# I just didn't like Wuthering Heights. Ok, I said it, I can't help it.



## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

After hearing Wuthering Heights was a masterpiece in literature, and my absolutely loving Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, I embarked on reading Wuthering Heights.  Like some books I've encountered, it was hard for me to get interested in it at first.  Most books like this I preserve re and actually love the book (excluding Tess of the D'urbervilles which I never liked through and through).  But with Wuthering Heights, I detested the character Heathcliff and found no good quality in him whatsoever.  I have to find some good quality in certain characters like this.  I plowed through on to over 2/3rds of the book, then tonight I just decided to skim through each paragraph, then each page, then I just gave up and read the last paragraph and know nothing of what has happened.  I think I will just watch the movie on Netflix.

I'm really disappointed, kind of in myself for not loving this book, and it's the first book in many years I have just given up on.  Like I've said before, we all have our tastes.  I loved Charlotte's book Jane Ayre, but not Emily's Wuthering Heights.  I'm sure Wuthering Heights had some wonderful ending that made it all worth reading, but I just couldn't go on.  To all of you Wuthering Heights lovers out there, no insult meant.

Did anyone else in this world not like this book or am I just odd?


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I first read WH when I was 17.  All that passion and angst totally appealed to my teenage self.  I read it again in my 30's and thought these people could use a good dose of B Vitamins.  I have read it several times since and still love the book.

If you are going to get the movie from Netflix, get the one with Ralph Fiennes as Heathcliff. He's perfect and the music is so haunting. Forget Olivier and Oberon.  He was much too clean and there was no chemistry between them at all.


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

Thanks for your thoughts on Wuthering Heights. I have never read the book. I would be interested to hear what other people thought about it.


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## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I first read WH when I was 17. All that passion and angst totally appealed to my teenage self. I read it again in my 30's and thought these people could use a good dose of B Vitamins. I have read it several times since and still love the book.
> 
> If you are going to get the movie from Netflix, get the one with Ralph Fiennes as Heathcliff. He's perfect and the music is so haunting. Forget Olivier and Oberon. He was much too clean and there was no chemistry between them at all.


All I kept thinking is that this man Heathcliff is a horrible, horrible man. Feeling certain there was SOME good in him....I never ever found it. (May be where I started skipping maybe). I thought Catherine (both of them) were, well, I didn't quite know what to make of them. It just didn't do it for me and I love classic lit. sigh....


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## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

Anne said:


> Thanks for your thoughts on Wuthering Heights. I have never read the book. I would be interested to hear what other people thought about it.


I'm probably the only one on earth that didn't like the book.


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## farrellclaire (Mar 5, 2010)

I hated it.  I even read it another time just to make sure but yes, I still hated it.  None of the characters were likeable, I don't get the appeal at all.  I was really disappointed actually - so many people love it, I was sure I would too.  

Love Jane Eyre btw, my favourite book by far!


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

RhondaRN said:


> I'm probably the only one on earth that didn't like the book.


I would not say that. You and I seem to have the same tastes in books. So I am thinking if you did not like it. I may not like it.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Heh...I'm 99% sure I read it in high school, but now I have no recollection as to whether I liked it or not. (That was several decades ago!) I guess I'll assume I neither loved it nor absolutely hated it, since it left so little of an impression on me.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I read it a long time ago and didn't like it.  I didn't love Jane Eyre either, but at least that was more interesting.  Both books were depressing.


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

I did like Jane Eyre. I will  read it again someday.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I don't think I've read it. Well, maybe I read it in High School, but I don't remember.... I seem to only remember ROTC related events and classes.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I guess I'm a minority of one.    Cathy grew up wild and free on the lonely Yorkshire moors. She was never one to restrain herself in any way. Heathcliff was a gypsy and a kindred soul to Cathy.  Then she grew up, but Heathcliff didn't. That accounted for her transformation into the proper Mrs. Edgar Linton.  But you'll see that the wild girl was still inside.

Rent the movie.  It's worth it for the music alone.  I wish the soundtrack was available, but it isn't.  It was a three hankie movie for me.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

I _love_ "Wuthering Heights." I think it's the greatest English language novel. There I said it!

I'm not convinced the reader is supposed to like Heathcliff or even Catherine. They are selfish, bad-tempered, lying SOBs. The only really likable character in it is the Maid, I suppose. And Catherine's husband. And the narrator. Liking these people, though, was never the point to me. In fact, every time I read the novel it makes my blood boil to see these vile people do horrible things to each other. To me it's about Bronte's extraordinary writing, the vivid setting (you can feel the chill of those moors), and the hothouse of violence and emotions. The contrast between the vastness of the moors and just how claustrophobic everybody feels is astonishingly drawn by her. These people are surrounded by huge empty spaces and nobody can escape their destinies and the madness of their existences. I've seen people describe Bronte's writing as "poetry in prose" and I think that description is perfect.

I personally don't feel like I have to like the characters I'm reading about. I just have to believe that they can exist. And Bronte's characters are so vivid and real to me. And it's remarkable too that after so much hatred which dominates the narrative - there is peace at the end of it. The novel also contains one of my favorite final sentences in all literature: "I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watched the moths fluttering among the heath, and hare-bells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth."

I personally don't like any of the film adaptations of this novel. Everybody seems to like the Feines/Binoche one and while I love both actors in general - I felt neither one personified the characters. Binoche, whom I adore, seemed especially miscast. Incidentally, a bit of trivia: it was Feines' performance as Heathcliff which convinced Steven Spielberg to cast him as Amon Goth in "Schindler's List."


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

DYB said:


> I _love_ "Wuthering Heights." I think it's the greatest English language novel. There I said it!


And now there are two!!!



> I'm not convinced the reader is supposed to like Heathcliff or even Catherine. They are selfish, bad-tempered, lying SOBs. The only really likable character in it is the Maid, I suppose. And Catherine's husband. And the narrator. Liking these people, though, was never the point to me. In fact, every time I read the novel it makes my blood boil to see these vile people do horrible things to each other. To me it's about Bronte's extraordinary writing, the vivid setting (you can feel the chill of those moors), and the hothouse of violence and emotions. The contrast between the vastness of the moors and just how claustrophobic everybody feels is astonishingly drawn by her. These people are surrounded by huge empty spaces and nobody can escape their destinies and the madness of their existences. I've seen people describe Bronte's writing as "poetry in prose" and I think that description is perfect.


No, these are not people you can like. Heathcliff's only redeeming quality was his enduring love (obsession) for Cathy. Cathy is greedy, grasping, wanting it all (the life Edgar could give her AND Heathcliff).

Yes, the maid seemed to be the only really normal person. Linton was just pathetic. Hareton turned out well despite Heathcliff's abuse.



> I personally don't feel like I have to like the characters I'm reading about. I just have to believe that they can exist. And Bronte's characters are so vivid and real to me. And it's remarkable too that after so much hatred which dominates the narrative - there is peace at the end of it. The novel also contains one of my favorite final sentences in all literature: "I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watched the moths fluttering among the heath, and hare-bells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth."


You write pretty well yourself.



> I personally don't like any of the film adaptations of this novel. Everybody seems to like the Feines/Binoche one and while I love both actors in general - I felt neither one personified the characters. Binoche, whom I adore, seemed especially miscast. Incidentally, a bit of trivia: it was Feines' performance as Heathcliff which convinced Steven Spielberg to cast him as Amon Goth in "Schindler's List."


After a decades long diet of Olivier/Oberon playing a nearly civilized Heathcliff and Cathy, I was grateful for the Fiennes/Binoche version. (Except for no heather) I love RF as Heathcliff. I even loved Sinead O'Connors narrative.

I just watched it again two weeks ago and I still cry.


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## DenverRalphy (Mar 24, 2010)

I never did get through WH either, and I kept it around for a long while as something to read when I had nothing else available to read at the moment (because so many people insist it's a must read), but finally gave up.

In a nutshell, between Heathcliff and Catherine, I'm reminded too much of the idiocy I see in real life friends and their own toxic relationships which drive me crazy.  I'm almost convinced WH is the inception and bible by which all 'drama-queens' aspire to.


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## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

DYB said:


> I _love_ "Wuthering Heights." I think it's the greatest English language novel. There I said it!
> 
> I'm not convinced the reader is supposed to like Heathcliff or even Catherine. They are selfish, bad-tempered, lying SOBs. The only really likable character in it is the Maid, I suppose. And Catherine's husband. And the narrator. Liking these people, though, was never the point to me. In fact, every time I read the novel it makes my blood boil to see these vile people do horrible things to each other. To me it's about Bronte's extraordinary writing, the vivid setting (you can feel the chill of those moors), and the hothouse of violence and emotions. The contrast between the vastness of the moors and just how claustrophobic everybody feels is astonishingly drawn by her. These people are surrounded by huge empty spaces and nobody can escape their destinies and the madness of their existences. I've seen people describe Bronte's writing as "poetry in prose" and I think that description is perfect.
> 
> ...


Oh my, you write so beautifully yourself about the book, I feel I must have missed something very important. Usually, I love books like this. I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe, the way the book was formatted in the bundle of books, the mispsellings, the never knowing where I was at in this bundle of books, perhaps added to my discontent with the book. Because of you and others, I will give it another try a few books from now. However, I will purchase a Kindle version that has only that book in it. No more book bundles for me. Thank you for your beautiful reply.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Okay, you made me do it.  I one-clicked (mobi version) and started reading late last night.

DYB, I started reading it through your eyes (post) and was immediately swept into the desolation of the moors. I'm so glad I'm reading it again.  

Rhonda, don't feel obligated to read it.  There are a lot of classics out there, some you'll like, some you won't. 

I normally don't read depressing books about depressing people, myself. But for me, WH has always been a compelling read.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

I've tried WH about three times.  One when I was younger and had to choose a book for lit.  Hated it.  Didn't finished, read something else.  You're right Heathcliff wasn't just a wounded character in need of love, he was a jerk, uninteresting and annoying.  

I then tried it again when I started writing.  I felt I needed the classics under my belt.  I hated it.  Felt pretty much the same way.  The "Dark" in this book was not a misunderstood man withering without love, he was a jerk.  

I never finished it either.  I skimmed, got the idea and moved on to some good stuff.  I loved Pride and P, and I thoroughly enjoy Tom Sawyer.  

I also hated 1984.  I read that when I was young and found it frightening, but also dry reading.

I guess I'm just not a classic!


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## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

MariaESchneider said:


> I've tried WH about three times. One when I was younger and had to choose a book for lit. Hated it. Didn't finished, read something else. You're right Heathcliff wasn't just a wounded character in need of love, he was a jerk, uninteresting and annoying.
> 
> I then tried it again when I started writing. I felt I needed the classics under my belt. I hated it. Felt pretty much the same way. The "Dark" in this book was not a misunderstood man withering without love, he was a jerk.
> 
> ...


I watched 1984 with my 20 year old daughter a few months ago because she loved the book. I hated the movie. It was so depressing I wanted to shoot myself after seeing it (not really, just trying to make a point, lol). It makes us try to make sure we don't make these mistakes in our society, but if we had to live that way, I'd rather not live. I hated the movie.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Here's the thing: it's considered a classic. Why? Because even when you _hate_ it there's still a lot to discuss. . . .the writing is definitely above average: one can see and feel and smell the moors, and the very fact that we can express exactly why we hate the characters is testament to the writers ability to bring them to life. So, as literature, it's considered great.

As a story of people you'd like to meet. . well, not so much. They're a selfish, entitled lot whose behavior is NOT to be emulated.  Though, considering it was written 200 years ago, it does go to show that people haven't changed much.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I've never read it...I'm sure I was supposed to in high school or college.   But the discussion here makes me want to read it...

Betsy


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Betsy, you'll hate it.    Okay, I don't know if you will or not.  But Rhonda has both 1983 and WH pegged--DEPRESSING.  I think that is the main reason, more than any other, that I put WH down.  The people were real as Ann said.  The moors were right there in your living room.  In fact that was the problem.  The book was quite real--a very depressing realism that made me decide not to spend any more time with those people!!!


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## Margaret (Jan 1, 2010)

I have not read this book since high school and I remember liking it very much at that time. I am not a person who usually reads books a second time even if I really like them, so I have to admit that I don't recall many of the novel's details. I did write my junior year term paper on the impact that the setting had on the story, so I can remember the description of the moors and how Bronte's writing was able to take me to that particular time and place. So, yes, I think that the book is a classic. However, that certainly doesn't mean that everyone has to like it or even finish it. As a undergraduate English major, I had to read many, many of the "classics." There were quite a few that I did not like personally, even though I had to acknowledge that most of them were worthy of being studied and discussed. I did finish all but one (somehow I could never make it through _Moby Dick_), but that was because they were assignments. Now, if I begin a book and truly do not enjoy reading it, I have no problem putting it down. My free time is too precious for me to use it reading something I just don't care for. I have to admit - I also read plenty of books that even I would never call a classic, but are just entertainment. That's alright as well. So, Rhonda, if you don't like _Wuthering Heights_, move on. There are plenty of books out there to discover, and you have every right to read what appeals to you without having any regrets whatsoever.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Thank you all for the compliments! I've read "Wuthering Heights" 5 times and every time it drives me up the wall with anger and frustration. But I personally consider that a good thing. As Ann pointed out, it means Bronte created characters I believe and is telling a story I get so wrapped up in that it makes my head explode with emotions (good or bad.) It's a disturbing psycho-drama (heavy on the psycho) that has inspired countless psycho-analysis (of the characters and the author who created them). The atmosphere and the tension are so thick you can cut them with a knife. Imagine living in the middle of this:

http://www.fotocraftimages.co.uk/photo-images/north-yorks-moors/hole-of-horcum-1150.jpg

I think the most loathsome character in it is the servant Joseph. Wow - pure evil.

No one should feel pressured to read it! If you don't like it, you don't like it.

About 1984 the movie: If you hated the movie just rent "Brazil" instead!


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## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

I actually started watching the movie on Netflix last night after posting this.  They have it on "play now." so I played now, lol.  Ironically, I love the movie so far!!  What is the deal?  Rarely do I dislike a book and love the movie, if ever.  I will finish up the  movie today.  The movie is so intense and dark but wonderful.  I'm confused about my emotions now...hahaha!


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

RhondaRN said:


> I actually started watching the movie on Netflix last night after posting this. They have it on "play now." so I played now, lol. Ironically, I love the movie so far!! What is the deal? Rarely do I dislike a book and love the movie, if ever. I will finish up the movie today. The movie is so intense and dark but wonderful. I'm confused about my emotions now...hahaha!


I am glad you like the movie. Now I wish I could watch the movie.


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## JennaAnderson (Dec 25, 2009)

Anne said:


> I did like Jane Eyre. I will read it again someday.


I loved Jane Eyre - read it about 5 times. I will eventually read Wuthering Heights since I am trying to make my way through all the more well known classics.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

DYB said:


> I think the most loathsome character in it is the servant Joseph. Wow - pure evil.
> 
> No one should feel pressured to read it! If you don't like it, you don't like it.


And self-righteous evil at that.



RhondaRN said:


> I actually started watching the movie on Netflix last night after posting this. They have it on "play now." so I played now, lol. Ironically, I love the movie so far!! What is the deal? Rarely do I dislike a book and love the movie, if ever. I will finish up the movie today. The movie is so intense and dark but wonderful. I'm confused about my emotions now...hahaha!


The one with RF as Heathcliff? Get the hankies ready.



JennaAnderson said:


> I loved Jane Eyre - read it about 5 times. I will eventually read Wuthering Heights since I am trying to make my way through all the more well known classics.


I've never read Jane Eyre. I did enjoy the BBC movie a long time ago.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

The BBC "Jane Eyre" with Timothy Dalton was excellent.  I saw it in the USSR circa 1988.  Most of the public was unfamiliar with the novel, so this miniseries was widely watched and discussed!

Joseph in WH>  Yes, self-righteous.  One could go into all kinds of discussions about religious fanatics and hypocrisy!  

I should give that Feines/Binoche movie another try.  Maybe I missed something last time around!


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## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> The one with RF as Heathcliff? Get the hankies ready.


No, Actually it's with Tom Hardy playing Heathcliff and it's a 2009 made for tv version and very well done.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

DYB said:


> The BBC "Jane Eyre" with Timothy Dalton was excellent. I saw it in the USSR circa 1988. Most of the public was unfamiliar with the novel, so this miniseries was widely watched and discussed!


I meant the 1997 version with Ciaran Hinds and Samantha Morton.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I meant the 1997 version with Ciaran Hinds and Samantha Morton.


I'm not familiar with that one. I guess it's been adapted quite a few times within the last 30 years.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

DYB said:


> I'm not familiar with that one. I guess it's been adapted quite a few times within the last 30 years.


I counted 21 since 1910. The latest was in 2006.


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## austenfiend (Nov 17, 2009)

Very interesting thoughts from everyone.  It got me to thinking why I personally like a movie as opposed to a book.  For me as it relates to WH, the movie forces me to see the moors and the action in a specific way, kind of puts it "in a box" for me.  However, when I'm reading the book my imagination takes over and sometimes I go to an even darker place, then I get really depressed.  That and that fact that I could never find anything redeeming about the characters.  When I read a book, I really need to find something positive or else, what's the point?  I've got enough angst and drama in my daily life, I'm all for some escapism.


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## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I counted 21 since 1910. The latest was in 2006.


Nope, the latest is 2009.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

austenfiend said:


> Very interesting thoughts from everyone. It got me to thinking why I personally like a movie as opposed to a book. For me as it relates to WH, the movie forces me to see the moors and the action in a specific way, kind of puts it "in a box" for me. However, when I'm reading the book my imagination takes over and sometimes I go to an even darker place, then I get really depressed. That and that fact that I could never find anything redeeming about the characters. When I read a book, I really need to find something positive or else, what's the point? I've got enough angst and drama in my daily life, I'm all for some escapism.


I think there _is_ something positive and beautiful at the end of the novel: love triumphs! Real love, not obsessive.


Spoiler



In spite of all the hatred and violence around them, and contrary to what they were brought up to believe - young Cathy and Hareton are able to find the peace and love all the adults around them never could. The final image we have of these two youngsters is of Cathy teaching Hareton to read.


 It's a beautiful, moving conclusion.

Interestingly, the critical reception at the time of the novel's first publication is very similar to what's being expressed here. The first critics admired the sheer power and intensity of the story and some found the characters "utterly hateful or thoroughly contemptible." One critic wrote that it was a "strange sort of book-baffling all regular criticism" and that "[it is] impossible to lay it aside afterwards and say nothing about it." Here we are still saying the same things almost 165 years later.


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## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

DYB said:


> I One critic wrote that it was a "strange sort of book-baffling all regular criticism" and that "[it is] impossible to lay it aside afterwards and say nothing about it." Here we are still saying the same things almost 165 years later.


I must admit, the work of a great writer is when it is still discussed decades and decades later.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I'm really glad you started this thread, Rhonda.  Good discussion.  Most importantly for me, I'm reading one of my favorites again (and only 95 cents)


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

RhondaRN said:


> Because of you and others, I will give it another try a few books from now. However, I will purchase a Kindle version that has only that book in it. No more book bundles for me. Thank you for your beautiful reply.


Try one of the versions from feedbooks or mobileread instead of Amazon. I've found those are almost always well formatted and they're free - and if you still hate it you can delete it forever! Love to get my public domain from those sites.

I've downloaded WH but haven't read it on Kindle - and I don't really think I've ever read it. I remember reading Jane Eyre (and would like to read it again), but not WH.


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## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

Well, I just finished up the movie on Netflix, and ....sniff......it was sooo good, but totally sad and haunting. It made me cry.  I think I will try the book again one day.  This movie was VERY well done, right down to the actors, the scenery, and the music.  It was a 2009 PBS Masterpiece classic.  Very well worth watching.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

RhondaRN said:


> Well, I just finished up the movie on Netflix, and ....sniff......it was sooo good, but totally sad and haunting. It made me cry. I think I will try the book again one day. This movie was VERY well done, right down to the actors, the scenery, and the music. It was a 2009 PBS Masterpiece classic. Very well worth watching.


I'm so glad you liked it. I cry every time.

I'll have to see if I can get that version. Amazon might have it for download.


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## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

Here is the version of Wuthering Heights I watched. The PBS Masterpiece Classic version. Masterpiece Classics comes on as a series on PBS and you can watch movies of Classic books such as many Jane Austen titles and more. Unfortunately, you cannot watch Wuthering Heights on their website anymore. But I watched it on Netflix. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/wutheringheights/


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

RhondaRN said:


> Here is the version of Wuthering Heights I watched. The PBS Masterpiece Classic version. Masterpiece Classics comes on as a series on PBS and you can watch movies of Classic books such as many Jane Austen titles and more. Unfortunately, you cannot watch Wuthering Heights on their website anymore. But I watched it on Netflix. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/wutheringheights/


Amazon has that version to rent for $2.99. According to the reviews, it's been edited to fit on one disc. I'll have to check on it further to see if they have the whole series.

I'm about to finish up a project, and I'm going to watch this as my reward.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

Oh, I adore Wuthering Heights! It's one of those books I read again every couple of years or so.

Brontë introduces the reader to the dreadful situation at Thrushcross Grange through the likable Lockwood with good reason. He is just as shocked by what he hears and sees as we are, so we should be identifying with him, not with Catherine and Heathcliff. That being said, you can hardly blame Heathcliff for the way he is. He's an orphaned gypsy outsider who has been physically and mentally abused for most of his life.

I find the characters deeply fascinating and there is plenty of humour to lighten the mood (Lockwood's reaction upon meeting Joseph, for example). I understand that it's not everyone cup of tea, but if you accept that it's not supposed to be a lovey-dovey romance novel, but an exploration of revenge, cruelty and similar dark themes, revolving around a passionate and destructive love affair, then it will be easier to follow. Although, and perhaps I am alone in this, I find Heathcliff's reason for


Spoiler



digging up Catherine's grave


 incredibly romantic.


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Amazon has that version to rent for $2.99. According to the reviews, it's been edited to fit on one disc. I'll have to check on it further to see if they have the whole series.
> 
> I'm about to finish up a project, and I'm going to watch this as my reward.


Let us know if they have the whole series


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

Just saw this thread today.  Really interesting.  I re-read WH several years ago and found it just too depressing.  That's what I think a lot of this comes down to, can you enjoy a really well-written depressing book?  Some of us can and some can't.  When it's a classic though you tend to feel guilty for not liking it, thinking there's something wrong with you.  I always enjoyed the old Olivier/Oberon version of the movie because it basically stopped at Cathy's death, and you didn't see the part of the book that deals with the second generation (a true downer!).  After reading everyone's comments about the Rafe Fiennes version though, I will have to give that a try.

Bottom line: There are so many great books out there waiting to be read, I say move on with no regrets!


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Prazzie said:


> you can hardly blame Heathcliff for the way he is. He's an orphaned gypsy outsider who has been physically and mentally abused for most of his life.


You are right about this. They are all damaged people and in some cases we can see where the damage comes from. Heathcliff's childhood is not a fairytale. In many ways I think Bronte's psychological insights were ahead of their times.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

DYB said:


> In many ways I think Bronte's psychological insights were ahead of their times.


Absolutely.

Your response made me think "uh-oh, maybe I like this book because I'm a psychology student." It's not a novel, it's a case study!


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Prazzie said:


> Absolutely.
> 
> Your response made me think "uh-oh, maybe I like this book because I'm a psychology student." It's not a novel, it's a case study!


I think Dr. Phil and Oprah could spend an entire season trying to heal Bronte's characters.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Anne said:


> Let us know if they have the whole series


PBS has the same single disc, 142 minutes only $5 more expensive. I'll just rent it from Amazon and download it to my PC.


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> PBS has the same single disc, 142 minutes only $5 more expensive. I'll just rent it from Amazon and download it to my PC.


Thanks


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

drenfrow said:


> I always enjoyed the old Olivier/Oberon version of the movie because it basically stopped at Cathy's death, and you didn't see the part of the book that deals with the second generation (a true downer!).


 I thought the kids were the only hopeful part of the whole thing.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

marianner said:


> I thought the kids were the only hopeful part of the whole thing.


It was!!


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

Hmmm...maybe I need to read it again?


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

drenfrow said:


> Hmmm...maybe I need to read it again?


The ending of the novel gives us hope for the happiness of the surviving characters. It's the younger generation that will overcome the ... ahem, difficulties their parents inflicted on them.


Spoiler



The last time we see Cathy and Hareton she's teaching him to read and they are planning to get married.


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## Vicki G. (Feb 18, 2010)

I thought I had read it, maybe in high school but after starting to read it a few months ago, I quickly realized I hadn't.  I found it slow, extremely difficult to read and only because it was WH, did I continue to plod my way through it to the end.  

I read some where that Emily gave the manuscript to Charlotte to review for her and that's how the book came to light but that it was never intended to.  After reading it, I can understand why.


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## chipotle (Jan 1, 2010)

I finished the book but mainly because I was seriously hoping someone would find a gun and put
Heathcliff out of his misery.   

Some day I plan to read a bio of the Bronte sisters because it sounds like their lives were not
exactly cheerful either.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

chipotle said:


> I finished the book but mainly because I was seriously hoping someone would find a gun and put
> Heathcliff out of his misery.
> 
> Some day I plan to read a bio of the Bronte sisters because it sounds like their lives were not
> exactly cheerful either.


There was also a brother, Branwell, an artist and poet. He was an alcoholic and addicted to laudanum.

I just reached the part where Heathcliff overhears Cathy say


Spoiler



it would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now


. Always makes me cry.


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

chipotle said:


> I finished the book but mainly because I was seriously hoping someone would find a gun and put
> Heathcliff out of his misery.
> 
> Some day I plan to read a bio of the Bronte sisters because it sounds like their lives were not
> exactly cheerful either.


LOL


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## Sarah50 (Apr 12, 2010)

Ive read WH once or twice over the years and enjoyed the passion, drama and wild Yorkshire backdrop - but as far as heroes go Heathcliff was a bit crazy, not to mention cruel. Give me Mr Rochester from Jane Eyre any day.


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## vickir (Jan 14, 2009)

OK. I liked WH and 1984. Hated Tale of Two Cities and Moby Dick.


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## jj2339 (Jan 18, 2010)

RhondaRN said:


> I'm probably the only one on earth that didn't like the book.


Nope, i hated it too. I read it with a friend, she finished first, and i gave up. We both agreed, we hated it. And we also love classic lit. You are not alone!


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## emapocalyptic (Apr 21, 2010)

I think Wuthering Heights is one of the few classics I've read that have really benefitted from studying them at A-level. I think it is an amazing novel from a technical perspective - the way that Bronte filters the most over-the-top aspects of the melodrama through third-party witnesses relating the tale. So when Cathy and Heathcliffe do things that might make some people roll their eyes, the reader is protected.

Gah, it's late and I'm not expressing myself well, but don't feel bad for not liking it. It's not as bad as being the only person on the planet who couldn't finish 'The Time Traveller's Wife' because it was so dull. Now _that's_ loneliness


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## laurie_lu (May 10, 2010)

I just finished reading "Wuthering Heights".  I really liked the book.  But I enjoy those dark type stories to begin with.  When I was done, I found myself wanting to read more about the remaining characters.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> If you are going to get the movie from Netflix, get the one with Ralph Fiennes as Heathcliff. He's perfect and the music is so haunting. Forget Olivier and Oberon. He was much too clean and there was no chemistry between them at all.


Ditto on Ralph Fiennes as Heathcliff.

And I find reading about the Brontes almost as interesting as reading their books, although the tragedy of their family story is not for the faint of heart.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

emapocalyptic said:


> I think it is an amazing novel from a technical perspective...


So true, oh man, now I want to go read it again.



emapocalyptic said:


> It's not as bad as being the only person on the planet who couldn't finish 'The Time Traveller's Wife' because it was so dull. Now _that's_ loneliness


Haha! The audiobook is much better, maybe you should give that a try.


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## Chloista (Jun 27, 2009)

Loved "Jane Eyre."

Hated "Wuthering Heights."


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Inspired by this thread, I rented the Ralph Fienne's version of _Wuthering Heights_. I forgot until I saw it again how well the film makers captured the gloomy, spooky atmosphere of the book--the best film version, imo. I want to tour the house they used for Wuthering Heights in the film--what a creepy joint. I think what I love about the book is the atmosphere and the paranormal element running through the story. Now I'm going to have to go back and read the book.


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## 13500 (Apr 22, 2010)

I was always more of a "Jane Eyre" person. "Wuthering Heights" was too melodramatic for me.


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