Objective-Mirror2564 t1_je9mizj wrote on March 30, 2023 at 12:46 PM

I love Anne because Tenant of Wildfell Hall basically subverts everything about what it was like to be a woman during the Brontes' time. And is the first piece of, dare I say it, feminist literature. Way ahead of its time.

FlattopMaker t1_jeb8uc8 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 7:23 PM

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is seriously underrated. I wish it was assigned to reading lists for schoolwork.

Objective-Mirror2564 t1_jebi65h wrote on March 30, 2023 at 8:22 PM

I do too.

Vintagegrrl72 t1_jebth21 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 9:35 PM

Yes! Agreed! It’s my fave Bronte novel by far.

[deleted] t1_jedpi21 wrote on March 31, 2023 at 7:24 AM

[deleted]

FeelingBlueberry t1_je8m5m1 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 5:13 AM

The moors were so bleak there were only three names and everyone had to share.

carrotwhirl OP t1_je8mtm7 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 5:21 AM

Haha! Nice one

Y_Brennan t1_je8o6n6 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 5:37 AM

Love Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Haven't read anything by Anne yet.

carrotwhirl OP t1_je8pq2f wrote on March 30, 2023 at 5:56 AM

Yay! Nice. Anne is often seen as more modern than her sisters. You should give Anne's books a go someday. She doesn't disappoint.

jefrye t1_je8ogey wrote on March 30, 2023 at 5:40 AM

Villette is my favorite: it destroyed me the first time I read it, I've never been so affected by a book before. Wuthering Heights is probably next (you're right that the character names are absolutely maddening, though), but I'm currently rereading Jane Eyre and absolutely loving it so we'll see. I have to reread The Tenant of Wildfell Hall because the pacing was entirely thrown off by the book description and so I don't think I really got a real feel for it the first time around. I'll probably reread Agnes Grey at some point too since it's so sweet, though I don't imagine it will shoot to the top of the list...

The only two that I didn't love (and will probably not reread, at least not anytime soon) are The Professor and Shirley.

carrotwhirl OP t1_je8psap wrote on March 30, 2023 at 5:56 AM

Oh nice! I haven't read Villette yet. I'd better go put it on my to-read list. I haven't read Agnes Grey either, so that as well. Thanks!

justadiamondday t1_je9spsw wrote on March 30, 2023 at 1:35 PM

Nice to see Villette here, people often forget about it but it's one of my favorites.

Neither_Layer6383 t1_jecfgf4 wrote on March 31, 2023 at 12:10 AM

Yeah, I think most of those who like Jane Eyre would also enjoy Villette.

ViniVidiVelcro t1_je9doay wrote on March 30, 2023 at 11:22 AM

Loved Wuthering Heights.

Not a fan of Jane Eyre.

Zealousideal-Set-592 t1_je8qx3g wrote on March 30, 2023 at 6:10 AM

Probably in order, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Agnes Grey

NotBorris t1_je9oi3n wrote on March 30, 2023 at 1:02 PM

I've only read Jane Eyre, so far at least. I really liked it

carrotwhirl OP t1_je9rpq0 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 1:28 PM

Yay!

SproutsMexicane48 t1_je9wzgc wrote on March 30, 2023 at 2:07 PM

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is my favorite so far. Some people have said that, even though not the most well known, Anne was the best writer of the three.

sekhmet1010 t1_je90uvz wrote on March 30, 2023 at 8:31 AM

I have only read Wuthering Heights , Tenant of Wildfell Hall , Agnes Grey , Jane Eyre .

I liked Wuthering Heights the best, then Jane Eyre , then Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

I am going to read either Villette or Shirley this year. Looking forward to it a lot! I avoided reading Jane Eyre for a very long time because i had heard too much about it and felt like it could only disappoint. Well, when it didn't. It was compelling as hell!

I still prefer Wuthering Heights to it since i love intensity and WH has that in buckets. Plus, the setting is beyond incredible, and the damaged characters just speak to me. (Damn, i feel like rereading it now!)

JustNoNoISaid t1_je9x97d wrote on March 30, 2023 at 2:09 PM

Whatever Charlotte did, Anne did way better. Her writing is solid, her philosophy unimpeachable, and most importantly, she displays none of the girlish daddy-love-me fantasies that her elder sister was so deplorably afflicted with.

Emily, on the other hand, was in a league of her own.

riordan2013 t1_jea677g wrote on March 30, 2023 at 3:14 PM

Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books of all time. I'd put Agnes Grey second; it's just so ahead of its time. I've stopped and started Wuthering Heights on several occasions at this point, sigh.

If you're a Bronte fan I highly recommend the Juliet Barker biography of them; it's long but full of amazing detail.

wildflowerafternoon t1_je9tuug wrote on March 30, 2023 at 1:44 PM

I also really loved Jane Eyre. Wuthering Heights is one of my least favorite books I’ve ever read for the exact reasons you mentioned.

RoseIsBadWolf t1_je9h9n8 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 11:58 AM

I've only read Agnes Grey, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and Jane Eyre.

I liked them all but Tenant is my absolute favorite. I wish they taught it more in school. It's so relevant today and so important. The way Helen just walks by all these red flags and married Arthur is chilling. The middle part I read as fast as I can just to get her out!

I wish that book was more popular!

Sumtimesagr8notion t1_je9lsse wrote on March 30, 2023 at 12:40 PM

I've only read Wuthering heights and Jane Eyre. While Jane Eyre is fantastic, Wuthering Hieghts is one of my favorite books of all time.

HugeMud0 t1_jeaiuf3 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 4:38 PM

Wuthering heights is my favorite

soph_sol t1_jeaowy1 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 5:17 PM

I'm with you on disliking Wuthering Heights, though I think for different reasons than you! I wasn't too confused by it, and in fact found the way it was writing to be extremely compelling, but I hated the story it was telling so much that I gave up on it by halfway through despite how much I admired the writing.

I've read both of Anne's books, and thought that The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was very well done, but her first book, Agnes Grey, I found to be fairly dull. I wish she'd had the chance to live longer and write more, if she was able to improve so much just between her first book and her second.

For Charlotte, I've only read Jane Eyre, and I have conflicted feelings about it to be honest. I love Jane herself, and what the narrative is doing with her, and notions of a woman's independence and freedom in the era. But I hate hate hate Mr Rochester so it's hard for me to be happy with how the story ends! (admittedly I hate St John even more....)

WackyWriter1976 t1_jeat413 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 5:43 PM

Loved Jane Eyre and only read Charlotte.

emmylouanne t1_jeeghll wrote on March 31, 2023 at 12:51 PM

I still have to read Villette and the Professor. Wuthering Heights is my favourite book of all time (joint with the Bell Jar). The first time I read it I didn’t like it - didn’t understand why people thought it was such a good love story. Then I read it again with the knowledge that it’s not a positive example of what love looks like - it’s passion, jealousy, selfishness. Now I love it and reread it every few years.

emmylouanne t1_jeegi3l wrote on March 31, 2023 at 12:51 PM