Book Review: ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Bronte - A Classic Romance Novel

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“Be with me always-take any form-drive me mad! Only do not leave me alone in this abyss where I cannot find you……I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!”

-Heathcliff

For all the times I have read this line, each time it takes me back to my favorite book. To start, Bronte’s writing style is what appealed to me the most. After reading the novel I couldn’t help but fall in love with the narrative and the vocabulary she used. For me, the novel admires the beauty in both love and hatred, life and death. 

The novel is not just about romance and love but also a cruel relationship around the borders of possession, obsession, and separation. The story is about an unattainable love that changes the lives of all characters. favorite. I was reluctant at first after reading all the reviews on the internet but I am glad I didn’t give in and got my hands on the most popular, iconic works of literature.

Introduction

Book’s Name - Wuthering Heights

Author’s Name - Emily Brontë

Genre - Romance, Fiction, Tragedy

Language - English

Synopsis - Spoiler Alert!

The novel is not just about romance and love but also a cruel relationship around the borders of possession, obsession, and separation. The story is about an unattainable love that changes the lives of all characters. The passionate love, romance, eternal obsession displayed throughout overwhelm the readers and make the story more fascinating.

At the beginning of the story, we are introduced to three characters - Hindley, Catherine, and Heathcliff. As readers, we sympathize with Heathcliff for being treated so poorly by his half-brother.

With everything wrong that was happening with him, Catherine was his only support. They were so linked that what affects one, affects the other. However, their love was doomed and they had to part ways. Heathcliff runs away and doesn’t return for the next three years. Catherine dies after giving birth to Cathy but in her last moments, all she could remember was her love for Heathcliff.

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The love between Catherine and Heathcliff has such a strong influence that it brings misery to everyone including their children who, like them, fall in love with each other. The unspoken conversations, deaths, ghosts, seduction, revenge all together make the story impactful and provokes intense feelings of love and hatred that make it more difficult to take our eyes off the book. With every chapter I completed, I was eager to know about what Bronte has to say in the next one.

“The entire world is a dreadful collection of memoranda that she did exist and that I have lost her”

The ability to destroy the world if it keeps you from your true love is a deep level of passion. The destructive love is something not everybody at present can relate to but just to think that a love like this was ever written about impresses me. It is a masterpiece despite all the hate it receives. The book is thick and worthwhile.

About the Author

 Emily Jane Bronte was born on July 30, 1818, in Thornton, Yorkshire. She has written over 200 poems in her lifetime and Wuthering Heights is her only novel. She was the fifth of six children, two of her sisters were famous authors: Charlotte Bronte and Anne Bronte. 

Her novel, Wuthering Heights is dark but solves the mystery of her existence. Her novel was criticized by publishers who called it too hostile, animal-like, intense, and dramatic. Only later it was considered one of the finest works of literature. 

Emily taught music at a girls academy in Brussels where she studied French for six months.  In 1845, Emily, Anne, and Charlotte published a book of their poems under male pen names using their initials - Ellis Bell, Acton Bell, Currer Bell. Twenty-one of Emily’s poems were published in this book.

The Bottom Line

The novel challenges all notions of social classes, worldly affairs, family relationships, and places of love above all!.

Lastly, I would just like to add that the novel for me is breathtakingly beautiful. I hope this review helps. Stay tuned for more!

My rating for this book - 4 on 5

Get your copy of the book on Amazon - Wuthering Heights

Written By - Rachita Arora