Book Review ~ Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte ~ Well that was Interesting

      I've been reading other blogs, and I am going to slightly change the way I do reviews. I am going to add my rating, and possibly a few other things at a later date.

 Rating: 5 Stars

Well, that was interesting. Having only read Austen in the past and knowing nothing of Wuthering Heights, I was expecting something more light-hearted than this. The blurb on the back of my copy of the book said that it was the story of two childhood friends who grow up to be soul-mates. I suppose it is, but it is ..... darker, than that. I will tell my thoughts the best I can, because I don't want to give any spoilers for those of you who haven't read it yet. If you want to feel a connection...more        Well that was interesting. Having only read Austen in the past and knowing nothing of Wuthering Heights, I was expecting something more light-hearted than this.        The blurb on the back of my copy of the book said that Wuthering Heights was the story of two childhood friends who grow up to be soul-mates. I suppose it is, but its ..... darker, than that. I will tell my thoughts the best I can, but I don't want to give any spoilers away for those of you who have yet to read it.        If you want to feel a connection with the characters you read about, or if you want to like the characters in your books, then this isn't the story for you. The majority of these characters are not in the least likable, and since there are only a handful of people needed in the plot, this leaves one or two remotely pleasant characters. Heathcliff is violent and practically the definition of evil, Linton is cranky and demanding, Catherine is selfish and disobedient, and Cathy disregards any advice given to her. The few likable characters are Nellie Dean, the maid from whose point of view the story is told. Mr. Lockwood is O.K, but mainly because he is hardly in the story. I suppose you may be able to like Cathy.       Heathcliff was bent on revenge against Edgar Linton, the reason for this I cannot say, for that would be a spoiler. Heathcliff goes to extreme lengths to get what he wants. He cares for nobody but himself.        I was expecting Wuthering Heights to be told in the 3rd person, but it is not. It starts off from Mr. Lockwood's point of view; he is visiting the home of Cathy. He meets Heathcliff, and, on discovering his terrible temper, asks Nellie Dean for Heathcliff's story. The majority of the rest of the book is told from Nellie's perspective, with a few breaks when Nellie has to leave and you hear Lockwood's thoughts on what Nellie has told so far.        There is a lot of death. Approximately half the characters die. In all likelihood you won't be attached to any of them, so this may not be a problem.             The author reused many names, and more often than not, one character's last name would be the first name of another. I saw that many people complained about this being confusing, and in all honesty I was confused in the beginning as well. Soon enough, however, characters begin to be killed off. When this happens there is only one character left with the name. Dead characters are mentioned, and you can tell when the person mentioned is dead by who is talking about them and in what manner they are doing so. After reading, names become less of a problem.        These are a lot of negative aspects, yet I have rated the book 5 stars. This is because I enjoyed it. I loved it. It was a Gothic Romance, but the romance was of a darker sort, the type that ultimately destroyed the lovers.           This was a book as unique as its author, Emily. It was a literary masterpiece. It was amazing.