Wuthering HeightsWuthering Heights
Score Classic
What it's about
A tenant at a lonely house on the Yorkshire moors hears the story of his landlord, the brooding Heathcliff, from the housekeeper. Heathcliff was a foundling taken in by the family at Wuthering Heights, where he and the daughter, Catherine, grew up wild and devoted to each other. When Catherine married someone else, Heathcliff's love turned to a revenge that consumed two families.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Bokklubben list of the 100 greatest books and was voted onto both PBS's Great American Read and the BBC's Big Read. It's one of the most passionate and strange novels in English.
You'll love it if you liked
Rebecca
Pride and Prejudice
PersuasionGood to know
It's not a gentle romance; nearly everyone is cruel. The story is told secondhand and spans two generations, and some of the dialect is thick.
By the numbers
- Readers25 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics78 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller66 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Thought-provoking
If you like this, read next
The Brothers Karamazov
The Thorn Birds
The Age of Innocence
The Great Gatsby
Middlemarch
LolitaExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is Wuthering Heights worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Bokklubben list of the 100 greatest books and was voted onto both PBS's Great American Read and the BBC's Big Read. It ranks #1,038 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 72.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Wuthering Heights about?
A tenant at a lonely house on the Yorkshire moors hears the story of his landlord, the brooding Heathcliff, from the housekeeper. Heathcliff was a foundling taken in by the family at Wuthering Heights, where he and the daughter, Catherine, grew up wild and devoted to each other. When Catherine married someone else, Heathcliff's love turned to a revenge that consumed two families.
How long does it take to read Wuthering Heights?
About 11 hours (432 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Wuthering Heights?
If you liked it, try Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen or Persuasion by Jane Austen.