Wuthering Heights (Collins Classics)

This is my classic for this year, though I listened to it through Audible Stories rather than reading it.Wuthering Heights is a story of stories. It is written from the point of view of Mr Lockwood who rents Thrushcross Grange in the Yorkshire moors. Incidentally, despite the fact I was listening to a Yorkshire accent at times, in my head "the moors" always mean West-country - either Exmoor or Dartmoor, so that's where I imagined it to be set. Mr Lockwoods seeks out his Landlord, Heathcliff, in a nearby manor called Wuthering Heights. After being met by various uncouth and impolite characters, when Mr Lockwood returns to the Grange, Nelly, the housekeeper tells him the story of Wuthering Heights and how each of the people there have developed into the people they are now.I don't know whether I like this book or not? I certainly enjoyed listening to it, Michael Kitchen narrated it very well. And I can appreciate the the quality of the writing. The book left me wanting more at the end of each chapter, I wanted to find out what happened next and discover the fates of the characters. However, I didn't like the story (which may be because the characters were so believable).Previously, I had always thought Wuthering Heights to be a dramatic love affair between Heathcliff and Cathy, taking place on the Moors, and reading it would make my heart swoon and my eyes brighten. In fact, this is a book about a grumpy man who was humiliated as a child, and then seeks to take out his revenge on pretty much everyone around him, to the detriment of all. We never find out the source of Heathcliff's money, and rather than this being a good ghost story, that seems to be forgotten mostly, until it seems to convey rantings of a madman, and at the very end of the book superstitious locals.So, I'm glad that I have now read/listened to the book, and know the story. As I said, it was enjoyable. It's only now that the book is finished, that I'm left someone dissatisfied.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is a literary gem that has stood the test of time. This iconic novel, although controversial when it was first published, has captivated readers for generations, myself included. Its complex characters, haunting atmosphere, and tragic love story make for an unforgettable reading experience.Bronte’s writing style is nothing short of mesmerizing. The way she seamlessly weaves together multiple narrators and diverging timelines adds layers of depth to the story. Each voice is distinct and their perspectives bring unique insights into the tumultuous tale. The descriptive prose transports the reader to the wild moors of Yorkshire, making the setting a character in itself. The sweeping landscapes mirror the characters' turbulent emotions, intensifying the overall atmosphere of the novel.The characters in Wuthering Heights are both deeply flawed and highly intriguing. Heathcliff, the enigmatic protagonist, is a brooding, dark figure consumed by his love for Cathy. His complexity and the intensity of his emotions are what make him such a memorable character. Cathy, on the other hand, is torn between societal expectations and her untamed passion. Their toxic relationship, filled with dark obsessions and unrequited love, serves as the driving force behind the story.While Wuthering Heights is primarily known for its love story, it encompasses so much more. It delves into themes of social class, revenge, and the destructive power of obsession. Bronte challenges societal norms of the time, shedding light on the consequences of suppressing one's desires and the importance of staying true to oneself.This novel may not be for everyone due to its dark and melancholic tone, but if you appreciate gothic literature and enjoy complex character dynamics, Wuthering Heights is an absolute must-read. Its enduring relevance and timeless themes continue to resonate with readers across generations. Prepare to be emotionally drawn into a world of passion, obsession, and cruelty, as you embark on this haunting journey through the moors of Wuthering Heights.

.. for the first time, I decided to read this book. I was thinking, why have I waited so long, after just a few pages. Written by a young author, and a book that would prove to be her only novel. Beautifully written, this kept me riveted to the end. I'm not sure if this version is the copy that her sister added to after Emily's death, I'm curious to find out. With a little imagination, you can absorb this book as a horror, it's certainly haunting especially with the window scene at the beginning of the book. Folk obviously died young at the time this novel was written, and Emily took advantage of this fact, and is the backbone of this excellent book. The vocabulary seems to flurry and float, why use a single word when six or seven will do. Once you get used to this, the chapters fly by.

I do not particularly care for the Brontes. I got this book as it is considered a major achievement and recommended by a psychiatrist I know. She maintained that Heathcleaf is a character that really exists and can be found even today. Anyway, I got through quite easily and I recommend the Oxford World Classics edition, because their notes etc are very helpful. It is a savage book, full of extreme passion, positive, but mostly, negative. I give it 4 stars, because I personally prefer books about more "normal" people, who have their troubles and sorrows all right anyway, and if the whole book is set in a social context, so much the better for me. However, checking up historical and litterary sources, I discovered that the environment, the people and area Emily Bronte lived in, was in fact as savage as described in that book, and possibly worse. So, it does have great merit even as a historical and cultural record and portayal.

Beautiful collectable book

review is for the physical book, not the contents inside (haven’t read it yet) but it’s absolutely stunning

Fab story - but I bought this for the beauty of the hard back. The pattern transferred onto my leg when I was reading - within about 30 mins

Readers either love or hate Wuthering Heights with a passion but under no circumstance are they indifferent and there is a reason for that. This book is a too powerful force of nature that devours the reader and does not let they leave. Many hate to be dragged like that. I'm among those who love it, and here are three reasons why:First, I was overwhelmed by the intricate structure of the narrative, which flashes back and forward and intertwines several layers of narrators, from the ostensive Lockwood, to the fantastic voice of Nelly Dean, and then in another layer to what Nelly heard and read from Heathcliff, Isabella and Zillah. Emily Brontë manages to transition from one voice to the next smoothly and seamlessly, while sustaining a cohesive and consistent narrative that, for the length of time it covers, moves really fast. Indeed, I was amazed with how well she cuts any 'shoe leather' (there is particularly one transition, from the moors to inside Heathcliff's house in Chapter 27 that made me wow.) Nelly is a formidable storyteller if not a film editor, not only for what she tells and comments but also for what she disregards or conveniently excludes altogether. Some people say there are unnecessary characters, Lockwood being the most notorious one. But to me, having Lockwood to open room for Nelly is as clever as using Ellis Bell as a pen name, because with that Emily Brontë not only circumvented the prejudice against women authors in the Victorian Society but managed to tell a story in which a housekeeper has a lot to say and do. And imho this device also serves the plot well, because Lockwood's interest on Catherine adds to his unreliability (while he seems to let Nelly's voice reverberate untouched) as much as Nelly's own subtle influence on the destinies of the Earnshaws and Lintons goes unnoticed.Second, there is a formidable storytelling that is both dark, cold and gloomy but also bright, warm, tender and beautiful, and this balance is so well put that readers can either see the novel as a romantic love story or a horror tale of violence and hatred. There are many duplicates and characters are also multifaceted. Most readers detest all characters because of their arrogant, selfish and even violent behavior but, in my view, they are tremendously rich of vulnerability and ambiguity. There is no one to clearly root for but at least to me it was difficult to hate them either. I may be a too indulgent kind of reader, but I felt WH was like Shyamalan's Servant where characters are mostly dislikeable but you just can't let them go. They are a too interesting pack of people to be forsaken. Virginia Woolf describes these characters as impossible in the real world, but yet captivating, which she attributes to Emily's rarest of all powers in a poet: "She could free life from its dependence on facts; with a few touches indicate the spirit of a face so that it needs no body." These characters are not real people, but they feel like people you know all the same.Third, there is the supernatural. From the first scene when Lockwood meets Heathcliff, it became clear that Emily Brontë was no Jane Austen. Indeed, I began WH imagining Heathcliff as a kind of Servant's Uncle George in his natural habitat, rude and rough but tough and disciplined. Then there is the dreamlike haunting scene in Catherine's room (what was that, Kate Bush?) and the creepy, supernatural atmosphere never leaves completely anymore. The second half of the book that covers the second generation was so suffocating that I kept asking myself, as indeed I did in Servant, "why didn't these people escape the evil influence of Heathcliff and go live their lives peacefully elsewhere?" Like Leanne Grayson in Servant, Heathcliff's ability to take control of people seems superhuman, it transcends. Some scholars even see Heathcliff as a demonic figure in the Miltonian tradition of Frankenstein.I didn't know before finishing WH that the Brontë Sisters were not from upper classes in England and wrote their books from their reclusive lives in the far lands of Yorkshire (that made me admire the power of Emily's ideas even more.) Inspiration certainly came from her readings, and I can see Hamlet and Macbeth in WH, while its creepy conclusion goes along with Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (and now I think, Heathcliff a gypsy just like Esmeralda!). Harold Bloom recognizes Lord Byron, and other scholars explore the hidden parallels of WH with John Milton's Paradise Lost. Richard Ellman mentions that James Joyce once said to Eugene Jolas, while reading WH: "This woman had pure imagination; Kipling had it too, and certainly Yeats." That is more or less how I felt when finishing WH: Emily Brontë's imagination is powerful and irresistible as is her language and style, even when she goes over the top. WH is a force of nature that is futile to resist, it engulfs you with its hyperbolic style, cruel and violent characters, and bleaky and foggy atmosphere. In my case, it took me completely and does not seem to let me go anytime soon.

O livro é divino. Comprei para aprimorar a leitura na lingua inglesa e não me decepcionei. Entrega rápida.

As always Oxford University Press delivers on the "Notes" department.Just be aware that currently you cold feasibly find either this edition or a newer one and that each comes with a different introduction, mine is the older one with the ominous gray landscape on the cover (the new one has a desperate looking woman in sepia) and I'm assuming the notes on both are basically the same

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. This books tells a lot about me and my small imagination of a perfect world. This book was just sitting on my shelf for a long time but when I finally picked it up to read I never regretted. Though, the writing style is a bit complex given the context of a bit western early english narratives.One of my favourite and I bet everyone's favourite quote from this book is 'Whatever our souls are made of his and mine are the same' ❤️ ✨️The book deals with a tragic love story and it inspires a kind of freedom, autonomy and a sense of living in the minds of readers. It is definitely a five star rating🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 book.

This book is a classic that I am reading for school. It has a lot of inormation of the time period it represents. The author is a brilliant writer who captures every detail as a photograph would give.