I am glad this is done. This was not for me. I considered stopping around Chapter 5/6, but then Nelly's narration came in (and I started using a family tree) so at least I could figure out who was who and what was going on (although I maintain that having 2 characters called Catherine and multiple male characters with names beginning with H is unnecessary and annoying). I got into it until about 60% then I just DID NOT CARE anymore. I have genuinely enjoyed gothic classics before (The Woman In White, for example) but this is truly not it. The narrative style is so distant from the people we're supposed to care about that it's hard to care at all, and also they're all terrible, doing terrible things to each other. I thought it would be atmospheric and dark with the setting and it being a story of revenge, but it just felt disconnected and depressing. Also, this is so often described as romance.. WHERE?! It's bleak. The Kate Bush song is the best thing to come from this book 🫣

Absolutely atrocious cast of people behaving abhorrently to each other all the way through and gossiping about it to each other. Isolation, inbreeding, tantrums, physical and psychological abuse, toxic codependency, malignancy, hatred, violent outbursts... what a thoroughly unpleasant group of people, and thus unpleasant time reading.

That this book keeps being hailed as one of the greatest love stories ever told, and adapted as romantic aspirations, would be laughable if it wasn't so damn insulting.

dear emily, I’m sorry you went through the things that made you write this, but unfortunately it took me like 30% to get interested and then you lost me again at 60% or so… may you rest in peace but please never make me read this again.

xoxo