The Heights [Paperback]

Brian James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 22, 2009

A Dangerous Obsession

Henry liked to imagine his life began that cold rainy day in San Francisco when Mr. Earnshaw found him shivering by the side of the road. That was the day Henry met Catherine. She’s his savior, pushing away his anger and making him feel safe and calm. Though Henry and Catherine are raised as brother and sister, their love for each other goes much deeper. They vow to always be together. But everything changes when Mr. Earnshaw dies and his real son, Hindley, gains control of the family. Furiously jealous, Hindley never accepted Henry as a true brother. As he tries to sever Henry from Catherine, the violent rage Henry has kept barely controlled bubbles to the surface. And no one is safe from his wrath.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–This bleak tale of star-crossed love will have little appeal for teens. Angry, orphaned Henry has been raised as a brother to sweet daydreamer Catherine, though their feelings for each other run much deeper than that of siblings. After her father dies at the beginning of the novel, her domineering brother, Hindley, drives the two apart. Catherine finds solace with Edgar, the preppy son of a wealthy neighbor, while Henry becomes caught up in violence at his new public high school. After another tragedy further widens the gap between Henry and Catherine, she resolves to make a clean break with him, but then yet another tragedy occurs. James is known for his unflinching novels about teens battling issues such as child abuse and depression. In The Heights, he cleverly alternates between Henry's and Catherine's points of view of the same incidents to show how their feelings for each other change over the course of the book. However, the angst is over-the-top even for a YA novel, and the attempts at profundity fall flat. Send readers to Wuthering Heights instead.–Leah J. Sparks, formerly at Bowie Public Library, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Emily Brontë’s classic novel Wuthering Heights is the inspiration for this wrenching contemporary drama set in the eponymous San Francisco neighborhood. James sets up the taboo-filled premise from the first scene: Catherine and her stepbrother, Henry, a Mexican orphan adopted by Catherine’s wealthy father, walk together, each privately imagining the kiss that would confirm their mutual, long-simmering attraction. Once home, though, grief subsumes all other thoughts when they learn that their father has died. Alternating between Henry and Catherine’s voices, James details the family’s harrowing dissolution as the teens’ tyrannical older brother, Hindley, takes over the household and heaps abuse on Henry, whose own volatile temper escalates into terrifying violence that leads to the astonishing, bleak conclusion. Peripheral characters, particularly Hindley, feel like caricatures, and the prose veers between moving poetry and melodramatic clichés (“she smiles softly like the dawn”). Readers will struggle with their responses to Henry, but his acts of increasing cruelty underscore this novel’s provocative, daring questions about the human spirit’s irreparable breaking points and the roots of obsessive love. Grades 8-12. --Gillian Engberg --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Square Fish (December 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312607369
• ISBN-13: 978-0312607364
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,177,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up outside of Philadelphia, a town I portrayed all my thoughts and feelings about in Pure Sunshine and the short story Filthadelphia. When I was eighteen, I moved to New York City where I stayed for ten years. You can read about my impressions of that city in both Tomorrow, Maybe and Thief. For the suburban experiences of my life, check out Perfect World and Dirty Liar.

Needless to say, ten years in Manhattan is more than enough. It was time to pack up and head for the peace and quiet of the middle of nowhere. Alas, I ended up in the Woodstock area of upstate New York. An area aptly portrayed in my book Zombie Blondes.

My fascination with writing started in childhood with the notion of making up stories. I loved action figures as a kid. Actually, I still do and still collect them. But as a child, I would set up my entire bedroom like the stage for one epic story that I would play out for days. I didn't know it at the time, but it was the basis for what I do now. I was also a stuffed animal kid. I had dozens and they all had names and they all personalities. Basically, they were characters. Writing isn't very different than playing. It's just a grown up way of doing it.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So disappointed that I bought this book, March 2, 2011

By 

T214T1987 "Avid- Reader" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Heights (Paperback)

This book is well written but if you are a Heathcliff and Catherine fan, this book is going to frustrate you. The author describes a type of insipid puppy love that cannot even come remotely close to the depth of feeling EB describes in WH. It is right to say it is written for tweeners-YA. I thought it was going to be better than it was, but, I was so disappointed. Just another shallow WH retelling. It would be ok for an English class though barring some questionable parts. I liked the questions for class discussion in the back of the book. Last, the name "Henry" to depict one of the most volatile anti-hero's in literature?! Horrible choice and yet Hindley, Catherine, etc.. got to keep their names? It was almost as if the author had something (like Hindley) against the real Heathcliff from the beginning.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Heights, January 15, 2010

By 

Lindsay Frost (OR, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heights (Paperback)

The Heights
by Brian James

Publisher:Feiwel & Friends
# of Pages:256
Age Rating: +13
My Rating: 5 Stars
Where did I get it: From In Group to review.

Synopsis:
Henry liked to imagine his life began that cold rainy day in San Francisco when Mr. Earnshaw found him shivering by the side of the road. That was the day Henry met Catherine. For Henry, Catherine is like a precious gift. She pushes away his angry thoughts and makes him feel safe and calm. And though Mr. Earnshaw, a widow, raises the orphan and Catherine as brother and sister, their love for each other goes much deeper. They vow to always be together.

But everything changes when Mr. Earnshaw dies suddenly and Hindley, Mr. Earnshaw's own son, gains control of the family finances. Furiously jealous, Hindley never accepted Henry as a true member of the family. He works to sever Henry's relationship with Catherine and the violent rage Henry has harbored since he was a child bubbles to the surface. . . .

Contemporizing the classic novel, Wuthering Heights, notable YA author, Brian James delives into the dark nature of obsessive love, the social injustices of class, and the self-destructive power of revenge in this emotionally raw unforgettable offering.

Review:
Wuthering Heights is one of my most favorite classic book so when I was able to get this book to review, I was very excited.
The Heights was full of emotions, everyone seem so real to me, I could feel the hopeless that Henry felt or the sadness that Catherine felt.
This book has the most emotionality rides ever. If you are looking for a love story that has a happy ending then this is NOT for you. I thought that the author did a very good job at writing this book so that it was modern but at the same time, it stay true to Wuthering Heights.
If you are having a hard time reading Wuthering Heights then try reading this book first to see if that helps.
The characters seem so real, like the one part when Hindley was being mean to Henry, I just felt so mad, I wanted to hit Hindley and tell him to stop it but at the same time, I wanted to help Henry, to tell him that Catherine did love him.
The ending was sad but I want to find out what happens next.
If you love a good doom love story or if you love Wuthering Heights or just any emotionality story, then you have to read this book.
I give it 5 stars.

Enjoy! :D:D:D

5.0 out of 5 stars wuthering heights in today's san francisco, October 1, 2010

By 

lewis - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heights (Paperback)

this is an intense, brooding novel, absolutely gripping, and a perfect match in its tone and urgency to wuthering heights, on which it's loosely based. james captures the unbearable silence and upheaval of teenage life, as well as offering up an authentic slice of san francisco. be prepared to sit down with this one for a long spell of delicious reading.