Would you recommend this novel to another reader? Consider the lessons it has to offer, its overall readability, its ability to capture one's attention, and its representation as a novel of the Victorian era.
I really enjoyed reading this novel. It was extremely confusing most of the time, but when I wrote down who did what and who was married to whom, it made things a bit easier. I would recommend this novel to others with caution. I think it is more of a girl novel since it is based on tricky love triangles and such. For that reason, I would be wary of telling a boy to read it. I just don't think they'd be as open to it and get as much out of it as a girl would. Disregarding the fact that it is a girly novel, I think the lessons it has to offer are good for anyone to read about. I know I've said this a ton in my responses, but the way the characters were treated in their youth really set the stage for how they acted as adults. And even as adults, the way they were treated by their peers affected the choices that they made. The choice of social status over "true love" by Catherine presents another lesson or situation to think about. Most of all though, I think the revenge and cruelty shown by many of the characters throughout the novel presents the strongest learning point for readers. The readability of the novel, I found, was quite difficult. Going back and forth between narrators referring to themselves as "I" made it confusing. The two Catherines also added some confusion along with Linton being a first and a last name for different characters. Once I got past the confusion though, I found the story itself to be a very good one. Getting past the confusion and the fact that I had to think about things to try to keep them straight as I read was the only thing that kept me from finishing sooner. It was hard for me to get motivated to read when it was semi-stressful trying to keep everything straight. I think the novel definitely had a Victorian feel to it. The treatment of women, social class issues, minor dealings with religion, and very Gothic influences all attributed to the Victorian-ness of the novel.
1 comment:
I really enjoyed reading this novel. It was extremely confusing most of the time, but when I wrote down who did what and who was married to whom, it made things a bit easier.
I would recommend this novel to others with caution. I think it is more of a girl novel since it is based on tricky love triangles and such. For that reason, I would be wary of telling a boy to read it. I just don't think they'd be as open to it and get as much out of it as a girl would.
Disregarding the fact that it is a girly novel, I think the lessons it has to offer are good for anyone to read about. I know I've said this a ton in my responses, but the way the characters were treated in their youth really set the stage for how they acted as adults. And even as adults, the way they were treated by their peers affected the choices that they made. The choice of social status over "true love" by Catherine presents another lesson or situation to think about. Most of all though, I think the revenge and cruelty shown by many of the characters throughout the novel presents the strongest learning point for readers.
The readability of the novel, I found, was quite difficult. Going back and forth between narrators referring to themselves as "I" made it confusing. The two Catherines also added some confusion along with Linton being a first and a last name for different characters.
Once I got past the confusion though, I found the story itself to be a very good one. Getting past the confusion and the fact that I had to think about things to try to keep them straight as I read was the only thing that kept me from finishing sooner. It was hard for me to get motivated to read when it was semi-stressful trying to keep everything straight.
I think the novel definitely had a Victorian feel to it. The treatment of women, social class issues, minor dealings with religion, and very Gothic influences all attributed to the Victorian-ness of the novel.
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