From the Bookshelf of Reading List Completists…

Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontë

Start date: December 1, 2019

Finish date: December 31, 2019

Discussion: Group Reads

Why we're reading this: December 2019 Completist Book Selection
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Group Reads

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What Members Thought

Apr 06, 2022 Tony rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2022-read-shelf, a-classic-example

YIKES!! Talk about a Disfunctional Family! The Earnshaws (and Lintons) top them all. I really wanted to enjoy this book, really! I just could not like or relate to any of the characters. They were so rotten to each other, arguing constantly, and when they weren't arguing, they were treating each other pretty crappy, sometimes just for fun. And if that weren't bad enough, those that didn't jump to the fray (or melee) were sooooooo whimpy! I mean, come on Edgar! Grow a pair!

Everyone in the family YIKES!! Talk about a Disfunctional Family! The Earnshaws (and Lintons) top them all. I really wanted to enjoy this book, really! I just could not like or relate to any of the characters. They were so rotten to each other, arguing constantly, and when they weren't arguing, they were treating each other pretty crappy, sometimes just for fun. And if that weren't bad enough, those that didn't jump to the fray (or melee) were sooooooo whimpy! I mean, come on Edgar! Grow a pair!

Everyone in the family seemed so sickly, too. I get that during this time era, people were susceptible to illness and dying from them, but to just lay around and WAIT for death, at that point, you're just a waste of space (*cough* Linton Heathcliff). Come on, Dr. Kenneth! Can't you do anything but come on over and say, "yep, they're sick". Fighting, arguing and a whole lot of whining is pretty much most of the dialogue between the characters.

There were hints (subtle for sure) of a ghost story and buried within all the craziness between everyone, a sad, yet bizarre love story. Heathcliff, I know you're adopted, but really, your sister? And if she's the one you secretly love, why treat her so bad. You're an adult now, time to stop 'pulling the ponytails' because you like her. Ay' Carambe!

I did enjoy the setting and the era in which the story took place. Bronte's descriptions were beautiful and haunting. It took me a bit to get on board with the dialogue, but once I got my 'Victorian language' on, I was able to keep up. Now......when Joseph spoke, HA...that was a different story. Bronte tried to capture his dialect and accent accurately by phonetically spelling out his responses, and was THAT a challenge to decipher! I found myself re-reading his spoken parts over a few times to figure out what he was saying.

Overall, the story was interesting, but when I can't stand the characters, it becomes a "what's the point?" read for me. It certainly merits reading once (and I check this one off my 'Classics Bucket List'), but as for a favorite, I'll just chalk it up to "it was ok". I do like 'period pieces', but Jane Austen she is not. I give it 3 stars. Just my 2 cents! :) ...more

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May 01, 2022 Summer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 19th-century-romance, brontélong, f-r-i-e-n-d-s-books

This is a dark book.

I did not anticipate how dark the themes within this book would be. This is about a desperately unhappy family (families? they are inextricably linked so I think ‘family’ will suffice). A family suffering perpetual abuse and violence.

To think, before this the darkest and most violent book I’d read was Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. But now, instead of My Hyde – Mr Heathcliff takes the cake as the cruellest and most evil character I’ve encountered in a book. Oh, Mr Heathcliff – this m ...more

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