Windward Heights [Paperback]

Maryse Conde (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: SOHo (1999)
• ASIN: B001AMG4XO
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Caribbean setting enriches the Wuthering Heights story, September 21, 1999

By 

Arlene "ravingreader" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Windward Heights (Hardcover)

The passionate tragedy created by different social classes in WUTHERING HEIGHTS is hard to comprehend in contemporary USA. In WINDWARD HEIGHTS Conde renews the emotional reaction by changing classes to skin color in a 19th century Caribbean setting.

Conde following the Bronte storyline closely which means a plethora of characters with confusing relationships, the only weakness in the novel.

The sickness of spirit that results when a child is not loved or accepted by the society in which he or she lives is dangerous to all of society. In Conde's version the Heathcliff character wreaks havoc on the region, not just family members.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS was never the romance portrayed by Merle Oberson & Laurence Olivier, it is a story of obsession and revenge. Conde's version is beautifully written and seems more up-to-date.

Bronte fans will enjoy comparing the original to WINDWARD HEIGHTS & Alice Hoffman's version in HERE ON EARTH.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, delightful, highly readable!, September 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Windward Heights (Hardcover)

With or without having read Wuthering Heights, I would have enjoyed this book. Vivid details, compelling situations and themes. She recreated the souls of Heathcliff and Cathy (and others), yet they belonged entirely to Guadaloupe. The ways Windward Heights was like and unlike WH were welcome. Conde never compromised her storytelling for the sake of the idea--a retold WH. As good as Crossing the Mangrove. The cultural portrait is a gift. Must reading for anyone who loves WH--or good novels.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars caribbean enchantment, April 12, 2001

By 

"katybee" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Windward Heights (Paperback)

I love Conde's books, and if you like the lazy, almost nostalgic style of so many of the South American and Caribbean writers you will no doubt find this book a great read.

The characters are at once powerful and vulnerable - the women are especially fascinating in that they breathe sexuality yet appear within the rigid confines of the society of the day.

The book is a 'remake' of Wuthering Heights, but don't let that put you off - it manages to deftly weave the original with Conde's own unique blend of interests and concerns - race, social injustice and hypocrisy. As modern as it is classic.