Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)

Another "girlie book" checked off my British reading list.  Wuthering Heights is one of two homes on a desolate moor in northern England.  The other, Thrushcross Grange, is rented out by a Mr. Lockwood, the book's narrator (in a sense).  Shortly after arriving, Lockwood goes to meet his landlord, a Mr. Heathcliff, who lives at Wuthering Heights with several unruly individuals.  The vast majority of the book is Lockwood learning the backstory of Heathcliff, his current household, and the former folk who lived in both houses.  Lockwood learns of the story through his housekeeper, Nelly Dean, and the story is a sad one.  Effectively, Heathcliff was brought to Wuthering Heights as an orphan- found by a man who pitied him.  This man had a son and daughter, but came to love Heathcliff more.  His son despised Heathcliff for that.  Heathcliff loved the man's daughter, Catherine, and she returned his affection- but ended up marrying Linton, the son of the owner of Thrushcross Grange.  She eventually dies young, and Heathcliff goes insane with unrequitted love.  Through a number of circumstances, he acquires both properties, and effectively their inhabitants, and vows to make their lives miserable, as he is.  He finally passes away, and (it's presumed) gets to spend the afterlife with Catherine.

Meh.  I'm trying to figure out if I cared about this at all, and I don't think I did.  Heathcliff is diabolical- intent only on spreading misery due to his own misfortune- and goes out of his way to hurt everyone.  The problem is, everyone else in the story has serious flaws, too, save perhaps Nelly Dean and the narrator, and so I ended up not really caring one way or another what happens.  The characters are either overbearingly haughty, self-righteous, selfish, immature, drama queens, or something similarly deplorable.  It felt like a lot of whining and cruelty spread throughout the book.  In the end, I was trying to figure out what the point was- it seemed to be "jealousy and selfishness result in destruction for all," but few moments in the book have any redemptive value that shows a better way (there are some minor scenes, in the end, that bring it up a bit).  I think I can sum it up by saying "while Heathcliff lived, life sucked for everyone; once he died, they all fared better."  It was okay, overall, but certainly not great.

Rating: B-