Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Wuthering Heights is a wonderful classic written by Emily Bronte. Like most people I was introduced to this great book as part of the school curriculum many years ago. I instantly loved this book from the first page and have read it a couple of times. I still have the copy I had in school! Wuthering Heights is a dark and brooding love story, filled with passion, intrigue and deep seated revenge. Its a story of social divide, doomed love and obsession. It is cruel and shocking in places.
Mr Lockwood rents Thrushcross Grange to spend some time recuperating. He visits his landlord Heathcliff at his home, Wuthering Heights. However, a snow storm leaves Mr Lockwood stranded at Wuthering Heights and he is forced to spend the night with its strange inhabitants. He sleeps in a bedroom once inhabited by someone called Catherine and later dreams of her ghost. He later finds out the story of Catherine from his housekeeper upon his return to Thrushcross Grange. This leads us to find out about the early life of Heathcliff and Cathy.........
Heathcliff, an orphaned gypsy boy is adopted by a well to do gentleman Mr Earnshaw and raised as one of his own, much to the chagrin of Hindley, Mr Earnshaw's natural son. Heathcliff and Catherine (Cathy) Earnshaw become firm friends and spend much time on the moors. In later years when Mr Earnshaw dies, Heathcliff is relegated to the status of servant when Hindley becomes the master at Wuthering Heights.
One day while spying on the inhabitants of Thrushcross Grange, The Lintons. Cathy is caught and spends the week there. She returns a lady and soon Heathcliff seems rough and uneducated to her. Catherine soon becomes entangled in a relationship with Edgar Linton despite being in love with Heathcliff. And thus heralds a saga of love, hurt and a dark passion that is often reflected through the imagery of the moors, weather and Wuthering Heights itself and spanning over a number of years. It is told through flashbacks and diary entries. A wonderful book and definitely one of the classics to read! Its currently free from Amazon on Kindle but also available at a cost in paperback.
I never actually read Wuthering Heights... I saw the movie (I think). I know I really ought to read it but I've got so many other books to read so I doubt I'll get round to it. It sounds amazing though :)
x
I loved this book when I read it years ago and I think it probably is the template for many modern novels as it has all the ingredients, love, betrayal, obsession and as you so rightly say, the atmospheric backdrop of the moors.
This would have to be my most favourite classic book of all time. I have a copy from the 1960's. I love it! Great review. I now can not get the Kate Bush song out of my head! lol
One of my favourite books ever.
This is one of my all time favourite books! The brooding Heathcliff is the ultimate Alpha male :)
Thanks for all the great comments guys! So glad the book is so well liked. Its a literature masterpiece. Have to agree with you Mandy about Heathcliff being the ultimate Alpha male. He's a bit of a bad boy!
Absolutely a masterpeice - and I also agree about Heathcliff being a fabulous alpha male character. I like my hero dark and brooding in novels but have to admit not so much in real life - lol!
Janice x
One of my favourite classics - I can't remember how many times I read it when I was younger and now you've made me want to read it again!