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    Wuthering Heights
    Wuthering Heights
    Wuthering Heights
    Audiobook12 hours

    Wuthering Heights

    Written by Emily Bronte

    Narrated by Anne Flosnik

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Perhaps the most haunting and tragic love story ever written, Wuthering Heights is the tale of Heathcliff, a brooding, troubled orphan, and his doomed love for Catherine Earnshaw. His desire for her leads him to madness when Catherine is made to marry a wealthy lord, sending Heathcliff on a lifelong quest to avenge himself upon those who stole his only love and his life.



    In this gripping chronicle of the never-ending conflict between the heart and the mind—and the pain and passion of true romance—Emily Brontë created an unforgettable classic saga of love, desperation, vengeance, and forgiveness. Published just one year before Brontë's death in 1848 at the age of thirty, Wuthering Heights endures as one of the world's greatest love stories and a classic of English literature.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJul 21, 2008
    ISBN9781400176885
    Author

    Emily Bronte

    Emily Brontë (1818-1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel, Wuthering Heights (1847). A year after publishing this single work of genius, she died at the age of thirty.

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    Reviews for Wuthering Heights

    4/5

    362 ratings324 reviews

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    • 1/5
      Awful, this was just the worst book I have ever seen
    • 5/5
      Kate Bush led me to this book. What can I say, everything people talk about this book is the opposite of what I got out of it. These are two horrible people acting horribly and it makes and amazingly powerful book. I have spent days in conversation and contemplation wondering if the ugliness of these characters came from their love being denied. I expected a romance and a book on true love, what I did not expect was a deep look into what happens when love is impeded or denied.
    • 3/5
      There's clever writing from Emily Brontë all throughout Wuthering Heights, but that alone is rarely good enough to keep me engaged. Mostly this is a book comprised of annoying characters doing boring things. I'm sure there's a larger literary greatness that I'm completely missing since this is one of the classics, but for now I'm calling it like I see it. And I did enjoy reading Jane Erye so I thought I'd like this one too by extension.
    • 2/5
      The introduction to my copy of this book said something like: "it's amazing that a 17-yr-old virgin could have this much insight into the depths of the human heart." To me, the book shows exactly the lack of insight into relationships that most sheltered, 17-yr old virgins have.
    • 4/5
      This is a story of the Earnshaw and the Linton family who are quite isolated in their homes of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. The homes represent the opposition that exists throughout the novel. There is a lot of death in the book but there is also the hopeful happy ending. That being said, I did feel the ending was a little bit off for me. The sudden decline and death of Heathcliff didn't make sense as it was presented. I see the need for the author to kill him off, I just didn't feel that the way made any sense. The novel is also told through the voice of a stranger who takes up a temporary residence and observes this dysfunctional family and the servant who has lived since childhood with these children.
    • 4/5
      One of the most revered classic novels. A true dark romance full of love, daring and sensuality. We would all like to be loved and to love another with this intensity.
    • 5/5
      When I reread this book at eighteen for a class, I thought for sure it would destroy some of my memories of reading it for pleasure as a dreamy fifteen or sixteen-year-old, but instead it reinforced that Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite books of all time. Almost reading like a novella and its sequel (both of which I thought were superb, contrary to what other reviewers have said), both Cathy and young Catherine's stories are engaging and Bronte's language and style will also draw you in. She weaves relationships between her characters that make the reader completely involved in the plot and the novel's conclusion is possibly one of the best I've ever read: it's happy, tragic, and satisfying. Without question one of those novels I will continue to pick up every few years for my entire life.
    • 4/5
      I loved and hated this book. Catherine almost drove me insane, but I loved the concept of the love she and Heathcliffe shared. I would have enjoyed it more if I'd not been reading it for school.
    • 5/5
      I first read this in 2002, when I did an internship in Chicago and went on a classics reading kick that summer, and this book was one of them (Vanity Fair and Bleak House were two of the “loose baggy monsters” I read that summer). Although I’d read Charlotte’s Jane Eyre several times in school, Wuthering Heights was, for some reason, never on any of the syllabi for any of the classes I took (and English was my major!).Wuthering Heights is a complicated novel, and it probably says a lot about Emily Bronte herself. The novel is melodramatic at times, and it contains two narrators: an old former family servant and a near neighbor, neither of whom is an observant or reliable narrator (at the beginning of the book, Mr. Lockwood thinks that a pile of dead rabbits is a cat). Emily Bronte had a wildly vivid imagination, as evidenced by the metaphysical and supernatural elements in this novel. Emily Bronte lived in a world of fantasy most of the time, and I think that this novel is an extension of that. Although I prefer Emily’s sister Charlotte’s Jane Eyre to Wuthering Heights, I can identify much more with Emily as a person, and I can see where she comes from. But to someone else, Emily’s writing is startling in its intensity.The novel is hard to follow at times—there are narrators inside of narrators, and narrators inside of those, so sometimes it’s hard to differentiate between them. One of the most striking elements of the book is how obsessive the characters are, particularly Heathcliff. As a result, the love that he and Cathy have is startling in its intensity, especially after Cathy dies. I can see how many people might not like this book; there’s not a lot to like about the main characters. But the tale that Emily Bronte tells, about love, obsession, jealousy, and happiness, is pretty powerful.
    • 5/5
      A classic tale, that every teen should read, showing the emotions of love, betrayal and heartache.
    • 2/5
      Alas, I don't think this one is for me. Third try, this time I got to page 70. Seems like a study on how people can manipulate each other. I don't have the energy to bear all the misery in what I've just read, let alone all 300 pages.
    • 4/5
      The last time I read this was for a class in college, so it was different from previous readings. I did find it more interesting because of the analysis that went into it. I was struck by how much of a love story it isn't, even though it is billed as one of the greatest love stories of all times. Heathcliff and Catherine were selfish and foolish...it was more tragic than beautiful.
    • 4/5
      Wuthering Heights is a tumultuous ride through the life of Heathcliff, the Earnshaw family, and the Linton family. The story begins in the present (year 1801) with a new tenant, Mr. Lockwood, staying at Thrushcross Grange. He wanders over to meet his neighbors at Wuthering Heights and here comes across the master, Heathcliff. He is immediately taken aback by the man and the occupants of his house. Lockwood is instantly drawn to the situation and desiring to know more he pushes his housekeeper, Ellen Dean, to fill him in. Mrs. Dean is unable to start anywhere but when Heathcliff was a young child, discovered by the then master of Wuthering Heights, Mr. Earnshaw. Mrs. Dean reveals that Heathcliff was desperately in love with Mr. Earnshaw’s daughter, Catherine. They had an intense and disastrous love affair, which was cut short by Heathcliff overhearing that Catherine planned to marry the neighbor’s well-to-do son, Edgar Linton. Prior to this devastating news, Heathcliff was able to overcome his repressed life at the hands of the Hindley Earnshaw’s hands, who took over as master after his father passed. Heathcliff disappears for many years, only to one day reappear as a wealthy man and takes up residence at Wuthering Heights. The current occupants of Hindley and Hareton (Hindley’s son) Earnshaw are at the mercy of Heathcliff, who will stop at nothing to inflict revenge on the people who ruined his life.Heathcliff launches into a lengthy, diabolical plan to destroy the Earnshaw and Linton families. He has vowed to stop at nothing to rectify the wrongs he feels were done to him. Brontë creates an intense and often violent setting for all of the characters involved. The setting of the story lends itself to the desperate and lonely existence surrounding the residents of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Eventually the story ends a year after Mr. Lockwood’s original request for the history of these homes, with a surprising twist of fate. My only issue with this novel was the servant Joseph’s speaking parts. I found it incredibly hard to understand his portrayed accent and typically skipped through these parts to avoid attempting to decipher the words. Brontë has truly written a masterpiece of romance, violence, despair, and the debris left over from the path of these emotions.
    • 4/5
      Another reviewer gave this one star and said

      "the most damning thing is that the characters are a bunch of immature, insufferable, narcissistic assholes with very little self respect. This isn't a story of great love and passion. It's the story of how child abuse perpetuates itself through the generations."

      I agree 100% with the description and disagree entirely with the rating; it's a bit tough to get through - this Bronte is *crazy* dense - but well worth it in the end. Provided what you're looking for is total and utter misanthropy.
    • 5/5
      A first-read for me this year. Now I know why this is a classic. This is a love story gone wrong between Cathy and Heathcliff and everything Heathcliff does as an act of revenge. It is a novel that spans two generations of love and loss and examines how life can come full circle.
    • 4/5
      I will NEVER understand the cathy/Heathcliff appeal - what jerks!
    • 4/5
      When Mr. Lockwood became tenant of the brooding Heathcliff at Wuthering Heights he had no idea of the dramatic and tragic history of the land. When faithful servant, Nelly, seeks to enlighten him he is treated to a tale of horrible proportions, of violence and revenge and the inhumanity of love turned to obsession.I can honestly say I never expected to like this story. I knew very little of what the story was about, just that it was a much venerated classic that was frequently used as inspiration for stories even until today. But, I did like it despite the fact that I'm not fond of colloquial language, tragedy or dark Gothic drama. I expected the writing to give me much more trouble with understanding than it turned out. In the end it was only Joseph's dialog that was completely incomprehensible and it was easy enough just to skim over those parts.I've seen this story referred to as a romance which rather shocks me. I didn't really find the book romantic at all. Heathcliff's obsession with Catherine was so violent and consuming and later, what happened between Linton and Catherine, was more about psychological drama, betrayal and angst than anything else. It was utterly fascinating in a watching a train wreck sort of way. Also amazing, although potentially included with just with this edition, was the illuminatory introduction written by Charlotte Bronte about her sister Emily post-mortem. It is so hard to believe a young, cloistered, quiet spinster could ever come up with such a dark and compelling storyline. It is a pity that the harshness of the critics of their time hurt Emily Bronte so badly when it comes to such an amazing piece of work. It is easy for me to see why this piece of literature has been a cornerstone classic since the 1800s and I'm so glad to have finally discovered it.
    • 3/5
      "My love for Linton is like the foliage in the wood. Time will change it I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees - my love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath - a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nellie, I am Heathcliff - he's always, always on my mind - not as a pleasure any more than I am always a pleasure to myself - but, as my own being ..." (82)
    • 4/5
      Slowly, I’m working my way through a list of classics that I have always wanted to read. “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte was next on the list. I knew that it was a story of unrequited love, and I was curious to see how her work would compare to her sister’s. Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre” is one of my favorites. I didn’t know, however, that the main characters would have the emotional maturity of two-year-olds. Maybe I have been reading far too many young adult novels because I thought “Wuthering Heights” would contain characters that I would, maybe not relate to, but at least latch onto and then want to follow their plight to a satisfying conclusion. Heathcliff, however, is purely a villain with no redeeming qualities and Catherine a spoiled brat. This was disappointing because I wanted to immerse myself in the novel and get lost in their relationship. Instead, I followed the train wreck that they created and the ripple effects impacting the people around them, including their children. It’s not often that a novel features the “bad guys” as protagonists and the secondary characters as the normal people. This interesting twist, the excellent quality of writing, and the fact that I can’t stop thinking about the story made the novel worth reading.
    • 1/5
      What a suffering tale of suffering. If this book wasn't a classic and therefore owing some sense of required reading I do believe I would have put this book aside for another much more enjoyable story. Having loved Jane Eyre last year, I have to say that Emily Bronte is nowhere near the writer her sister Charlotte was.
    • 3/5
      Krachtig verhaal, 2de helft iets minderGedragen door passies: liefde en wraakThema’s van de civilisatie versus natuur en instinct, romantiek-elementen (storm, park, moors, spoken en dromen)Donkere stijl door suggestieve bijvoegelijke naamwoorden; alleen op het einde: zon barst door de wolken.)
    • 4/5
      SummaryWuthering Heights is a dark tale of enduring passion and violent love. Set on the wild, rugged Yorkshire moors of northern England, this classic gothic novel follows the story of Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, adopted siblings and lifelong lovers. Narrated through the diary of Mr. Lockwood, a tenant of nearby Thrushcross Grange, this strange and fantastic story tells of a love that transcends all boundaries—even death.Mr. Lockwood is paying a polite visit to his landlord, Heathcliff, when he is expectedly stranded there during a snowstorm. Forced to stay the night at Wuthering Heights, despite Heathcliff’s clear displeasure, Lockwood finds an unoccupied room in the grand house. Unable to sleep, however, he stumbles upon the diary entries of a young girl named Catherine Earnshaw, who writes of adventures with her young friend Heathcliff. After nodding off to sleep, Lockwood is awakened when the Catherine’s ghost appears at his window, pleading to be let in.When Lockwood returns to Thrushcross Grange the next day, he asks his housekeeper, Ellen (Nelly) Dean, to tell him the story of Heathcliff and the others at Wuthering Heights. Nelly begins her story thirty years earlier, when Mr. Earnshaw brings home an orphaned Heathcliff to raise with his own children, Hindley and Catherine.Though Catherine and Heathcliff are, for many years, inseparable despite Hindley’s cruel persecution, eventually the two seem to drift apart. Catherine becomes a proper young lady, and since Hindley forces Heathcliff to work in the fields after their father’s death, Heathcliff becomes ignorant and angry. Catherine chooses to marry Edgar Linton, a rich neighbor whom she naively believes will take care of her and Heathcliff. However, Heathcliff interprets this move as rejection, and he runs away for several years.When he returns, he has mysteriously acquires wealth and prestige, though his brooding nature has not been appeased. He has vowed revenge against all of those who have wronged him. When Catherine is confronted by her two loves, Edgar and Heathcliff, she falls ill and dies after giving birth to Cathy. Before she dies, however, she and Heathcliff reassert their undying love to each other.Now, many years later, Heathcliff is more embittered than ever, and he lives to torment the offspring of his long-dead enemies. But he is constantly conscious of Catherine’s post-mortem presence, and he is pulled toward eternal love and happiness with her beyond the grave.AnalysisDespite the many narratives-within-a-narrative (the story is a diary entry, often recording Nelly’s narrative, who in turn often relates the detailed speeches of others), I found the story surprisingly easy to follow on audiobook. I enjoyed listening to the heavily accented speech of Joseph and other characters, though I also checked a paperback out from the library to understand what they were actually saying!Nelly’s judgmental comments about the devilish behavior of Catherine and Heathcliff, which only seems to worsen with time, make the pair seem irresponsible and deserving of any punishment that they receive. Nelly supports this viewpoint with the opinions of Edgar Linton and Hindley, both of whom despise Heathcliff and become frustrated with Catherine, and she portrays the lovelorn couple as ungrateful and spiteful.It struck me as odd that such a seemingly selfish and cruel pair would feel so deeply for each other. In my experience, relationships between truly destructive people such as Catherine and Heathcliff never end well. But their love persists and even grows stronger with each passing year.All of the other characters in the story judge the actions of Catherine and Heathcliff quite harshly, but their persecution only serves to strengthen the depth of feeling between the two. Every time Nelly criticizes their irreverent and even cruel behavior, I felt more sympathy and understanding for them and I began identifying with the persecuted couple. No one believes in them but themselves, and that is what makes their love so powerful and endearing.I found Wuthering Heights to be an enjoyable read; even more than Jane Eyre. Such a powerful story of love and loss ages well, and the unconventional use of an unreliable narrator had an interesting effect upon my view of the characters and story.The very subtle addition of Catherine’s ghost, which could be interpreted as real or could be read as merely a figment of Lockwood’s and Heathcliff’s imaginations, does not diminish the credibility of the story. On the contrary, the supernatural elements throughout the novel only serve to add to the dark, intense feelings between the two lovers.
    • 4/5
      Melancholy and dramatic almost to the point of absurdity, with an moody atmosphere to match the moors setting evident on every page, Wuthering Heights is an absorbing novel, in fact one of my very favorites, but you'll definitely need a pen and paper handy so that you can keep track of the numerous characters, and then cross them off one by one as they all come to tragic ends. Heights comes off in end as a fascinating character study of the insane -- and the demonic. Definitely read this one for the unforgettable characters.
    • 5/5
      A story of love, fate and tragedy is masterfully told in Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights." The characters in this book really invoke a passion in the reader that allows ones to intently feel one way or another about a person. From beginning to end, it remains a compelling and sorrowful story that is almost art-like in its strokes of prose.
    • 5/5
      This edition was so cheap looking (check out the bad cover painting) that I went to a bookstore to make sure it really was unabridged since I bought it at a thrift store in Colorado when I ran out of books to read. That said, this was a revelation. It is one of the more radical books I've read and for it's time impossible. I can't think of anyone with the possible exception of Dostoyevsky who was this daring. Heathcliff as a character if not Catherine are extraordinary as dramatic events. No one did this. No one insisted that the dark uncontrollable forces in the psyche are the primordial source of story. What Bronte does is give you hatred as the prime dramatic focus of the events in life. When either Heathcliff or Catherine appear they are so powerful (and healthy) that every other character is reduced to holding them back. Scene stealers? In every instance so you read on because they represent danger. They are unpredictable and unrepentant in their embrace of what is socially unacceptable. Look it's the dramatist's role to create forces of opposition something Bronte recognized and exploited earlier than just about anyone. In almost all storytelling evil particularly when it destroys families and societies must be punished and yet Heathcliff dies, if not peacefully, with some contentment. He is just stronger than the personalities that surround him. Given Bronte' s father you can't help be fascinated that she could create a character so in opposition to her own superego ideal and imbue him with such power. And to make matters worse, the other characters , particularly those who represent goodness are portrayed as weak not only in body but in character. What a feat! Some days it feels as if modern fiction is just beginning to allow itself to turn to stories based on unsympathetic characters and here she is doing it a century earlier? Impossible! I am in awe.
    • 3/5
      I tried to read this yesterday. I've tried to read it before. The characters just don't jump out at me like I'd like them to and I gave up after 10 or so pages.
    • 5/5
      Wuthering Heights has been in my consciousness ever since the 70's when Kate Bush was wailing out her high pitched ethereal lyrics -Out on the wiley, windy moorsWe'd roll and fall in green.You had a temper like my jealousy:Too hot, too greedy.How could you leave me, When I needed to possess you?I hated you. I loved you, too. I watched the TV adaptaion with Tom Hardy some years ago and still have vague recollections of it - mostly of Tom Hardy's brooding gorgeousness. And as I have said before seeing any tv or film adaptation before reading the book for me is a mistake. When I first started reading I found myself trying to link in the story to what I had seen and thought I already knew which detracted somewhat for allowing the story to unfold.What surprised me most on reading was it wasn't all about Cathy and Heathcliff as my memory had held it. So much of this tale is about the children of the initial characters. If there is any place for pathetic fallacy in literature then Wuthering Heights is the perfect venue. Not only does the weather provide the sometimes wild, sometimes brooding, sometimes oppressive atmosphere of the book but for me it is also a metaphor for the characters themselves. Many like myself come to the story thinking it will be a tale of love and passion only to discover that the pervading emotions are childish petulance and hatred and revenge. I have learnt much about life and love in nearly half a century on the planet and one thing I have learnt is that, when it comes to human relationships, hate is not the opposite of love - apathy is. So for me there is still more love in the story than hatred. It just manifests itself in an immature way. When I think of Heathcliff then the word repression comes to mind. I was once told that Wuthering Heights is best read when young and I can see why - there is for me is an immaturity in Cathy Earnshaw's behaviour in particular.The amazing thing for me about Wuthering Height's is held in the author herself - how on earth did a young woman in victorian England come up with all of this? The initial reviews of the book were not favourable and critics thought it morally reprehensible drivel. I need to find out more about Emily Bronte and her life and experiences - ooh a trip to Haworth when I am next back up in the Motherland. I have the 1939 film adaptation waiting with Larry O and Merle Oberon which I will watch with interest - although a more unlikely Heathcliff I cannot imagine. And a final note - having seen Tom Hardy digging up Cathy from her grave to embrace her again like a deranged lunatic ( my favourite scene ) I was eaer for it to come up in the book - it was there at last, so very near the end although the writing of it a very different less urgent account than the one I experienced in viewing.
    • 5/5
      Read this in one night, on the sofa, with a small yellow lamp. It was disturbing, awful, depressing and wonderful.Definitely not what I've pictured a classic romance to be. I couldn't identify with most of the characters, whose faults were exposed in such a bright light, and Heathcliff I've actually detested - he really IS diabolical!But I have enjoyed the book immensely and it is beautifully written.Makes mew dream about the moors...
    • 5/5
      The most beautiful story I've ever read. Hard to explain where the fascination lies. Maybe it,s the solitariness and mysteriousness of the moors, the simplicity of rural life in the 19th century Yorkshire combined with a romantic but peculiar love story. How can such a young person have written such a novel?
    • 2/5
      Wow. I was expecting...so much more. I guess I should stop comparing siblings' writings--JANE EYRE was SO good. This book DOES have its merits, but not enough to balance the horrible characters contained within its pages. I really didn't enjoy this book. At all.