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Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontë

Start date: March 6, 2011

Finish date: March 31, 2011

Discussion: Current Group Read

Why we're reading this: Voted for our March read by the members of Classics for Begginers!
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What Members Thought

Aug 30, 2010 KatLynne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads, classic, gothic-dark

Finished my re-read today and what I had forgotten about this novel is "brilliance".

How often do we find an author who can make your heart bleed with tenderness and compassion for a character while only a few chapters later, your greatest desire is to thrash said character in the throes of anger. And the remarkable thing is that while you are wanting to hurt him in some measure to convey your dislike for his dastardly deeds, still inside and trying to lure its way to the forefront of your emot ...more

22 likes · Like · see review

Oct 13, 2009 Lazarus P Badpenny Esq rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: penguin-classics, pre-twentieth-century, 2-kewl-4-skewl, littlekrakowton-litchat-chit-chat, england, u_grad_set_text, death, 2010, stories, nature

Way-back-a-while the emerging middle classes, rich with the self-loathing that comes from having too much time on their hands and the attendant guilt of enjoying comforts earnt sitting on their arses at the expense of a labouring poor, decided that the novel should evolve into an instrument for injecting their jaded existences with a case of the restorative collywobbles. Thanks to which the world ended up saddled with the lesser Bronte's invidious intellectual equivalent of a rape fantasy and ev ...more

17 likes · Like · see review

Mar 23, 2010 Nance rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nance-rr-2012-challenge, romance, classics, books-read-2012, nance-2012-classics

This is the second classic novel that I have read written by a Bronte sister...the first one being “Jane Eyre”, which was written by Charlotte. The novel depicts the story between Catherine Earnshaw, an intensely vibrant beautiful, yet socially driven young woman, and Heathcliff, a powerfully cruel and abusive orphan that was brought home by Cathy’s father from Liverpool, England when the story first begins. Miss Bronte describes the setting of the novel to be somewhat gothic with a bleak and dr This is the second classic novel that I have read written by a Bronte sister...the first one being “Jane Eyre”, which was written by Charlotte. The novel depicts the story between Catherine Earnshaw, an intensely vibrant beautiful, yet socially driven young woman, and Heathcliff, a powerfully cruel and abusive orphan that was brought home by Cathy’s father from Liverpool, England when the story first begins. Miss Bronte describes the setting of the novel to be somewhat gothic with a bleak and dreary moorish countryside as the backdrop that illustrates the whereabouts of the two family estates, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange...The Earnshaws and The Lintons. Cathy and Heathcliff grow up together, along with Cathy’s brother Hindley, becoming inseparable, much to Hindley’s horror. Hindley resents Heathcliff’s presence, and after finally returning from college some years later with a wife in tow, decides to seek revenge on Heathcliff after Mr. Earnshaw’s untimely death. Still to Cathy’s delight, the two confidants continue their adventures together, which leads them to Thrushcross Grange, the home of the Lintons. Cathy becomes infatuated with the son, Edgar, after a dog bite mishap, and decides that she and Edgar are worthy of committing to a lifetime of marriage together. Heathcliff is deeply hurt with Cathy’s decision and decides to leave Wuthering Heights not returning for three years. During his time away, Cathy marries Edgar and moves to Thrushcross Grange, while Hindley leads a drunken life with his young son in his care because of the death of his wife, Frances. When Heathcliff returns, he seeks revenge towards Cathy for her decision to marry Edgar, but Cathy admits to still being passionately in love with Heathcliff. Will their true love survive the absence that these two individuals have experienced for the past few years? Or, will circumstances keep them apart while driving wedges between their respective families and their counterparts? The novel is told through flashbacks with Nelly Dean, a woman engaged to be Catherine’s charge at Wuthering Heights, and Mr. Lockwood, an occupant at Thrushcross Grange during the final demise of the strong and powerful, Heathcliff. As far as whether or not I liked the book, it is hard to say. I thought that the novel was especially difficult to read with its old-English verbage and Miss Bronte’s continued thoughts assumed not written. It also was not as compassionately told as the romantically likeable characters of Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester in “Jane Eyre”. But at times, I did found myself picking the book up repeatedly to find out what was going to happen next. Did I think that Cathy, the elder, was a snob and a bit whiny? Of course I did, but I think that was how the author had every intention of portraying the character as a social climber, but in conflict with two possible suitors. Did I think that Heathcliff was abusive and evil? Of course I did to that question also. Miss Bronte didn’t want him to be the golden-haired perfect romantic hero that we so much associate with English literature. He does not reform himself as the novel progresses either...leading the reader to question whether or not he is a malevolent villain ultimately seeking the love of his life. In addition to the two main characters, there are other background characters that serve to further intrigue the reader while moving the story along to its final destiny...the definitive outcome of Heathcliff’s revenge. ...more

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Dec 24, 2009 Circa Girl rated it really liked it

Shelves: classics, romance

I wouldn't go into this read expecting a personal, passionette romance like in the film adaptions because the entire book is in third person outside the relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff. That being said, the melodrama of the first and second generations along with Ellen's awesome, sensible narration sucked me in. ...more

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Mar 17, 2011 Marlene Marie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

i cannot even begin to convey how amazing the story was without giving anything away; also, the account of characters as the story progresses gives the reader such a detailed account of each individual that you feel as if you are personally acquainted with them.

books like this remind me why i love to read.

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