Customer Reviews

The Heights

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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

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.

I don't think it spoils anything to tell you that The Heights is a modernization of Wuthering Heights, set in present day San Francisco, because even though the bones of the book remain the same, James' voice and characters are so fresh and real that you will enjoy this book even if you happen to know the ending. (And my guess is that many readers won't know how Wuthering Heights ends anyway.)
Orphaned Henry (wrong side of tracks) moves in with lovely Catherine and her nice father. Romance. Father dies, mean older brother takes over, banishes Henry to basement, uses Henry's phone to text Catherine with fake break up message. Missed opportunities. Things left unsaid. Scheming neighbor girl. Handsome neighbor boy. Fog. Unrealized dreams.

High school readers (or anyone who enjoys a romance set in modern times) will speed through this enjoyable, but not lightweight, book. Bravo, Brian James, Bravo!

The Heights--a contemporary imagining of Wuthering Heights
by Brian James
Genre: YA Fiction, Romance
Rating: 4, DNF

Ah. Again. A high rated book that I did not finish. "Haley what is wrong with you?" Haley stop talking to yourself.

Let me start with the positive: This book is all about the characters. James has taken characters that were only mildly relatable in Wuthering Heights and made them so realistic that you feel everything they feel. This is a mark of a good writer... but also a very painful book. The viewpoint alternates between Henry and Cathy, but it's not distracting. It's so easy to get inside their heads and live their lives. Almost too easy.
The negative: It was too painful to finish. I know what's going to happen because I know the story of Wuthering Heights... and I don't think I want to live through that. Because I know if I read it, it will feel 110% real. And I don't think I could handle that.

This book has taken me two days to read... and each time I could only get a little bit farther before I had to stop because I was so angry at the characters for being stupid and prideful and selfish and mean and hateful, that I threw the book across the room. Twice.

I guess this sad love story is just not my kind of love story. Let's hope I'm not jinxing myself (Haley you know you don't believe in such things). If you love sad romance stories or love Wuthering Heights, you'll love this--because this one hurt. I'll save it for a rainy day when I need to force myself to break down and cry...

Content: Henry has a dirty mouth, but it's not overdone. No sexual content, and all romance is appropriate
Recommendation: Anyone who wants a good cry... ages 13+

Cover: I know I usually don't say anything about the cover... but really they could have done better. Henry (Heathcliff) is supposed to be dark skinned with dark hair. The guy on the cover looks nothing like him.

*angry and sad Haley now goes to the corner and pouts and finds a lighter romance to cheer herself up*