Book Review: Wuthering Heights

Who really needs to write reviews of classics? I do! I must write this down simply because I loved Emily Brontë’s work so much. Prior to reading this, I understood Wuthering Heights to be the blueprint for enemies to lovers. What I found was…not that. Yes, there is love and angst, separation and reunion—but this book is about havoc that happens when a human is denied love. Stumbling into Emily’s lovely descriptions of nature and dimensional characters gave me a renewed sense of respect for what broader patriarchal society has labeled as “classic.” You will not find a character in Wuthering Heights that is either innocent nor irredeemable. This novel is high on my list because Emily Brontë hypnotized me into rooting for the primary villain. I have yet to encounter a contemporary author with that much power over my mind. So, genius Brontë sister, I am sorry to have avoided you for so long.

Rating: 9.5/10

What this rating means: I took away a half point because of the crawling pace that exists at times, like in most classics; had I not been encouraged to continue into the third act, I might have stopped reading. I recommend for literary novel lovers and anyone who looks for character development as a feature of their reading.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontê