Wuthering Heights

I read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte in July because I have it on my list for the Book Gap Challenge...and so far, the only other book I have read it The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Two out of six isn't bad but I have to get back to reading some of the other books on my list. Hopefully, the other books are more enjoyable than Wuthering Heights.
I know there are tons of people who love Wuthering Heights but I have to be honest and say that I am not one of them. It's been a little over a month since I finished it and I've had time to think about it a little more objectively. When I was listening to it, I was definitely over it but I can see maybe a little bit how it can be appreciated to a certain extent. 

While I was listening to it, I felt like the story was going on and on. I remember getting about halfway in and wondering what else could possibly happen next. It's kind of a sign to me that I'm not a fan of a book if I desperately want to stop reading it but keep reading just so I can say that I finished it. 

Since finishing it, I've been able to realize how I can at least appreciate it based on how it represents life for Emily Bronte. It really made me think of what life might have been like for her, with her family and living on the moors. It made me think about how having a context to go along with books can make such a difference to a reader. Two years ago, one of my students was asked to read Of Mice and Men for his class. I provided a lot of scaffolding to be able to help him get into and understand the book. I had worked with him in 8th grade so I knew he had studied the Dust Bowl and knew about the Great Depression. I was able to help him make the connection between that knowledge and relate it to the book. Of Mice and Men makes a lot more sense when the reader understands the context of the time period that the book is set in. The same applies to Wuthering Heights for me. I think it gives readers an understanding of some of Emily Bronte's life or experiences. 

I really wonder how my perspective might have been different had I read it as part of a class, being able to discuss it with others and analyze as I went. It definitely would have helped me to hear what others think of it so that I could expand my own thinking and try to see other perspectives. 

I can't say that I liked Wuthering Heights, but I can say that I read it and I can say that I learned something from reading it. That counts, right? Please chime in and tell me what you think of Wuthering Heights...and if you loved it, share why!