Wuthering Heights: Book Review

   

          I'm a reader. Just as my mom, or this girl. ;) I read constantly, and my tastes have slowly improved and matured over the years. I started reading the classic two years years, and boy did I ever fall head-over-heels in love. I've read so many now that they just seem to be a part of me. Books have become part of my identity, who I am, kind of like music. In fact, I'm so madly in love with books and words I even started writing a book. :) 

          Reading books is my recreation, my solace, my escape. Books are my friends  my loves, and occasionally my enemies.

          With all that said, I decided that as long as I am reading like a madwoman  I might as well share my thoughts about some of the books I read. ;) Thoughts? 

          So may I present my first book review of sorts. And you have my sincerest apologies, I was brutally honest about this book, and was pretty hard on Emily Bronte. And I don't even feel guilty at all.

      

{I believe I should mention right here, that I just noticed the words Bella and Edward's favorite book on the cover of this copy of wuthering heights. (my copy didn't have those words!) and I want to set it straight that I am not a fan of Twilight and Bella n' Edward at all. In fact, if there was an official Twilight hater's club, I'd join. :) There's me being brutally honest again. About a popular book.   Again. ;)}

           

          I recently read Wuthering Heights, knowing it was a classic and a book that lots of people love. I have read a lot of books by Charlotte Bronte, and was expecting Emily’s style to be similar, and that I would love her as much as I do Charlotte.

          I was so disappointed. I was surprised at how dark the storyline is, and that it never really redeems itself.

         She completes her thought processes wonderfully, and has a nice balance of dialogue and descriptions, making it interesting and enjoyable to read, but her storyline is depressing and dark, and never comes back with a great ending that makes it all “better,” and worth it.

         Bronte does craft her characters well, making them intriguing and unique. I fell in love with Nelly Dean, and loved that she was mostly the narrator of the story. I also really loved that she was telling the story to someone completely unrelated to the story; I thought that was an interesting way to present a story. 

         I didn't appreciate the revenge in this book though. I suppose it sounds confusing, and probably cliché, but the revenge in one of my favoritest books, The Count of Monte Cristo, was so forgivable and acceptable even. Let me tell you, Edmund had a really good reason to go back for revenge, and I didn't feel that Heathcliff had any reason at all for his life goal of making people wretched. I honestly felt like just he was acting like a spoiled brat, and trying to make everyone miserable and wretched because he was. And that’s just not acceptable revenge. J

         In fact, Heathcliff is positively disgusting, revolting, and unforgivable. I do have a slight problem with falling in love with bad guys. I know, that’s not a good thing, but I do, and I didn't even feel tempted to fall in love with Heathcliff. He’s too slimy and “snakeish”.  I do understand what Catherine saw in him, though, and don't blame her for loving him. Actually, I blame her for driving him to become what he is.

          On a scale of one to ten, ten being fabulous and one worthless, I would give this book a four. And that rating is because it is very well written and well thought-out. I can't tell you how disappointed I am when I read a book with a clever plot, but it’s not well written, or the author did not completely think it through. I appreciated Emily Bronte’s style of writing, and how interesting her storyline was, (interesting as in VERY STRANGE!!! J), but her story was much too gloomy.

          So I suppose I would recommend to those die-hard classic fans out there. J Such as the people who have fallen in love with the old books, and are quite willing to sit through a book for the sake of it’s being a classic. For those of you who aren't quite as enthralled with the classics, I would like to recommend Emma, (Jane Austen), or Shirley (Charlotte Bronte), both books that are not nearly as dark and gloomy, and much more fulfilling as a story. J