Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The only thing better than a wild, passionate love story, is one written in rich, beautiful language and by a woman with a fascinating history. One such story is found in Emily Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights, published in 1848, the year before her death at age thirty. This book is an intriguing page-turner with a startling plot and realistic characters who interact in surprising ways.
Bronte’s style throughout this book uses language similar to most writers of her time, with complex sentences and accents which are a challenge to decipher. The simple country setting of the story provides a smooth backdrop for the story’s drama involving Catherine Earnshaw, Heathcliff, her lover, and their families. The characters are each complex and unique, with personalities that change as they age throughout the book. Catherine and Heathcliff are raised in the same family, though they are not siblings, and as they mature their shared struggles and desires bring them to realize their deep love for each other. When the two lovers meet at the climax of the book to finally proclaim their love for one another, Heathcliff exclaims: “‘Do I want to live? What kind of living will it be when you – oh, God! would you like to live with your soul in the grave?’” (197-8). Their love is so powerful, and the mysterious outcomes of their lives leaves the reader moved and somewhat remorseful.
I thought Wuthering Heights was a beautifully crafted love story in which every character’s fate was precisely realistic and touching. Any strong reader with a taste for old literature and engrossing stories should certainly pick up a copy of Wuthering Heights. ~ Student: Sarah A.
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