wuthrinheights's reviews
188 reviews

I don't see enough people talking about this play, and they should! It was thoroughly splendid and entertaining. It reminded me of Twelfth Night, which is my second favourite Shakespeare play. 

I loved Orlando and Rosalind individually but it was great that they got paired up; they were the strongest characters in the play. Such a power couple. I didn't expect it but funnily Shakespeare made me raise my standards in a partner. 

Touchstone was the most catty Shakespeare fool. Some of his lines baffled me. I truly didn't expect to read such things. But him being a hater was funny to me. 

I would've rated it higher if some parts weren't a tad uninteresting, though. Some scenes felt like a filler episode to me. But I do have the urge to reread it again someday. I think I may have missed or misunderstood some parts. 

All in all, this was a great play and I am so happy I enjoyed my first read of the year!

The Trial was certainly... a trial. As a buddy read, we kept encountering ill luck while reading it. Either one of us would fall sick, or her ebook reader crashed, or my lungs suffered. I don't know what Kafka did while writing this but it felt very cursed.

Once again I am irked by the format of his novels, in which he seemed allergic to using paragraphs. Pages were filled with huge blocks of words with no spacings, which made it quite confusing to move through this story that is already confusing plot-wise.

Josef K was an unlikeable character (and not in a good way. Trust me. I often love books with terrible characters). He was (pardon my French) an ass. He was a menace to every woman he encountered (and boy, there were quite a few), to the men in the trial, to his maid and neighbours, and to his uncle. I could not pity this man at all and I wouldn't mind arresting him myself. He was a Scrooge in a Kafka way.

The book felt like if someone were to play with the volume dial. One second it's loud, and another it's quiet. My interest in the story went up and down. Some were interesting, some were so boring it was like reading white noise. We do not speak of Chapter 7. Whatever that was. 

However I do applaud Kafka in his ability to write such a grimy book. I felt so suffocated and dirty, like I'm stuck beneath a centipede's belly. Stomach-dropping, headache-inducing, dread-filling book; that's what The Trial was for me.

After Água Viva and handwriting every favourite quote from it, I felt like I had an overdose of Lispector. I couldn't get into this one as quickly as I did with the previous book, because I was still reeling from it. And much like her other books, I never really looked up the synopsis so I didn't know what The Passion was about. 

This novel started out like the narrator's soliloquy. It was slow and at times, felt like it wasn't going anywhere. But I stayed on and hoped for the best. At first I wasn't quite sold on it and thought maybe I should hit pause but it was constantly calling me so eventually I picked it up again. 

Then the novel really started. You get to know the characters. G.H., her life, her penthouse, her maid. And the picture gets clearer as the story goes on. I actually think this book was like a retelling of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka but from a different point of view; of Gregor's sister or one of his parents. It was quickly piquing my interest.

Once again Lispector had a unique way of writing. With every last line of a chapter, said line will be repeated into the next chapter to start over. It was almost like crocheting. Making another chain stitch to repeat a double crochet, yarn over, front loop.. She was literally stitching together a story and I don't think I've ever encountered that while reading. So fascinating. 

It was a lot to take in. It was a sea of thoughts. It was philosophical. It was theological. It was a horror story. It was mind and gut churning. It was very Lispectorian. 

I was not prepared at all for the final reveal. I had theories but also knew deep down that it wouldn't go that way. No, it went completely the other way. I didn't expect it at all. I exclaimed loudly, which surprised my sister who was next to me. I couldn't wrap my head around it. Like I get it, but I also didn't. I need to sit with it for now. 

A perfect book to read between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day itself! I haven't read this in a really long while, so it almost felt like reading it for the first time. I remember Suzanne from her first appearance but I didn't remember her coming back a second time.

And I definitely didn't remember about her illness, or the bond she had with Todd.

As always, it's a joy to be with the Wakefields. It's so warm and inviting, like I'm truly home for the holidays with my favourite (literary) family. Some of the events were predictable (which knocked off the 0.25 stars) and some, not. But I enjoyed this a lot and I'm happy I picked this as a Christmas read.

Have you ever read a book where it's so good, you have to close it after every few sentences because you need to soak in its essence and messages? Água Viva was like that. It may be a really short book (with less than a hundred pages) but it wasn't a quick read. I couldn't do it. I had to read a little then sit in wonder and awe.

It is a book where you can't just read quietly, either. You have to read it in your head then read it out loud. To feel the words in your mouth, to slosh it around just so you can really embody her words. And in turn, it's almost like reciting a prayer. Just you, her book, and her words. It's magic. 

Reading Clarice Lispector is just a continuous cycle of murmuring "good God.." and taking note of the quote(s) that leave me breathless. How was she able to articulate such deep, instantaneous thoughts? Olga Borelli was correct when she said this book was "breathing together." 

A book with so many things to say, in essence it was about life and death. It was relentless. No matter how much you want to read on or pause, it goes on and on like thoughts you cannot switch off. I don't think I've ever read a book like this. It was witchy.

I think stumbling upon Lispector as a growing woman is the best thing that could've happened. It is life-altering literature. This is a book I think I should always reread because there's always something important and profound that I need to hear and remember.

I took my time rereading this. In between my other CRs, before I sleep, etc, that it took me 4 months to finish it. Well, I actually read nearly half of it just yesterday. It was one of those cold, rainy, gloomy days and I was breezing through this story. I couldn't help it. It felt as familiar as if I were reading my diary regarding my past (no, my past did not resemble this book in the slightest. I just mean it's so comfortable to read Emily's words as if it were home).

This book is so special to me. The gloomy atmosphere, the intense emotions, the wild characters, the beautiful quotes, the tragic family tree, the eerie supernatural sightings, the comedic scenes, the growth and development of the characters, the unforgettable love declarations... oh, what is there not to love? This is such an iconic book. I fiercely love Emily Jane Brontë. 

This is my first time reading the Norton edition and it was enlightening. The essays helped me understand the literature better and it made me be even more in awe of this novel. How Q. D. Leavis compared Cathy to characters from Dickens, Tolstoy, Lawrence; how Inga-Stina Ewbank wrote about the symbols in the book to differentiate characters and societal classes; how John K. Mathison wrote an essay solely on Nelly and how she was an unreliable narrator (which really opened my eyes to a lot of missed details); how Carl R. Woodring wrote about the narrators of the books and how it plays with the events; how Mary Visick compared Cathy to A.G.A, a Gondal heroine; how Mark Schorer analysed WH through the analogies and how "Her metaphors instruct her, and her verbs"; and lastly, how William M. Sale, JR reiterated Miss Fanny Ratchford's conclusion that Wuthering Heights was born from the tales of Gondal. I've spent over an hour reading these essays and I've learned so much in one sitting.

C. P. Sanger summarised the book then went into detail of every date of birth and death of the characters, and wondered how Emily had knowledge of the dates as well as the laws of land ownership. He was in awe of her brilliance and knowledge. He also wrote that this was a "tempestuous book" and I couldn't find a more perfect word to describe it than that. Sums it up greatly. 

David Cecil wrote that to Emily, "man and nature are equally living and in the same way; different manifestations of a single spiritual reality." That she accepted both good and evil in people: "the deeds and passion of humans do not spring from destructive impulses, but they're only destructive if they were diverted from their natural course." And that the characters' intense emotions resemble the forces of nature; they love each other not because of their pleasant personalities, but from a sense of affinity. That's such a brilliant way of reading into her works. Someone finally found the right words to explain a good reason to back up why I love this book despite the terrible characters. 

As for the newspaper clippings of the book reviews, I can only imagine how much Emily must've laughed and felt a surge of pride seeing her words being reviewed in its time (especially when they just didn't get it, nor were they aware of who the actual author was).

All in all, this was such a perfect addition to my collection of WH. It's a must read by fans of Wuthering Heights who want to delve deeper into this brilliant novel. I'm so happy I found a copy so I can find more reasons to love my favourite book. 

I skipped The Importance of Being Earnest for I have read it already before. I will begin my review with the second play: Lady Windermere's Fan. What a fantastic play! It was thoroughly captivating. I was hooked from the start, and wanted to devour it as quickly as I could. It had so much tension and drama, with twists that made me gasp out loud. I was lucky to read this with a buddy, because I needed someone to talk to immediately! Full 5 stars. Great play!

A Woman of no Importance was a slightly slow play to me, especially in the first half. There were too many characters that they all kind of blur together, that I kept referring to the list of names just so I can be sure that I know who's who--as best as I could keep up, for there were so many gossip surrounding each person. It was mostly a play consisting of a group of friends talking about each other behind their backs. But things started to pick up deliciously by the end of Act 2. Suddenly it was going so fast and I was invested. I was so scared about how it was going to end but WOW. What an amazing ending. I loved it in the end! It was also funny that Wilde copied and pasted quotes from his other works (lines from Dorian Gray and Importance of Being Earnest, and then from this play again). 4.5 stars!

An Ideal Husband was different than his other plays. It was longer and more political. But the characters were more lively than usual. I was feeling all kinds of things reading this; curiosity, anger, triumph, disappointment. I couldn't wait to see how it played out but although some felt great, a lot of it felt underwhelming. I wanted more drama and flair like in A Woman of No Importance. Alas, this was my least favourite play. 3.75 stars.

Scratch that. Salomé was the most different out of all the plays he's written (that I've read so far). It actually felt like I was reading a Shakespearian play what with the humour, the omen/foreshadowing, the theatrical dramatic characters. It was completely out of the box, and the ending was utterly shocking. It ended on a wildly abrupt tone. 4.5 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book of compilated plays and I wish it had all of his works as well. I may need to reread Dorian Gray to be sure but I think I enjoy his plays better than his novel. 

Going into this with no idea what it's about, I had little expectations. It wasn't disappointing, but it was also just... fine. 

I only liked one character (Miranda) but the others, even till the end I couldn't remember who everyone was. I kept having to go back to the list of characters throughout the book. 

It was slightly funny and I liked the scenes between Miranda/Prospero/Ferdinand/Ariel the most. The others, not so much. 

I wasn't thrilled about the pacing of the play either. Some felt too rushed, some felt too draggy. But overall it wasn't terrible. I'm glad I gave it a try.

I thought there would be a couple of deaths in the end but no, Shakespeare didn't deliver this time. I felt disappointed that it ended so abruptly and without a punch. I wanted justice for the villains!

I picked this up yesterday for I had time to kill. A gothic victorian novella that centers around a governess in a manor with haunted kids? Sounds just like something I'd enjoy. 

I'm aware of this book being the inspiration of The Haunting of Bly Manor, a show I wasn't a fan of, but I was very curious to read the original book. I was half glad, half disappointed that I read the book after watching the show. I'm glad it was easier to picture them, but I was disappointed because I couldn't help but feel like I knew what was going to happen. So sometimes I felt a little bored because it was like watching the show again. But I didn't have to worry about that because it ended up being different from the show.

This story wasn't as great as I expected, and the creepiness felt flat; I wasn't scared at all. But the language was easy to read and I liked the way it was written. It was a breeze to read this book.

However, the ending was incredibly abrupt that when I got to the end, I literally said "HUH?" out loud. I had to look up the Sparknotes to make sure I read it right. It was certainly unpredictable to me.

One of the possible analysis said that she was losing her mind and she accidentally smothered Miles which led to his demise. For this, I do think it was a creepier ending, making it better than I initially thought of.

After reading Me and Mr Darcy, I decided to go for another romance book. Plus, I DNF-ed this book many years ago so technically this is my first time reading it (till the end). 

This book ended nicely but through it all, I felt like the pacing wasn't that smooth. It was fast and fun at first but suddenly it grew really slow, like she was trying hard to fill up the pages. It picked up again till the end so I bumped up my rating another 0.25. 

The main character felt very similar to Emily from Me and Mr Darcy. I understand authors tend to write their MC through themselves like a self portrait, but sometimes I felt like I was reading about Emily again and not a different person. 

I do think Jack was a better male love interest than [whatever the last guy's name was. He was so terrible till the end, I couldn't find him appealing]. Yes, he was obnoxious at first but he was alright. I think the romantic parts were a bit sudden but they're okay. Enemies to lovers, road trip, only one bed. Hey, these tropes never fail. 

I enjoyed reading about the many types of love in this book but the description of the travels felt a little repetitive and echo-ey. Like trying to write down as many memories as you can in your diary after a long vacation. 

I sound like I have more negative things to say about this book than good ones but honestly, it wasn't a bad book. It was good enough to keep me engaged to read till the end but I think my expectations were too high after the previous book. It's quite alright!