Catherine: A Retelling of Wuthering Heights

by Essie Fox

The greatest tragic love story ever told – but this time, Catherine tells it herself. In Catherine, Essie Fox breathes new life into Wuthering Heights, transforming a gothic masterpiece into a haunting confession of obsession, madness and love that even death cannot end.

With a nature as wild as the moors she loves to roam, Catherine Earnshaw grows up alongside Heathcliff, a foundling her father rescued from the streets of Liverpool. Their fierce, untamed bond deepens as they grow – until Mr Earnshaw’s death leaves Hindley, Catherine’s brutal brother, in control and Heathcliff reduced to servitude.

Desperate to protect him, Catherine turns to Edgar Linton, the handsome heir to Thrushcross Grange. She believes his wealth might free Heathcliff from cruelty – but her choice is fatally misunderstood, and their lives spiral into a storm of passion, jealousy and revenge.

Now, eighteen years later, Catherine rises from her grave to tell her story – and seek redemption.

Essie Fox’s Catherine reimagines Wuthering Heights with beauty and intensity – a haunting, atmospheric retelling that brings new life to a timeless classic and lays bare the dark heart of an immortal love.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Gothic, Historical, Retellings, Fiction, Romance, Adult

296 pages, Hardcover

First published February 12, 2026

About the author

My latest novel is Catherine: A retelling of Wuthering Heights and it's been written as a ghost story. It will be published by Orenda Books on February 12, 2026.

Previous novels have been Dangerous: A Lord Byron Mystery set in the gothic city of Venice.

The Fascination is set in the world of Victorian rural fairgrounds, the glamour of the London theatres and an anatomy museum in a shop on Oxford Street - based on one that did exist! It's a book about deception, obsession, and what it is to be ''different'.

The Last Days of Leda Grey is about an Edwardian silent film actress who has lived in a crumbling cliff top house for more than half a century, until she confides her story to the journalist, Ed Peters ... who rapidly finds himself immersed inside her dark and eerie world.

I've also written three Victorian novels, the first of which - The Somnambulist - was shortlisted for the UK National Book Awards, featured on Channel 4's TV Book Club, and has been optioned for TV/film.

Elijah's Mermaid, features the hypocrisy in Victorian art and literature. It has brothels, asylums, and freak shows...not forgetting the mermaids!

The Goddess and the Thief is an 'oriental gothic', with Indian Maharajahs, Hindu gods and sacred diamonds ... including candlelit seances which are held in English drawing rooms.


My website is: www.essiefox.com

I blog as The Virtual Victorian. www.virturalvictorian.blogspot.com

Reviews

[Lydia ☽︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Achingly beautiful, I was swept in from the first sentence.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is over three decades since I read Wuthering Heights and, back then, I probably didn't fully appreciate the complexities of the story. And this, the story of the Earnshaw's and the Linton's is most certainly that. I approached this book with a little trepidation, not because of the author. essie Fox is a beautiful writer whose ability to create atmosphere, intensity and utterly compelling reads is not in doubt. It is more because, from what I can recall, I just wasn't that taken with the story. There. My confession. I did not like Wuthering Heights.

So, it probably comes as a bit of a surprise that I read this book and, what's more, I really enjoyed it. Maybe it is the change of perspective, from Nelly Dean who, when all is said and done, was a witness to the story, rather than the books focus. Maybe, it is just the skill of storytelling that is inherent in all that Essie Fox creates, but something in this book struck me from the start and held me captivated until the end. Considering the gap between reads, Essie Fox has managed to capture and recreate the heart and soul of the original story, triggering in me memories of the original that I had all but forgotten. But in moving the perspective to that of Catherine Linton né Earnshaw, she has given the tale a whole new lease of life, if that is not too strange a thing to say of a book which is oft told from the point of view of a ghost.

This is a pure gothic delight, and I think that fans of the original book will find much to love here. The intensity of the bond between Catherine and Heathcliff is so carefully, but explicitly portrayed, that it is impossible not to be moved. Every scene evokes a clear vision of time and place, and the author's wonderfully lyrical writing lends itself perfectly to the story. As much as Catherine's decisions and actions could often irk me, understanding her thoughts, what caused that steady descent into madness, adds very different context to the story. I felt strangely sympathetic towards Catherine but I also felt like I understood her, far better than I perhaps had before. Her narrative voice is authentic, melancholic even, and delivered with such heartwrenching passion and anguish at times, and unparalleled joy at others, that it works perfectly here.

This is a story of obsession and revenge. A gothic romance uttered as a memory of a spectre who is able to move between time and space to key points in Catherine's life that drew her and Heathcliff to their inevitable tragic ending. A hauntingly incestuous ghost story that, whilst staying true to the original, feels new and vital. Yes, there are a few minor changes and tweaks - that is only right. But, for me, I found this far easier to read, to connect with, and the author's portrayal of Nelly Dean in this book perhaps helps to explain why. If you love historical fiction, a tragedy or romance with wonderfully evocative writing, get this on your TBR double quick. You won't regret it.

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Thanks to Anne at Random Things Book Tours for the copy of this title in return for an honest review.

Hmmmm a retelling of Wuthering Heights...one of the most loved stories with the most loved characters in it. This could spell disaster. But surely in Essie's hands, it can't be anything but magical, right?

There's 47 chapters which makes it roughly 6 pages a chapter, which is good as I like a quick chapter, it helps add to the frenzied pace.

The writing is so lyrical and poetic. It has the same feel of a classical novel, which fits the story, but it's easier to read (as enjoyable as they are, we all admit that classics can be harder to read than more contemporary stories).

You think you know these characters, and their heart is still there, but Essie has given them a new lease of life, without completely stomping over what makes them them.

Some of it is uncomfortable reading, particularly regarding Heathcliff's skin colour, but you do have to accept that this story is of its time and that was the norm then, and Essie has handled it very sensitively.

It's been a long time since I last read Wuthering Heights - we're talking 15+ years - an I thought I had forgotten a lot of it, but something was clearly still there because I kept recognising bits which was lovely to see.

I read this one January evening when it was dark and freezing and it was absolutely hammering it down outside, and it was just the perfect time to get lost in this delightfully dark story.

There were a few bits that were perhaps more drawn out than I personally felt they needed to be but that is the tiniest little thing. Not really a complaint, more of an observation.

I'm not sure there is an historical figure or topic Essie can't write about.

I've read three of Essie's books now and this is hands down her best one.

[kumori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A near perfect retelling of Wuthering Heights from the POV of Cathy as a child, Cathy as teenage girl, Cathy as a woman (though brief) and eventually Cathy as a ghost. It fills the gaps in the storyline, the gaps that Nelly left because all this time we are limited by her POV alone, only what she has witnessed in front of her eyes and more importantly without the nosy presence of Mr.Lockwood. Through Nelly’s eyes we get to know Cathy as a child with a wicked, volatile, a headstrong and passionate nature whereas through her own eyes in this book, she’s actually a thoughtful one, and more gentle than we have led to believe all this time.

Her and Heathcliff’s deep and intense bond that almost spiritual when they are children grows into a passionate romance, the author elaborates their relationship away from Nelly’s prying eyes and i loved it so much. We get to know also Heathcliff’s origin and what he discovers in his 3 years absence is actually not as shocking as it would’ve been since the author used a well-known favorite theory that makes his relationship with Cathy consequently an incest. *pretends to be shocked*

And i did say it’s a near perfect retelling because there are a few things that was nagging in my mind while i read it. Mainly because the story that unfolds from the time Heathcliff comes back into Cathy’s life sometimes veers too close with the newest movie adaptation (ugh) though not to the extent of adultery. And at some points i also felt that Cathy’s portrayal in this book is a bit sanitized maybe? almost out of character from Cathy that we know of from the original. But then again we are so used to Nelly’s (and her’s only) perception of Cathy all this time so maybe that’s what makes it a little bit jarring for me. Moreover the author did say that her retelling is a story of redemption of the doomed lovers.

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essie Fox is, without a doubt, one of the best gothic historical writers at work today, as her last book Dangerous , a reimagining of Byron’s time in Venice, and now this retelling of Wuthering Heights amply demonstrate. Before embarking on Catherine, I attempted a re-read of Wuthering Heights, having not read since I was a teenager, and lord, it was heavy going second time around. Perhaps this, more than anything else, makes me urge you to pick up this one instead, and here’s why…

At the close of Wuthering Heights, Lockwood is surveying the burial place of Cathy, Heathcliff and Linton and this provides a beautiful segue into Fox’s own homage to this classic work,

“I lingered among them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.”

Quite evidently, Fox richly imagines unquiet slumbers, particularly in the case of Cathy as Catherine opens with her rising from the grave some eighteen years after her death to observe the lives of those she has left in her wake, and the continuing misery, apathy and general sadness that permeates the protagonists. As we have already encountered the unreliable narration of the servant Nelly Dean in the original book, Fox uses Cathy as the omniscient narrator which inveigles the reader more closely into the lives of her loves, her family and more importantly the magnetism of her conflicted and tempestuous relationship with the brooding and capricious Heathcliff.

However, what sets this book apart further from the original which oozes unrelenting misery, and quite unlikeable protagonists, is Fox’s altogether more emotive and richly realised portrayal of Cathy and Heathcliff’s relationship. Generally, Wuthering Heights is framed as a gothic romance which I’ve always found slightly disingenuous, whereas the depth and intensity of their relationship in this book, is much more engaging to the reader, particularly the recounting of their formative years, and the intrinsic role that the moorland and brooding landscape plays in reflecting the mercurial turbulence in this relationship over the years. Fox very effectively introduces a psycho-geographical intensity to the novel, with the backdrop of the moors, Cathy and Heathcliff’s constant wandering and exploration of this raw and rugged landscape, and what the author imagines happens between them in this setting. There is a much stronger physicality to their entanglement, which definitely imbues the reader with a greater sense of this being a gothic romance, all underpinned by the recurring themes of envy, greed and violence that permeate this book as much as the original text. Within this the reader also gets a more heightened sense of their impassioned pleas in the case of Cathy that, “I am Heathcliff. He is more myself than I am.“, and his declaration, “And I pray one prayer—I repeat it till my tongue stiffens—Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living; you said I killed you—haunt me, then!” which is very much the role Fox’s Catherine plays, as she does indeed haunt the narrative.

Fox perfectly captures the emotional isolation of these characters in their rural backwater, and how this isolation escalates for the younger protagonists as Heathcliff completely dominates every aspect of their lives wreaking his personal vengeance. Throughout the book there is generally a real sense of faithful authenticity and adherence to the characterisation of the classic, with the feel that character traits, more often than not the more positive and humane ones, more fleetingly addressed by Emily Brontë are enhanced and amplified by Fox. To this end, overall I felt infinitely more engaged with, and with a heightened sense of empathy for the main players, than I did after emerging from a reading of the original. Obviously, characters such as Joseph, the curmudgeonly servant, and Cathy’s brother Hindley are as intensely garrulous or cruel respectively for example, but I found satisfying slivers of humanity peppered within the book, particularly in relation to some of Heathcliff’s interactions, despite his general abhorrent behaviour.

Equally I enjoyed the way that Fox drew on the more salacious elements of the original, stemming from Heathcliff’s origin story, and the darker implications of this on his and Cathy’s relationship, that Brontë merely alludes to and does not expound upon in any significant detail. These more imagined elements are in no way detrimental, or feel incongruous to Fox’s retelling, and in fact bring a more heightened sense of recognition to the struggle experienced by female writers of Brontë’s era to convey the darker aspects of life that the decorum of the age prevented them from exposing completely.

As Wuthering Heights experiences a resurgence of readers at the moment due to, in my very humble opinion, the terrible white-washed movie version, some readers are struggling to engage with the original text when picking up the book for the first time. In the light of this, I have been mentioning Catherine a lot, as I think it will resonate more strongly with a contemporary audience, not just for the heightened emotional gravitas of this one, but also Fox’s willingness to expound on the less savoury implications of the original. This book feels much more like a gothic romance than Wuthering Heights is purported to be, but is also a beautifully realised companion read to the original classic. Essie Fox refers to this book as a passion project, and her dedication to, and love of Emily Brontë’s original is clearly in evidence throughout with the intermittent stanzas of Brontë’s poetry, and the haunting echoes of Wuthering Heights itself. Highly recommended.

[Silver Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

“ Catherine is my own mirror to reflect the characters who have haunted my dreams for more than half a century. I believe they always will”

This is Essie Fox’s reimagining of Wuthering Heights from Cathy’s perspective and opens when Heathcliffe disturbs her grave and lets out her ghost.

Cathy and Heathcliffe meet as children when Cathy’s father brings a foundling to live at their home of Wuthering Heights and names him after his dead son-Heathcliffe. They grow up wild and free roaming the moors and loving each other fiercely whilst Cathy’s brother Hindley grows up angry and resentful at the cuckoo who’s stolen his father’s affections.
To protect her beloved Heathcliffe from her brother’s brutality, Cathy turns to the wealthy Linton family but her choices are misunderstood which sets off a series of tragic, revengeful events that affect them all and the next generation.

What this novel does well is capture the beauty and devastation of the classic whilst filling in the gaps of Nelly Dean’s account. It gives us insight into Cathy’s motivations and makes bold choices about the hinted at mysteries in the book (where did Heathcliffe go for 3 years?! Who were his parents? Were they really lovers?). Atmospheric, intense and full of jealousy and dark gothic tones. I loved the descriptions of the moors and felt that the author struck a good balance between keeping faithful to the classic and putting a spin on this dark story. The changing of perspective allowed me to feel a lot more pity for all the characters.
I attended the launch of this book and the author really loves this book and the Brontes and the story really conveys this.

Inherited trauma (so much trauma), obsession and a story that will make you rage and cry. This is an accessible faithful version of the story if you’ve never been able to read it and a wonderful retelling if you loved the original. Well done Essie. Emily would be happy (or would she be darkly intensely jealous like her characters).

[Zelda FeatzReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book is very out of character for me and not what you would expect to find on the blog. But Wuthering Heights is a classic I shared with my daughters, and when I was invited to participate in the blog tour, I could not resist. I was very curious to read this retelling. I will say upfront, I loved it.
Catherine is a beautifully atmospheric and emotionally rich retelling of Wuthering Heights that offers a fresh and intimate perspective on one of literature’s most iconic tragic heroines. Telling the story through Catherine’s own voice — quite literally from beyond the grave — gives the novel a haunting, confessional tone that feels original and in keeping with the source material.
What I loved most about this book was how vividly Fox captures Catherine’s wildness and inner turmoil. Catherine Earnshaw is not softened or romanticised; she is impulsive, obsessive, passionate, and often self-destructive. That complexity makes her compelling to read, and seeing her motivations and regrets from her own perspective adds new emotional depth to familiar events. Her bond with Heathcliff remains intense and consuming, and the novel leans fully into the darker, more destructive elements of their relationship rather than trying to make it conventionally romantic.
The gothic atmosphere is wonderfully done. The moors feel alive, the sense of doom hangs heavily over the narrative, and the supernatural framing enhances the emotional stakes rather than distracting from them. Fox’s writing is lush and evocative without becoming overly dense, which makes the book immersive and easy to sink into.
If I had any minor reservations, it’s that readers very familiar with Wuthering Heights may not find huge plot surprises, since the core story remains largely faithful to the original. However, the emotional reinterpretation and character insight more than compensate for that. This is less about changing the story and more about deepening it.
This is a thoughtful, atmospheric, and emotionally deep retelling that honours the original while giving Catherine a powerful voice of her own.
https://featzreviews.com/catherine-bo...

[Amy Weston · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

The writing in this book was without a doubt my favourite thing about it, it was beautifully descriptive and poetic. The atmosphere was dark and gothic, themes of which I imagine it carries over from the original Wuthering Heights novel well.

Catherine is a love story, but it is a tragic and haunting one. Cathy and Heathcliff share feelings so intensely, but life is never on their side. It's frustrating for the reader to see the events and mistakes that repeatedly made such lasting impacts on their lives.

To be honest, I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable. But the character study was a harrowing reminder of the reality of humanity.

The letdown of this book fell upon me in the last 25% where I think I just wasn't as interested in the characters at the centre of the book at that point, but the ghostly perspective was interesting.

Thank you Orenda for the proof copy of this book.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catherine: A Retelling of Wuthering Heights, is exactly that. This is the retelling of the classic by Emily Brontë, told from the POV of Cathy, from beyond the grave. 🪦
Essie Fox weaves a hauntingly beautiful, tragic story of obsession and revenge. Make no mistake, this is not a love story, this a story of hatred and violence and abuse. There are no happy-ever-afters for most of the characters. 🪦
As to the characters themselves, scarce few of them have any redeeming qualities. 🪦
As brutal and disturbing as the story is, it is Fox's writing that makes it palatable. That gothic atmosphere that she does so well, and the descriptive prose, bring the story alive. I felt as though I was running across the moors with Heathcliff and Cathy. I flinched each time Hindley beat Heathcliff. I wanted to cover my ears when Joseph began one of his religious rants. 🪦
I've never thought of Wuthering Heights as a romantic tale. This retelling has cemented that view. 🪦

[Rachel Pout · Rating 5 out of 5]

'What wakes me from my dreams?'

This was STUNNING. Cathy's opened grave allows her ghost to walk the earth and witness what has happened in the 18 years since her death. She wrangles pain and confusion as the man she loved destroys everyone around him, eventually himself, until she finally takes his hand and they run across the moors once again.

It was beautiful and broken in the way Wuthering Heights was intended to be. I'll happily put this on my book case next to Emily Brontë.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though it is depicted from the beginning as a retelling I had the feeling that quickly this book was much closer to plagiarism than retelling/hommage....
The actual new additions from the POV of Catherine are scarce and did not bring enough new insights nor background related to Wuthering heights in the whole.
I absolutely loved the Emily Brontë's masterpiece and as it is absolutely perfect "Catherine" here can't be bad as I said earlier it is still really close to "Wuthering heights" and I really enjoyed some parts. And I mean the love of the author for the Emily Brontë's original is quite obvious and genuine.
Yet, I would have enjoyed more depth and originality and not reading again exactly the same words as in the original one in various pages "haunt me then, drive me mad".... It was rather lazy 🥱🤨
Finally , the development regarding Heathcliff's background and origin story were quite disappointing and did not please me hence ⭐⭐⭐ stars.

[Camila · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Heather Dreyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is literally everything I needed from Wuthering heights. A POV I actually wanted!!! This was so beautifully written and the book is GORGEOUS!!! Thank you for writing this! Absolutely LOVED IT

[Leah Corbett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic interpretation of the novel, with a central narrative from Cathy. Makes a sense book more accessible to more people, yet still laced with Bronte’s charm.

[ThatBookish_deviant]

Fine, take my money already! Immediately preordered.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

High on the moors, free-spirited Catherine Earnshaw loves to roam amongst the heather. When her father brings home the foundling, Heathcliff, Catherine feels an instant bond with him, and soon her solo ramblings become hours they spend lost in each other's company. The two grow-up to become inseparable - like two halves of the same person - but when Catherine's father dies, Heathcliff is reduced to the status of servant by her cruel brother, Hindley.


Catherine decides the only way to save Heathcliff and herself from Hindley's wrath is to appeal to handsome Edgar Linton, heir to nearby Thrushcross Grange, but Heathcliff misunderstands her motives, and runs away. Heartbroken, Catherine marries Edgar in Heathcliff's absence... only for him to return years later, as a successful man bent on revenging himself against Hindley and the Linton family. Tragedy ensues. Now, eighteen years later, Catherine has risen from her grave to see the consequences of Heathcliff's vendetta, to tell her own side of the story, and to find redemption.


I am not sure Wuthering Heights, the singular (in every meaning of the word) novel by Emily Bronte, is one that needs much of an introduction, especially given the current hype around the new adaptation starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. Catherine and Heathcliff's story is one which calls to many lovers of Gothic romance, but as much as I adore a bit of wind and wuthering, many of the novels written by the Bronte sisters, and Kate Bush's wonderfully nostalgic song, I have never really understood why it is lauded as a great romance.


Undoubtedly, it is has lashings of passion and yearning, and a wonderfully evocative setting, but the love story is so laced with toxicity, trauma, and tragedy through its themes of jealousy, betrayal, cruelty and revenge that I find the bitterness in it overwhelming. There is also something missing from the original, for me, and that is the voice of the one person who you need to make Emily Bronte's story more than a whole lot of angst-ridden shouting on the wild and windy moors - that of Catherine herself. So I am delighted the incredibly talented Essie Fox has taken it upon herself to right that wrong in this intriguing retelling, Catherine.


Fox's novel begins with Catherine rising from her grave, eighteen years after her untimely death, to tell her own side of the story. This fits beautifully with the unsettling parts of Emily Bronte's tale, where Catherine's ghost makes its presence felt, and sets the atmospheric tone for what follows.


Rather than hearing Catherine's tale at arm's length, Fox explores every aspect of her logic, her actions, and the unintended consequences of a situation that finds her caught between the different kinds of love she feels for Edgar and Heathcliff. We now feel the force of her feelings first-hand, especially during the essential parts of the story where she is teetering on the edge of womanhood, and making sense of marriage and motherhood. Fox goes 'beyond' Emily Bronte's chaste hints at intimacy too, so it is much more relatable for a modern audience, and hits just the right mark for those looking forward to Emerald Fennell's upcoming movie, which concerns itself with twisted love alone. Her ideas on Heathcliff's parentage also open up a whole new troubling can of worms!


Fox's Catherine is a woman with depth: one who has few choices, but makes the best of those open to her. I very much enjoyed this take on the original, where Catherine is often viewed as bringing about her own demise - stemming, I think, from the fact that Heathcliff gets far too much say on how things played out in Nelly's version. I also liked that Fox gives Catherine a chance to muse on the feelings she has for the daughter she never got to know, as she watches the turns of fate for the young cousins Cathy and Hareton (surely where the real romance and redemptive twist of fate actually lies, even if their close relationship is uncomfortable to modern eyes).


Just as I hoped, in Fox's hands Wuthering Heights becomes a more accessible story, with a leading female character made up of light and shade. Brava, Essie!

[Mary Picken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catherine is a triumph. Essie Fox writes beautifully and with such intensity that the haunted feelings and anguish of Catherine Earnshaw rise from the pages and seep into your bones. So rich and sumptuous is the writing that you can wallow in it. Dark, brooding, gothic, and so heartbreaking. I cried, (twice actually) and I defy you not to. It is a wonderful retelling of Wuthering Heights that hits perfection

Told through the eyes of Catherine Linton, whereas Wuthering Heights was told by Ellen ‘Nelly’ Dean, a servant in the Earnshaw household, Catherine’s narrative allows us to learn and understand the things that Nellie didn’t know. Her perspective is critical to understanding who Heathcliff is and why he became the jealous, obsessive man that he was, intent on destroying the happiness of everyone in the Linton family, even Catherine’s own daughter.

Catherine stays true to Emily Brontë’s language and to the atmosphere of brooding intensity that is a feature of Brontë’s most famous novel. Essie Fox creates a rich and immersive story that stays true to the original but gives us a deeper understanding of how Heathcliff was so badly wronged and why his character became bent on revenge and so driven by hatred for everything that he believes the Lintons and the Earnshaws inflicted on him.

This is a beautiful and sympathetic retelling of the story. Essie Fox, by giving Catherine a voice, has created a feminist version of this tragic story of obsession, madness and revenge. In Catherine, Essie Fox gives Catherine agency over her own story; reclaiming her voice rather than leaving it to Lockwood or Nelly Dean. This not only enriches Catherine’s character but underscores how Catherine’s individuality in Brontë’s text was constrained by the story being narrated through third parties. By allowing her to speak, Fox gives us access to Catherine’s emotions, and that tells us a lot.

Fox’s narrative retains the passionate intensity and obsession of Wuthering Heights but reframes it, making it self-aware and so even more haunting. Because Catherine is a ghost, you can really feel her lingering attachment and just how impossible any resolution becomes. Catherine looks for redemption as she considers what has happened to her and to Heathcliff.

Wuthering Heights is strong on class and social identity, and Essie Fox’s retelling does not overlook this, but her retelling does shift its emphasis. By putting Catherine’s voice front and centre, it is her memory, grief and resentment that overtakes Brontë’s class analysis. Catherine’s narrative places the emotional consequences of her choices, of how class structures shaped her and Heathcliff’s intimacy and subsequent distance, in sharper relief. She sees not only the passion that bound her to Heathcliff but also the cost of that intensity. Her pain is a mirror to Heathcliff’s psychological torment. Essie Fox evokes the same passion and angst that made Brontë’s work a classic, but in a way that feels fresh and immediate.

Verdict: I adored this book. It is haunting, sad and passionate. I could feel the wildness of the Yorkshire moors and shivered when the wind whistled past my ears. Although Essie Fox has added to the original story, these additions make perfect sense and enrich the story. Don’t bother seeing the film, just read this book.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read every book that Essie Fox has written, beginning with her debut back in 2011. I love her writing, it's dark and gothic, full of incredibly quirky characters and always plotted to perfection. When I heard that she was writing a re-telling of Wuthering Heights, from Cathy's point of view, I was intrigued and a little excited.

This year, so far, has been the year of Wuthering Heights. With the release of the latest screen adaptation, the novel has had something of a re-birth. I expect many people will have read it for the first time and some may have re-visited the original novel too. I have never seen Wuthering Heights as a 'romance' - despite some labelling it that. Whilst there is, without doubt, a toxic love story at its heart, I have always thought of it as a gothic tragedy, and Essie Fox's re-telling is the perfect accompaniment to the original text.
I closed Catherine with that delicious shiver that only the very best gothic fiction can deliver. Dark, intoxicating and gloriously atmospheric, this is a novel that seeps into your bones and lingers there long after the final page.

From the wild, windswept Yorkshire moors to the brooding isolation of Wuthering Heights and the refined elegance of Thrushcross Grange, the setting is everything you would hope for. It is bleak, beautiful and utterly immersive. You can almost feel the bite of the wind and hear it howling across the heath. The author captures that gothic atmosphere perfectly.

Catherine Earnshaw is as wild and untamed as the landscape she adores. Growing up alongside the mysterious foundling Heathcliff, who was brought to the Heights by her father from the streets of Liverpool, their bond is fierce, consuming and impossible to define. It is childhood friendship, a passion and something darker all at once. When Mr Earnshaw dies and Catherine's brother Hindley takes control, reducing Heathcliff to servitude, the shift in power changes everything. The cruelty, the misunderstandings, the impossible choices, all of it builds with an almost unbearable intensity.

Essie Fox allows us inside Catherine’s mind in a way that feels really fresh, yet a little bit bold. She details Cathy's decision to concentrate on Edgar Linton, the polished, privileged heir to Thrushcross Grange, instead of Heathcliff very well.

The characters are vivid and compelling. Heathcliff remains magnetic and dangerous; Edgar is more than just a contrast; and Catherine herself is gloriously flawed, passionate and achingly human. Every relationship feels intense, and so very raw.

What I particularly loved is how the author honours the feel and the spirit of the original novel, while giving Catherine her own voice, she is fierce, wounded and unforgettable.

Beautifully written, steeped in gothic drama and brimming with emotion, Catherine is a haunting tale of obsession, madness and love that refuses to die.

An absolute triumph, and highly recommended by me.

[lifelonghistorylover · Rating 5 out of 5]

* A huge thank you to Anne from Random Things Tours and to Orenda Books for sending me a copy of Catherine in return for an honest review.
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Catherine by Essie Fox @ [emoji] Published two days before Valentine’s Day and the new Wuthering Heights film, Essie Fox's Catherine reimagines Emily Brontë’s novel from Cathy Earnshaw's point of view. A haunting, atmospheric retelling that brings new life to a timeless classic.
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It's no secret that I am a huge Brontë fan, and Wuthering Heights is one of my favourite classics, so I was both excited and apprehensive going into this retelling. I needn't have worried…
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The story begins with a dead Cathy being woken from her eternal slumber by the opening of her coffin, with a heartbroken Heathcliff standing over her. I was delighted by this very gothic, atmospheric beginning and adored the novel from the very start. We relive the story of Wuthering Heights from Catherine's perspective. In the original, the story is told from Nelly Dean’s point of view (the Earnshaw family's servant, and a narrator generally considered unreliable).
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I absolutely LOVED this book and had to keep reminding myself that this was a modern reimagining — Essie's evocative writing retains the same feel as the original. Catherine subtly suggests scenarios that fill in so many of the unanswered questions Brontë left us with, giving the reader a deeper understanding and a more sympathetic view of the characters, without glossing over or excusing their later behaviours. Essie has perfectly captured the gothic atmosphere, characters, and the windy, bleak moors, remaining faithful to the source material beloved by so many.
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If you struggle with reading classics, or simply don’t enjoy them, this would be an ideal way to experience Wuthering Heights in a more approachable form. I would suggest reading this retelling first and then pick up Brontë's Wuthering Heights. Already knowing the plot and what to expect might remove some of the intimidation that reading a classic can bring.
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As opposed to what I have seen (so far) of the new Wuthering Heights film, Catherine truly captures the soul of Emily Brontë's only novel. This is a respectful celebration that honours the original and feels like the perfect tribute to Brontë. It is clear that Essie knows the novel and its characters inside out. Hopefully, Catherine will inspire many to read — or re-read — Wuthering Heights.
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It may only be February, but I have a feeling this will be one of my favourite books of 2026.

[Zarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review on my blog: https://www.pagetostagereviews.com/20...

I have a confession to make. I have never read Wuthering Heights, or any Brontë novel for that matter. I know, I know, but I could never quite get on with the adult classics from that time period in school. I've been rectifying this in the last few years, having ticked off Sense & Sensibility, Northanger Abbey and, last month, Persuasion, but as you can tell those are all by Jane Austen rather than any of the Brontë sisters.

Wuthering Heights was already on my reading list for 2026, but when Catherine by Essie Fox came along, I couldn't resist picking that one up first. I went in completely blind, knowing little about the story aside from the main characters' names – Catherine and Heathcliff – and that it's set in Yorkshire. And I was blown away (and I don't just mean by the windswept moors).

It's an incredibly fascinating and dark tale of abuse and revenge, far from the heart-warming romance I was expecting. All the characters made selfish and often terrible choices, making them highly unlikeable and yet I couldn't help but root for them (well, the two Catherines, at least; Cathy, who is the main character, and her daughter by the same name).

From the way people have been talking about Heathcliff for all these years I expected a brooding hero to swoon over. But while in their youth he seemed to be a good guy, his descent into madness as an adult was rapid and all-consuming. He was an absolutely awful person, which certainly made for an unexpected and riveting storyline progression.

The quiet melancholy from those earlier years in the book really exploded as the characters grew up and continued to be intertwined even against their better judgements. It was raw and obsessive – and I totally get why this is classed as a gothic classic.

Catherine was a truly exceptional read. While I cannot yet compare the book to the original, author Essie Fox has done an incredible job with her version of the story. Had I not seen the title or author, I could've easily mistaken this for the Emily Brontë original. The piercing writing had all the telltale signs of being from that time period and the haunting yet fast-paced plot was everything I'd expected from a highly acclaimed classic, and then some.

I now desperately want to read the original to see how it holds ups against this retelling, but given how perfect Catherine is, it'll be hard to beat this one!

[J Fearnley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essie Fox brings a new perspective allowing Catherine Earnshaw’s spirit to rise from her grave eighteen years after her death and tell her story of Wuthering Heights.

This is a beautiful, heartbreaking retelling that stays true to the language of Emily Brontë it captures the dark, brooding atmosphere of the moors, it brings chills down the spine even as it brings us a new understanding of who Heathcliff was through Catherine’s eyes. Nelly Dean who narrated the story in Wuthering Heights is still a prominent character but she could not have known the things that are now revealed in Catherine that give a very plausible explanation of Heathcliff’s desire for revenge beyond the servitude that was brought upon him by Hindley, beyond that of Edgar Linton marrying Catherine. Yet it also brings with that explanation a reason for Catherine to reconsider her feelings.
Catherine is an extraordinary story and Essie Fox is a wonderful storyteller she brings together this cast of characters that are so familiar to those who have read Wuthering Heights or seen various screen adaptations and gives us an opportunity to consider their story anew, to see that there may have been reasons beyond what Nelly Dean was able to tell us. It also offers us, through Catherine’s story, knowledge that makes this a heartbreaking and tragic story.
Essie Fox has written a wonderfully gothic and atmospheric story that has kept the intensity, obsession and desire for revenge yet still, with this added knowledge, there remains a deep connection between the two that makes any kind of resolution unobtainable leaving Catherine searching for some kind of redemption.

In Catherine Essie Fox has given us a new insight into and brought a breath of fresh air with the additions, all of which make sense, she has made to the original story and I found myself totally absorbed and thoroughly enjoying it.

[beckys_book_blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Catherine, a beautifully imagined retelling of Wuthering Heights. I probably read the original about 30 years ago and, whilst I remember loving it, many of the finer details have faded over time but I think it made me enjoy this even more.

I found myself completely immersed in this dark, gothic and deeply emotional love story. The atmosphere is filled with tension right from the start. The characters are brilliantly brought to life, so vivid and richly drawn that they felt entirely real to me.

The story is narrated by Catherine herself. We see her brought up alongside Heathcliff, the foundling her father brings home when she is young. Their bond is intense from the very beginning, forged in childhood freedom and shared isolation. However, Catherine’s brother Hindley’s cruelty towards Heathcliff casts a long shadow, and after their father’s death Heathcliff is cruelly reduced to servitude.

Desperate to protect him, Catherine turns to Edgar Linton, the handsome heir to Thrushcross Grange. She believes his wealth might free Heathcliff from cruelty - but her choice is fatally misunderstood, and their lives spiral into a storm of passion, jealousy and revenge.

This retelling leans fully into the gothic darkness: passion, obsession, jealousy and betrayal are all explored. I loved how immersive and atmospheric it felt; I could almost feel the chill of the moors and the claustrophobic tension within the house. It’s a story of fierce love and devastating consequences, and I found it completely absorbing from beginning to end.

A haunting, beautifully written novel that I believe both honours the original and stands confidently on its own. Highly recommended for lovers of gothic fiction and powerful, character-driven stories.

[Monika Armet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eighteen years after her death, Catherine rises from her grave to share her story.

She begins with how Heathcliff came to Wuthering Heights, their closeness and immediate bond, and also her mother’s disdain for the boy, which affected Hindley (Catherine’s older brother), who began to actively hurt Heathcliff in the process.

There is a period of brief happiness in Catherine’s life when Hindley is sent away to a school, but when their father dies, Hindley returns, and Heathcliff’s role is reduced to a servant.

Heathcliff and Catherine make a pact that they won’t be parted in this world or the next…

How I loved this retelling of the classic!

It’s told solely from Catherine’s point of view, which I found empowering. She was a strong-willed young woman, quite ahead of her time, when a woman was a man’s property and had no right to own any item of value, such as a house. Most of the time, women had no say in who they were going to marry; however, Catherine decided she would marry Edgar Linton of Thrushcross Grange, the neighbouring grand property. She had hoped that her actions would result in Heathcliff rising in the social ranks as a gentleman, but that wasn’t to be.

The book had a gothic and eerie feel to it throughout: the doomed love between Heathcliff and Catherine, her premature death, Heathcliff wanting revenge, and Catherine coming back as a ghost.

I loved the references to the lattice windows and their significance: Catherine and Heathcliff looking into the room of Thrushcross Grange, then when Catherine was married to Edgar, she felt trapped and was looking out of the windows.

This is a great retelling of Wuthering Heights – it’s not to be missed.

[Helen Haythornthwaite · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this retelling of Wuthering Heights.

It’s a classic love story, set in the isolated moors of North Yorkshire, where Catherine and Heathcliffe find themselves living in the old manor of Wuthering Heights from an early age. They grow up together, amidst a violent and forbidding environment, and it’s inevitable that the circumstances which have enabled them to spend a lot of time together, eventually compel them to fall in love with each other.

A love story never runs smoothly though, and this one is just so tragic! It’s full of regrets, quests for revenge, and one of them being driven to a madness and cruelty which brings out their very darkest side.

While the original Wuthering Heights was told from two POVs - that of a Mr Lockwood and Nelly Dean, the housekeeper - this story is told from the POV of Catherine. It’s been written from a unique angle, and I think the author has done a remarkable job with it!

It has been beautifully written, evoking a lot of the emotions I felt when reading the original many years ago. I could almost feel the brooding atmosphere and the intensity of feelings: the despair, the regret and the mental anguish at losing the one you love more than life itself.

I do enjoy retellings of old classics, and spin-offs from them, because in addition to giving you the enjoyment of reading them from a different perspective, they open up these stories to a whole new generation, who may go on to read the original book itself.

I treated myself to a Goldsboro special edition of this book as I sensed it would be one I’d love, and I’m so glad I did. It was absolutely wonderful! Thank you so much Essie Fox for your sensitive and empathetic retelling which I absolutely loved!

[Bookshortie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone knows the story of Wuthering Heights but this is the same story told from the perspective of Catherine Earnshaw.

I have been obsessed with Wuthering Heights since I first read it at the age of 11. Since then I’ve read it many times, read many books based on the story and watched every adaptation whether it be a TV series, Hollywood or Bollywood adaptation. When this book appeared on my radar it became one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I had many expectations going into this book and those expectations were all fulfilled if not exceeded. The author has done a fantastic job in giving a fresh reimagining to a well-loved story but still keeping its original essence. The storyline perfectly portrayed, Cathy and Heathcliff’s love and obsession with each other.

What I loved about the story and what made it unique was that it was told from Cathy’s perspective whereas the original book is narrated by Nelly Dean and Lockwood. Eighteen years have passed since Cathy’s death but when her final resting place is disturbed by Heathcliff she returns as a ghost. She relives her past from the first time she met Heathcliff, their relationship, her marriage to Edgar, Heathcliff leaving and then returning, to her death. But she is also able to see the next generation in her daughter Catherine, Hareton, Linton and their story. What she sees in some ways is history repeating itself with a new generation.

The bond between Cathy and Heathcliff is reflected perfectly. This bond strengthens as the story progresses but ultimately becomes their downfall. The author captures the wildness of Cathy and Heathcliff, their stubbornness and their toxicity towards each other where they love each other, can't be without each other but will ruin each other in the name of love.

In Catherine I have found a new favourite read on par with Wuthering Heights and it is one I would highly recommend.

[Jacob Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first heard that Catherine was a retelling of Wuthering Heights, I wasn’t entirely sure if it would be for me, as I have never read Emily Brontë’s classic. Of course, I had heard of it, but it had never been on my radar before. But I’d previously loved Essie Fox’s work, so I knew I had to try Catherine, and I’m so glad that I did. Although I am not familiar with the original Wuthering Heights, I had no problem understanding or getting into the story, and it will probably be one of my favourite reads of the year.

Essie Fox tells her version of Wuthering Heights from Catherine’s point of view, and I immediately liked how Essie captured Catherine’s voice. It makes this book such an immersive reading experience. We experience the emotions she is feeling, particularly around Heathcliff, the young boy who her father adopts. Catherine is initially reluctant to accept this boy into her life, and her older brother treats him like one of the servants. But Catherine soon grows deeply fond of him, and her feelings for Heathcliff turn even more intense as the story progresses.

I loved how Essie Fox continued to develop and explore the bond between Catherine and Heathcliff. It is possible to feel the magnetic pull they have for each other, and this is part of what makes this story even more of a tragedy and hard-hitting. What I also really liked about it was the supernatural element Essie Fox weaves into her version of this tale, as the novel is primarily told from the point of view of Catherine’s ghost. Catherine already knows her story, but it did feel I was discovering it alongside her for the first time.

Essie Fox’s writing is hauntingly beautiful, and it really pulls you into the world of Wuthering Heights with ease; I felt like I didn’t want this novel to end. I am sure this will appeal to fans of Emily Brontë and people who have never read the original Wuthering Heights before. I really, really enjoyed it.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

We’ve all heard of Wuthering Heights, especially at the moment with the new movie adaptation being released. And we all think we know Catherine and Heathcliffe’s story. But we’ve never actually heard from either of the tragic lovers. This book changes all that, telling their story from the perspective of heroine Catherine Earnshaw for the first time.

Evocative, compelling and immersive, Essie Fox had me in her thrall from start to finish. In anticipation of reading this book I had recently read Wuthering Heights for the first time. And I wasn’t a fan. But I absolutely loved this retelling and inhaled it in just two sittings. Exquisitely written and evocatively told, Essie’s imagery and prose brings the characters and moors to life in vivid detail, making me feel like I’d been transported to Haworth and was walking the windswept moors myself.

In her author’s note at the end of the book, Essie talks about wondering what Catherine would tell us that Nellie couldn’t. And for me that is where this book excels over the original story. In the original, I couldn’t stand Cathy and Heathcliffe, and it was impossible for me to care about their story. But Essie made me care about them by giving us a glimpse into Cathy’s true feelings, including about her own behaviour. Adult Heathcliffe is still an awful character that I despised, but seeing young Heathcliffe from Cathy’s perspective made me understand how they fell in love. Even so, I still don’t see this as a love story. For me it is a character study and an exploration of grief, trauma and mental health.

A magnificent retelling that swept me away completely, I highly recommend this book.

[cosylittlereadingcorner · Rating 5 out of 5]

“But she… she is a memory too vivid to forget. I see her face in the clouds, and in the leaves upon the trees. Even in the broken glass lying here at my feet.”

It is many years since I read and loved Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. So when I heard that Essie Fox was to publish a retelling of this classic, I knew this was one book I wanted to read as soon as possible.

You do not need to have read the original and in all honesty, I am happy that it’s been many years since I have read it so that I could enjoy Essie’s writing without much comparison.

This book is beautiful in so many ways. We see the story of Cathy and Heathcliffe unfold through Catherine’s eyes: her ghost looking in on her own life and also see what happened after she had died. I loved this idea and the moments where the real world almost caught sight of her. Telling the story through Catherine’s own voice makes it all so personal as we feel her emotions first hand, her own inner turmoil and all her restlessness both in life and in death.

The writing is exquisite and there were moments I’d read a sentence twice just to savour the beauty of the words forming a clear image in my mind. The beauty, the wilderness, the scents of the moors all are so vivid and the same applies to all the characters in the book. I loved every page of this retelling and I wholeheartedly recommend reading this one, whether you are a fan of the original, are new to Wuthering Heights or just love an intense gothic read, which pulls you in and doesn’t let go.

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catherine is told from Catherine Earnshaw’s point of view, firstly as a child, then a young teenager on the cusp of womanhood and finally as a ghost following her untimely death. Both Heathcliff and Catherine come forcefully to life and as we experience the intensity of their ill-fated relationship so we gain an insight into the unpredictable nature of their characters and the cause and effect of their upbringing at Wuthering Heights.

By no stretch of the imagination is this a comfortable tale and there’s certainly no guarantee of a happy ever after ending but the sheer lyricism of the writing brings the whole of this tragic story to life. It compares really well with Emily Brontë’s original and offers a different perspective and one which is no less powerful than the 1847 classic. This retelling encapsulates the very essence of Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw’s fateful relationship, a relationship which was tormented and filled with passionate intensity which spiralled into a dark and dangerous world of sadness, grief and desperate obsession.

There’s a certain amount of trepidation in reading a retelling of a much loved classic however, if anyone can retell Cathy and Heathcliff’s story, and do the book justice, it is Essie Fox whose work I love to read. As I settled down on a rather grey, wintery afternoon, so the stark beauty of this timeless story began to take shape and I was back on the high moors with Cathy and Heathcliff as they whisper together in the shadow of Penistone Crags, leaving their tokens in the Fairy Cave and dreaming of an uncertain future.

[Lynsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Catherine’ is a moody, atmospheric, gothic retelling of ‘Wuthering Heights’, this time from the perspective of Cathy. Disclaimer: I picked this up without really reading the blurb, and I forgot how much I hated the original! However, despite the story not being for me, I was still able to appreciate Essie's amazing, descriptive, and sharp writing.

This is a book that sucks you into the story. So many people brand this the greatest love story ever written, but we never hear from Cathy or Heathcliff, and this is remedied in this retelling. Told from the POV of Cathy, albeit her ghost 18 years after her death. However, the book soon delves into the childhood years, which is the pivotal time when Heathcliff comes into their lives. We follow them through their close friendship, which alters as they mature and grow in age.

This is an extremely well-written book - it is evocative in its description of Wuthering Heights and the surrounding moorland. It is Gothic not just in its location, but also in the themes of obsession, lust, madness, and complex relationships. The writing is superb, and the characterisation is brilliant. Yes, as adults, Cathy is still a narcissist, and Heathcliff is despicable, but as children, it’s a different case. They are both like wildflowers that flourish on the moorlands but crumple when trampled on by trauma and neglect. This is the part of their story which I liked; the rest a bit meh for me personally. However, if you adore WH, then you will be swept away by this retelling.

Let me know if you pick this one up.