I loved how much I hated everyone

Any additional comments?

When I started this novel I didn't really like it that much, I was a little confused as to what was going on, whom was whom, and why I was even being told this tale. As I got a little bit deeper into it I admired the ability of Emily to create such interesting and detestable characters, but I was still uneasy as to if I liked the novel.

I think what I was having trouble working out was weather Emily was writing a novel that was deliberately unsettling and filled with hateful people being hateful just for hateful's sake. I recognized that the characters were well written and I enjoyed that though this is a novel predating the edict of 'show don't tell', Emily always followed a tell with a much more insightful show, yet I felt sort of miserable reading it, I hated the characters (their actions, I mean) and I kept wanting to put it down. Yet I couldn't put it down. I felt compelled to continue, to discover what the motivations were for these characters, why I was being told this story, felt compelled by the excellent and powerful writing.

And during the day when I was at work and away from the novel, I kept thinking about it, rolling the plot and situations over in my mind trying to make sense of it all. I knew I didn't yet know all the facts (in a way the novel is a bit of a mystery story) and so I just had to trust Emily to actually have a point, that she didn't write this just to be shocking but that there was true art here.

Well I'm glad I stuck it out and stayed with this one because this is an extraordinary novel. This story and these characters are people who will haunt me till the day I die - for better or worse. These are characters who though I didn't like most of them, loved them too. And that's the real art here because by the very nature of how I felt about these people could I understand their passions for each other, Hareton especially. He loved Heathcliff and also hated him and we understand why - not because there was a simple explanation for such illogical behavior, but because it is complicated.

The novel begins with very much keeping the reader in the dark because it would be impossible to know a family and all their troubles and their past after just a few pages (or hours in real life). In fact you could never hope to really know another family and all it's secrets (other than your own) if given an entire lifetime - the relationships are just far too complicated. Yet here in this novel Emily manages to reveal the secrets, the pain, the plotting, the love, and the hate page by page, slowly and with exquisite ability to make you feel the passage of time. You live with these people and you empathize with them by the end even of you can't forgive them because only they could forgive each other since it's their family.

I imagine that this novel is sort of a prototype of trashy family drama stories but nothing can come close to this. Emily does not hate her characters, she shows them for who why are, warts and all, and she loves them every page without fail. The mistake too many other writers make is that they don't love their characters and just turn them into cliches to be beaten about for a few hundred pages. The most contemporary author I can think of who could match this style of work would be Raymond Carver. Carver could write about hateful people and make you love them anyway. It's a very gift in literature, just as it is in life.

I'm not going to compare this work to Jane Eyre because it almost isn't even fair since Wuthering Heights is FAR superior but I will repeat myself in saying that the major flaw of Jane Eyre was that Charlotte made all her characters too good - they had no flaws. Emily does not make that mistake and has written a much more gripping story.

Never have I been so turned round in the course of a novel. I went from confusion to hate to acceptance and finally to appreciation to the genius of this work. This is a towering achievement of fiction and is one of the best novels I have ever read. I put this right up with Fathers and Sons as one of my favorite novels I've ever read. I am so glad I decided to read Wuthering Heights.

69 people found this helpful

Not my favorite classic

Any additional comments?

This is not one of my favorite classics. I have been on a classics reading spree lately and this one has received many accolades - one of the must read books. I was all set up to enjoy this book, but I found most of the characters to be self absorbed, mean spirited, and vengeful in nature. The only thing that saves this audio book is the excellent narration by Patricia Routledge. It was spectacular. I ended up enjoying listening to the book despite the fact that I disliked most of the characters.

21 people found this helpful

Superb

Excellent narration (professional acting) brings these complex characters to life. If you avoided reading this in high school, as I did, this story will now ignite and maintain your interest from start to finish.

14 people found this helpful

It wasn't what I expected, I'm so glad I listened!

What did you love best about Wuthering Heights?

The layers of generational issues and ending that I didn't see coming.

What did you like best about this story?

The way that the author used Ellen Dean to narrate the story and then the way that Mr. Lockwood narrated from his view and then the author handed the story back to Nellie for a wonderful finish. Made me realize that the 1800's and 2012 are not that different when it comes to family disfunction.

What does Patricia Routledge bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The passion she read with for some of the characters moved my emotions.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Oh yes!! I cried, I was spooked, I was horrified, I was angry and in the end I was pleased.

Any additional comments?

Sometimes I had a hard time understanding Joseph's accent.Fantastic book and I now understand why it is on the Classic Literature list.

21 people found this helpful

Heads Up #8!

Why pay $4.95 for this Audiobook when the Kindle edition is $0.00 and after you "purchase" that book the Audible Audiobook is $2.99.

24 people found this helpful

Patricia Routledge Does Wuthering Heights Justice!

What does Patricia Routledge bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

No-one absolutely no-one does character voices like Patricia Routledge, her vocal range is like no other i have listened to. She brings the story to life, her voice is so animated and dramatic....she does not read....she performs. If you have hated every attempt hollywood has made to reproduce this great classic on the big screen.....Patricia Routledge's performance is as good as it gets.

23 people found this helpful

One of the best performances I ever heard

Any additional comments?

There were several choices for this book. This may have been the longest but I feel I made the best choice. Couldn't "put it down" so to speak.

16 people found this helpful

Easy-to-listen-to performance

What made the experience of listening to Wuthering Heights the most enjoyable?

I noticed there were quite a few choices for this book, and I spent a little while deciding which reading to download. I was happy with my choice. The narrator (Patricia Routledge) was easy to listen to, and read at a pace that was conducive to the writing style.

12 people found this helpful

Exquisite Quality Production Brilliantly Performed

This is by far the most executive quality audiobook production of "Wuthering Heights" from author Emily Bronte, read magnificently by renowned actress Patricia Routledge of "Keeping Up Appearances" TV acclaim, that I can sincerely reward. I personally enjoyed listening to the book at hour long and chapter related intervals, while drinking a pot of tea, consecutively for the duration of a wonderful experience. The narrator's vocalization, pronunciation and intonation of each character within the writing is perfect on every note. Ms. Routledge renders "Wuthering Heights" a living image of its storyline, relentlessly capturing all nuances of the power of the spoken word for which Audible is appreciated. A definitive example of the confidence for which chosen voices are selected for their chosen audiobook deliveries.­

2 people found this helpful

Wonderful story, great performance

The story, of course, is a wonderful tale of jealousy, spite, answer, bitterness, meanness, folly, and yes love - of sorts. Maybe infatuation, abandonment, and revenge that masquerades as love.

The performance is great. With so many voices and characters to both distinguish and enliven, the narrator was no doubt challenged and yet acquired herself swimmingly.

Bravo!

1 person found this helpful