherine, was part of rock royalty and her grandfather gave starts to musical groups by featuring them at his club, The Underground. Her grandfather, now deceased, left the club to Catherine and her older brother, Quentin, who is now a survivalistic gun fanatic with paranoid leanings. As Chelsea learns more about her mother's family, she decides to go to New York and visit the club in hopes that she might find her mother. Since the story is told in Catherine's voice from twenty years prior through her diary and present day Chelsea, it becomes apparent that the family wasn't as perfect as she once thought.
At the club, she meets Coop, a young musician who takes pity on her and gives her as help as he can. Hence, the guy who now owns the club, was once the love of Catherine's life and a former rock prodigy of her father's. Chelsea has completely avoided her father when she ran away to New York and never really asks her father point blank the truth about her mother or do a basic google search on her. I adore Coop and the fact that he stands by Chelsea through out her search. Hence is a completely other subject, he deeply loves Catherine and understands why she left him, but has never gotten over it. His hurt over this is just devastating.
Chelsea's father always thinks he is doing his best to keep this part of her mother's life closed off to her, even though it is next to impossible to keep secrets like this from children. They always seem to know what is missing and that there are secrets. Of course this damages their relationship, but in the end, they both grow from the experience. So, the characters and the plot are based on the original Wuthering Heights with the Underground club as the house and the story is wonderfully plotted out with a surprise ending. Parents: there is some violent imaginary, some language and some kissing but nothing too graphic. I can't wait to see what Lindner comes up with next!
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT
Chelsea's mother disappears when she is three and all of these years, she has believed that her mother is dead so when she discovers a letter in her father's closet, it drives her to discover exactly what happened all those years ago. She soon learns that her mother, Catherine, was part of rock royalty and her grandfather gave starts to musical groups by featuring them at his club, The Underground. Her grandfather, now deceased, left the club to Catherine and her older brother, Quentin, who is now a survivalistic gun fanatic with paranoid leanings. As Chelsea learns more about her mother's family, she decides to go to New York and visit the club in hopes that she might find her mother. Since the story is told in Catherine's voice from twenty years prior through her diary and present day Chelsea, it becomes apparent that the family wasn't as perfect as she once thought.
At the club, she meets Coop, a young musician who takes pity on her and gives her as help as he can. Hence, the guy who now owns the club, was once the love of Catherine's life and a former rock prodigy of her father's. Chelsea has completely avoided her father when she ran away to New York and never really asks her father point blank the truth about her mother or do a basic google search on her. I adore Coop and the fact that he stands by Chelsea through out her search. Hence is a completely other subject, he deeply loves Catherine and understands why she left him, but has never gotten over it. His hurt over this is just devastating.
Chelsea's father always thinks he is doing his best to keep this part of her mother's life closed off to her, even though it is next to impossible to keep secrets like this from children. They always seem to know what is missing and that there are secrets. Of course this damages their relationship, but in the end, they both grow from the experience. So, the characters and the plot are based on the original Wuthering Heights with the Underground club as the house and the story is wonderfully plotted out with a surprise ending. Parents: there is some violent imaginary, some language and some kissing but nothing too graphic. I can't wait to see what Lindner comes up with next!
March 7, 2013
This book is extremely well-written. If you know nothing about Wuthering Heights, the perfectly crafted characters and the intriguing mystery are interesting in their own right. If you do know (in my case, love) Wuthering Heights, the modernized story contrasted with the original is just mind blowing. April Lindner has ingeniously engineered a story that just feels so close to it in spirit as well as thematically.
Chelsea's tale of searching for her mother frames the compelling mystery, as she tries to locate her or at least find out why she disappeared all those years ago. She gets to know the moody, mysterious man known as Hence and must determine the relationship he had to her mother. She enlists the help of Hence's employee, Coop, and the two go digging for the truth despite Hence's violent intensity toward the idea.
Interspersed with Chelsea's search is Catherine's tale, revealed to us as Chelsea reads her mother's diary. In it, we see passionate love unfold between Catherine and Hence and painstakingly, helplessly watch as it all goes wrong.
I loved getting to enjoy the story of one of my favorite classics in this re-imagined way. I love the fresh way that these characters live those themes, making it almost more heartbreaking than the original. I will probably have to re-read this again soon.
Chelsea's tale of searching for her mother frames the compelling mystery, as she tries to locate her or at least find out why she disappeared all those years ago. She gets to know the moody, mysterious man known as Hence and must determine the relationship he had to her mother. She enlists the help of Hence's employee, Coop, and the two go digging for the truth despite Hence's violent intensity toward the idea.
Interspersed with Chelsea's search is Catherine's tale, revealed to us as Chelsea reads her mother's diary. In it, we see passionate love unfold between Catherine and Hence and painstakingly, helplessly watch as it all goes wrong.
I loved getting to enjoy the story of one of my favorite classics in this re-imagined way. I love the fresh way that these characters live those themes, making it almost more heartbreaking than the original. I will probably have to re-read this again soon.
June 11, 2013
Can you image not knowing for sure if your mom was dead or alive?! That is how young Chelsea felt and when she began looking for answers she had no idea that she would uncover a murder mystery! Chelsea always felt like did not get the chance to know her mom, Catherine, since her mom went missing when she was 3 years old. Her dad had moved her around her entire life and she knew nothing of her mom's family. One day she found a letter from her mother that sent her looking for answers in the big city of New York. Chelsea found herself staying in the room her mother grew up in and learning about her life before her mother left and went to Harvard. Chelsea finds her mothers diary and starts figuring out the secrets of her past. Let me tell you....it is some good stuff! I am not sure I would want to read my mother's diary though! There are twist and turns and the reader is so hoping that Catherine will be alive! I loved how in the end you had no idea what was going to happen and who was going to make it out alive! This was an amazing story! I give it 5 stars!
January 5, 2013
I just finished reading this beautiful story and I am completely blown away at how good it was and how it touched me in ways that surprised me. I have never read Wuthering Heights, but thanks to Mrs. Lindner and her amazing retailing of it I will be reading it next. I am finding it hard to express how much this story touched me maybe it's because I am a sucker for the underdog getting a chance in life and love. I wanted these characters to have a piece of the goodness that the world and life has to offer. Man Mrs. Lindner knows how to squeeze my heart and leave it battered and bruised, yet hopeful. I loved all these characters, the story and the writing, it moved me, touched me and left me wanting for more. One of my very favorite books ever.
content: language mild
overall a clean read
content: language mild
overall a clean read
May 6, 2025
”What intrigued me about Hence wasn’t his looks. It was his intensity- the dark hunger in his eyes- coupled with that hurt look of his, the way he had of averting his glance as though he’s been kicked hard by someone he trusted and didn’t dare let his guard down. I knew he must have stories to tell about the past he was fleeing and the future he’d plan for himself.”
As much as the author says she loves Wuthering Heights, I don’t believe her. Mainly because in her retelling, she completely overlooked the message and morals of the original novel.
Catherine Eversole is the daughter of the owner of one of New York City’s famous nightclubs, The Underground. It’s where all the trendiest and most popular rock bands come to perform. The only downside is that since all aspiring musicians know this, there’s a never-ending stream of them begging for a chance to perform for her father. She usually ignores them, until one of them captures her attention. His name is Hence, and unlike most aspiring stars she meets, he seems genuine. What soon follows is a passionate, whirlwind romance. Until they come apart and Catherine remarries. Twenty years later, her daughter Chelsea is trying to solve the disappearance of her mother, who left when she was three. Her journey takes her to The Underground, where it all began, with a decidedly older and grumpier Hence unwilling to cooperate. In this retelling of Emily Bronte’s classic tale of love and obsession, their love that burned too brightly may help Chelsea solve the disappearance of her mother, if it doesn’t destroy her first.
Look, Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite books. It’s the first classic novel that I actually read on my own with no one telling me to. The Bronte sisters are my jam. And yet despite my love for the story, I recognize the fact that despite the Bronte’s being some of the most prolific of the Romantic writers, Wuthering Heights is not a love story. Not even close.
If there’s one thing you absolutely must know about Wuthering Heights, know this; it’s a novel of obsession, not romantic love. It’s an obsessive love that takes over your entire body and mind. It’s extremely palpable to the point that everyone around you feels it.
Not only that, but I didn’t get any of the exhilarating feelings I got when reading the original novel. We’re right there with Cathy and Heathcliff in their obsessive love; it’s almost like a rollercoaster. Heathcliff might be good for a couple make out sessions, but he’s not husband material. Hell, he isn’t even boyfriend material. And yet despite her writing the older Hence as a grumpy, curmudgeonly old mad and the young Hence as a puppy dog getting kicked around one too many times, their relationship was pretty vanilla compared to their counterparts.
The mystery aspect was OK, as Chelsea made a surprisingly good modern counterpart to Younger Catherine. She was impetuous, selfish, and brave in her own naïve way. In a way, this book is as much of Chelsea’s story as it is her mothers, and it was handled very well (dare I say even better than her mothers, to be completely honest). The only downside was her ‘romance’ with Cooper (aka Hareton) that I thought went absolutely nowhere and was only added to further enhance the retelling aspect. Jackie (aka Nelly) was awesome though, and I enjoyed reading her and Catherine’s interactions, since they were best friends. The writing style made this extremely readable.
However, what the FUCK was that ending? It completely deviated from the original novel and not in a good way. It was a way that made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I don’t know if the author did this to make the book ten times more tragic than it needed to be, but it backfired spectacularly. I won’t give it away, but it does involve Catherine’s older brother Quentin (aka Hindley), who while retaining some of the villainous qualities he had in the original, was laughably cartoonish and tragically characterized.
If you’re a fan of Wuthering Heights, you probably won’t like this book. Some might say that this obviously would be my thoughts since I loved it so much, but when an author is retelling any tale, especially one of your favorites, you're bound to have high expectations. Despite the exhilarating setting of New York in the early 90s punk rock scene, it nowhere near captures the essence, mood, or message of the original novel. Instead of a book about the obsessive kind of love that is doomed to fail, you’ll instead get yet another YA teen tale of instalove with a lukewarm romance and disappointing ending that basically shits on the source material.
For those readers so inclined to read a Wuthering Heights retelling that truly captures the essence of the original novels, right down to the characters personalities and main message, I implore you to read Stone Field by Christy Lenzi. She did a phenomenal job and did Bronte proud.
As much as the author says she loves Wuthering Heights, I don’t believe her. Mainly because in her retelling, she completely overlooked the message and morals of the original novel.
Catherine Eversole is the daughter of the owner of one of New York City’s famous nightclubs, The Underground. It’s where all the trendiest and most popular rock bands come to perform. The only downside is that since all aspiring musicians know this, there’s a never-ending stream of them begging for a chance to perform for her father. She usually ignores them, until one of them captures her attention. His name is Hence, and unlike most aspiring stars she meets, he seems genuine. What soon follows is a passionate, whirlwind romance. Until they come apart and Catherine remarries. Twenty years later, her daughter Chelsea is trying to solve the disappearance of her mother, who left when she was three. Her journey takes her to The Underground, where it all began, with a decidedly older and grumpier Hence unwilling to cooperate. In this retelling of Emily Bronte’s classic tale of love and obsession, their love that burned too brightly may help Chelsea solve the disappearance of her mother, if it doesn’t destroy her first.
Look, Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite books. It’s the first classic novel that I actually read on my own with no one telling me to. The Bronte sisters are my jam. And yet despite my love for the story, I recognize the fact that despite the Bronte’s being some of the most prolific of the Romantic writers, Wuthering Heights is not a love story. Not even close.
If there’s one thing you absolutely must know about Wuthering Heights, know this; it’s a novel of obsession, not romantic love. It’s an obsessive love that takes over your entire body and mind. It’s extremely palpable to the point that everyone around you feels it.
”’I’ve never seen anything like the two of you. The way you look at each other. It’s so intense it’s almost scary.’”Cathy and Heathcliff’s love was a fiery and unpredictable as a California wildfire. Their ‘love’, if you want to it that, was unpredictable and toxic, and not a relationship to emulate. It’s not love, it’s obsession. And yet in Catherine, not only did I get any fiery romantic feelings, the author made Catherine and Hence’s relationship far more romantic than it needed to be for it to be a true retelling. Catherine and Hence’s romance seemed almost out of a Disney movie compared to the novel. And if the whole point of the retelling was to capture the essence of the novel, it failed miserably.
Not only that, but I didn’t get any of the exhilarating feelings I got when reading the original novel. We’re right there with Cathy and Heathcliff in their obsessive love; it’s almost like a rollercoaster. Heathcliff might be good for a couple make out sessions, but he’s not husband material. Hell, he isn’t even boyfriend material. And yet despite her writing the older Hence as a grumpy, curmudgeonly old mad and the young Hence as a puppy dog getting kicked around one too many times, their relationship was pretty vanilla compared to their counterparts.
”’We fit so perfectly. When we’re standing up, the top of my head comes to just below his chin, so he can rest his chin on my head.’”See what I mean? THIS IS NOT WUTHERING HEIGHTS OBSESSIVE, TOXIC LOVE Y’ALL. THIS IS AN OOEY GOOEY TEEN ROMANCE FROM THE DISNEY CHANNEL.
The mystery aspect was OK, as Chelsea made a surprisingly good modern counterpart to Younger Catherine. She was impetuous, selfish, and brave in her own naïve way. In a way, this book is as much of Chelsea’s story as it is her mothers, and it was handled very well (dare I say even better than her mothers, to be completely honest). The only downside was her ‘romance’ with Cooper (aka Hareton) that I thought went absolutely nowhere and was only added to further enhance the retelling aspect. Jackie (aka Nelly) was awesome though, and I enjoyed reading her and Catherine’s interactions, since they were best friends. The writing style made this extremely readable.
However, what the FUCK was that ending? It completely deviated from the original novel and not in a good way. It was a way that made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I don’t know if the author did this to make the book ten times more tragic than it needed to be, but it backfired spectacularly. I won’t give it away, but it does involve Catherine’s older brother Quentin (aka Hindley), who while retaining some of the villainous qualities he had in the original, was laughably cartoonish and tragically characterized.
If you’re a fan of Wuthering Heights, you probably won’t like this book. Some might say that this obviously would be my thoughts since I loved it so much, but when an author is retelling any tale, especially one of your favorites, you're bound to have high expectations. Despite the exhilarating setting of New York in the early 90s punk rock scene, it nowhere near captures the essence, mood, or message of the original novel. Instead of a book about the obsessive kind of love that is doomed to fail, you’ll instead get yet another YA teen tale of instalove with a lukewarm romance and disappointing ending that basically shits on the source material.
For those readers so inclined to read a Wuthering Heights retelling that truly captures the essence of the original novels, right down to the characters personalities and main message, I implore you to read Stone Field by Christy Lenzi. She did a phenomenal job and did Bronte proud.
January 5, 2013
This novel by April Lindner was written, of course, as an adaptation to Wuthering Heights which I am sure most of you already know. Let me first say that I have not read Wuthering Heights so I cannot make any comparison between this book and that one. I can say that I do know the gist of that story and this one is very well written. When attempting to retell a classic into a modern adaptation, any author is taking a huge risk. So many toes that they could step on and so many people that could dislike the more modern version of the story. However, Lindner holds true to the basic storyline, but adds some very small, but powerful details and some stunning characters. Chelsea is on a quest for her mother Catherine, who many believe to be dead but Chelsea feels that her mother is still alive and will stop at nothing to find her.
This story is told in shifting view points between Chelsea and her mother, Catherine, when she was Chelsea’s age. This was a great segue into the minds of both characters and what I loved even more about it was that they are the same age as we process what is happening in their lives. Chelsea’s mom is around seventeen in the chapters that we read about her and the similarities that can be connected between she and Chelsea are remarkable. I honestly liked following Chelsea better, not saying that Catherine’s chapters weren’t interesting, I was just ready to get to the bottom of the mystery that Chelsea was trying to solve. Chelsea’s chapters were more suspenseful while Catherine’s chapters were just filling us in on her life as a club owner’s daughters and her love interest, Hence.
Hence was the common factor binding both perspectives from Catherine and Chelsea. He was very much a real part of both of their lives and I found that so incredibly amazing. Hence was of course bitter and older by the time Chelsea meets him, but from Catherine’s perspective we see a carefree, young musician who is very much smitten with Catherine and who Catherine returns all the same feelings for. Hence was not very likeable within Chelsea’s chapters but readers understand that this is because of her deep connection and physical similarities to Catherine. Catherine is missing in Chelsea’s eyes and dead in Hence’s. Hence is just an old fool still in love if you ask me. I have read quite a few reviews where some have said that they just absolutely did not like Hence, but you have to take into consideration the factors that have made Hence feel the way he does. I like his place in the story and he is also the binding agent for Chelsea and Catherine! We English majors tend to get excited over literary elements like this one!
I would probably enjoy this book even more if I had read Wuthering Heights and had something to connect it with, but I still loved it and I thought it was an exceptional story line with just enough suspense and just enough romance!
***A huge thank you to the publishers at Poppy for providing me with an ARC Copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review***
This story is told in shifting view points between Chelsea and her mother, Catherine, when she was Chelsea’s age. This was a great segue into the minds of both characters and what I loved even more about it was that they are the same age as we process what is happening in their lives. Chelsea’s mom is around seventeen in the chapters that we read about her and the similarities that can be connected between she and Chelsea are remarkable. I honestly liked following Chelsea better, not saying that Catherine’s chapters weren’t interesting, I was just ready to get to the bottom of the mystery that Chelsea was trying to solve. Chelsea’s chapters were more suspenseful while Catherine’s chapters were just filling us in on her life as a club owner’s daughters and her love interest, Hence.
Hence was the common factor binding both perspectives from Catherine and Chelsea. He was very much a real part of both of their lives and I found that so incredibly amazing. Hence was of course bitter and older by the time Chelsea meets him, but from Catherine’s perspective we see a carefree, young musician who is very much smitten with Catherine and who Catherine returns all the same feelings for. Hence was not very likeable within Chelsea’s chapters but readers understand that this is because of her deep connection and physical similarities to Catherine. Catherine is missing in Chelsea’s eyes and dead in Hence’s. Hence is just an old fool still in love if you ask me. I have read quite a few reviews where some have said that they just absolutely did not like Hence, but you have to take into consideration the factors that have made Hence feel the way he does. I like his place in the story and he is also the binding agent for Chelsea and Catherine! We English majors tend to get excited over literary elements like this one!
I would probably enjoy this book even more if I had read Wuthering Heights and had something to connect it with, but I still loved it and I thought it was an exceptional story line with just enough suspense and just enough romance!
***A huge thank you to the publishers at Poppy for providing me with an ARC Copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review***
January 2, 2013
April Lindler takes on Wuthering Heights, transporting readers of the classic to New York.As a fan of the original, I really liked reading this modern take.
I was expecting one or two things that happened in the Bronte novel to happen in Catherine that HAD happened in Wuthering Heights and did not occur, but that’s the best part about the writing. Lindler is retelling a classic story, but not letting it rule the characters and stop them from their own lives.
I did not like Hence from the beginning, despite wanting to like him. I kept trying to find something redeeming in Catherine’s point of view chapters, but did not in Chelsea’s point of view—and I guess that can be due to the fact they each see him a bit differently. While there were a few bright spots, I really wanted him to just fall off the Brooklyn Bridge.
Chelsea was interesting. I kept wanting her to uncover a deeper mystery. She’s smart, and I had hoped she would see who was the one that was responsible for her missing mother, but it would appear that she had rose-colored glasses. To be fair, if you thought your mother disappeared, you would be looking for a mother, not a body.
I saw the ending coming from miles away. I was a little disappointed, but a little happy when I was proven right. I guess there is a fine line between the two.
Overall, I was very happy with the book, and I think it would be a great parallel read with Wuthering Heights, as Catherine is readable and believable and something I have no problem recommending.
I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher (Hatchette Book Group) and Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review—I received no compensation.
The hardcover is 320 pages, and comes out today! The ISBN is 9780316196925 and the book is available from most retailers.
I was expecting one or two things that happened in the Bronte novel to happen in Catherine that HAD happened in Wuthering Heights and did not occur, but that’s the best part about the writing. Lindler is retelling a classic story, but not letting it rule the characters and stop them from their own lives.
I did not like Hence from the beginning, despite wanting to like him. I kept trying to find something redeeming in Catherine’s point of view chapters, but did not in Chelsea’s point of view—and I guess that can be due to the fact they each see him a bit differently. While there were a few bright spots, I really wanted him to just fall off the Brooklyn Bridge.
Chelsea was interesting. I kept wanting her to uncover a deeper mystery. She’s smart, and I had hoped she would see who was the one that was responsible for her missing mother, but it would appear that she had rose-colored glasses. To be fair, if you thought your mother disappeared, you would be looking for a mother, not a body.
I saw the ending coming from miles away. I was a little disappointed, but a little happy when I was proven right. I guess there is a fine line between the two.
Overall, I was very happy with the book, and I think it would be a great parallel read with Wuthering Heights, as Catherine is readable and believable and something I have no problem recommending.
I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher (Hatchette Book Group) and Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review—I received no compensation.
The hardcover is 320 pages, and comes out today! The ISBN is 9780316196925 and the book is available from most retailers.
December 31, 2012
Catherine is a spectacular retelling of Wuthering Heights. Ms. Lindner has beautifully transformed the story of Catherine Earnshaw into the story of Catherine Eversole. In Catherine, Chelsea, Catherine's daughter, sets out on an adventure to find out where her mother disappeared to. Chelsea's sleuthing takes her to New York City where she meets Hence (the modernized version of Heathcliff). Catherine and Hence's tumultuous love story unfolds before Chelsea's eyes when she discovers her mother's journal.
Catherine is told from two different perspectives: Catherine's and Chelsea's. Ms. Lindner's choice in having two different POV's is very useful. As a reader, we are able to get a first-hand account of Catherine and Hence's relationship told through her perspective. From Chelsea's POV, the reader is able to see how the choices of the adults affected her life.
Catherine is a fabulous modernization of a beautiful classic novel. Catherine has the ability to get teenagers to pick up Wuthering Heights and read, understand, and enjoy Ms. Bronte's amazing novel. Well done Ms. Lindner, Catherine is beautiful!
I would like to thank April Lindner, Hachette Publishing, and Edelweiss Interactive Publisher Catalogs for the opportunity to review Catherine.
Catherine is told from two different perspectives: Catherine's and Chelsea's. Ms. Lindner's choice in having two different POV's is very useful. As a reader, we are able to get a first-hand account of Catherine and Hence's relationship told through her perspective. From Chelsea's POV, the reader is able to see how the choices of the adults affected her life.
Catherine is a fabulous modernization of a beautiful classic novel. Catherine has the ability to get teenagers to pick up Wuthering Heights and read, understand, and enjoy Ms. Bronte's amazing novel. Well done Ms. Lindner, Catherine is beautiful!
I would like to thank April Lindner, Hachette Publishing, and Edelweiss Interactive Publisher Catalogs for the opportunity to review Catherine.
December 28, 2012
I read Wuthering Heights in college but I didn't really remember it. (Actually at the same time I read Jane Eyre, which April Linder has also updated/reimagined, although I haven't read Jane yet.) I mention that so if you haven't read Wuthering Heights, you know that's not a prerequisite for loving Catherine.
There is a lot of Wuthering Heights in this, at least in terms of Hence/Heathcliff being incredibly moody and Catherine being incredibly privileged, but it's also completely its own novel. I don't remember Catherine's daughter being a big piece of Wuthering Heights, but again, I haven't read it in almost 15 years.
While I loved both stories (the flashbacks of Catherine and the modern-day story of Chelsea trying to learn about her mom), I think I preferred Chelsea. Both are great, however, and neither aspect of the story dragged for me.
I think people who love Wuthering Heights will find much to enjoy in this retelling, but again, it's not at all mandatory to have read (or liked) Wuthering Heights.
I do want to re-read it now and I also really want to read Jane.
Highly recommended.
There is a lot of Wuthering Heights in this, at least in terms of Hence/Heathcliff being incredibly moody and Catherine being incredibly privileged, but it's also completely its own novel. I don't remember Catherine's daughter being a big piece of Wuthering Heights, but again, I haven't read it in almost 15 years.
While I loved both stories (the flashbacks of Catherine and the modern-day story of Chelsea trying to learn about her mom), I think I preferred Chelsea. Both are great, however, and neither aspect of the story dragged for me.
I think people who love Wuthering Heights will find much to enjoy in this retelling, but again, it's not at all mandatory to have read (or liked) Wuthering Heights.
I do want to re-read it now and I also really want to read Jane.
Highly recommended.
January 27, 2015
I approached Catherine having read Jane by April Lindner and fully expecting to be blown away by another marvelous adaptation of a Bronte novel. Catherine does not disappoint. I love the fresh, unique take of placing the modern Catherine and Heathcliff (Hence) in the NYC punk scene and making a sexier (yet not salacious) version of the beloved classic. I love Lindner's unique approach in telling dual stories with a murder mystery at its core, and appreciated that the novel deviates enough from the original as to make it's outcome unsuspected.
Lindner takes more risks in Catherine than in Jane, in that much of the original story is discarded in favor of her own vision. I found it refreshing though, and although Wuthering Heights will stand as my favorite novel of all time, I know I will enjoy rereading Catherine in the future.
Lindner takes more risks in Catherine than in Jane, in that much of the original story is discarded in favor of her own vision. I found it refreshing though, and although Wuthering Heights will stand as my favorite novel of all time, I know I will enjoy rereading Catherine in the future.
May 11, 2012
Lindner breathes fresh air into a classic with her retelling of "Wuthering Heights"! She keeps the suspense and heartbreak of the original, but updates the characters and setting in a fun way, making "Catherine" an enjoyable read!
August 3, 2022
V případě této knihy je tou největší tragédií, její přirovnání ke knize Na větrné hůrce od Emily Brontëové. Což ještě ke všemu hrdě hlásá už anotace. Protože, i když třeba i byla zmíněná kniha autorce inspirací, řekla bych, že celkové propojení je velice volné, a rozhodně bych tak tuto knihu neoznačovala, jako její moderní zpracování. Protože pokud ano, její hodnocení by bylo vskutku tragické.
Pokud bych však odhlédla od tohoto přívlastku, a hodnotila příběh jako takový, bez jakýchkoli návazností, vyjde z toho na druhou stranu poměrně dobře. Je celkem originální, ať už díky prostředí, tak lehce detektivní lince, dobře zpracovaný a poutavý. Samozřejmě, že se nejedná o žádnou hlubokomyslnou literaturu, to ale od YA contemporary romance snad ani nikdo neočekává (já tedy alespoň ne, rozhodně ne od YA z roku 2013). Jako oddechovka je čtivý a nenudí, a v rámci letního čtení, mi docela příjemně sednul do nálady.
Pokud bych však odhlédla od tohoto přívlastku, a hodnotila příběh jako takový, bez jakýchkoli návazností, vyjde z toho na druhou stranu poměrně dobře. Je celkem originální, ať už díky prostředí, tak lehce detektivní lince, dobře zpracovaný a poutavý. Samozřejmě, že se nejedná o žádnou hlubokomyslnou literaturu, to ale od YA contemporary romance snad ani nikdo neočekává (já tedy alespoň ne, rozhodně ne od YA z roku 2013). Jako oddechovka je čtivý a nenudí, a v rámci letního čtení, mi docela příjemně sednul do nálady.
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September 26, 2020I enjoyed how this book interweaves the story of a mother and a daughter, and I enjoyed how Coop supports Chelsea during her search for her mother. What made this difficult to read is that, based on Chelsea's POV, we can expect (at least some crucial parts of) Catherine's story to end in tragedy.
Going in, I didn't know that this was a Wuthering Heights retelling. I saw from other reviews that this book stays pretty true to the original, except that the original tells the story in two parts (instead of alternating perspectives, like this book does). I didn't like Wuthering Heights, and what I didn't like about Wuthering Heights, I didn't enjoy in this book either. Readers who enjoyed Wuthering Heights may enjoy this modern retelling.
Going in, I didn't know that this was a Wuthering Heights retelling. I saw from other reviews that this book stays pretty true to the original, except that the original tells the story in two parts (instead of alternating perspectives, like this book does). I didn't like Wuthering Heights, and what I didn't like about Wuthering Heights, I didn't enjoy in this book either. Readers who enjoyed Wuthering Heights may enjoy this modern retelling.
January 19, 2013
Catherine by author April Lindner is a modern retelling of Emily Brontë’s forbidden romance Wuthering Heights. I was cautious about the novel simply because I haven’t read Wuthering Heights, ever. I’ve never really had a thing for the classics. I don’t really want to take the time out of my day to read a novel that is not only set in a different era entirely but to also have to face a different style of writing than what we’re exposed to in modern times. I wasn’t exactly going to be going into the novel without a clue what happened in the original Wuthering Heights, I knew the basic plot points and the character names in the novel and I have to admit that I’m very surprised by how much I loved Catherine. It was a refreshing read and it isn’t an in-your-face retelling and I’m glad for that.
Catherine takes place in two different points of time and is split into two stories. The first being the one set in the present with main character Chelsea who discovers a note in her father’s closet from her mother that is addressed to Chelsea and tells her that she’s leaving and hopes that she will see her again soon. Chelsea always thought that Catherine had died of an illness, but now she knows the truth; Catherine never died, she’d disappeared. Chelsea ends up going to the only place she can guess her mother would be after reading the note and so she finds herself in New York at the Underground where she comes face to face with the rock music club’s owner Hence who ruefully allows Chelsea to stay when he finds out that she is Catherine’s daughter.
The novel also takes place twenty years in the past from the POV (point of view) of Chelsea’s mother Catherine whose father owns the Underground, a club up and coming music acts perform. It’s when Catherine gets a knock at her door that she meets Hence, mysterious, handsome and brooding, something compels her to get Hence a job at the Underground. It doesn’t take that long for Catherine to fall in love with Hence, but when her brother threatens their relationship, Catherine maintains a secretive relationship with Hence. It’s after her father dies that Catherine and Hence finally decide to start a life together, despite Catherine still being in high school. However it’s blind fate and circumstance that threaten their relationship and lead to Catherine’s mysterious disappearance.
The mystery aspect of Catherine seriously had me unable to stop reading, every chapter in Chelsea’s POV had me wondering what happened to Catherine. Why would she not want to be found? Why would she hide from her daughter? Is she really dead? Why does Hence seem so sullen about Catherine? All those questions and more stirred through my mind throughout the novel and you would be surprised by how many of them were answered right by the end of the novel and from the chapters in Catherine’s POV. Chelsea was a character that I enjoyed in the novel because she is unique compared to most heroine’s in YA, whereas most of them are Mary Sues or super obedient even when they shouldn’t be, Chelsea came off as angsty and willing to do whatever it takes to find out what happened to her mother. Out of the characters introduced in the novel, I admired Chelsea the most.
As for the romance in the novel (and this should be the most important since Wuthering Heights is a romance from what I know) both characters experience it, but Catherine got the majority of all the lovey dovey stuff. Catherine and Hence had a cute relationship right from the start, but as the novel progressed I was getting more and more annoyed with it. Holy possessiveness Batman, that is how Hence when it comes to Catherine. Not only that, but Catherine also feared telling him important things about her life in fear of Hence dumping her, I’m not expert on romance, but that sounds unhealthy and when Catherine does notice that in the novel things suddenly get oh so very exciting. When it came to Catherine and Hence, Lindner managed to raise a ton of emotions in me and I’ve gotta admit that I loved it a lot.
Was I shocked by the ending of the novel? Hell yeah. Right from when Catherine finds Hence with Nina and onward, I was bombarded with nothing but plot twist and plot twist. The very ending of the novel, where we finally learn what happened to Catherine, had me literally wide eyed, after what happened to hence, I was left in shock. Never have I experienced an ending as unpredictable as the one I found in Catherine. The only thing that I would warn readers about when it comes to Catherine would just be the sex that happens between Catherine and Hence in the novel and the coarse language. Other than that, there wasn’t anything in the novel that I would be majorly concerned about for any readers who are hesitant about those things.
I would recommend Catherine to fans of the original Wuthering Heights, but I’d also recommend it to teenage readers who haven’t read Wuthering Heights like me, but want to experience the plot all the same. Fans of romance and of music will love Catherine… I know I did.
Catherine takes place in two different points of time and is split into two stories. The first being the one set in the present with main character Chelsea who discovers a note in her father’s closet from her mother that is addressed to Chelsea and tells her that she’s leaving and hopes that she will see her again soon. Chelsea always thought that Catherine had died of an illness, but now she knows the truth; Catherine never died, she’d disappeared. Chelsea ends up going to the only place she can guess her mother would be after reading the note and so she finds herself in New York at the Underground where she comes face to face with the rock music club’s owner Hence who ruefully allows Chelsea to stay when he finds out that she is Catherine’s daughter.
The novel also takes place twenty years in the past from the POV (point of view) of Chelsea’s mother Catherine whose father owns the Underground, a club up and coming music acts perform. It’s when Catherine gets a knock at her door that she meets Hence, mysterious, handsome and brooding, something compels her to get Hence a job at the Underground. It doesn’t take that long for Catherine to fall in love with Hence, but when her brother threatens their relationship, Catherine maintains a secretive relationship with Hence. It’s after her father dies that Catherine and Hence finally decide to start a life together, despite Catherine still being in high school. However it’s blind fate and circumstance that threaten their relationship and lead to Catherine’s mysterious disappearance.
The mystery aspect of Catherine seriously had me unable to stop reading, every chapter in Chelsea’s POV had me wondering what happened to Catherine. Why would she not want to be found? Why would she hide from her daughter? Is she really dead? Why does Hence seem so sullen about Catherine? All those questions and more stirred through my mind throughout the novel and you would be surprised by how many of them were answered right by the end of the novel and from the chapters in Catherine’s POV. Chelsea was a character that I enjoyed in the novel because she is unique compared to most heroine’s in YA, whereas most of them are Mary Sues or super obedient even when they shouldn’t be, Chelsea came off as angsty and willing to do whatever it takes to find out what happened to her mother. Out of the characters introduced in the novel, I admired Chelsea the most.
As for the romance in the novel (and this should be the most important since Wuthering Heights is a romance from what I know) both characters experience it, but Catherine got the majority of all the lovey dovey stuff. Catherine and Hence had a cute relationship right from the start, but as the novel progressed I was getting more and more annoyed with it. Holy possessiveness Batman, that is how Hence when it comes to Catherine. Not only that, but Catherine also feared telling him important things about her life in fear of Hence dumping her, I’m not expert on romance, but that sounds unhealthy and when Catherine does notice that in the novel things suddenly get oh so very exciting. When it came to Catherine and Hence, Lindner managed to raise a ton of emotions in me and I’ve gotta admit that I loved it a lot.
Was I shocked by the ending of the novel? Hell yeah. Right from when Catherine finds Hence with Nina and onward, I was bombarded with nothing but plot twist and plot twist. The very ending of the novel, where we finally learn what happened to Catherine, had me literally wide eyed, after what happened to hence, I was left in shock. Never have I experienced an ending as unpredictable as the one I found in Catherine. The only thing that I would warn readers about when it comes to Catherine would just be the sex that happens between Catherine and Hence in the novel and the coarse language. Other than that, there wasn’t anything in the novel that I would be majorly concerned about for any readers who are hesitant about those things.
I would recommend Catherine to fans of the original Wuthering Heights, but I’d also recommend it to teenage readers who haven’t read Wuthering Heights like me, but want to experience the plot all the same. Fans of romance and of music will love Catherine… I know I did.
January 12, 2013
Originally posted at: http://iliveforreading.blogspot.com/2...
I feel the need to pick up Wuthering Heights as soon as possible!
Catherine had me flipping pages for two reasons: The mystery and the romance. Oh. My. God. April Lindner is amazing– I was so immersed in this book, that whenever I had to stop reading, it was the only thing I wanted to do! With two perspectives from two different time periods, it's a brilliant story modernly retold.
I hadn't the slightest inkling of what happens in Wuthering Heights. My mom accidentally spoiled it for me a while ago, but time went on and I forgot... which made this novel even more intriguing. Seriously, I had so many questions, and I was scrambling my mind to try to think of what happens, but in the end it all closed up in a shocking conclusion which I didn't see coming.
Both perspectives were equally interesting. I really didn't know who I favored more! There was that gripping quality to both of them and I found myself loving both of their characters. All characters were built up extremely well. I found myself getting quite a clear description on how they looked, and obviously while I hated some of the characters, I loved to hate them– their evilness does not go by me without some admiration for the language and descriptions which Lindner brings out gorgeously throughout the novel during climatic scenes.
Catherine was a great character, and because she was the subject of the mystery I found myself scouring over her part of the story, trying to see if any of the plot foreshadows what's to happen to her. It was bewitching – quite literally – with the haunting mystery of her disappearance and how Chelsea delves into her past, trying to piece it out all together. Surprisingly, I found myself able to connect with Catherine quite well. She's around my age during her parts of the novel, and even though this is set around twenty years ago, teenage girls will be teenage girls. Her love for books will always be something that I can connect to (I love characters who love books!) as well as her poetry. I found myself agreeing and disagreeing with her in most cases, and often applauding her on the actions she takes.
Chelsea is again a fabulous character, and I love her determination, will and drive to find out what happened to her mother. I frankly, would be freaked out to go by myself and seek out the answers, but this girl certainly has guts! Again, like her mother, it was natural to connect to Chelsea, and as she dives head-first into her mother's journals, it was easy to empathize with her, as she empathizes with her mother.
The boys of the story are equally interesting. Even though I knew from the beginning that Catherine ended up marrying Chelsea's dad, a professor, I found myself rooting for her and Hence to get together. Hence was everything exotic, exciting and sexy rolled into one. Perfect rockstar material. During Catherine's story, he's the boy I would TOTALLY fall head-over-heels in love with on the spot. He's seriously, drop dead gorgeous, and I was literally fan-girling majorly when reading. Hence in Chelsea's view really contrasted to Catherine's Hence. In both point of views though, his mysterious (attractive-mysterious AND mysterious-mysterious) side to him that just made me want to find out more about him.
Coop (short for Cooper) is another guy in this book, featured during Chelsea's perspective. Likewise with Hence, Coop is, how shall I put it? Um, HOT?! I found myself wanting to get lost in his eyes (he has incredible eyes, by the way), and just wanted Chelsea to spend more time with him because he's incredibly cute, and yeah, as you can see, I was majorly fan-girling throughout this novel. Damn, April Lindner can sure write guys!
The plot is absolutely killer. Like seriously, you will be hanging onto every word, because even though things may seem mellow, there's always something creepy lurking around the corner....
I also loved the setting of The Underground. I love the music mixed into it, the punk-rock-and-roll scene, bands, fans– the works. Catherine's dad is pretty famous in this novel, so it's also interesting to see how she deals with this, and how people treat her, especially boys in bands.
Well, if it isn't apparent enough from my excessive fan-girling over this book, I LOVED Catherine and highly recommend you pick this one up as soon as you can. April Lindner has turned one of the most famous classics into a modern, rock music-filled novel which teens and adults will enjoy. I should definitely go pick up Jane, because being a fan of Jane Eyre, I'm bound to love it as much as I did with Catherine!
▪ Thank you so much to April Lindner for providing a copy of Catherine for review and BTS2013! ▪
I feel the need to pick up Wuthering Heights as soon as possible!
Catherine had me flipping pages for two reasons: The mystery and the romance. Oh. My. God. April Lindner is amazing– I was so immersed in this book, that whenever I had to stop reading, it was the only thing I wanted to do! With two perspectives from two different time periods, it's a brilliant story modernly retold.
I hadn't the slightest inkling of what happens in Wuthering Heights. My mom accidentally spoiled it for me a while ago, but time went on and I forgot... which made this novel even more intriguing. Seriously, I had so many questions, and I was scrambling my mind to try to think of what happens, but in the end it all closed up in a shocking conclusion which I didn't see coming.
Both perspectives were equally interesting. I really didn't know who I favored more! There was that gripping quality to both of them and I found myself loving both of their characters. All characters were built up extremely well. I found myself getting quite a clear description on how they looked, and obviously while I hated some of the characters, I loved to hate them– their evilness does not go by me without some admiration for the language and descriptions which Lindner brings out gorgeously throughout the novel during climatic scenes.
Catherine was a great character, and because she was the subject of the mystery I found myself scouring over her part of the story, trying to see if any of the plot foreshadows what's to happen to her. It was bewitching – quite literally – with the haunting mystery of her disappearance and how Chelsea delves into her past, trying to piece it out all together. Surprisingly, I found myself able to connect with Catherine quite well. She's around my age during her parts of the novel, and even though this is set around twenty years ago, teenage girls will be teenage girls. Her love for books will always be something that I can connect to (I love characters who love books!) as well as her poetry. I found myself agreeing and disagreeing with her in most cases, and often applauding her on the actions she takes.
Chelsea is again a fabulous character, and I love her determination, will and drive to find out what happened to her mother. I frankly, would be freaked out to go by myself and seek out the answers, but this girl certainly has guts! Again, like her mother, it was natural to connect to Chelsea, and as she dives head-first into her mother's journals, it was easy to empathize with her, as she empathizes with her mother.
The boys of the story are equally interesting. Even though I knew from the beginning that Catherine ended up marrying Chelsea's dad, a professor, I found myself rooting for her and Hence to get together. Hence was everything exotic, exciting and sexy rolled into one. Perfect rockstar material. During Catherine's story, he's the boy I would TOTALLY fall head-over-heels in love with on the spot. He's seriously, drop dead gorgeous, and I was literally fan-girling majorly when reading. Hence in Chelsea's view really contrasted to Catherine's Hence. In both point of views though, his mysterious (attractive-mysterious AND mysterious-mysterious) side to him that just made me want to find out more about him.
Coop (short for Cooper) is another guy in this book, featured during Chelsea's perspective. Likewise with Hence, Coop is, how shall I put it? Um, HOT?! I found myself wanting to get lost in his eyes (he has incredible eyes, by the way), and just wanted Chelsea to spend more time with him because he's incredibly cute, and yeah, as you can see, I was majorly fan-girling throughout this novel. Damn, April Lindner can sure write guys!
The plot is absolutely killer. Like seriously, you will be hanging onto every word, because even though things may seem mellow, there's always something creepy lurking around the corner....
I also loved the setting of The Underground. I love the music mixed into it, the punk-rock-and-roll scene, bands, fans– the works. Catherine's dad is pretty famous in this novel, so it's also interesting to see how she deals with this, and how people treat her, especially boys in bands.
Well, if it isn't apparent enough from my excessive fan-girling over this book, I LOVED Catherine and highly recommend you pick this one up as soon as you can. April Lindner has turned one of the most famous classics into a modern, rock music-filled novel which teens and adults will enjoy. I should definitely go pick up Jane, because being a fan of Jane Eyre, I'm bound to love it as much as I did with Catherine!
▪ Thank you so much to April Lindner for providing a copy of Catherine for review and BTS2013! ▪
December 23, 2013
View the full review here:
http://www.iswimforoceans.org/2013/12...
It should be said, first and foremost, that despite the fact that Wuthering Heights is a classic, I think much of the storyline actually escaped me as a reader. I simply don't think I understood the complexity of the novel, which was, in large part, why I was so very excited to read Catherine by April Lindner. Ms. Lindner has this innate ability to bring the classics to life in a way that makes me appreciate the original, while I'm becoming fully invested in the contemporary retelling. Crafting a story with a careful balance of new and old, these classical retellings simply dust off the cobwebs and bring the story back to life.
I often find with reimagined stories that authors lose crucial bits of their predecessors, which irreparably damage the novel. Catherine though, manages to hold fast to the integrity of the novel, but still manages to interject its in unique flair and flavour to what could have easily become a tired story. I found that much of the first half of the novel adhered rather strictly to that of Wuthering Heights, but once the story, the background and the mystery were set up, the story took on a bit of a life of its own, and taking us on a new sort of adventure that really helps us better understand the nature of the mystery.
Chelsea and Catherine were worthy characters in their own right in this novel, as well. Alternating between their voices by chapter, it was an interesting twist on the classic that offered me far better insight than the original, thus giving me much more of a reason to become invested in the novel. Catherine's point of view seemed to set the stage in the past for the events in the present, while Chelsea's voice moved the pace of the story and the mystery along, injecting it with life as the story progressed.
Reimagined classics will always face a bit of a dichotomy in their readership, if only because of those who are staunch supporters of the classics. What I enjoyed about Catherine is the fact that Ms. Lindner utilized her creative license in the best possible way by borrowing the most important pieces of Wuthering Heights, then interjecting them into an otherwise modern tale. By doing so, Catherine was transformed into a masterpiece in and of itself, alive with romance, drama, mystery and intrigue. Plus, while I had issues with some very unlikable characters in the classic. Ms. Lindner's characters are much more accessible and alive.
Overall, I think that Catherine might be Ms. Lindner's best retelling yet. While there are some implausible moments, and I think that Catherine and Chelsea sounded a bit too similar at times, I really, really enjoyed the story as a whole. I give it a 4.5 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to fans of YA, and contemporary fiction - especially those who enjoy reimagined classics.
I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
http://www.iswimforoceans.org/2013/12...
It should be said, first and foremost, that despite the fact that Wuthering Heights is a classic, I think much of the storyline actually escaped me as a reader. I simply don't think I understood the complexity of the novel, which was, in large part, why I was so very excited to read Catherine by April Lindner. Ms. Lindner has this innate ability to bring the classics to life in a way that makes me appreciate the original, while I'm becoming fully invested in the contemporary retelling. Crafting a story with a careful balance of new and old, these classical retellings simply dust off the cobwebs and bring the story back to life.
I often find with reimagined stories that authors lose crucial bits of their predecessors, which irreparably damage the novel. Catherine though, manages to hold fast to the integrity of the novel, but still manages to interject its in unique flair and flavour to what could have easily become a tired story. I found that much of the first half of the novel adhered rather strictly to that of Wuthering Heights, but once the story, the background and the mystery were set up, the story took on a bit of a life of its own, and taking us on a new sort of adventure that really helps us better understand the nature of the mystery.
Chelsea and Catherine were worthy characters in their own right in this novel, as well. Alternating between their voices by chapter, it was an interesting twist on the classic that offered me far better insight than the original, thus giving me much more of a reason to become invested in the novel. Catherine's point of view seemed to set the stage in the past for the events in the present, while Chelsea's voice moved the pace of the story and the mystery along, injecting it with life as the story progressed.
Reimagined classics will always face a bit of a dichotomy in their readership, if only because of those who are staunch supporters of the classics. What I enjoyed about Catherine is the fact that Ms. Lindner utilized her creative license in the best possible way by borrowing the most important pieces of Wuthering Heights, then interjecting them into an otherwise modern tale. By doing so, Catherine was transformed into a masterpiece in and of itself, alive with romance, drama, mystery and intrigue. Plus, while I had issues with some very unlikable characters in the classic. Ms. Lindner's characters are much more accessible and alive.
Overall, I think that Catherine might be Ms. Lindner's best retelling yet. While there are some implausible moments, and I think that Catherine and Chelsea sounded a bit too similar at times, I really, really enjoyed the story as a whole. I give it a 4.5 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to fans of YA, and contemporary fiction - especially those who enjoy reimagined classics.
I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
January 16, 2013
Catherine, a modern day retelling of Wuthering Heights, is another fabulous novel from April Lindner. Her debut, Jane (a modern Jane Eyre), blew me away and while Catherine was not quite as good, I still greatly enjoyed it. In fact, I can't stop thinking about it.
I have never read Wuthering Heights and honestly, in this case, I think that was a good thing. I had no idea what was going to happen and Catherine ended up being a whole new story for me rather than a retelling. There were twists and turns that readers of the original may have been able to see coming but I certainly couldn't. While the story was definitely a contemporary story, there were quite a few hints of mystery and there was even a little bit of history. It all blended well together and made for a very interesting story and a quick read.
Catherine is the daughter of a wealthy club owner. She lives above the club and so she spends a lot of time in the music scene of the 80s and she gets to know some very different people. When Hence shows up on the front step, Catherine can't help but feel bad for him and ends up getting him a job at the club and a place to stay. From the very start the two are drawn to each other and a very intense romance develops and Catherine's story really tells all about that. Chelsea is Catherine's daughter and she has come looking for her mother who disappeared 14 years ago. She ends up at the club and there she finds some unexpected help from Cooper, a very shut-off Hence, and her mother's diary. As she gets to know Hence in present day she also gets to know him in the past through Catherine's journals. The journals also help Chelsea find out more about her family and what really happened to her mother.
The story alternates point-of-views and time periods. The point-of-views switch between Catherine and Chelsea and the time period switches from the 80s to present day. While this would seem confusing, it's actually not at all. Catherine and Chelsea are two very different people with distinct personalities and voices. You will never not know whose point-of-view you are reading. It was handled very well and I greatly enjoyed the alternating perspectives.
Overall, Catherine is a very complex, well thought out retelling of Wuthering Heights. I was invested in Catherine's and Chelsea's stories from the very beginning and this book put me through a ringer. Don't expect your traditional happy ending with this one but it will definitely leave you satisfied. April Lindner has made a fan of me.
I have never read Wuthering Heights and honestly, in this case, I think that was a good thing. I had no idea what was going to happen and Catherine ended up being a whole new story for me rather than a retelling. There were twists and turns that readers of the original may have been able to see coming but I certainly couldn't. While the story was definitely a contemporary story, there were quite a few hints of mystery and there was even a little bit of history. It all blended well together and made for a very interesting story and a quick read.
Catherine is the daughter of a wealthy club owner. She lives above the club and so she spends a lot of time in the music scene of the 80s and she gets to know some very different people. When Hence shows up on the front step, Catherine can't help but feel bad for him and ends up getting him a job at the club and a place to stay. From the very start the two are drawn to each other and a very intense romance develops and Catherine's story really tells all about that. Chelsea is Catherine's daughter and she has come looking for her mother who disappeared 14 years ago. She ends up at the club and there she finds some unexpected help from Cooper, a very shut-off Hence, and her mother's diary. As she gets to know Hence in present day she also gets to know him in the past through Catherine's journals. The journals also help Chelsea find out more about her family and what really happened to her mother.
The story alternates point-of-views and time periods. The point-of-views switch between Catherine and Chelsea and the time period switches from the 80s to present day. While this would seem confusing, it's actually not at all. Catherine and Chelsea are two very different people with distinct personalities and voices. You will never not know whose point-of-view you are reading. It was handled very well and I greatly enjoyed the alternating perspectives.
Overall, Catherine is a very complex, well thought out retelling of Wuthering Heights. I was invested in Catherine's and Chelsea's stories from the very beginning and this book put me through a ringer. Don't expect your traditional happy ending with this one but it will definitely leave you satisfied. April Lindner has made a fan of me.
January 18, 2013
I am not sure what to make of this book honestly. On one hand I really enjoyed it and it definitely left a lasting impression on me. On the other hand though the characters felt a little to whiny and I am so mad at them for the way they behaved! I can’t decide which hand I feel more strongly about so I am going to go with undecided at the moment.
There are 2 different stories that make up this book. We have Chelsea first who is trying to find out what really happened to her mom who disappeared fourteen years ago. After finding a letter from her written before she left, Chelsea follows the clues that were in the letter to The Underground. This is a nightclub and as with every nightclub I am sure it holds many many secrets. The other story is Catherine’s, Chelsea’s moms. Her story takes place when she was in high school and how things came to be later in her life. Her father owned The Underground and after convincing him to hire Hence, a musician who had nowhere else to go, she finds herself smack dab in the middle of a great romance only her brother Quentin doesn’t approve. This makes things very hard for the two and well things go from bad to worse quickly in more ways than one.
These two halves make up one hale of a story. Like I said some parts I liked some parts I didn’t. Catherine’s story was made up of high school puppy love and what happens when we don’t give the people we love time to explain. Her part infuriated me more so than her daughter’s. I didn’t care for some of Catherine’s choices and I felt like she needed to woman up and tell Hence what she was up to. That being said though I remember being in love at a very young age and well we all do stupid things for love so I get it to a point. Chelsea’s story hit home and I enjoyed it more. Yes she was a bit irritating but she never gave up on trying to find her mom and she never backed down when things were tough. I wish the story would have been told just in her point of view, but I can see why the other was needed.
I know this book is based very loosely on Wuthering Heights and I can see the similarities, but I still wasn’t prepared for that ending. That ending by itself deserves a full star. I am still totally blown away with what the author did there and I give her so much credit for doing that. This is a story of love and loss and no matter how the characters bothered me I know this will stay with me for a long time.
There are 2 different stories that make up this book. We have Chelsea first who is trying to find out what really happened to her mom who disappeared fourteen years ago. After finding a letter from her written before she left, Chelsea follows the clues that were in the letter to The Underground. This is a nightclub and as with every nightclub I am sure it holds many many secrets. The other story is Catherine’s, Chelsea’s moms. Her story takes place when she was in high school and how things came to be later in her life. Her father owned The Underground and after convincing him to hire Hence, a musician who had nowhere else to go, she finds herself smack dab in the middle of a great romance only her brother Quentin doesn’t approve. This makes things very hard for the two and well things go from bad to worse quickly in more ways than one.
These two halves make up one hale of a story. Like I said some parts I liked some parts I didn’t. Catherine’s story was made up of high school puppy love and what happens when we don’t give the people we love time to explain. Her part infuriated me more so than her daughter’s. I didn’t care for some of Catherine’s choices and I felt like she needed to woman up and tell Hence what she was up to. That being said though I remember being in love at a very young age and well we all do stupid things for love so I get it to a point. Chelsea’s story hit home and I enjoyed it more. Yes she was a bit irritating but she never gave up on trying to find her mom and she never backed down when things were tough. I wish the story would have been told just in her point of view, but I can see why the other was needed.
I know this book is based very loosely on Wuthering Heights and I can see the similarities, but I still wasn’t prepared for that ending. That ending by itself deserves a full star. I am still totally blown away with what the author did there and I give her so much credit for doing that. This is a story of love and loss and no matter how the characters bothered me I know this will stay with me for a long time.
June 25, 2013
I am of two minds about this book and both are equally stubborn in their viewpoints, so I am (we are?) going to try a new approach here. A review in the form of an internal conversation.
Easygoing Me (EM): Wow, I devoured that book in one sitting and became so engrossed at times that I had that "resurfacing" sensation when I stopped reading. This is a super fun book!
Literary-minded Me (LM): [scoffs] Super fun? That is your rousing recommendation? Are you kidding me?! That supposed retelling was missing the true essence of the Wuthering Heights characters we know and love and don't even get me started on the issue of plot deviation.
EM: If the book is still enjoyable and appropriately atmospheric in its own right, why do you have to be such a stickler about the changes. It is, after all, a MODERN retelling...snob.
LM: If having standards makes me a snob, then, so be it. In my snobby opinion, it is essential that Heathcliff (known as Hence in this book) be portrayed accurately! This is non-negotiable. I can deal with the fact that Cathy (Catherine) seemed a little less "spirited" and spontaneous in this book. I can even accept that major sections of the plot were almost completely overhauled in the process of modernizing the story. I cannot, however, recognize the requisite level of cold brutality in this version of Heathcliff. He was brooding, certainly, and volatile, without question, but I never truly felt the threat of his vengeance was capable of extending beyond extremely petty and emotionally destructive behavior into the very dark and coldly calculating manipulation we get from the original work.
EM: Yeah, well, whatever you just said, I disagree with on principle. I just separated the two stories in my mind and I was all set to board the train for enjoyment central.
LM: Well, clearly you didn't "separate the two stories" or we wouldn't be engaging in this odd internal debate...er...speaking of which, let's face the other way to finish this conversation. That girl is looking at us strangely. Also, "enjoyment central?" Really?
EM: Really, LM. Ooh, while we have her attention, I should probably tell her to read this book! I still think it was well worth the time and not every book can be a literary snob's dream. Sometimes, it is nice to just read for, you know, fun.
LM: [shakes head sadly]. Sometimes, EM, I truly despair...
Easygoing Me (EM): Wow, I devoured that book in one sitting and became so engrossed at times that I had that "resurfacing" sensation when I stopped reading. This is a super fun book!
Literary-minded Me (LM): [scoffs] Super fun? That is your rousing recommendation? Are you kidding me?! That supposed retelling was missing the true essence of the Wuthering Heights characters we know and love and don't even get me started on the issue of plot deviation.
EM: If the book is still enjoyable and appropriately atmospheric in its own right, why do you have to be such a stickler about the changes. It is, after all, a MODERN retelling...snob.
LM: If having standards makes me a snob, then, so be it. In my snobby opinion, it is essential that Heathcliff (known as Hence in this book) be portrayed accurately! This is non-negotiable. I can deal with the fact that Cathy (Catherine) seemed a little less "spirited" and spontaneous in this book. I can even accept that major sections of the plot were almost completely overhauled in the process of modernizing the story. I cannot, however, recognize the requisite level of cold brutality in this version of Heathcliff. He was brooding, certainly, and volatile, without question, but I never truly felt the threat of his vengeance was capable of extending beyond extremely petty and emotionally destructive behavior into the very dark and coldly calculating manipulation we get from the original work.
EM: Yeah, well, whatever you just said, I disagree with on principle. I just separated the two stories in my mind and I was all set to board the train for enjoyment central.
LM: Well, clearly you didn't "separate the two stories" or we wouldn't be engaging in this odd internal debate...er...speaking of which, let's face the other way to finish this conversation. That girl is looking at us strangely. Also, "enjoyment central?" Really?
EM: Really, LM. Ooh, while we have her attention, I should probably tell her to read this book! I still think it was well worth the time and not every book can be a literary snob's dream. Sometimes, it is nice to just read for, you know, fun.
LM: [shakes head sadly]. Sometimes, EM, I truly despair...
April 20, 2013
Catherine was an amazing take on Wuthering Heights. Each page sucked me in and both the modern and older stories intertwined together were a great addition to the story.
The book switches povs between Chelsea, Catherine’s daughter, and Catherine herself. Catherine is the daughter of the owner of a humongous underground club. When a guy, Hence, comes to work there, they slowly fall in love. Catherine and Hence’s love for one another was so intense and interesting. I was hoping they would get a happy ending. So many years later, Chelsea is trying to figure out the truth behind her disappearance. She comes to the Underground, and gets help from a sweet guy, Cooper, and also finds Hence himself there.
I really liked both Catherine and Chelsea. They were both really headstrong, brave, and determined people. They wouldn’t let anything stand in their way. Catherine’s relationship with Hence was seriously one of the most interesting thing to read about ever. Several obstacles were trying to tear them apart along the way and the interwoven mystery made the story even more interesting.
The setting was also really cool, with it being the music scene in the 80s and present . It switched eras and it was still easy for me to read about both times. Several little things, including a direct reference to Wuthering Heights, were a great addition to the book.
The ending was so amazing! The reason behind Catherine’s disappearance was shocking to me, and I never suspected it. I was crying at a few different parts that helped show the extent of how much Hence still loved Catherine at the end, over all this time. I was so sad after reading this book, but at the same time, Chelsea’s story helped show her looking towards the future. I was happy for her.
Overall, Catherine is a book I’d highly recommend. It plays out like a fantastic drama and it just was so good! :) I’d give it 41/2 out of 5 flowers.
*This review was also posted at http://www.thebookbelles.blogspot.com :)
The book switches povs between Chelsea, Catherine’s daughter, and Catherine herself. Catherine is the daughter of the owner of a humongous underground club. When a guy, Hence, comes to work there, they slowly fall in love. Catherine and Hence’s love for one another was so intense and interesting. I was hoping they would get a happy ending. So many years later, Chelsea is trying to figure out the truth behind her disappearance. She comes to the Underground, and gets help from a sweet guy, Cooper, and also finds Hence himself there.
I really liked both Catherine and Chelsea. They were both really headstrong, brave, and determined people. They wouldn’t let anything stand in their way. Catherine’s relationship with Hence was seriously one of the most interesting thing to read about ever. Several obstacles were trying to tear them apart along the way and the interwoven mystery made the story even more interesting.
The setting was also really cool, with it being the music scene in the 80s and present . It switched eras and it was still easy for me to read about both times. Several little things, including a direct reference to Wuthering Heights, were a great addition to the book.
The ending was so amazing! The reason behind Catherine’s disappearance was shocking to me, and I never suspected it. I was crying at a few different parts that helped show the extent of how much Hence still loved Catherine at the end, over all this time. I was so sad after reading this book, but at the same time, Chelsea’s story helped show her looking towards the future. I was happy for her.
Overall, Catherine is a book I’d highly recommend. It plays out like a fantastic drama and it just was so good! :) I’d give it 41/2 out of 5 flowers.
*This review was also posted at http://www.thebookbelles.blogspot.com :)
January 27, 2013
This is the first of April Lindner's books I've read; I had Jane on my TBR list for a while, but picked up Catherine first because I've never read a retelling of Wuthering Heights. I started it not knowing what to expect and finished it that same night, unable to put it down. The book is set in NYC and starts out with Chelsea, Catherine's daughter, trying to find out what happened to her mother, and then flips back and forth between Chelsea's investigations and Catherine's relation of what happened between her and "Hence," the damaged rock star she fell in love with.
This book was very well-written with great pacing, and the mystery was effective and compelling for most of the book (toward the end, the answer becomes a bit obvious, but by then I was too involved to care). As a novel, it definitely works. As a retelling, I'm not entirely sure how much it captures the essence of the original, but that may be because I'm not actually a fan of Wuthering Heights. (I know! Sorry. Though if you're a huge fan, you might want to stop reading now.) I did think it captured the obsessive love between Catherine and Hence, so for people who think Wuthering Heights is a love story (which, granted, is most people), I think it does succeed. For people like me who think Wuthering Heights is a story about the child abuse perpetrated by two psychotic sadists (hey, I did warn you), both Hence and Catherine seemed pretty watered down from their originals. Which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned, since I doubt I would have liked the book as much as I did otherwise.
I'm really looking forward to picking up Jane now - since Jane Eyre was a book I really DID like, I'm sure I'll love that retelling even more.
This book was very well-written with great pacing, and the mystery was effective and compelling for most of the book (toward the end, the answer becomes a bit obvious, but by then I was too involved to care). As a novel, it definitely works. As a retelling, I'm not entirely sure how much it captures the essence of the original, but that may be because I'm not actually a fan of Wuthering Heights. (I know! Sorry. Though if you're a huge fan, you might want to stop reading now.) I did think it captured the obsessive love between Catherine and Hence, so for people who think Wuthering Heights is a love story (which, granted, is most people), I think it does succeed. For people like me who think Wuthering Heights is a story about the child abuse perpetrated by two psychotic sadists (hey, I did warn you), both Hence and Catherine seemed pretty watered down from their originals. Which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned, since I doubt I would have liked the book as much as I did otherwise.
I'm really looking forward to picking up Jane now - since Jane Eyre was a book I really DID like, I'm sure I'll love that retelling even more.
February 3, 2013
You know how when books are released , more often than not there is a particular book that you have been holding out for and you can't wait to read it. For me one of those books was Catherine by April Lindner. I fell in love with this authors work after reading her modern rendition of Jane Eyre - "Jane". It was awesome and easy to read , so when I discovered she was writing a rendition of Wuthering Heights - another of my all-time favourite classic novels, I knew I just had to get my hands on it. After reading it I was in two minds about the novel as I did love the story but the twists and turns and especially the ending had me screaming out "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO' as I read the final page. Catherine is told in two parts and points of view. The first is Chelsea's whose mother went missing fourteen years ago and now after finding a letter addressed to her that her mother sent , she has gone on a search for her with the believing that she is still alive somewhere and that somewhere leads her to a club called 'The Underground" owned by Hence. The second Point of View is the story of Catherine and Hence ( aka Heathcliff) , it tells the rendition of a tale that we all know oh so well. I did love how the author combined the two points of views and as one who normally doesn't fancy this unless it is done accurately, I quite enjoyed it. I do look forward to seeing if April Lindner will move over to some of Austen's tales and release similar books.
Catherine is a read that any Bronte and Wuthering Heights fan shall read and will enjoy. Just so that readers know, the only reason that this is getting a 4P rather than a 5P is that I am an ending girl and this ending did not sit right with me.
Catherine is a read that any Bronte and Wuthering Heights fan shall read and will enjoy. Just so that readers know, the only reason that this is getting a 4P rather than a 5P is that I am an ending girl and this ending did not sit right with me.
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