Wuthering Heights (Wordsworth Classics)

Firstly, regarding the physical elements; for the price, it's a win-win. There will be better prints out there, but it's so cheap for such a classic,... arguably the greatest classic of them all. The story can be quite difficult to start with, knowing who is who, what's happening, etc. especially with the way Emily directed the narrative (You may want to start over after a few chapters!). However, if you can stick with it, you're in for a wild ride. This novel, NOT A ROMANCE, will take you on an emotional journey, that will be difficult at times, harrowing even, but the journey is worth it. This is perhaps the first novel to remain in my thoughts for days and days after, and I am looking forward to rereading again soon, just to approach the beginning with a bit more awareness, and to understand the depth that is hidden within. so despite some challenges early on, the overall experience, and the 'after effect' make it a 5 star for me, it's just so impactful. Everyone should read it, but it does seem a little like Marmite. Just remember, it is not a romance, and you won't be in for a disappointment.

I believe that you don't just read Wuthering Heights, you live it. What can I honestly say about Wuthering Heights that could show my affection I have with the story? Since reading it for my English Literature A Level, I have lived the story countless times; thought about it everyday. It's a novel that leaves you either confused, saddened or emotionally connected with not only the characters, but the Yorkshire moors and the house that is Wuthering Heights. It won't leave you - it changes you. The story, so secluded in itself is nothing like the other books I have read, for it gives you what you want in a novel: characters, setting, plot, themes, all wonderfully developed, leaving them all in your imagination to flourish as you keep reading. The writing is simply beautiful, expressing the setting, character and plot perfectly in such a dire situation. Yes, this is one of the most extreme, horrid and liminal stories I've read, but the way in which the characters unfold, the Gothic overtakes and the ultimate downfalls of Catherine and Heathcliff is what subsidizes the experience of reading this phenomenal novel. No wonder Brontë is the "Sphynx of Literature": as she writes from the heart, mind and soul. The extremeness of Catherine's "Nelly, I am Heathcliff" and "My love for Edgar resembles the foliage in the woods: time will change it" also sticks with you and you question whether this love between Catherine and Heathcliff will be as strong as your love for someone else. It does not just deal with the love and eventual downfalls of Catherine and Heathcliff, it also introduces side plots, such as Hindley's drinking, Hareton's illiteracy and the overall themes of power, wealth and choice to co-inside superiorly. These are done throughout the book to lift it from a "love story" to a "domesticated tragedy", providing the minor characters with fulfilling roles that you can argue take centre stage at points in the novel. Perhaps these were themes Brontë knew well enough to pour such detail and corruption into such a typical novel that baffled critics when first published. I can't write how much I love this novel, for it is in itself a masterpiece of nature: a violent piece of beauty. It will be the novel I read over and over again, to myself, my children and my grandchildren. There is nothing I could say to express how I feel about this novel; I adore Emily Brontë for being such a daring human to explore the liminal, the Gothic and for the way it has truly impacted on my life. It will become my bible throughout life, and I will have pleasure in reading it time and time again, because it's a timeless classic.

Review originally posted A Frolic Through Fiction: [...] RATED 4.5/5 STARS! Well didn’t THIS take me by surprise! I did not expect to enjoy this quite as much as I did. Wow. Right. So the main thing that puts me off reading classics is the amount of effort it takes me to read them compared to my usual books because of the difference in language. Yes , I know it is more educational for me to read more complex books occasionally. But when I read for enjoyment, sometimes I just don’t want that extra struggle. And by sometimes I mean most of the time. But this book was nowhere near as difficult to understand as I thought it would be! Of course, it did take me longer to read because it was still different, but I’ve read classics that are much denser and feel like mud to get through. This didn’t. At all. Especially with the note pages at the back of the book to help you through some of the language meanings. Honestly, I think the only time I’d struggle was when one character in particular would talk – Joseph. Dear lord, did that man have a thick accent! Half the time I had no idea what he’d be rambling on about, but like I said, the note pages are there (in this edition, at least) to help you through. I swear, most of the notes are just devoted to translating his accent and phrases! Enough about accents though. This book grabbed my attention from the start. It’s told in a very interesting way – and this is where I try my best to describe it to you guys while probably confusing everyone. I apologise in advance. So, you read the book from Mr Lockwood’s point of view, as he’s hearing the story of Catherine and Heathcliff through the housekeeper, Mrs Dean. If that makes sense. So you start at “present day” (though obviously not OUR present day), then go back a few years to the beginning of the story, and gradually make your way back to “present day”. If that confused you, I’m sorry for my awful explaining skills – but I promise it all makes perfect sense when you read it! What I’m basically trying to say though is that it doesn’t just feel like a random story, but you’re discovering it for a reason. Also, the perspective you’re reading from isn’t the main character – or even a side character – but more of a…bystander? I don’t think I’ve read a book from that point of view before! As for the actual story, although it’s by no means as action based and thrilling as most of the books I read, it was highly entertaining for me. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the Victorian drama! And yes, I say Victorian drama specifically, because everything was so much more dramatic during those times. If you look at someone without smiling, you’re basically the devil’s spawn and have no soul. I mean, look at this. One character was looking after another while they were ill, and here’s how it was described… “His health and strength were being sacrificed to preserve a mere ruin of humanity.” I know it’s probably wrong, but I can’t help but be amused by phrases like that! The book is so dramatic, and yet if the events happened nowadays, it’d hardly be anything. And yet everything seems like a shocking downright disgrace to humanity, purely because that’s how the book is written. And it was sort of nice to see how everything – every word, every action, every meal or object or journey – meant so much more back then. It made me feel like I was living in the Victorian times, and with how much I adore history, that’s a massive bonus to me. At first I was VERY confused about how all the characters were related. So, so confused. But about halfway through it all became clear in an instant. That moment, oh how it felt like a ray of light burst through the clouds fogging my mind . I couldn’t make sense of it before, but just went with it and continued enjoying the story regardless, and then suddenly another person comes into play and CLICK everything suddenly makes sense. I actually said aloud “OHHHH NOW I GET IT” So other than the original confusion with the relations of the characters and the struggles of understanding Joseph’s accent, I had no other problems with this book. I loved the drama, I loved the gothic feeling surrounding the (very highly detailed) settings, and I loved seeing the difference between the society then and now. I feel like this book is a great place to start if you want to get into classics. I mean, that’s what I’m trying to do, and it’s certainly worked for me! I honestly think this is my favourite classic so far (along with Pride and Prejudice).

Everyone’s heard of Wuthering Heights - the love story of Heathcliff and Catherine - but do most people know that it’s not really a love story? I came to this book, having heard of it, and by extension the movie, for decades. I have always sterered clear of it, thinking it a slushy romance. I could not have been more wrong. If I were to sum it up it succinctly it would be that it’s about the obsession of loss, much like Hamlet. It’s written in the Gothic genre, so think Poe, but far more terrifying, because of how real it feels, yet completely surreal at the same time. As I read it I thought the characters could not get any worse but they kept surpassing my expectations. In fact, my husband asked me as I was getting towards the last few chapters of the book if there was any redemption and I had to say ‘nope, they’re all truly awful human beings’. It had peaked his interest so much that he’s even going to read it and he never reads books. The book itself is deliberately confusing. You gradually piece together who each person is, and their role, the further you go into the book. I advise keeping a pen handy and try to jot down a family tree, but even then, it’s still difficult to place everyone. The similarity in names leads to much confusion, and even Catherine’s name confuses, right in chapter 3 when you see three Catherines with different surnames. The book is full of biblical reference, reference to Greek mythology, Shakespeare and even Poe in the early chapters - ‘Thou art the man’. There is a lot of work to be done in reading this novel but it is absolutely worth it. This book is absolutely horrifying. The characters are for the most part absolutely detestable, particularly the main protagonists. Heathcliff is the devil incarnate, and Catherine is so utterly manipulative that she manipulates her own death - she and Heathcliff are well suited. I find little sympathy for most of the characters. Perhaps controversially, I do find myself more sympathetic to Hindley, usurped in many ways by an orphan/stranger taken off the streets. He is cast aside by his father and sister, in favour of the newcomer. He loses his horse, his son and home to the newcomer too. I find it understandable why he was cruel towards Heathcliff but he was still awful. I really feel mostly for poor Hareton, a complete innocent in it all and utterly oblivious to all going on, but this too is deliberate. Social class is writ large all over the book, and indeed, Heathcliff shows nothing but contempt for the middle classes, the people who took him in and wants to make everyone pay for the fact that he was of lower status. He does this by ensuring that he and his kin inherit all the land and belongings of those he detests, while ensuring those same people were brought low and made to toil in the fields. This is his revenge. Joseph said, when he was a a teenager that Heathcliff had his foot in the first part of the Broad Way to destruction, a warning and a biblical reference to what happens to those who take the easy path or the hard path in the life. The broad way is the easy path. It is the road to hell. It is no wonder this book was so shocking and controversial at the time. Sadly, it’s the type of book that would never get published today, and I would not be surprised if this book were to be cancelled at some stage. I had to laugh at someone’s comment who thought there were no themes, and plot, and no cohesion, and that they as a writer knew how not to write a book and felt that they could write better than Brontë. As horrible as the characters were, and the lack of redemption, it was utterly gripping and haunting. Not iin a ghostly way, althougn that is strongly prevalent in the book, but in terms of the impression it made on me. Certainly, one of the best books I’ve ever read in my life.

For those who worry having dyslexia or struggling to read puts them off these types of books, I argue if the plot, characters and determination are there this is not a challenge. I was one of these people and I love this book! Jane Eyre is one of my favourite books and I love all the Brontë’s works I’ve read and this type of genre. Whilst it may take me longer than some to read this kept my attention and was well worth persevering over. Love it!

Lovely book, I’ve read this many times however thought this particular book cover was beautiful and looks good in my book shelf. Great classic novel, must read for anyone and everyone

Bought it new so I'm disappointed with the damage...

Speedy delivery

I don’t know who was in charge of creating the typeset to this but it’s awful.

Well worth reading

Ótima qualidade, produto chegou certinho, recomendo!

The book came in good condition and looks exactly like the picture. Would recommend getting one for your self

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