Tag Archives: Gothic

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for word cloud classics emily bronte book cover

Title: Wuthering Heights
Author: Emily Bronte
Series: Word Cloud Classics
Rating Out of 5: 2 (Managed to read it… just)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Gothic
Dates read: 12th – 18th February 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Word Cloud Classics
Year: 1847
5th sentence, 74th page: “What ails you, Cathy?” he was saying when I entered: “you look as dismal as a drowned whelp.”

Synopsis

Discover a passionate tale of love lost, found, and avenged in Wuthering Heights. Lockwood, a wealthy man from England, rents a house from an eccentric gentleman named Heathcliff, who is the tortured master of Wuthering Heights. Through Lockwood and the housekeeper, Nelly, the story of Heathcliff’s adoption, upbringing, revenge, and love for Catherine is told. The unconventional relationships and complex story structure will keep you turning pages long into the night

Thoughts

Heathcliff is a douche. Total and utter, pain in the bum, can’t even get into this story kind of douche. There’s a chance that Catherine might also be a bit of a douche. But I really couldn’t move past my blinding hatred for Heathcliff to even concentrate on the object of his obsession.

I was kind of disappointed by the utmost douchiness of Heathcliff. If it wasn’t for him, I would have absolutely loved this book. The writing style was engaging, the storytelling complex but brilliantly done. There was a lot of fantastic imagery throughout the half of the story I read (yes, I hated Heathcliff that much that I only got about halfway through before the rage became too much). And the themes throughout are just striking. But then it all comes back to Heathcliff.

This is definitely one of those books that I’m going to try again in a year or so… it just wasn’t the right time to try and tackle the dark obsession and douchiness of Heathcliff. But, I can see this being a great read if I am feeling down and out against the world. Or, more specifically, men and romance in general…

<- Jane Eyre101 Fairy Tales ->

Image source: Amazon

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Frankenstein

Title: Frankenstein
Author: Mary Shelley
Series: Word Cloud Classics
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Gothic
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Word Cloud Classics
Year: 1818
5th sentence, 74th page: Yet my heart overflowed with kindness and the love of virtue.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Horror. Romance. Science. A classic tale that would be a fright to miss!

The idea for the story came to the author, Mary Shelley, in a dream she had about a scientist who had created life and was horrified by what he had made. This Gothic-style romance is among the first of true science fiction novels, if not the first. A young scientist named Victor Frankenstein, after going through his own near-death experience, decides to play God and create life in the form of a grotesque creature, which turns into a nightmare. Through his experience, he learns that the gift of life is precious, not disposable. His journey and personal transformation has deeply affected readers.

Thoughts

I’ve never read Frankenstein. I’ve not really spoken to anyone who has. And it was one that I’ve wanted to read for curiosities sake but wasn’t completely desperate to read like some others. All that changed when I started on the first page of this book. I can completely understand why this has stood the test of time and captured so many readers’ imaginations and fascinations.

I really enjoyed how this tale started off with a series of letters that helped to foreshadow what was to come. It highlighted the dark nature of the tale, and the sense of total and utter devastation of Frankenstein as his story unfolded. Even though I knew that this wasn’t going to be a sunshine and roses kind of tale, it still broke my heart a little as the tale unfolded. Not just for Frankenstein, but there was a few moments when I felt genuine sorry for his monster too. Although, not enough to accept the horrors of his actions.

The foreshadowing that is layered throughout this story is brilliantly done. It gives this horrifying sense of dread and an uncomfortable feeling that sits in the pit of your stomach. The commentary on social injustice and assumptions that cause his monster to completely lose his mind just add to that feeling of uncomfortableness. But it’s a good uncomfortable, it acts as a way to open your eyes, even in this modern day that makes you question all of the assumptions that you make about others. And to remind you that sometimes the worst monster in the world is the one of your own creation.

<- Shakespeare’s Sonnets and Other PoemsStrange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde & Other Stories ->

Image source: Amazon