The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Pocket Penguin Classics)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Anne Brontė seems to have been overshadowed by her two sisters. Hardly surprising, but this is a great work in itself and should not be ignored. Her sister Charlotte did not like it much, she said it was unworthy of publication - but of course, she said the same about Jane Austen's works (whose style is similar to Anne's).
It traces, with remarkable frankness, the collapse of a woman's marriage to an abusive husband (who is loosely based on Brontė's brother Branwell), and her escape from him. The characters have odd and endearing foibles, and one never loses interest as the book progresses.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall tells the story of a young woman named Helen who comes to live on the Yorkshire Moors in a semi-derilect house with her young son Arthur and her loyal servant. Once the mistress of a luxurious house, this drastic step is necessitated by a need to rid her son from the corrupting influence of his reckless and almost always intoxicated father, and to escape herself from the humiliation of living with a husband who no longer loves her, and who takes pleasure from flauting his mistresses openly to her.
Assuming a new name and establishing herself as an artist to support herself and her son, Helen finds herself the subject of gossip and mistrust amongst almost all of the local population. Although living in constant fear of discovery by her husband, Helen attempts to make a success of her new life, a life made more bearable by the friendship of local yeoman farmer Gilbert.
But will Helens secret identity be able to remain a secret forever or will her past eventually catch up with her and threaten to destroy her budding romance with Gilbert?
This is an extremely well written book and is rather neglected alongside the successful novels written by her sisters Emily and Charlotte Bronte.
The book contains the passion and drama set around the Moors which you would expect from a Bronte, but it also presents an interesting critique about the place and role of women in 19th century England.
This classic novel is well worth reading.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Don't let my title fool you. What I mean is, it is a travesty Anne Bronte does not have the same literary fame as her sisters, Charlotte and Emily. Indeed both Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights are classics but so is The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and should be up there among them.
The reason this novel is not placed on the same pedestal as the other two is because of the subject matter. In the early 19th century a woman's job as a wife was to pander to her husband's every need. If he was a drunk or an abuser so be it, all she should do is make the most of it. Anne had very different ideas, ideas which are more late 20th century than early 19th century. To leave your husband was in those times unthinkable. To write about alcohol abuse was even more of a taboo. In the preface to Wuthering Heights/Agnes Grey Charlotte wrote that the subject matter in this book was unsuitable and a mistake. Because Charlotte did not think much of it she did not push for its acceptance in the mainstream after Anne's very early death. That was a mistake. There are also rumours Charlotte destroyed a second manuscript of Emily's. Another mistake if it is true.
Personally I think it is better written and formulated than Jane Eyre. It's most certainly better written than Wuthering Heights. I think Anne Bronte should be elevated to the heights (no pun intended) of Charlotte, Emily, Jane Austen et al. Read this and you will not be disappointed.
The reason this novel is not placed on the same pedestal as the other two is because of the subject matter. In the early 19th century a woman's job as a wife was to pander to her husband's every need. If he was a drunk or an abuser so be it, all she should do is make the most of it. Anne had very different ideas, ideas which are more late 20th century than early 19th century. To leave your husband was in those times unthinkable. To write about alcohol abuse was even more of a taboo. In the preface to Wuthering Heights/Agnes Grey Charlotte wrote that the subject matter in this book was unsuitable and a mistake. Because Charlotte did not think much of it she did not push for its acceptance in the mainstream after Anne's very early death. That was a mistake. There are also rumours Charlotte destroyed a second manuscript of Emily's. Another mistake if it is true.
Personally I think it is better written and formulated than Jane Eyre. It's most certainly better written than Wuthering Heights. I think Anne Bronte should be elevated to the heights (no pun intended) of Charlotte, Emily, Jane Austen et al. Read this and you will not be disappointed.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A fascinating glimpse into a troubled mind of a woman trapped in a...
This is a very well-written and extremely absorbing tale framed partly as a letter and a diary which gives us an insight into the mind of a woman who becomes trapped in a marriage... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Hannah Dexter
severely under rated
After reading both Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, I wasnt expecting The tenant of Wildfell Hall to be as good since Anne Bronte's novels are less famous. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Bronte fan
Best book I've read in ages
I absolutely loved this book. I couldn't put it down. I would thoroughly recommend a large glass of wine, a large bar of chocolate and lock yourself away to unfold a lovely love... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Ladylee
Insipid and tedious
I really enjoyed Villette, so the favourable reviews on Amazon convinced me to read Wildfell Hall. But Villette's characters are recognisble as human beings and the plot trots... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Lyamshin
Classic in its own right
When I first took up this book, I was a little hesitant. I had fallen into the mistake of believing that Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights were the best known for a reason and the... Read more
Published 10 months ago by E. Dawson
Moorland romance
An undervalued classic. You get a real feel for the wild moorland and country society, with all its rumours, innuendoes and scandal. From a feminist perspective, Ms. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Morning Star
beautiful prose but story itself offputting
Wonderfully written in terms of choice of words, but after a few chapters the characters seemed to be acting "out of character" it just didn't seem to work for me personally! Read more
Published 13 months ago by vi
Powerful and compelling
This book took me quite some time to read. There were times when I needed to take a break from it, but somehow it always called me back. Read more
Published 13 months ago by S. L. Parkinson
not a big mistake but a great success
Exhilerating from the beginning until the ending. I really don't understand why Charlotte B. thought this novel a big mistake! Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mag Bettina Konradsheim
So interesting ... so wonderful
Growing up and reading a lot, much is made of two novels of the English language, "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte and "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte. Read more
Published 16 months ago by austen_megabux
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