Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte!

[Nossa]

I've finished reading this book a couple of days ago, I was reading it as a part of my novel course, and kinda felt happy at the begining about having it included in the curriculum, cuz it's been on my list for so long. Having finished it, I thought it was time for an honest review.

The story tells of the passionate yet disturbing love story of Heathcliff and Catherine. Heathcliff is an adopted gypsy, who was taken in the house of Catherine's father, Mr. Earnshaw, and mostly treated as a slave.
While being under Earnshaw's roof, Heathcliff and Catherind build a strong love story, that would be only broken when Catherine declares that it would only degrade her to marry Heathcliff, despite her love for him.
Heathcliff runs away from home, and comes back to find Catherine married to Edgar Linton, someone whom he always thought of as a rival.
By his comeback, Heathcliff carries on a destructive scheme, to get even with all those who wronged him in the past, even Catherine herself.

For me, I didn't expect any festive atmosphere in the novel, and I def. didn't get one. The story is a bit too gloomy for me. I had a hard time accepting many of the characters' actions and reactions, it seemed for me sometimes that someone like Heathcliff is nothing but a sociopath freak, who enjoys hurting people, even those he loves.
By the end of the story, I got the feeling that I was kinda left with nothing, I didn't feel bad for Heathcliff or Catherine, I didn't feel touched or moved or anything of that kind. But maybe it's me after all..lol

I didn't enjoy the story, not much at least. I can honestly say that I only kept on reading, cuz I need to for university, but that's about it.

4/10

[MrD]

Cathy and Heathcliffe had social barriers to getting together in marriage. The next generation of Catherine and Hareton stand a chance. The breaking down of artificially created barriers to human interaction is a necessary function that we now see as a right.

But yeah, it isn't the most exciting social read right now and more considered part o fliterature education.

[Niamh]

Nossa you are being generous i give it 2/10

[Lote-Tree]

I would not say Wuthering Heights is one of my favourite Love Story. In fact I would not call it a love story. It's an obsession between two characters in which you lose sympathy for both. Love and suffering is something I can understand but love and violence - not!

[Nossa]

@MrD: I agree that to a certain extent, the next generation is better than the first (if we excluded Linton Heathcliff), but that's not what people take on the novel, Heathcliff and Cathering made me, personally, hate the idea of love if it leads to such suffering. Love isn't supposed to be like that, I mean there IS suffering in love sometimes, but not like that, as Lote mentioned. I kinda thought of Heathcliff as a loser who just needs to get a freaking life!

@Niamh: lmao..it's funny you say that, cuz when I was about to put my rating, I wondered if it's gonna be okay to put 2 or 3, cuz I thought that this is the lowest it can get. But I agree, it doesn't deserve more than 2..lol

@Lote: I totally agree with you!

[Crazy_mode60]

nossa iam not with you, Really the story verrrry nice , showing alot of traditions and their thought ......

sorry all i have no time to omplete now but i promise to omplete another timeeeee ok bye

[JCamilo]

I just crossed with a quotation of Dante Gabriel Rossetti about this book:
"It was set in Hell but the places are oddly named with english names".

Anyways, the reason why the new generation have a chance is because Heathcliff is dead. The book biggest trait is how the narrative and geography is under his influence, of his mind. He is tormented, so is the world around him and everyone around him. As this, the book is a masterpiece, a step in direction of the moderm romance where the mind would be the real "guide" of all characters, language and action.
I would say it is a Love Story. But a love story between two villains.

[karo]

The first time I came across this story was in the form of the 1940's (I think) movie starring Lawrence Olivier and Vivien Leigh (I think). I was quite young then, and I was incredibly touched by the passion and the tragedy of it. This impression remained when I eventualy read the book as an adult and had seen several other movie adaptations. We have two very ambitious and hot headed characters (does that make them villains?) in Catherine and Heathcliff. They are passionately in love but they cannot realise this love because of social stigma. The passion that could not flower under the conditions in and around Wuthering Heights when Catherine and Heathcliff were young, however, is too strong to die, and turns destructive. In the end it kills them both. I think emotions are like that: every positive has its equal and opposite negative. Bronte's Heathcliff and Catherine are not characters who can live with half measures. Catherine tries to be happy (after all, social standing and luxury is what she wanted in life), but languishes in her comfortable marriage to Edgar. Heathcliff becomes a successful business man, but his new found wealth cannot replace what he lost (the love of his life) when he ran away from Wuthering Heights. They both, in their own way, try to live up to society's standards of success, but are unfulfilled, and eventually embittered, because they cannot be with their true mate. The violence in this novel is born out of suffering and frustration. It's sad and tragic and a very difficult read.

[LadyWentworth]

The first time I came across this story was in the form of the 1940's (I think) movie starring Lawrence Olivier and Vivien Leigh (I think).

The film was from 1939 and starred Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon (two people who despised each other, by the way!).

I have always believed this novel to be a love story. I agree with Lote that it is an obsession. Basically, it is an obsessive love. I am not saying that I feel sorry for Heathcliff or anything, but I put Cathy at fault for everything that took place in it. Yeah, there is this "social" thing going on. If Cathy had never had the "fortune" of becoming a part of that higher class of people that she married into, the events that took place in the novel would probably never have happened. It all took place because of Cathy's greed. She still loved Heathcliff, but she felt she was superior to him. She seemed to play on his emotions alot. She also knew his temperment. She knew he loved her, but she would never completely give herself to him. Basically, she was a tease! The funny thing is, in my opinion, they were positively perfect for each other. Neither one ever really wanted anyone else but each other. They were both selfish. She with her "class" (and, in her way, Heathcliff, too) and he with his love for her. I kind of think that if he didn't have the sligthest feeling that she didn't care for him in any way, he wouldn't have been so "tortured" by her. It is just a dark, tormented story. I actually liked it, though. It isn't something I would recommend to just anyone, of course.

[karo]

The film was from 1939 and starred Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon (two people who despised each other, by the way!).

I put Cathy at fault for everything that took place in it. Yeah, there is this "social" thing going on. If Cathy had never had the "fortune" of becoming a part of that higher class of people that she married into, the events that took place in the novel would probably never have happened. It all took place because of Cathy's greed.

Thanks, Lady Wentworth, for the correct details regarding the movie. The fact that Olivier and Oberon were none too keen on each other is also very interesting!

Regarding Cathy's deviousness, I have often thought the same. In a way, she never gave Heathcliff a chance to prove himself "worthy" of her, i.e. to be capable of providing her with the kind of lifestyle she wished for. Of late, though, I'm coming round to a different point of view. I am less able to put blame on her. What "career option", other than becoming wife to a wealthy husband, did a woman in the 19th century have? Very few and none of them too glamorous I should think. When it comes to harsh reality, love and morality almost always take second place, and, sadly, I think that much is as true today as it was then.

[JCamilo]

I Disagree, the only way Heatcliff could prove worth of her was being what he was. It is obvious that the romantic tradional character (Linton) was unworth of her (as much as unworth means unfit) and that their love is not meant to be a happy love. Both were deviants, proud of it, aware of it and knew that the only soul that was fit to them was each other.
The real tragedy was her early death, otherwise Heatcliff and Cathy would just turn the linton family a hell, and still in love each other.

[thelastmelon]

I disagree with many of you when I say that I absolutely loved the book.
I have just bought it in English and will re-read it, and see what I think next time.

[Etienne]

A weird but very interesting book, I found it a very good read.

[Annamariah]

It is quite well written and the plot is interesting enough, but I find the fact that none of the characters are likeable somewhat disturbing. (And the whole story was just too sad!)

[Silvia]

I loved it the first time I read it...It almost made me cry!
And it is actually among my favourite novels...
I am rereading it now because of a paper I have to write for English classes and I must admit I'm not enjoyning it as much as I did the first time...perhaps it's just because I already know what's happening next, or because I'm paying too much attention to the symbols and themes...
Anyway, I would hardly recommend that everyone should read it, it's such a powerful novel!