this was fun!! really intriguing world, toadling was a fascinating character. halim being Muslim was an interesting twist. The Muslim rep was alright, better explained by Halim saying he wasn’t very devout. now I just want to rewatch Maleficent 🤭

WOW. Don't hate me, but I hated this.

I don't mean to yuck anyone's yum, and I can see the appeal of viewing this like a day time soap opera, but truly - I found nothing about this novel to be worth while. The characters are all insufferable and that insufferableness doesn't serve a purpose. The constant violence and abuse is so normalized it also fails to make a commentary. No greater message is delivered, no shining beauty is outlined in the midst of the suffering, nor is there any meaningful hope to be found. Nor is the "love" love; it is toxic and possessive and poisonous and often wildly inappropriate.

I do truly understand that sometimes life just sucks, and there are an abundance of people who only live in misery begot by misery begot by misery. I want more from my books, though. I want a clarion call, a seed to nurture, anything to make wading through a litany of melancholy to be worth it. Emily Bronte offers us no such thing in Wuthering Heights and I (respectfully) genuinely do not understand why so many people love this or why it's an enduring classic. 😭

Ohhh am I glad to be done with this!! Being generous with my rating cause I do think Emily Brontë was a talented author. Her way with words was def impressive. But oh did I hate the story! What was she even going for I wonder? Trying to teach the world about toxic relationships and walking red flags in every single corner?? Also- at a time where everyone was getting acquainted with everyone and people were social butterflies (according to Jane Austen) she chose to write a story that consisted of only 2 families and 2 houses at that! Do they not have any other neighbors? No one else to fall in love with and marry? Was it really that limited? Nelly would be saying how the neighbors would find this or that scandalous ma'am WHAT neighbors!!??? No scope of imagination to even have different names for these characters 😑 It was just a whole book of misery and people being horrible to one another and more so to those they claimed to love 🫠 I'm having a hard time understanding why people would choose this as their fave book (with all due respect ofc)

men will do anything but go to therapy