Saturday, October 28, 2017

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

I had been intending to read Wuthering Heights for a long time, and after watching The Bronte Sisters on PBS recently, I decided it was finally time. While it was certainly well written and it kept my interest, I had a bit of a hard time with it because neither of the main characters (Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff) is at all likable. I don't think I can give a better description of the book than what is written on Goodreads:
Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange, situated on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before; of the intense relationship between the gypsy foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw; and how Catherine, forced to choose between passionate, tortured Heathcliff and gentle, well-bred Edgar Linton, surrendered to the expectations of her class. As Heathcliff's bitterness and vengeance at his betrayal is visited upon the next generation, their innocent heirs must struggle to escape the legacy of the past.
Even though I didn't like the main characters, I'm glad I finally read the book, and I rate it 4 out of 5.  I read this for the category
1.  A 19th century classic - any book published between 1800 and 1899.
This is the 9th book (out of 12) I have read for the Back to the Classics 2017 Reading Challenge. At this time, I have no plans to finish the other 3 categories (a classic in translation, a classic originally published before 1800, and a Russian classic).