History repeating itself

Nelly Dean had a unique and level headed perspective and is the narrator.

No it didn't really.

This book is fairly long and sometimes has a long narrative when it could be shortened. It was a decent story of overall strife. Wasn't the most uplifting story out there but I wasn't expecting it from this classic. It was entertaining and a good read. The two narrators was a nice touch and Janet McTeer did a fantastic job.

Emily Bronte's book Wuthering Heights, while splendidly written with praiseworthy style and form, was ultimately an exhausting tale of misguided love. My opinion may be due to the irremovable precepts of my own context, which prevents me from diving in to Gothic mindset. Nevertheless, I found Heathcliff to be unbearably unrealistic. The depth of his malice was not at all justified. While I have no doubt that childhood experiences has the potential to influence our whole life, Heathcliff's reaction to lost love was purely insane and unsympathetic. I find no need to comment on the other characters, for their flaws and virtues were somewhat more believable, and skillfully portrayed. My main qualm lies with Heathcliff, who in turn, lies mingling in the earth with Catherine.

Wuthering Heights is such a beautiful dark love story. The performers are excellent! This audio book tops my list.
MD

Janet McTeer brings to violent, passionate life the legendary tale by Bronte.
I was mostly familiar with the story from the film and TV versions, which do not do justice to the novel's unearthly intensity and powerful feelings. Despite the familiarity, the story managed to surprise you at every turn, and the neglected second half of the novel is every bit as good as the first half.
Heatchcliff is as much a Shakespearean monster as Macbeth or Richard III, but he more than meets his match in Cathy, the daughter of his beloved.
There is some joint narration by David Timson, which is annoying, but soldier on to the point where McTeer takes over as Nelly Dean and recounts this astonishing story.

This question is unfair, I think. Audiobooks are a fantastic medium of storytelling and I count reading/listening as the same thing. But I couldn't get into the physical version of Wuthering Heights, it was too hard for me. So I grabbed the audio, and it made it much much easier to get into. But since I loved it so much, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go back and read the book eventually because there's such something about reading those powerful lines for yourself. All in all, I love both mediums and I don't think I can answer this question.

The parallels and the pairs we see all throughout the story. Everything has an echo and it's fascinating to see things mirror each other.

Absolutely fantastic, especially Janet! Since she was the major narrator, I'm mostly talking about her. She got the voices down phenomenally and you could easily tell who was who. I also liked that she wasn't an old woman because Nelly wasn't an old woman in the book either, and it helped to add a bit of authenticity to the storytelling.

No. I had to take about a two week break because the story itself was so dark and so much at once, I needed a bit of a breather. But all in all, it took me two weeks to get through it. I listened to the first half of the story in a week and the second in another week. I think it worked out great.

I HIGHLY recommend picking up the audio if you find yourself unable to get into the book- specifically this one! The two-partner narrative is done wonderfully and again, I think it adds an authenticity to the story telling. This one is an all time favorite!

Thanks for the reviews, I read them and chose this version based on them and was not disappointed. This has become the definitive Wuthering Heights experience for me, although it was the first and only time I've heard it. The quality of the prose and the performance together, by actors with genuine accents made it all that I imagined the Wuthering Heights experience can be. If you're new to Wuthering Heights, I strongly recommend this version.

Heathcliff and Catherine survives the cruel tests of time, I found myself perplexed by the lack of likability of these two protagonists. Catherine is flighty and immature while Heathcliff is surly and mean. They both did things to hurt each other; is that true love? The fact that they love each other through the difficulties of their lives doesn't assuage the hurt they cause each other during their lifetime.

The setting is certainly luscious and the supporting characters are interesting. But, rather than find Heathcliff's undying love for Catherine as overwhelmingly romantic, I couldn't get past how cruel he was to everyone around him. It made me sad.

As a young woman, I was thoroughly entranced by Heathcliff's dark, brooding and romantic nature. But he is much less attractive to me now.

I know I will be cast aside as a renegade and maybe even a fraudulent English major. But, there are more intriguing protagonists who are brooding and romantic in literature that I found more likable -- Mr. Darcy and John Thornton, for example.

The narration by Janet McTeer and David Timson was luscious and wonderful, particularly Ms. McTeer's. It was a delight to the ears and I loved hearing every second of it.

The book itself is intense and powerful, emotionally draining but well worth reading.

One comment about this audiobook version; it is good but one should have the text nearby while listening. Janet McTeer reads the dialogues with tones of voice that exaggerate too much of the characters' personalities. This is normally good, but the characters of Wuthering Heights have strong, often despicable personalities: Heathcliff is hateful, Catherine is petulant, and when that hatefulness and petulance are accentuated in not only what the characters say, but also how they say it, the dialogues become for me too emotionally revolting and I much prefer to read the text.

For instance, Janet McTeer's Heathcliff speaks with a very low rumbling raspy voice, muttering almost every word with spite. Her Catherine is shrill, maudlin, forceful. Their exchanges sound unnatural and unbearable.

The reading is nevertheless very good. Wuthering Height is very hard to read and current rendition, despite (what I think are) its faults, is commendable.

I must be getting old or intelligent. Probably just old. The classics are getting better and better and I am enjoying them far more than some of the supposedly good new writing. I struggled through Wuthering Heights as a student, I had other things on my mind. This time it was swift, powerful and fascinating. It is now obvious why the novel is prescribed in most literature courses (either university or school). Bronte tells a story of outcasts and obsessions – rural England: wind-swept, harsh landscape sculpting cruel and sociopathic creatures who are as violent as they are passionate. Heathcliff, the foundling, is shunned by all except his adoptive father. He spends most of his adulthood wreaking revenge for the ridicule and pain inflicted by his siblings and servants. Bronte draws her story beautifully through the eyes of a servant, Nellie Dean, and through the naive city dweller Lockwood. They are allowed to peer into this weird world and to observe how a childhood friendship can become an adult obsession that can destroy several lives. Truly great writing with dense imagery. It raises important, fundamental questions about the rights of women and the power of men.

The performance and the unexpected.

The most interesting part was that it was in no way a "normal" romance novel but more about love gone wrong.

no.

Love Gone Awry

Interesting that it is a "classic" IMHO