I finished The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (finally!) a while ago, but only until now have I managed to write a review on it, simply because I didn’t know what to say. So, thanks to a little bit of help from other bloggers, here it is:Becky asked: Did you like the Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte? Would you recommend it? Does it hold up to the more well known works by the other Bronte sisters
Bybee asked: Have you read the other Bronte sisters? Have you read Agnes Grey? Does Tenant of Wildfell Hall have that Gothic feel to it?
Alessandra asked: Were you able to relate to the main character? Is this a book you would recommend?
Suey asked: Oh, I loved The Tenant of Wilfell Hall... but it's been awhile since I read it. I remember it bounced from a letter format... back to a more normal narrative form. Did you like that? Or did it interrupt the flow for you? I need to read this one again some day!
Imani asked: Ha, ok, clearly a lot of Bronte fans here. I'm in the same boat -- what did you think of it? I've only read some of Charlotte's novels and though I have "Agnes Grey" I've yet to read it. (Only the first few pages and that was promising.)
Bookchronicle asked: on The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte: How does Anne compare with Charlotte and Emily? As Anne is not most commonly listed as a "classic" (unlike Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights) do you think it deserves a more high polished reputation?
Chris asked: I enjoyed The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I think Anne is overshadowed by her sisters. Have you read any of the other Brontes' works? (Where does Tenant fit in for you if you have?) Did you think Helen was a strong female character?
She Reads Books asked: Have you read any other books by Anne Bronte? In particular, if you've read it, how does Wildfell compare to Agnes Grey? How does it compare to Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights?
As to whether or not I liked The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, I was really on the fence about it. It was a tough novel to get into, but it really picked up around the middle, and I’ll tell you why. The first half of the book is narrated by Gilbert Markham, a local squire. You can tell that Anne Bronte didn’t know very much about men; the “voice” she uses here isn’t very masculine. In fact Gilbert himself doesn’t seem very masculine; he prefers to spend time chatting with the other female characters and only once, I believe, does he ever have a conversation with another man.
The book picks up when we get to the diary of Helen Graham, and this is also where the mystery truly begins. Helen didn’t strike me as being either weak or strong, just melodramatic at times. Also, the abrupt bounce from the epistolary format to diary was a bit jarring. Don’t get me wrong, Bronte is a good writer, and she really its her stride in the latter part of the book, but ultimately I preferred Agnes Grey over Tenant (in the former book, Anne wrote about what she knew, which was governessing). It’s true that Anne is overshadowed by her older sisters, but my lukewarm feelings about this book shouldn’t put you off from reading her work.
It’s been awhile since I’ve read either Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre, but those books, in my opinion, were more memorable than this one. There were more characters that grabbed my attention in those books. I even preferred Villette, in a way. But as I've said, Anne is a good writer; in my opinion, this just isn't her best.
She Reads Books asked: Have you read any other books by Anne Bronte? In particular, if you've read it, how does Wildfell compare to Agnes Grey? How does it compare to Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights?
As to whether or not I liked The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, I was really on the fence about it. It was a tough novel to get into, but it really picked up around the middle, and I’ll tell you why. The first half of the book is narrated by Gilbert Markham, a local squire. You can tell that Anne Bronte didn’t know very much about men; the “voice” she uses here isn’t very masculine. In fact Gilbert himself doesn’t seem very masculine; he prefers to spend time chatting with the other female characters and only once, I believe, does he ever have a conversation with another man.
The book picks up when we get to the diary of Helen Graham, and this is also where the mystery truly begins. Helen didn’t strike me as being either weak or strong, just melodramatic at times. Also, the abrupt bounce from the epistolary format to diary was a bit jarring. Don’t get me wrong, Bronte is a good writer, and she really its her stride in the latter part of the book, but ultimately I preferred Agnes Grey over Tenant (in the former book, Anne wrote about what she knew, which was governessing). It’s true that Anne is overshadowed by her older sisters, but my lukewarm feelings about this book shouldn’t put you off from reading her work.
It’s been awhile since I’ve read either Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre, but those books, in my opinion, were more memorable than this one. There were more characters that grabbed my attention in those books. I even preferred Villette, in a way. But as I've said, Anne is a good writer; in my opinion, this just isn't her best.
Also reviewed by: Kay's Bookshelf, Books I Done Read
Comments
I need to start on my 3rd book. I think it's going to be The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields.
I really have to disagree with the idea that Agnes Grey is better. . again, it's a taste thing. AG is very good the way a piece of excellent needlepoint is good, if you ask me -- it's contained, extremely precise and neat, great attention to detail, and its subtlety rewards the sensitive or observant reader. Wildfell is where Anne gets ambitious, and I think it is the more memorable and broadly appealing of the two.