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Intoarcerea lui Heathcliff
Out in the world on his own again, Heathcliff is groomed into a gentleman, encounters old rivals, and prepares to face his beloved Cathy again in a speculative novel on Heathcliff's three-year absence from Wuthering Heights.
352 pages
First published July 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
August 2, 2012
This book supposedly gives us a look into what Heathcliff was up to while he was away from Wuthering Heights, after hearing Cathy say it would degrade her to marry him.
Really? Seriously?
First of all, I would highly recommend any true lovers of “Wuthering Heights” steer wide and clear of this one. I wish I could un-read it!
If I finish a book at all and didn’t really care for it, I still try to give it an “it was ok” rating. But this was NOT ok! Maybe if I’d stopped reading about 1/3 of the way thru, while I was still hopeful and kind of still liking it (and actually thinking it might earn a place on my bookshelves next to Wuthering Heights itself), it would be ok. But the middle had me going “No! No! NO! Come on! ARE YOU SERIOUS???” and so forth, and the end was sheer torture to get thru. Once it started going weird, it just kept going, really fast.
Sorry, but you don’t take a beautiful classic like Wuthering Heights (which obviously, I adore) and do this to it. I don’t need classics to overlap, even if they’re written by sisters. And I don’t need the sisters to be in them, either.
The only way I would think this could make any sense is if, at the end, it was revealed that this whole thing was a dream (well, nightmare) that someone, probably Cathy herself, had while Heathcliff was away and they didn’t know where he’d gone. Otherwise, no way.
Ok, this part coming up might have SPOILERs in it, so if you still insist on reading the book, don’t blame me if you read on.
How could you have Edgar Linton and Heathcliff meet during Heathcliff’s missing years? Not only meet, but compete over who will marry Cathy. And not only compete, but get into a rather hideous situation involving blackmail.
And what the heck is “Jane Eyre” doing in there? Are you trying to say that “Mr. Are” (a strange name from the get go) is supposed to be Mr. Rochester? Obviously. But please. And there’s the overlapping I mentioned, and then the audacity to actually try to change the ending of Wuthering Heights. Again, I wish I could un-read this book.
That’s enough. You get my point. I couldn’t believe what I was reading, didn’t like it, and this is among the very few books I can say really just annoyed me. I’ll be reluctantly donating it to a local library sale, but almost wish I could put a warning inside, to prevent another poor soul from what I just went thru!
I put it down for one star, because that is the lowest I can rate it here, but really, I'd like to subtract from that.
Really? Seriously?
First of all, I would highly recommend any true lovers of “Wuthering Heights” steer wide and clear of this one. I wish I could un-read it!
If I finish a book at all and didn’t really care for it, I still try to give it an “it was ok” rating. But this was NOT ok! Maybe if I’d stopped reading about 1/3 of the way thru, while I was still hopeful and kind of still liking it (and actually thinking it might earn a place on my bookshelves next to Wuthering Heights itself), it would be ok. But the middle had me going “No! No! NO! Come on! ARE YOU SERIOUS???” and so forth, and the end was sheer torture to get thru. Once it started going weird, it just kept going, really fast.
Sorry, but you don’t take a beautiful classic like Wuthering Heights (which obviously, I adore) and do this to it. I don’t need classics to overlap, even if they’re written by sisters. And I don’t need the sisters to be in them, either.
The only way I would think this could make any sense is if, at the end, it was revealed that this whole thing was a dream (well, nightmare) that someone, probably Cathy herself, had while Heathcliff was away and they didn’t know where he’d gone. Otherwise, no way.
Ok, this part coming up might have SPOILERs in it, so if you still insist on reading the book, don’t blame me if you read on.
How could you have Edgar Linton and Heathcliff meet during Heathcliff’s missing years? Not only meet, but compete over who will marry Cathy. And not only compete, but get into a rather hideous situation involving blackmail.
And what the heck is “Jane Eyre” doing in there? Are you trying to say that “Mr. Are” (a strange name from the get go) is supposed to be Mr. Rochester? Obviously. But please. And there’s the overlapping I mentioned, and then the audacity to actually try to change the ending of Wuthering Heights. Again, I wish I could un-read this book.
That’s enough. You get my point. I couldn’t believe what I was reading, didn’t like it, and this is among the very few books I can say really just annoyed me. I’ll be reluctantly donating it to a local library sale, but almost wish I could put a warning inside, to prevent another poor soul from what I just went thru!
I put it down for one star, because that is the lowest I can rate it here, but really, I'd like to subtract from that.
February 10, 2008
Someone gave me this book because I was always so obsessed with Wuthering Heights. It's the biggest piece of crap ever written. The story is about the two or three years that Heathcliff is away from the Heights. And, would you believe that he spent some time with Rochester (from Jane Eyre) and that he and Catherine hooked up!!! And, if I remember correctly, Heathcliff and Catherine were floating around together in a canoe in a lagoon.
May 3, 2018
.....
This author's PIPING hot take is that Heathcliff, during the three years he was absent from the Heights, took part in a chain of events identical to those of Jane Eyre (names and all, not kidding) and that Charlotte Brontë--you know, the literary genius--read his letter to Cathy detailing these events and decided to copy and paste them into her own novel. I wish I was joking.
You know, I always assumed Heathcliff's activities when he was away were irrelevant; critical to the atmosphere of Wuthering Heights is its seclusion from the outside world and almost from civilization, and as soon as Heathcliff exits the bubble of the Earnshaws and Lintons he therefore ceases to exist. When my beloved English teacher told me there was a book speculating about those lost years, however, I was mildly interested: did Heathcliff become a solider? Did he swindle noblemen and gentlemen out of their fortunes by the dozens? Basically, I would have been happy with any answer except this one. The only parts I found enjoyable were those that concerned the Brontë sisters, especially Emily.
Oh, and did I mention Heathcliff chops one of Edgar Linton's balls off and Cathy faked her own death to elope with Heathcliff to America? Even by Brontë standards, that's a bit much.
This author's PIPING hot take is that Heathcliff, during the three years he was absent from the Heights, took part in a chain of events identical to those of Jane Eyre (names and all, not kidding) and that Charlotte Brontë--you know, the literary genius--read his letter to Cathy detailing these events and decided to copy and paste them into her own novel. I wish I was joking.
You know, I always assumed Heathcliff's activities when he was away were irrelevant; critical to the atmosphere of Wuthering Heights is its seclusion from the outside world and almost from civilization, and as soon as Heathcliff exits the bubble of the Earnshaws and Lintons he therefore ceases to exist. When my beloved English teacher told me there was a book speculating about those lost years, however, I was mildly interested: did Heathcliff become a solider? Did he swindle noblemen and gentlemen out of their fortunes by the dozens? Basically, I would have been happy with any answer except this one. The only parts I found enjoyable were those that concerned the Brontë sisters, especially Emily.
Oh, and did I mention Heathcliff chops one of Edgar Linton's balls off and Cathy faked her own death to elope with Heathcliff to America? Even by Brontë standards, that's a bit much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2011
Very very very few authors can (or should) try to reimagine old characters. It's addictive and heady and for that reason we should know it's wrong -- not immoral, mind you, but icky. It's gluttonous. But oh, so easy to gorge ourselves on someone else's work -- so tempting --
Here is another cautionary tale. So, it is another frame story-within-a-story and the voices of two Brontes and an Earnshaw wander through Heathcliff's diary-letter, improbably written within the space of an evening and a mere two miles away from his beloved Catherine -- which alone gives me pause. We're supposed to believe Healthcliff would write a letter rather than do something reckless and dramatic and stupid? Heathcliff? Really? No. No. And he would not write this letter. Exposition? Description? Dramatic effect? Oh, no no no! My scorn knows no bounds. This is not my Heathcliff; I shall love mine yet ...
It's obvious the author knows her 19th-century literature: but (take a lesson from WH, why don't you?) -- love does not always do its object justice.
The bits of Charlotte Bronte are so near to her own voice it seemed nearly lascivious -- it was like peeking at Charlotte taking off her clothes. Sure, there are fourteen layers of Victoriana before you get to the skin and nothing much is visible but the curve of her arm and the slight rounding of her shoulders (thinner and more taut than we expected: Oh Charlotte) -- but it's not right. And here I do mean immoral.
And then we have the problem of Emily. The problem is, I can't believe her. Bitchy and harsh and cold to Charlotte: yes: copying her characters so completely from life: No. And I don't believe in her bizarro-world Happily Ever After for H & C (who apparently go to the New World like every other pair of star-crossed lovers and blah de blah blah who the fuck cares because I don't believe a word of it).
Catherine Earnshaw as some 18th-century Emily Dickenson I can strangely credit; those bits (conveniently italicised for the skim-reader) are heady and gaunt.
Here is another cautionary tale. So, it is another frame story-within-a-story and the voices of two Brontes and an Earnshaw wander through Heathcliff's diary-letter, improbably written within the space of an evening and a mere two miles away from his beloved Catherine -- which alone gives me pause. We're supposed to believe Healthcliff would write a letter rather than do something reckless and dramatic and stupid? Heathcliff? Really? No. No. And he would not write this letter. Exposition? Description? Dramatic effect? Oh, no no no! My scorn knows no bounds. This is not my Heathcliff; I shall love mine yet ...
It's obvious the author knows her 19th-century literature: but (take a lesson from WH, why don't you?) -- love does not always do its object justice.
The bits of Charlotte Bronte are so near to her own voice it seemed nearly lascivious -- it was like peeking at Charlotte taking off her clothes. Sure, there are fourteen layers of Victoriana before you get to the skin and nothing much is visible but the curve of her arm and the slight rounding of her shoulders (thinner and more taut than we expected: Oh Charlotte) -- but it's not right. And here I do mean immoral.
And then we have the problem of Emily. The problem is, I can't believe her. Bitchy and harsh and cold to Charlotte: yes: copying her characters so completely from life: No. And I don't believe in her bizarro-world Happily Ever After for H & C (who apparently go to the New World like every other pair of star-crossed lovers and blah de blah blah who the fuck cares because I don't believe a word of it).
Catherine Earnshaw as some 18th-century Emily Dickenson I can strangely credit; those bits (conveniently italicised for the skim-reader) are heady and gaunt.
May 26, 2016
If you love Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, don't ever read this book.I am a huge admirer of the Bronte sisters,esp.Charlotte and Emily(i haven't read Anne Bronte's books yet but would so much like too).I know JE and WH by heart and i will always be obssesed with anything that has to do with the particular books.My love for them led me to read this awful book and i have regrets for doing so.The writer kills the plot and destroys our favourite heroes. Heathcliff is not Emily's Heathcliff and mr Rochester is definately not Charlotte's mr Rochester and......
SPOILER ALERT......
seriously how could she come up with the idea of Mr Rochester being Heathcliff's father?Give me a break!!!How stupid and farfetched is this?Not only was he mr Rochester's son but during the big fire he killed his mother,Bertha!!!!!My grey cells are not the same after reading this book,seriously.I usually enjoy reading so much but this book put me in a bad mood and made me want to finish it and never open it again!!!!
SPOILER ALERT......
seriously how could she come up with the idea of Mr Rochester being Heathcliff's father?Give me a break!!!How stupid and farfetched is this?Not only was he mr Rochester's son but during the big fire he killed his mother,Bertha!!!!!My grey cells are not the same after reading this book,seriously.I usually enjoy reading so much but this book put me in a bad mood and made me want to finish it and never open it again!!!!
August 28, 2009
Did you ever wonder how Heathcliff made his fortune? Where he went for those many years after he heard those life-changing words uttered from Cathy, "It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff." You can imagine how that stayed with him and motivated him into some kind of action. But what was it that he did? How did it all happen?
Author Lin Haire-Sergeant makes a bold attempt to fill in that space and explain Heathcliff's life during that time. What I did like about this book is that the story is told by two narrators (which is very similar to Wuthering Heights!) Mr. Lockwood is traveling on a train on his way back to Gimmerton to see Nelly Dean who is on her death bed (this book takes place 20 years after the end of WH). His fellow passenger on the train is none other then Charlotte Bronte! Mr. Lockwood shows her a letter that Nelly Dean sent him and asks her to read it and advise him. The letter is written from Heathcliff to Cathy upon his return to WH and in it he explains what has happened to him and were he has gone. This takes up majority of the book, and Heathcliff is our narrator. Unfortunately, the letter is never delivered and if it was we can imagine that the course of WH would have been very different!
What I didn't like about this book was that the author used the plot and characters from another story to create Heathcliff's path. At first it was fun to discover the similarities and spot the parallels in the story, but by the end I wished that the author would have created her own back story and give us tale that wasn't borrowed. If this was done, then this book would become one of my favorites! I would have liked more creativity and imagination from the author, she has an excellent writing style and I loved her portrayal of Heathcliff. She showed how Cathy was always on his mind, always motivating his actions.
I recommend this book to any Wuthering Heights or Bronte fan. But I would advise you not to have high expectations. While you may enjoy Heathcliff's story you may walk away feeling as I did that it would have been better if she did not borrow it from another book. OR you may like the connections she made between the two books and not mind it being borrowed.
Author Lin Haire-Sergeant makes a bold attempt to fill in that space and explain Heathcliff's life during that time. What I did like about this book is that the story is told by two narrators (which is very similar to Wuthering Heights!) Mr. Lockwood is traveling on a train on his way back to Gimmerton to see Nelly Dean who is on her death bed (this book takes place 20 years after the end of WH). His fellow passenger on the train is none other then Charlotte Bronte! Mr. Lockwood shows her a letter that Nelly Dean sent him and asks her to read it and advise him. The letter is written from Heathcliff to Cathy upon his return to WH and in it he explains what has happened to him and were he has gone. This takes up majority of the book, and Heathcliff is our narrator. Unfortunately, the letter is never delivered and if it was we can imagine that the course of WH would have been very different!
What I didn't like about this book was that the author used the plot and characters from another story to create Heathcliff's path. At first it was fun to discover the similarities and spot the parallels in the story, but by the end I wished that the author would have created her own back story and give us tale that wasn't borrowed. If this was done, then this book would become one of my favorites! I would have liked more creativity and imagination from the author, she has an excellent writing style and I loved her portrayal of Heathcliff. She showed how Cathy was always on his mind, always motivating his actions.
I recommend this book to any Wuthering Heights or Bronte fan. But I would advise you not to have high expectations. While you may enjoy Heathcliff's story you may walk away feeling as I did that it would have been better if she did not borrow it from another book. OR you may like the connections she made between the two books and not mind it being borrowed.
September 25, 2014
Just reread this. I'm a sucker for well-written spinoffs that shed additional light on intriguing characters. This book tells about Heathcliff's lost years. Even better, it intertwines elements of Jane Eyre with Wuthering Heights. It doesn't get any better than that! Narrative is well written and consistent with gothic romance style.
June 21, 2013
Amazing book considering it is a sequel of sorts to the great classic Wuthering Heights and written by a different author. At first, I thought Sargeant had to be crazy to take on the challenge of following Emily Bronte. But she managed to respect Bronte's work and still tell a great story of her own.
August 18, 2008
I remember this being not even good enough to be firewood.
Not good at all.
Not good at all.
February 8, 2009
I am so glad I read this book as it helped me to better understand the real story of Frankenstein.
March 29, 2011
As a fan of both Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, the plot of this novel is ingeniously crafted to draw in Emily and Charlotte Bronte as characters while intermingling the plots of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights and presenting a plausible tale of Heathcliff's three-year absence. How Haire-Sargeant created this story with its numerous twists and turns and its satisfying culmination is amazing! I am very glad I accidentally discovered this treasure on the shelf.
July 15, 2012
I'll admit I did skip a middle chunk of this book because it was feeling redundant, but I did particularly like the ending. It's stayed with me conceptually many years later.
June 10, 2014
The most fantastical mash up of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Don't take it seriously but a good what if.
September 22, 2015
I recommend this to anyone who thoroughly enjoyed Wuthering Heights. Not by the same author but it did not disappoint.
January 25, 2022
This should have never happened... What was the author thinking?!?!
July 26, 2021
It’s weird to me how many reviews are filled with outrage and anger! It was kind of like an M Night Shymalan movie!
October 10, 2023
My reason for choosing this book is a bit odd, perhaps ... the author, Lin Haire-Sargeant was writing instructor at UMass/Amherst at the time of the writing. Since I am an alum of there, I thought I'd give the book a try. Am I glad I did! It was excellent! Very imaginative and gripping, at times. Most of the text is in the form of a letter that had been hidden for 30 years, long after the demise of the characters in Wuthering Heights. The letter is written by "H" to Cathy. It is intercepted by the housekeeper Nellie and never delivered to Cathy. S0 the story goes. The language seems a bit formal, but I imagine reflects the times. It is the bulk of the book, with comments interspersed from the Bronte sisters. While it is an older book, it will be worth your while to seek it out and settle in for a good read.
March 16, 2012
It is a very intriguing take on what may have happened to Heathcliff during his absence and it includes some semi-distracting yet also interesting additions of the writers Charlotte and Emily Bronte and the story of Jane Eyre. I have to admit that it’s a well-written story and a though-provoking addition to the classic. It definitely keeps true to the character of Heathcliff and though he is a terrible, selfish, evil and passionate character – I do love his character and the love/hate between him and Cathy. Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite stories of all time and this was an appealing glimpse back into the story.
April 15, 2011
OH this was so exciting. It made me love Wuthering Heights even more. I know it's all fiction (well so is Wuthing Heights) but this makes you feel like it is all real. It is so eerie and fascinating and makes some great connections to Jane Eyre. Answers a lot of questions left over from WH, like where was Heathcliff for all those years? And it leaves you desperately trying to decide whether to love or hate Heathcliff. The best kind of drama.
June 24, 2013
Despite having seen warnings from other disappointed readers, I determined to give this book a try. I'm glad I did. Weaving together the stories of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, two of my favorites, was brilliant. I enjoyed the new life the author brought to familiar characters. Although there were a few portions of the story that dragged or seemed too improbable, the hours spent immersed in this book were a pleasure.
May 7, 2008
There is a shocking part of this story that I found incredibly absurd, which ruined the whole book for me. Argh.
December 16, 2010
This book surprised me by being so true to Wuthering Heights and Emily Bronte. A great read.
April 15, 2012
I haven't finished this yet. Having studied Wuthering Heights, I am hard to please when it come new takes on it. But this novel's voice and style are believable. I'm loving it!
November 12, 2018
Approach this book as a fan fiction mashup of two classic novels rather than a serious follow-up to one and you might enjoy it more.
It takes the form of a letter Heathcliff writes Catherine about why he ran away from Wuthering Heights and how he rose to become a wealthy, superficially respectable gentleman. This letter never reached Cathy. Nell Dean, the narrator of "Wuthering Heights" intercepted and kept it. Decades later, it falls into the hands of Charlotte Bronte.
I wasn't thrilled about this mingling of real life and fiction; I prefer my Brontes as historical figures and their characters as not. I was confused too about why Charlotte gets the letter since Emily authored "Wuthering Heights."
Lin Haire-Sargeant's motives become clear as the book progresses. Young Heathcliff runs away to Liverpool, where Mr. Earnshaw first found him. He soon meets a gentleman called Mr. Are, who offers the youth an absurd amount of money for the satisfaction of transforming him from rough street kid to a sophisticated young man. Mr. Are takes Heathcliff back to his home, Thornfield. The manager is Mrs. Fairfax, there's a maid called Leah, the neighbors are the Ingrams, and eventually a certain young governess appears on the scene.
If you're familiar with Charlotte's Bronte's most well-known book, you know what's going on here. Once I figured that out, I was confused about why Haire-Sargeant names Heathcliff's benefactor Mr. Are. I get the "Mr. R." pun, but why not just say Rochester? It's not like Haire-Sargeant obfuscates anyone else's identity. Blanche Ingram isn't disguised as Miss Eye.
Heathcliff, of course, unleashes his untapped potential. The sullen, unrestrained boy turns into a witty, well-educated lad who also happens to be a master at taming horses, running businesses and applying his equine surgical skills to humans. It's a mixed bag of convenient skills, but I accepted it since Heathcliff must have some hidden depths to make his fortune so quickly.
Things get fanciful when Mr. Are invites people for a house party and one of the guests is Heathcliff's romantic rival Edgar Linton. Cue fraught interactions as neither wants to reveal he knows the other. Then Heathcliff discovers that he has a preternatural power over playing cards, which he uses to his advantage while gambling. Perhaps this is a nod to the supernatural elements in "Wuthering Heights" and "Jane Eyre" -- Cathy's ghost roaming the moors, Jane hearing Mr. Rochester's voice calling to her from miles away -- but it comes across as odd and a little too pat. Things get more bizarre when Heathcliff learns who his parents are and Haire-Sargeant paints him as an important player in key events in "Jane Eyre."
But wait, there's more! Emily, presented as a somewhat mystical young woman who somehow knows Heathcliff's story, suggests the ending of "Wuthering Heights" as we know it is not real. It's wish fulfillment on the author's part, but I dare say certain Heathcliff fans will like it.
I have a couple of issues with the way Haire-Sargeant unfolded this story. First, I don't like the assertion that "Wuthering Heights" and "Jane Eyre" came from anything other than their authors' creativity and skill. The Bronte sisters worked hard to be taken seriously as writers, and I'm not crazy about any book that diminishes that. Second, assuming the sisters go on to become writers in this universe, why does "Jane Eyre" omit Heathcliff entirely? Their time at Thornfield overlaps. Charlotte did not seem so disgusted by Heathcliff's behaviour that she would leave him out. Emily doesn't call dibs. There's no reason given why Charlotte would leave out a major character in her entire book about a minor one.
The letter format doesn't lend itself well to this kind of story, especially when Haire-Sargeant interrupts the narrative to bring in Charlotte's point of view or introduce some stream of consciousness from Catherine Earnshaw. A diary would have been better. It's hard to imagine anyone, let alone passionate, unsettled Heathcliff, sitting down to write such a massive, orderly letter.
I'm giving this book two stars because I didn't hate it, even though I didn't think it was great. Someone asked me how I liked it and I replied, "It's pretty weird," which I think about sums it up.
It takes the form of a letter Heathcliff writes Catherine about why he ran away from Wuthering Heights and how he rose to become a wealthy, superficially respectable gentleman. This letter never reached Cathy. Nell Dean, the narrator of "Wuthering Heights" intercepted and kept it. Decades later, it falls into the hands of Charlotte Bronte.
I wasn't thrilled about this mingling of real life and fiction; I prefer my Brontes as historical figures and their characters as not. I was confused too about why Charlotte gets the letter since Emily authored "Wuthering Heights."
Lin Haire-Sargeant's motives become clear as the book progresses. Young Heathcliff runs away to Liverpool, where Mr. Earnshaw first found him. He soon meets a gentleman called Mr. Are, who offers the youth an absurd amount of money for the satisfaction of transforming him from rough street kid to a sophisticated young man. Mr. Are takes Heathcliff back to his home, Thornfield. The manager is Mrs. Fairfax, there's a maid called Leah, the neighbors are the Ingrams, and eventually a certain young governess appears on the scene.
If you're familiar with Charlotte's Bronte's most well-known book, you know what's going on here. Once I figured that out, I was confused about why Haire-Sargeant names Heathcliff's benefactor Mr. Are. I get the "Mr. R." pun, but why not just say Rochester? It's not like Haire-Sargeant obfuscates anyone else's identity. Blanche Ingram isn't disguised as Miss Eye.
Heathcliff, of course, unleashes his untapped potential. The sullen, unrestrained boy turns into a witty, well-educated lad who also happens to be a master at taming horses, running businesses and applying his equine surgical skills to humans. It's a mixed bag of convenient skills, but I accepted it since Heathcliff must have some hidden depths to make his fortune so quickly.
Things get fanciful when Mr. Are invites people for a house party and one of the guests is Heathcliff's romantic rival Edgar Linton. Cue fraught interactions as neither wants to reveal he knows the other. Then Heathcliff discovers that he has a preternatural power over playing cards, which he uses to his advantage while gambling. Perhaps this is a nod to the supernatural elements in "Wuthering Heights" and "Jane Eyre" -- Cathy's ghost roaming the moors, Jane hearing Mr. Rochester's voice calling to her from miles away -- but it comes across as odd and a little too pat. Things get more bizarre when Heathcliff learns who his parents are and Haire-Sargeant paints him as an important player in key events in "Jane Eyre."
But wait, there's more! Emily, presented as a somewhat mystical young woman who somehow knows Heathcliff's story, suggests the ending of "Wuthering Heights" as we know it is not real. It's wish fulfillment on the author's part, but I dare say certain Heathcliff fans will like it.
I have a couple of issues with the way Haire-Sargeant unfolded this story. First, I don't like the assertion that "Wuthering Heights" and "Jane Eyre" came from anything other than their authors' creativity and skill. The Bronte sisters worked hard to be taken seriously as writers, and I'm not crazy about any book that diminishes that. Second, assuming the sisters go on to become writers in this universe, why does "Jane Eyre" omit Heathcliff entirely? Their time at Thornfield overlaps. Charlotte did not seem so disgusted by Heathcliff's behaviour that she would leave him out. Emily doesn't call dibs. There's no reason given why Charlotte would leave out a major character in her entire book about a minor one.
The letter format doesn't lend itself well to this kind of story, especially when Haire-Sargeant interrupts the narrative to bring in Charlotte's point of view or introduce some stream of consciousness from Catherine Earnshaw. A diary would have been better. It's hard to imagine anyone, let alone passionate, unsettled Heathcliff, sitting down to write such a massive, orderly letter.
I'm giving this book two stars because I didn't hate it, even though I didn't think it was great. Someone asked me how I liked it and I replied, "It's pretty weird," which I think about sums it up.
July 22, 2025
I should have read reviews before reading this book…I would have saved myself the trouble and disappointment. This story begins awkwardly with Charlotte Brontë as a passenger on the train, not Emily who authored Wuthering Heights. But I kept reading because I thought it would eventually make sense. It never did. Next, I questioned the choice of the author to pretend Nelly sought Lockwood’s confirmation that she was right in not delivering the letter. Mrs. Dean so obviously never doubted her choice in Wuthering Heights even after Heathcliff’s death. She never thought him good enough for Cathy because well, he never was. Then flashbacks Heathcliff has of him and Cathy include spying on a gay neighbor who is never mentioned in Wuthering Heights and was, I personally thought, rather distasteful of the author to manufacture. This inclusion certainly gave away its modern authorship when a devoted classic reader would most certainly want to feel as if they were reading another piece of the same story that perhaps Emily could have written herself in her own era. Also, the story of a long lost father and son happening to both be in the same place at the same time who were otherwise completely separated any other time was unbelievable. Neither had any real good reason to be exactly at the crazy home that night but arrived there completely by chance. And…Everything in between was bad. In the end, the icing on the cake was when Mr. Are revealed that Heathcliff’s mother was crazy and living in the attic with a caretaker. Hmmm. Sounds awfully familiar. This story was not original and had more in common with Jane Eyre than Wuthering Heights. It didn’t stay true to Emily nor any of her characters.
I only gave it two stars because it was an incredibly delicious idea to tell the story of those missing years. So disappointed it was so poorly done.
I only gave it two stars because it was an incredibly delicious idea to tell the story of those missing years. So disappointed it was so poorly done.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2021
Hmmm... I know I have friends that plan to read this, so I don't want to give major spoilers in this review..
I'll start by saying, I think a 2.5 star rating is probably more accurate. Having read reviews before the actual book, I really thought I would find this very poorly written... But it's actually not. A major complaint in reviews is that Heathcliff is so out of character for himself, but I would argue that's not true at all. And I'm in the minority of WH readers that can't stand the character of Heathcliff! I think Heathcliff Heathcliff is actually quite in character in this portrayal.
I will also say, that a lot of this is a very believable idea of what happened during those missing three years. How he comes into an inheritance, becomes a gentleman, etc. The part where Linton comes into Heathcliff's new world did feel forced to me.. and it was also during this portion of the book where the story started to feel dull, and I had to drag myself through. The first half of the book had much better pacing and held my interest. After drudging through the second half, the ending was very disappointing and extremely unbelievable. 😬
A major turn off for me from the beginning, is, why are we seeing this from the pov of Charlotte Bronte?! After finishing the story, I still don't understand why we are seeing it from her reading of a manuscript, and not Emily, seeing as it is Emily's story..
And so. As a reader on the fence still about her feelings for WH, I was hoping to enjoy this more and feel like it was filling in some gaps of the story. I would say it did fill in some gaps in a way that felt believable, but at the end of the book, it just didn't quite live up to my hopes.
I'll start by saying, I think a 2.5 star rating is probably more accurate. Having read reviews before the actual book, I really thought I would find this very poorly written... But it's actually not. A major complaint in reviews is that Heathcliff is so out of character for himself, but I would argue that's not true at all. And I'm in the minority of WH readers that can't stand the character of Heathcliff! I think Heathcliff Heathcliff is actually quite in character in this portrayal.
I will also say, that a lot of this is a very believable idea of what happened during those missing three years. How he comes into an inheritance, becomes a gentleman, etc. The part where Linton comes into Heathcliff's new world did feel forced to me.. and it was also during this portion of the book where the story started to feel dull, and I had to drag myself through. The first half of the book had much better pacing and held my interest. After drudging through the second half, the ending was very disappointing and extremely unbelievable. 😬
A major turn off for me from the beginning, is, why are we seeing this from the pov of Charlotte Bronte?! After finishing the story, I still don't understand why we are seeing it from her reading of a manuscript, and not Emily, seeing as it is Emily's story..
And so. As a reader on the fence still about her feelings for WH, I was hoping to enjoy this more and feel like it was filling in some gaps of the story. I would say it did fill in some gaps in a way that felt believable, but at the end of the book, it just didn't quite live up to my hopes.
July 27, 2022
Wuthering Heights purists do not like this book it seems. Having read the “original” at least three times and seen every movie version known to man, there is an affinity to Brontes offering. That said, Lin Haire-Sargent deserves an A for creative effort with her Heathcliff book.
The little paperback, my last purchase at L.A.’s The Last Bookstore in 2019 suddenly mocked me to be read. My mind was open to the authors foray into a literary span of time not explained in Wuthering Heights.
It was enjoyable enough, a good attempt to imitate Brontes style, and the story was entertaining if not plausible for those entrenched in the story of Wuthering Heights. The “mashup” with Jane Eyre was disconnected as it has been a long time since read, and Cathy and Heathcliff still did not get the ending we all still want every time we read Wuthering Heights or view the cinematic versions.
For those detractors of Haire-Sargent’s offering, know that it does nothing to defile your love for Wuthering Heights. Unless you let it.
The little paperback, my last purchase at L.A.’s The Last Bookstore in 2019 suddenly mocked me to be read. My mind was open to the authors foray into a literary span of time not explained in Wuthering Heights.
It was enjoyable enough, a good attempt to imitate Brontes style, and the story was entertaining if not plausible for those entrenched in the story of Wuthering Heights. The “mashup” with Jane Eyre was disconnected as it has been a long time since read, and Cathy and Heathcliff still did not get the ending we all still want every time we read Wuthering Heights or view the cinematic versions.
For those detractors of Haire-Sargent’s offering, know that it does nothing to defile your love for Wuthering Heights. Unless you let it.
September 11, 2018
Spoilers ahead! But considering I do not recommend this to anyone, just go ahead and read them to save yourself the pain: This started off quite well, but the whole middle part was terribly boring and as the ending grew nearer it all became just preposterous and crazy. Just how to explain this true blue Brontë fanfiction? Imagine this: Charlotte Brontë is confronted with ALL the Wuthering Heights characters in real life (mostly through letters but she DOES meet some of them), meanwhile Heathcliff (who spends the book by playing cards, riding a horse, setting up a picnic and half-castrating Linton (!!!!!)) MEETS almost ALL the characters from Jane Eyre and turns out to be the son of Rochester(who for some unfathomable reason is called "Are", though EVERYBODY else has their exact names from the original book).
It is not the worst book in the world, but really, just don´t read it. I expected to be entertained, but for most part I just kept rolling my eyes.
It is not the worst book in the world, but really, just don´t read it. I expected to be entertained, but for most part I just kept rolling my eyes.
April 18, 2022
I read this literally decades ago as an English major. As I am interested in rewriting the classics, I picked up it up as a suggested topic by my professor for a homework paper. Evidently, he was too preoccupied to read it himself, so he parcelled out his work to his students (as they often do...).
We were both very disappointed.
I have to admit that I remember it only vaguely. It deals with Heathcliff's gap years.
In my memory, the writing was particularly atrocious, while the plot was threadbare, with an offensively silly ending.
Still, there are two aspects that are stuck in my mind.
Spoilers ahead.
Overall, it was just too absurd and too tacky a read to be worth anyone's time - especially if you are a Brontë fan.
I am surprised this found a publisher. It shouldn't have.
Needless to say, I never wrote that paper.
We were both very disappointed.
I have to admit that I remember it only vaguely. It deals with Heathcliff's gap years.
In my memory, the writing was particularly atrocious, while the plot was threadbare, with an offensively silly ending.
Still, there are two aspects that are stuck in my mind.
Spoilers ahead.
Overall, it was just too absurd and too tacky a read to be worth anyone's time - especially if you are a Brontë fan.
I am surprised this found a publisher. It shouldn't have.
Needless to say, I never wrote that paper.
January 2, 2019
Okay, I tried and tried, took a pause and tried again. I did!!
But it's just not happening for me.
I absolutely hate! DNFing any book and can count on one hand how many times I've actually done that. I give the author props for exploring where she imagined Heathcliff being for those years apart from Cathy (as the concept was such a wonderful idea) and I love reading new spins on old classics, but Bronte sister's - Charlotte and Emily - stories just don't function well when smooshed together. Heathcliff has always been such a visceral character for me, but I found I had to continually remind myself that I was following this character.
It was so strange. I hope others find it workable, but for me...no, just no.
But it's just not happening for me.
I absolutely hate! DNFing any book and can count on one hand how many times I've actually done that. I give the author props for exploring where she imagined Heathcliff being for those years apart from Cathy (as the concept was such a wonderful idea) and I love reading new spins on old classics, but Bronte sister's - Charlotte and Emily - stories just don't function well when smooshed together. Heathcliff has always been such a visceral character for me, but I found I had to continually remind myself that I was following this character.
It was so strange. I hope others find it workable, but for me...no, just no.
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