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Wuthering Heights: Deluxe Painted Edition
- GenresClassics
416 pages, Hardcover
Published November 4, 2025
28 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Emily Brontë
1,516 books13.8k followersEmily Brontë was an English novelist and poet whose singular contribution to literature, Wuthering Heights, is now celebrated as one of the most powerful and original novels in the English language. Born into the remarkable Brontë family on 30 July 1818 in Thornton, Yorkshire, she was the fifth of six children of Maria Branwell and Patrick Brontë, an Irish clergyman. Her early life was marked by both intellectual curiosity and profound loss. After the death of her mother in 1821 and the subsequent deaths of her two eldest sisters in 1825, Emily and her surviving siblings— Charlotte, Anne, and Branwell—were raised in relative seclusion in the moorland village of Haworth, where their imaginations flourished in a household shaped by books, storytelling, and emotional intensity.
The Brontë children created elaborate fictional worlds, notably Angria and later Gondal, which served as an outlet for their creative energies. Emily, in particular, gravitated toward Gondal, a mysterious, windswept imaginary land she developed with her sister Anne. Her early poetry, much of it steeped in the mythology and characters of Gondal, demonstrated a remarkable lyrical force and emotional depth. These poems remained private until discovered by Charlotte in 1845, after which Emily reluctantly agreed to publish them in the 1846 collection Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, using the pseudonym Ellis Bell to conceal her gender. Though the volume sold few copies, critics identified Emily’s poems as the strongest in the collection, lauding her for their music, power, and visionary quality.
Emily was intensely private and reclusive by nature. She briefly attended schools in Cowan Bridge and Roe Head but was plagued by homesickness and preferred the solitude of the Yorkshire moors, which inspired much of her work. She worked briefly as a teacher but found the demands of the profession exhausting. She also studied in Brussels with Charlotte in 1842, but again found herself alienated and yearning for home. Throughout her life, Emily remained closely bonded with her siblings, particularly Anne, and with the landscape of Haworth, where she drew on the raw, untamed beauty of the moors for both her poetry and her fiction.
Her only novel, Wuthering Heights, was published in 1847, a year after the poetry collection, under her pseudonym Ellis Bell. Initially met with a mixture of admiration and shock, the novel’s structure, emotional intensity, and portrayal of violent passion and moral ambiguity stood in stark contrast to the conventions of Victorian fiction. Many readers, unable to reconcile its power with the expected gentility of a woman writer, assumed it had been written by a man. The novel tells the story of Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw—two characters driven by obsessive love, cruelty, and vengeance—and explores themes of nature, the supernatural, and the destructive power of unresolved emotion. Though controversial at the time, Wuthering Heights is now considered a landmark in English literature, acclaimed for its originality, psychological insight, and poetic vision.
Emily's personality has been the subject of much speculation, shaped in part by her sister Charlotte’s later writings and by Victorian biographies that often sought to romanticize or domesticate her character. While some accounts depict her as intensely shy and austere, others highlight her fierce independence, deep empathy with animals, and profound inner life. She is remembered as a solitary figure, closely attuned to the rhythms of the natural world, with a quiet but formidable intellect and a passion for truth and freedom. Her dog, Keeper, was a constant companion and, according to many, a window into her capacity for fierce, loyal love.
Emily Brontë died of tuberculosis on 19 December 1848 at the age of thirty, just a year after the publication of her novel. Her early death, following those of her brother Branwell and soon to
The Brontë children created elaborate fictional worlds, notably Angria and later Gondal, which served as an outlet for their creative energies. Emily, in particular, gravitated toward Gondal, a mysterious, windswept imaginary land she developed with her sister Anne. Her early poetry, much of it steeped in the mythology and characters of Gondal, demonstrated a remarkable lyrical force and emotional depth. These poems remained private until discovered by Charlotte in 1845, after which Emily reluctantly agreed to publish them in the 1846 collection Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, using the pseudonym Ellis Bell to conceal her gender. Though the volume sold few copies, critics identified Emily’s poems as the strongest in the collection, lauding her for their music, power, and visionary quality.
Emily was intensely private and reclusive by nature. She briefly attended schools in Cowan Bridge and Roe Head but was plagued by homesickness and preferred the solitude of the Yorkshire moors, which inspired much of her work. She worked briefly as a teacher but found the demands of the profession exhausting. She also studied in Brussels with Charlotte in 1842, but again found herself alienated and yearning for home. Throughout her life, Emily remained closely bonded with her siblings, particularly Anne, and with the landscape of Haworth, where she drew on the raw, untamed beauty of the moors for both her poetry and her fiction.
Her only novel, Wuthering Heights, was published in 1847, a year after the poetry collection, under her pseudonym Ellis Bell. Initially met with a mixture of admiration and shock, the novel’s structure, emotional intensity, and portrayal of violent passion and moral ambiguity stood in stark contrast to the conventions of Victorian fiction. Many readers, unable to reconcile its power with the expected gentility of a woman writer, assumed it had been written by a man. The novel tells the story of Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw—two characters driven by obsessive love, cruelty, and vengeance—and explores themes of nature, the supernatural, and the destructive power of unresolved emotion. Though controversial at the time, Wuthering Heights is now considered a landmark in English literature, acclaimed for its originality, psychological insight, and poetic vision.
Emily's personality has been the subject of much speculation, shaped in part by her sister Charlotte’s later writings and by Victorian biographies that often sought to romanticize or domesticate her character. While some accounts depict her as intensely shy and austere, others highlight her fierce independence, deep empathy with animals, and profound inner life. She is remembered as a solitary figure, closely attuned to the rhythms of the natural world, with a quiet but formidable intellect and a passion for truth and freedom. Her dog, Keeper, was a constant companion and, according to many, a window into her capacity for fierce, loyal love.
Emily Brontë died of tuberculosis on 19 December 1848 at the age of thirty, just a year after the publication of her novel. Her early death, following those of her brother Branwell and soon to
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 6, 2026
I don’t know how to rate this. It’s well written. It’s engaging storytelling It’s also bleak. Every single character is either insufferable, unlikable, genuinely evil, or a combination of the three. I’ve read it before and disliked it. I assumed I missed something, since it was many years ago, and I was less experienced with reading classics. But…I still don’t like it. Want essentially the same story line with redeeming qualities? Read Secret Garden. That’s where I’ll go next time I want a gloomy moorish environment filled with crying cousins, strange and malicious uncles, ghosts of dead women and weird jealousies.
February 1, 2026
A dark, twisted novel about the way love can twist and corrupt people. Heathcliff and Cathy’s relationship is so filled with yearning even though they are so cruel to each other. Toxic situationship in 1801.
But this novel was really fascinating with its depiction of race within this time period and also how Heathcliff’s choices impact multiple generations of the Earnshaw/Linton family. It was very unconventional and I really appreciated that about it. It felt way more “modern” than a lot of classics I’ve read previously. Bring back woke!
But this novel was really fascinating with its depiction of race within this time period and also how Heathcliff’s choices impact multiple generations of the Earnshaw/Linton family. It was very unconventional and I really appreciated that about it. It felt way more “modern” than a lot of classics I’ve read previously. Bring back woke!
February 19, 2026
There's just nothing like this and there never will be!!!!
Rereading after watching the new movie (twice) was such an experience. People complaining about the movie having too much shock value are missing the point..... so does the book! It quite literally scandalized society. As is the movie, apparently. So, good! It's doing what it should! My previous review from a few years ago discusses all of the literary revelations I had reading it for a second time, so I won't get into that here but I'll just comment on the "greatest love story of all time" narrative. People are mad about that. Are the relationships in any way admirable or genuinely "romantic"? No. But is this a love story? Absolutely. A wicked and twisted one, tangled up with depravity, yes. I do not in any way envy Catherine or Heathcliff but their entire existence and relationship to one another is poetry. And Emily Brontë was such an introverted lil weirdo I love her so much. Byeeeeee!
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My review from March 2022, if you're interested:
needless to say i got a lot more out of this book reading it at 25 than i did reading it at 15 and therefore i have a lot to say. one of the main draws for me to this book is the setting- this stormy, brooding, grey-tinged english moor where it rains and rains almost unrelentingly. that is some of my favorite weather AND i found that my vision of the landscape came quite naturally to me. there's wuthering heights on one side and thrushcross grange on another, with one representing this gloomy, dark space and the other seeming to have brighter colors and a bit more sunshine, and in between is this vast expanse of unpredictable land through which characters run to and fro. that liminal space seems to embody the longing, pining, and searching for something that they may or may not know they are looking for that so many of the characters entertain.
i think that the idea of this book as a romance is often misunderstood. people go into this book expecting an epic love story and what they get is a decades-long revenge plot that spans generations and is entirely rooted in possession. even in the littlest ways i see almost every character prioritizing revenge over love. what i find romantic about the book is the way those toxic relationships are written. catherine and heathcliff ARE wuthering heights. they are tumultuous and unforgiving just like the land they walk on, which is why they are tied to it in death whereas people like hindley and edgar are able to depart it. so while the love between catherine and heathcliff is hardly admirable, whatever it was that bound them to each other was so strong that it transcends the physical and lingers. that element is so expertly written.
when i think back to reading this ten years ago, it is the first book i can remember reading in which i really considered the concept of an unreliable narrator. as the story is literally told to us by a character who was told the story by another character who got her information from a whole cast of characters, it is like a literary game of telephone. that, coupled with the fact that nelly has not only close ties but also strong feelings about each of the characters makes it difficult to know how much is fact and how much is fiction. i love the image this elicits for me of listening a ghost story in front of a fireplace and walking away from it looking over your shoulder, trying to figure out how much truth was in it.
lastly considering the cyclical nature of the relationships- the story, when you think about it, really only concerns two families and a few lifelong unofficial members of those families (like nelly, joseph, the doctor, etc.) and then lockwood. being in such an isolated setting, the characters can't help but follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and therefore they are all strung together in this poisonous web. even the characters who at the end represent a sense of hope (cathy and hareton) are deeply flawed, even as they work to rewrite their fates and hopefully introduce a semblance of genuine love to wuthering heights. one of my favorite aspects of reading classic literature, and something that this one does particularly well, is reading about human emotion and recognizing how those feelings we have now, which often feel unique to our own situations or perhaps generation, have in fact always been a reality in the relationships of people. it is so gratifying to realize that even through centuries passing, with new social customs and technologies and scientific advancements, the most raw and unchangeable thing in history may be the way that we feel, connecting us to people who lived lifetimes before us.
Rereading after watching the new movie (twice) was such an experience. People complaining about the movie having too much shock value are missing the point..... so does the book! It quite literally scandalized society. As is the movie, apparently. So, good! It's doing what it should! My previous review from a few years ago discusses all of the literary revelations I had reading it for a second time, so I won't get into that here but I'll just comment on the "greatest love story of all time" narrative. People are mad about that. Are the relationships in any way admirable or genuinely "romantic"? No. But is this a love story? Absolutely. A wicked and twisted one, tangled up with depravity, yes. I do not in any way envy Catherine or Heathcliff but their entire existence and relationship to one another is poetry. And Emily Brontë was such an introverted lil weirdo I love her so much. Byeeeeee!
--------------------------------------------------------
My review from March 2022, if you're interested:
needless to say i got a lot more out of this book reading it at 25 than i did reading it at 15 and therefore i have a lot to say. one of the main draws for me to this book is the setting- this stormy, brooding, grey-tinged english moor where it rains and rains almost unrelentingly. that is some of my favorite weather AND i found that my vision of the landscape came quite naturally to me. there's wuthering heights on one side and thrushcross grange on another, with one representing this gloomy, dark space and the other seeming to have brighter colors and a bit more sunshine, and in between is this vast expanse of unpredictable land through which characters run to and fro. that liminal space seems to embody the longing, pining, and searching for something that they may or may not know they are looking for that so many of the characters entertain.
i think that the idea of this book as a romance is often misunderstood. people go into this book expecting an epic love story and what they get is a decades-long revenge plot that spans generations and is entirely rooted in possession. even in the littlest ways i see almost every character prioritizing revenge over love. what i find romantic about the book is the way those toxic relationships are written. catherine and heathcliff ARE wuthering heights. they are tumultuous and unforgiving just like the land they walk on, which is why they are tied to it in death whereas people like hindley and edgar are able to depart it. so while the love between catherine and heathcliff is hardly admirable, whatever it was that bound them to each other was so strong that it transcends the physical and lingers. that element is so expertly written.
when i think back to reading this ten years ago, it is the first book i can remember reading in which i really considered the concept of an unreliable narrator. as the story is literally told to us by a character who was told the story by another character who got her information from a whole cast of characters, it is like a literary game of telephone. that, coupled with the fact that nelly has not only close ties but also strong feelings about each of the characters makes it difficult to know how much is fact and how much is fiction. i love the image this elicits for me of listening a ghost story in front of a fireplace and walking away from it looking over your shoulder, trying to figure out how much truth was in it.
lastly considering the cyclical nature of the relationships- the story, when you think about it, really only concerns two families and a few lifelong unofficial members of those families (like nelly, joseph, the doctor, etc.) and then lockwood. being in such an isolated setting, the characters can't help but follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and therefore they are all strung together in this poisonous web. even the characters who at the end represent a sense of hope (cathy and hareton) are deeply flawed, even as they work to rewrite their fates and hopefully introduce a semblance of genuine love to wuthering heights. one of my favorite aspects of reading classic literature, and something that this one does particularly well, is reading about human emotion and recognizing how those feelings we have now, which often feel unique to our own situations or perhaps generation, have in fact always been a reality in the relationships of people. it is so gratifying to realize that even through centuries passing, with new social customs and technologies and scientific advancements, the most raw and unchangeable thing in history may be the way that we feel, connecting us to people who lived lifetimes before us.
February 18, 2026
I’m confused as to how so many people love the storyline of this. It’s definitely well written and I was engaged to see what would happen but everyone is unlikeable, abusive and for me the story is very one note.
January 22, 2026
4.5 ⭐️
Sooo good
Sooo good
February 10, 2026
by far the hardest book for me to ever comprehend
February 14, 2026
This was just as deranged as I remembered, I truly pity Emily Brontë for whatever darkness in her brain inspired such spiteful characters. Points for Victorian ghost vibes.
December 15, 2025
I’m just here for the drama and gothic vibe
It’s interesting how there’s not really a very likeable character in the whole book.
Also after you read it make sure to listen to the song Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush(:
My favorites quotes
“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same”
“Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living; you said I killed you— haunt me, then! The murdered do haunt their murderers, I believe. I know that ghosts have wandered the earth. Be with me always— take any form—drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!”
“She has disturbed me, night and day, through eighteen years—incessantly—remorselessly—till yesternight; and yesternight I was tranquil. I dreamt I was sleeping the last sleep by that sleeper, with my heart stopped and my cheek frozen against hers’.
‘And if she had been dissolved into the earth, or worse, what would you have dreamt of then?’ I said.
‘Of dissolving with her, and being more happy still!’”
That one makes me think of the song In a Week by Hozier.
“I cannot look down to this floor, but her features are shaped in the flags! In every cloud, in every tree—filling the air at night, and caught by glimpses in every object by day—I am surrounded with her image!”
It’s interesting how there’s not really a very likeable character in the whole book.
Also after you read it make sure to listen to the song Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush(:
My favorites quotes
“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same”
“Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living; you said I killed you— haunt me, then! The murdered do haunt their murderers, I believe. I know that ghosts have wandered the earth. Be with me always— take any form—drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!”
“She has disturbed me, night and day, through eighteen years—incessantly—remorselessly—till yesternight; and yesternight I was tranquil. I dreamt I was sleeping the last sleep by that sleeper, with my heart stopped and my cheek frozen against hers’.
‘And if she had been dissolved into the earth, or worse, what would you have dreamt of then?’ I said.
‘Of dissolving with her, and being more happy still!’”
That one makes me think of the song In a Week by Hozier.
“I cannot look down to this floor, but her features are shaped in the flags! In every cloud, in every tree—filling the air at night, and caught by glimpses in every object by day—I am surrounded with her image!”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2026
I’m not a fan of the device Brontë used to tell this story. It’s like wading through mud- the story is secondhand, then thirdhand, then fourth-hand information. It really separates me from the story, making me care about the characters less than I usually would. That being said, they’re jerks- so I guess I don’t need to care about them.
My feelings towards them are cold and distant - maybe that’s what Brontë wanted- for the reader to be like the weather at Wuthering Heights - hollow and empty. If that’s the case, then this book is a triumph. Dang, if that was her aim, she’s a genius. So my rating evens out to a 3.
My feelings towards them are cold and distant - maybe that’s what Brontë wanted- for the reader to be like the weather at Wuthering Heights - hollow and empty. If that’s the case, then this book is a triumph. Dang, if that was her aim, she’s a genius. So my rating evens out to a 3.
February 8, 2026
This book is definitely not an easy read - and I’m not talking about the writting style. The atmosphere is gloomy and the characters are mostly difficult and insufferable. It is also a bit unnerving how some domestic violence scenes were depicted as something ordinary.
Nevertheless, this book contains some beautifully written dialogues, especially between Cathy and Heathcliff.
All in all, this book deserves its title of a literary classic but I just didn’t like the plot and the characters, nor the mood the book left me in.
Nevertheless, this book contains some beautifully written dialogues, especially between Cathy and Heathcliff.
All in all, this book deserves its title of a literary classic but I just didn’t like the plot and the characters, nor the mood the book left me in.
January 6, 2026
I want to make an effort to read more classics this year and this was the perfect book to start with. This is one of those books where most of the main characters are deeply unlikable and there isn’t a clear hero in the story. The manner in which the narrator switches is so engaging. I liked how 90% of the story is a flashback and it goes through the histories of all of the characters. Overall a great book to start out 2026!
February 11, 2026
i’d give this a 3 1/2. very odd story, very complicated family tree, almost circular in fact. i’m quite surprised that such a book was written in the 19th century…the story seems modern. but i love you hareton, i swear you will be mine, even if i never understand a single word you say
February 18, 2026
This book was interesting. I didn’t really like anyone and it was very dark but I think that was purposeful. It has made me think a lot about how we view love and how evil we can be when we are left as our most degenerate selves. Lots to think about with this one.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews